Random Thoughts on Random Topics

Good Coaches Are Always Scrutinizing Their Methods A highly successful coaching colleague recently made a video contribution to an online coaching education website. The video presented drills used to develop volleyball skills. After the video was online for a few days, the coach reached out to me, expressing dismay at the nasty nature of comments…

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Fixed vs. Floating Attack Zones for the Middle Hitter

Whenever I’m in the development phase of an offense, I have two primary goals. First, I want to develop the offense from the middle one-third of the court, then work to the outside. The attack from the middle of the court is not restricted to the middle hitter. The backrow attack from the center-back player…

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The Pursuit of Higher Television Numbers

The 2022 Division 1 Volleyball Championship drew 786,000 viewers, significantly trailing the Collegiate Football Playoff championship game (17 million), the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship game (14 million), and the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game (10 million) in viewership. These figures represent the average views. Viewers that leave early or watch only parts of…

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It’s Easier to Move If You’re Already Moving

Volleyball is a game of movement. The entirety of the game involves moving from Point A to Point B, then executing a skill. The faster you can move to the ball, the chances of a successful contact are increased. At all levels, volleyball is being played at a faster tempo. Players are serving at an…

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A Former Player Spurs My “Why”

It is distressing when I read how academia is redefining excellence. Admission standards are dropping, failing a class is almost impossible, homework is being deemphasized, and teachers and coaches need more support to do what they were trained to do. As coaches, we often question if the values we encourage and preach will last beyond…

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Additional Thoughts on Serve-Receive

As a follow-up to my recent article on serve-receive, I’ll present some additional items I value. Why the continued focus on this component of the game? In conversations with coaches, serve-receive is the one component of the game that is a never-ending challenge for players. Part of the challenge is the improved ability of the…

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Direct Teaching Is A Roadmap for Player Development

“Not only is unguided instruction less effective, but there is also evidence that it may have negative results when students acquire misconceptions or incomplete or disorganized knowledge. Teachers should provide their students with clear, explicit instruction rather than merely assisting students in attempting to discover knowledge themselves.” -Paul Kirschner I’ve had many inspiring mentors during…

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A Good Approach is Essential to an Effective Attack

Coaches will agree that attackers are most effective when the attacker implements a quality attack approach. One of the positives of running an offense with high sets at every position is that it is easier to implement a dynamic 4-step approach to attack. However, when running a quicker tempo offense with middle and outside attackers,…

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Thoughts on Serve-Receive

My recent post on serve-receive initiated significant responses, directly or on various venues. The article aimed to encourage coaches to be creative in organizing serve-receive patterns. The straight 3-person pattern isn’t necessarily the best way to deal with the challenges of receiving a short or deep serve, which is statistically the most difficult for the…

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