Serving

-Types of serves:
-Float serve, can be used to change the tempo of your serves, a “change-up.”
-Jump Float, is used to add more velocity to the ball when giving a float serve.
-Jump Serve, toughest and fastest serve

-Things to aim for when serving:

-Holes, open spaces in the opponents defense which causes their formation to
move.
-Compact or Congested areas, areas in which too many players occupy it.
Confusion on who will pass the ball in this type of area will occur.
-Weakest passer, passer with the lowest statistic of making a successful pass.
-Best hitter, by giving their best hitter a difficult serve to pass, you take them out
of the opponents offensive equation.
-At or near the opponents setter, by doing this your are trying to take the setter
out of the equation by having them take the first pass. Also you limit their
chances to get to space themselves out, amongst its players, to better set the
ball to the hitters or lessen their options of attack. Another reason would be to
make them turn and face the same direction in which they came. Making it more
uncomfortable to set the ball.

-Keep in mind the statistics of how well the individual opponent receives your serve.

-Keep statistics of your opponents serves. (What each individual player serves at you)

-When performing your most difficult serve, do so at a comfortable lead

-Note: Try to always perform your most difficult serve unless you are doing a
change up.
-All serves should be in/ playable, no mistakes, unless you are jump serving or
jump floating your serve. These kinds of serves are more difficult and raise
the likelihood of making a mistake. To counter this. Work on you perfecting
your serves with precision, speed, and difficulty

-Farther the distance is from you to the net, your angle of aim should be higher and
more power is needed to get the ball over the net.

-Communication is key. Call out, before hand (while at serve receive) what type of
server your team is going up against.
-Things to possibly call out are:
-“Hey this person jump serves”
-“Watch for the short serve”
-“Careful, this server likes to pick on you”

-When your team is serving, give hand signals to your server of available options to
serve. Usually the coach or the most experienced server does this.
-After serving the ball, position yourself accordingly in the back row by:
-How well you pass
-Either Left Back or Middle Back since most of the time your going against
the opponents Outside Hitter or Middle blocker.
-How well your back row attack is
-Either Middle Back or Right Back. If setter is front row, Right Back can be
that third Offensive Hitter and make a backside attack. Middle Back can
be that extra middle attack if the Middle blocker is running a play
somewhere else

Setting

-Remember that 90% of all sets, by a Setter, should be a “jump” set.

-Helps cut the time to get the ball from the first pass to the hitters hands. Faster
Offense gives less time for your opponent to set up a good block.
-If front row, the setter becomes a possible threat by having an option to dump
the ball.

-Setter is mainly the offensive strategist on the team.

-Never give away to where you will be setting, the ball. For instance, not being parallel
to the net, arching your back to early for a back set, or getting to the spot late are
some indications of likely places where you will set.

-Try not to set in areas near the net where it is packed with not only your team mates,
but also with the opponents blockers. Example, if you get a pass where you have to
set the ball from the 4 hole, which draws more of the opponents blockers near that
area, and the setter and the Outside Hitter are also in that area, best thing to do would
be to set the ball completely the opposite direction. Try not set in areas where the
opponents blockers have an easy time or is already set to block your attacks.

-Before the ball is served, the Setter must give out offensive plays/ signals to its team
mates that are currently on the court.
-Make sure every team mate acknowledges your signal and is on the same page
with everyone else. (ie eye to eye and verbal acknowledgements)
-The first play, off of the serve receive, is planned from the setter. After that, if it’s
still the same rally, it’s the hitters that call what they want to run on the spot.
(Though usually, after the first initial play off of the serve receive, all attackers
Run a regular attack)

-The Setter always strategizes what offensive play to run based upon the opponents
blocking defense and back row defense for every rotation. Such things to look for are:
-Which blocker(s) have the slowest time in blocking
-Is the opponent “Bunch Blocking”
-Does the opponents double block leave gaps
 -Which blocker(s) don’t jump as high
-Which blocker(s) are easy to distract
-Is the opponents back row cover in place?
-Who has bad statistics in passing
-How fast can the other team set up their cover? (which player is slow to move to
cover.

-Don’t forget that a Setter not only strategizes what play to run but also gives
advice on what type of hit to execute. (ie Hard line, off the block, angle, sharp angle,
short, deep, donut, etc) Setter can also yell out these advices while the ball is being
set to the hitter. It is wise (as the Setter) to check out possible weak points in the
opponents defense right after the set is made and yell out types of hits to execute.

-When setting the ball far from the net, never set your front row players too close to the
net. Risk of accidently setting the ball too tightly on the net increases. Remember that
your hitters have to adjust their approach to you when you set from far off the net.

-When setting the ball from the 4 hole or 2 hole, avoid setting from the same area in
which you are setting it from. Reason being, setting the ball near your outside hitters
draws too many blockers in play. You’ll have too many people on both sides of the net,
congested in one area. Keep yourself evenly spaced between all your hitters to avoid
it. Also when being presented with this situation, dishing out the set away from the
congested area will result in a good chance of the opponents blockers not being able
to maneuver quickly to put up a double or triple block.

-When setting the ball from the 10ft line or father Be aware of your possible, adjusted,
options of attacks.
-Back row hitters
-Your Outside Hitters that adjusted their approaches farther back.
-Middle Blocker running an attack to get a better angle and distance of the set
(Suck possible attacks can be a 3, back 2, back 3)

-Build chemistry with your hitters. Know the speed distance along the net, and height of
the sets they like or what they are capable of.

-If you team mate makes a dive to save the ball or goes far to save it, don’t set that
same person, most likely he or she is out and not capable of not being set to make
any attack.

-When in trouble, always aim to set the ball high enough to give your offense a chance
to put away the ball by still being able to jump and attack it.

-After setting the ball, look to cover and also look for weaknesses in opponents defense.
Both in the back row and the opponents block.

-Always communicate loudly what type of set you have given them once you set the
 ball.
-tight, short, off (away from the net), high, quick, straight up

-Letting your hitters know how or where they should hit the ball helps out a lot.
-line
-angle
-donut
-roll
-swing away/ nobody (no/ weak blockers to challenge your attack)
-short
-deep
-reach
-forward (set is made a bit further in front of the hitter to allow the hitter to do his
Or her approach)

-If given a good or bad pass, communicate loudly and clearly to inform your hitters of
What play you will be doing or canceling a play, right before you set the ball
-Such words or phrases can be simple like:
-“Yup, Yup, Yup!”
-“Go!”
-“Run, Run it!”
-“Good!”
-“No!”
-“Bad!”

-Telling your back row what kind of pass you would like from them can also help out
In the offense
-Hi ball to give your attackers time to better maneuver their way for a better
position to attack.
-Quick pass to run an offensive play faster and give less time for the opponents
block to react.
-Tight pass (high and on the net) to be able to dump the ball when setter is front
Row.
-Pass the ball in a specific location other than directly on the net and in the
middle so thatin helps draw blockers where you dont want them and also
produces confusion for the opponent

-Don’t hesitate to save the ball, if given a high and tight pass, and set with one hand. An
alternate to this, if the setter is front row, is to not save the ball and try to set it, but to
turn and get ready to just block. Knowing that the enemy hitter will try to hit the over/
tight pass.

-On a normal basis, on serve receive, the setter should start in the 2 hole. If the setter
has first serve, then the setter will take the serve. This allows you to initially start the
game/ set with 3 hitters.
-When running plays, setter always has a “back up” hitter than runs a regular attack.
This is used when you receive a bad pass. The back row can also be considered
to be one of the hitters to be the “back up” hitter. Another option you can do, if all
three hitters are involved in a play that gives you no “back up” hitter option, then
you can communicate loudly or notify them before the start of the rally, to just run
a regular attack when given a bad pass.

-Always know and communicate loudly to where the opponent’s Setter is located. If their
Setter is in the front row, you know that:
-The setter can jump and dump the ball easily
-That the opponents side has only two hitters and is easier to think of what
type of defense to use
If the setter is back row, you know that:
-The setter cant jump and dump the ball.
-The enemy can utilize all 3 attackers

-Know when to strategically dump the ball and also keep close statistics of how often
The opposing team’s Setter dumps the ball.

-Have a “preset” play of when your team receives a free ball is important.

-Listen carefully to your team mates as well. While you are focused on the ball and are
about to set the ball, your team mates will have a clear view of what options you can
set.

-If you are given a free ball, start the first pass by setting the ball. You’ll have more
control in your pass.

-During serve receive or defensive cover. If the ball is coming at you chest level or
higher, set the ball to make the first pass. This is based upon how fast the ball is
coming at you of course.

Hitting

-Proper hitting technique:

-Footwork, “Left foot forward, Left- Right- Left”. Don’t forget to bend your knees.
(After mastering your footwork, you will come up with your own approach,
hitters preference but as long as you have the fundamentals down.)
-Must have arm swings to help you launch off your feed and good momentum.
-As you in the air, your arm is stretched out and your left hand is used to help you
aim at the ball. Keeping a, “line of sight,” from the tip of your fingers to the ball.
The right arm is cocked back prepping it to give a good momentum for a swing.
-Swing at the ball at a, “swimming,” like motion. Dropping your left arm from
aiming at the ball and rotating your right arm forward to initiate a swinging
attack on the ball. Making sure you follow through after making contact with the
 ball and or do a full rotating arm swing. This helps out a lot of velocity on the
ball. Also as you following through with your arm swing, your upper torso
should also be in a “jack knife” position, jerked forward, to help with your follow
through swing.
-Most of the time you do not have your arm cross your body at the end of the
follow through swing. Near the end of your swing, your hand should be brushing
the outside of your thigh, same side of your hitting arm. You have more options
of where to hit when doing this by simple turning your upper bodyOnly time
when you are having your arm cross your body through the follow through
swing is when your emphasizing a certain hitting angle.
-Another good technique to gaining many options on where to hit a ball as your
making your approach is to square your shoulders to the net. Again, simple
turns of the upper torso will help you cut your hit either left, right, or down the
line. Without giving away your attentions of the direction you want to hit.

-Hitting the ball and jumping straight up after doing your approach is usually the safest
way to make an attack. Floating forward in the air, as you make your approach and
jump, is risky
because:
-You might overshoot it and land on the net or too close to the net.
-You wont be able to make a successful hit if the set is too tight.
-You normally make contact with the ball near the bottom of its trajectory.
-Normally you would float forward in mid air only when you are “piking,” over for a
back row attack or if it’s an offset (away from the net).

-Be aware of any mismatches between your hitters and the opponents blockers. For
instance, if your Outside Hitter can’t hit over the blocker he or she is going up against,
and you have a middle blocker that’s tall and has been hitting well, have them run a
play so that your Middle blocker is runs and hits the outside attack and your Outside
Hitter comes in and hits a one attack. (Also known as an “X” offensive play) You would
mostly do this during serve receive, the very first attack. If your team is serving, wait
for the opportunity to get a good pass and run a play where your tallest or best hitter
hits the ball pass a weaker shorter blocker.

-During serve receive, not only do you position yourself for the pass, but also to position
yourself for a good approach on whatever attack you’re running. Position yourself for
the easy route of attack.

-Before the serve, always look to see what kind of blockers you will be going up against
if the set was given to you to hit. Such things to look for are:
-How good or bad have the statics been for the blocker
-The height of the blockers reach
-Who is slow, who is fast
-Who opens up the line attack
-Who leave gaps in the block
-Always know what the offensive play is and make sure everyone is one the same page.
Always have a back up play too if the pass and set go wrong. Eye to eye contact and
hand signals

-Pay attention to what kind of pass is being made by your team. This lets you know if
you need to make adjustments to your approach or if you need to bail out on the play
and run a back up play. Or if the pass is going to be an overpass, you should react
quickly and get into defensive cover.

-Speed transitioning from blocking to hitting is very imprpotant. You have to be super
fast to get ready.

-If you’re a Middle blocker, never hit straight into the block unless you know for a fact
You can hit over her or the blocker against you leaves a huge gap between her arms.

-If the ball is set slightly behind you or right above you, adjust your approach by taking a
step back or a slide back. This will help you be behind the ball when going up to attack
it and still give you somewhat of a small momentum approach.

-Snapping your wrist when hitting is very critical when making an attack.
-Adds speed to your hit
-Makes the ball rotate/ spin so the ball falls down faster
-Helps you control the direction of where you want to hit the ball

-Pay attention to the set when you are hitting:

-The height, speed, distance, how far it is off the net, how tight it is on the net,
Is the set where it should be in comparison to what play your running?
-Also pay attention to where the set will be coming from. If the play goes wrong
because of a bad pass, see what kind of on the spot adjustment you can do to
run an attack. Granted if the pass goes bad normally the offensive play would
automatically revert to default/ regular attacks (4’s, 2,s and 5,s) But a smart
player would try to avoid that, if possible, and run a last minute adjustment play
Or the easiest play. Example would be, if you ar a Middle blocker and you were
suppose to run a one attack, but the pass was made near the 4 hole, A good
player would avoid reverting to a default/ regular attack and go for another
option like running a back 1 or back 2 behind the setter. Communication is key
into making last second adjustments to the offense.

-As you go up to hit, use your peripheral vision to look at the opponents defensive
back row. See if there are any weaknesses in their defense like:
-Is anyone out of cover, is anyone too far or too short
-Who has been their weakest passer
-Can you aim for a certain hole
-Is their transition for cover late
-Are they spaced out evenly or bunched up
-If you make a pass or in a position where you know you can not be an option of attack,
Yell out “I’m out!” to let the setter know you are in no position to make an attack.

-An option you can use when hitting is to aim at the hands of the blockers. Reason:
-When you have no option to go around them, you try and see if you can hit
above the block, grazing the blockers fingers for a touch ball.
-Hitting it at their hands at a certain angle to deflecting it off the block and out
of bounds.

-If you know you cant get around the block or if you have a bad set, do a change up or
a roll shot. You are still making an attack but not so easy to where it’s a free ball.

-On serve receive, front row hitter can go as far back as he/ she wants, just as long as
he/ she isn’t overlapping the person directly positioned behind her.

-If you’re a front row attacker, and the set is coming from around the 10 foot line or even
father in the back row (not near the net), both outside hitters should start their approach
farther back. Almost, in a sense, treating the setter as he/ she were the new line of
where the net should be. This gives the hitters a better approach at the ball and keeps
the ball in front of them instead of having the ball above or coming from behind them.

- Basic Front row attacks:

-4, 3, 2, 1, back 1, back 2, and 5 = total of 7 basic front row attacks

- Some key things to think about when choosing who should go where on the front row
-OH= best hitter and one of the best passers
-Mb= quickest on her feet, tallest, puts up a good block, quickest to run attacks,
most experienced blocker
-OPH= one of the best blockers (if you put a great blocker against the opponents
greatest hitter which is usually an OH, you’ll have a easy time putting up a good
defensive block on their OH), decent hitter, can set the ball well

-When running a play, “sell” your attack if you don’t get the set. Make the opponents
blockers think that ball is going to you. Talking loud confuses those blockers. Making
them unprepared to set a good block against your attacks. An example would be
Middle blocker yelling out to its setter to set him/ her a quick 1 attack.

- If you’re running a quick attack you follow through and “sell” it. If your running a not so
quick play and you don’t get set, break off from your approach and position yourself to
cover your team mate that is going to hit the ball. Be ready for that quick or organized
recovery. Note that if you don’t receive the ball to hit, as your covering, talk to your
hitter on what type of block he or she is up against or what type hit to make, ie line,
angle roll, tight, etc. Do not sell your attack so late that it is obvious you will not receive
the set.

-When you are coming off from a block, turn around to see:
 -Where the ball went
-Where the setter has to come from
-What pass was made
-Do you need to step in and take the set
-Where the set will take place
Knowing these things can help you determining your next course of action as a hitter
coming off from an attempted block. Whether that action would be to step in and take
the set, or to better know what options you have to make an attack.

- Any free ball Is an automatic play about to be run. Middle blocker should at least
always runs a quick or a 1 attack. But over all, Have a preset play for any given free
ball.

-If you need to make a free ball or a long roll shot, aim for the 1 hole.

-Every player on the team MUST know and be comfortable to run ANY and all attacks.
You don’t help out the team if you only stick to one type of set and hit the same way
over and over again. An example of this would be an Outside Hitter only wanting to hit
the four attack, and always hits angle. Change up your hits to keep the opponent
guessing, when given the right opportunity of course. Don’t always hit an angled shot.

-If the setter is back row, you know that he or she will be taking the Right Back or 1 hole
area during the rally. A good option would be to hit towards the setter no matter what
attack your running. Reason being, take the setter out of their offensive equation.
Making it harder for their setter to get to a position to set the ball or get the setter to
make the first pass can result in knowing the teams POAs

-If you’re a Middle blocker and hitting a middle attack, if you notice 2 blockers going up
against you, then that means that the extra blocker left a wide open hole for you to
target. Same goes with a triple block in the middle or triple block on the outsides. Your
back row should call out n notice these things too.

-Everyone must be ready to attack. That includes the back row attackers.

Passing

-Types of recoveries from an offensive cover are:

-Quick Recovery, meaning if we get the ball up, and is not settable, we then
"quickly" get it over the net. kind of like a quick free ball.
-Organized Recovery, meaning when we get the ball up, it is settable. Enough for
someone to set the ball and organize an offensive attack right back.
-Make sure everyone is covering your hitter nice and tight.

-2 types of passes given to the setter:

 -A high pass, to give your setter the chance to get under the ball and set.
-A short pass, to quickly give the ball to the setter so that a quick offensive play
can be done. Gives less chance for opponents block to be established

-2 types of cover:
-Basic Cover is a defensive positioning of all team mates other than those
blocking. In a summery, basic cover consist of players covering both short and
long areas and angles of defense.
- Advance cover is like “basic cover” but consist of defensive positioning of
longer, wider, more spread out areas and angles. no one really has short cover.
everyone in a sense is pushed closer to the out of bounds lines. Advance
coverage is used against opponents that play a power hitting offensive game.
Games in which most hits are concentrated near the out of bounds lines.
-Remember to space yourself out accordingly. Never run into another passers
Lane unless it’s a last option.

-Key things defensive passer looks for:

-Always look through the net to watch your opponent.
-Where is the opponents pass coming from.
-Where is the attack coming from? POA’s
-How is the opponents angle of attack
-How high is the set so I can see how much time I can prepare myself for the
pass
-What type of block is our team doing, and position ourselves accordingly.
-How can I place myself so that I’m spaced out evenly between my team mates
AND the out of bounds line
-How can I space myself out in relation to the blockers shoulder (am I hiding
behind the blocker or am I near or inside the blocker’s “shadow” or am I spaced
out so if the ball goes pass the blocker. Am I able to react left, right, forward,
backward)
-How is the timing of the hitter
-Do I have a picture in my mind of where the out of bounds are around me
-Does the ball that’s being hit have rotation or is it floating (Do I need to forearm
Pass or overhead pass/ set)

-Blocker’s shadow refers to the area on your side of the court that shouldn’t be guarded
by a passer but by the blocker. If the block is good enough, The ball wont land in the
blockers shadow unless it was tipped over, a roll shot, or any other free ball.
-Do not put yourself in cover position near the blockers shadow. Space
yourself out evenly.

-Stay low always with your arms out and ready to pass. Keep a good base ready to
the ball, doing so will get you make you better prepared to move in any direction and
also beating the ball to its landing spot when diving.

-When in doubt of your passing or a difficult ball is coming at you, and you know that
 you wont give a good pass to the setter’s area, always give a high pass at least. That
way your other team mates can get to the ball easily and continue play. Remember
your techniques to passing, you may need to snap your wrist up or bend your upper
torso back to make adjustments. If the first pass is a shank pass off to the side, do
your best to make the second ball high and near the middle of the court. That way its
easier for a team mate to make the third free ball or better yet, an attack.

-If a ball isn’t moving that fast at you and if its high enough, go ahead and always set
that ball to your setter. Majority of all free balls or roll shots to you, the first pass should
be a set pass to your setter

-If you’re not the setter and you are taking the second ball, know where your attackers
are and know how far and how high you need to set/ pass the ball in order for the third
ball to be a successful attack

-Just as the setter is the leader of the offense, the Middle Back is the leader of the
teams’ defense. Communication, critiques to every defense, and control of the defense
is key.

-Serve receive formations are important. Make sure you:

-Know where everyone is on the formation, place them accordingly. Always have
three passers in a line. Not 2 passers and a third near the end of the court. A
fourth person calling back row “goods” or “outs” is optional but highly
recommended in every rotation.
-Know where your setter will be coming and his or her route to the setting area.
-Always know your teams offensive play before the serve.
-Just in case it will be a long rally, know what type of hitters you are going up
against and the type of blocks they do. (Talk loud about this information too)
- Don’t look at your server, look forward, plan, analyze, figure out their
POA (possible outcome of attacks) Not to see if your server serves the
ball nicely.
-Inform your team mates what type of server you are going up against and what
type of serves he or she does and how consistent.
-Keep statistics on your opponents serve, blocks and hits, you can make early
predictions of where to place yourself according for defense
-When the serve is made, always open up toward the ball. That way, you have a
good view of the court, ball, and your players. Opening up away from the ball
being served will cause you to lose sight of the ball, spin you around, and lose
Orientation of team mates, ball and the court.
-When a person is being served to and is having trouble passing the ball every
single time, adjust and switch around players so that someone better is taking
the pass, Im not talking about substitutions. (Hide the weaker passer)

-Never side pass unless you have gained years of experience.

-Once you pass the ball, know that EVERYONE transitions to become a hitter.
-When your team is serving, help give hand signals to your server of where to serve the
ball.

-Don’t forget to communicate and critique your teams defensive blocking since back row
passers have the best view.

-The best back row hitters should position themselves accordingly based on offense.
-If the setter is front row, the best back row attacker should be in the Right Back
position. Giving your offense a left, a middle and a right side (back side 10 foot
attack) options of attacks
-If the setter is back row, the best back row hitter should be Middle Back. Giving
the offense more options of attacks including the Pike Attack in the middle
as Middle Blocker goes up and fakes a 1 attack

-Don’t forget that if the setter is in the back row with you. On free balls or roll shots,
the setter will leave her spot early to get ready to set. You must “split” the court with
your other team mate that is in the back row with you.

-Unless it is extremely necessary, never give your opponent a “blind” free ball.
Meaning your back is toward the net and you don’t know what area you will be giving
the free ball. At any case, avoid giving any kind of free ball to the opponent. Always
pop the ball high enough so your team mates can still jump and make some sort
of attack of a broken pass/ play.

-Try not to get in the way of another passer, It is bad when 2 people collide trying
to pass the ball. Don’t get caught stepping into another person’s passing lane. If
anything, head behind your team mate just in case. Middle Backs should ALWAYS
Be doing this. (Follow the ball where ever it goes during serve receive.)

-Don’t watch your own server as he or she serves the ball. Look at your opponent
And figure out their next POA.

Blocking

-Middle blocker is the only position where he or she will attempt to block EVERY
attempt made by the opponent. Downside, you get tired pretty fast, therefore you have
to train on your speed (how fast you get the block up on any part of the net) and
endurance.

-Key things to look for when attempting to block before serve or serve receive:
-During serve receive, point out to the rest of your blockers who is front row/ who
Will be attacking.
-Keep in mind the statistics of each attacker you are going up against:
 -How often do they get the set
-How often does he or she hit angle, or line, or dink the ball
-Does he or she hit over the block or just barely over the net. Do I need
to adjust the timing of my block
-What is the success rate of going up against you. What is the success
rate of the other attackers going up against your other blockers, When
you find that out do you need to switch and have better blocker go up
against their better hitter.
-Does he or she have good aim and knows how to tool off the block
-Use peripheral vision and come up with POA’s that your opponent
will do based on knowing their statistics.
-Discuss with your other blockers if your going to help out in the middle by bunch
blocking or stick to regular blocking.
-Discuss key points of opponents statistics with your other blockers.
-“Hey watch out he/she hits hard angle”
-“He/she always gets the set
-Let your back row know what attack will you be blocking. Will you be focused
into blocking more of their angle or line. Communication with back row is key.
Showing one finger behind your back means you’re going to bock line, showing
Two fingers means you’re going to take angle

-Remember to guard your attacker unless the opponent runs a play and you
either have to switch guarding attackers or help out your fellow blocker since
the attacker you are guarding is beyond your area of blocking.

-Always “pike over” the net when blocking. That way you have a greater chance of
Keeping the ball on the opponents side if you make contact with the ball.
-Also add in flicking your wrist down and inside the court when making contact
with the ball. You gain more control on keeping the ball on your opponents
side of the court.
-If you block straight up, arms parallel to the net and not pike over, your giving
a gap to have the ball get a chance to fall on your side of the court.

-Pay attention to where and how your opponent passes the ball. Seeing how the pass
is made can determine if the ball can be set well. If not, that limits the chances of
actually setting a good set to any POA’s. Easier to figure out who will most likely will
receive the set.

-Pay attention to any kind of second ball/ the set. It will let you know how much time you
have to formulate a double block or triple block or how fast you need to get to one
blocking area to another.
-All back row attacks should be a triple block. Majority of the time, back row
attacks get a high set, therefore all three of your attackers should have enough
time to come together and put up a bigger wall of a block.
-All outside blocks should at least be a double block. If the POA is very obvious,
 that it will be a specific outside attack and the set is high enough. A triple block
would be the better choice to defend the opponents attack.
-Most of the time, ANY high set that the opponent’s setter gives should be
countered by a triple block.
-Note that when a triple block occurs, your back row has to space
themselves out accordingly.

-Look closely on how the setter is positioned and where he or she will receive the first
pass to make the set. This will help determine what POA’s your opponent can run.
remember this right after coming off of a block, know where the set is taking place
and use that split second to decide what route/ POA/ option you will use to make an
attack.
-Examples would be:
-If the setter receives the first pass in the 4 hole, you know it will
be hard for him or her to set the middle and or opposite hit if his or her
back is towards them.
-If the setter gets a tight first pass in the 3 hole, you know it will be hard for
him or her to set the outsides.

-“Bunch Blocking” is mainly used for to stop the center of the net attacks, (i.e. middle
attacks, 3's, or angled outside attacks) With bunch blocking you have 3 blockers close
to each other that can help the Middle blocker react to middle/ quick attacks or fake
middle attacks and can also punch out n run out to block the outside if necessary.

-Just before your opponents makes his or her approach to attack, notice the route they
are taking, what angle their shoulders and upper torso is facing and the timing of their
jump.
-If the attackers body is facing at an angle, most likely he or she will be hitting
An angle. If the opponents shoulders are squared to the net, most likely that
Attacker has the ability to hit down line.
-If an outside hitter is outside the court way pass the outsides of the antenna,
That is also a sign of an angled attack.
-If you notice your opponent is slowly veering off to another area, you know that
He or she wont be hitting her regular approach of attack.
-The timing of the attackers jump will let you know if they will make a successful
attack. If you see that the ball is already near the top of the net and the attacker
has barely jumped. Most likely they won’t make it over or hit the net.

-Always place yourself centered to the attackers hitting arm/ shoulder. Outside blockers
Must do the same, not be squared up to the attackers center mass/ body. This will put
Up a good angle defensive block and still cover the line
-Sometimes, however, it is wise to test out your attacker by over exaggerating
the angled block which your outside blocker is way inside the court and not
centered to the hitters shoulder. You do this to see if they can recognize or
have the skills to notice an open line attack. This can go vise versa with
over exaggerating blocking the line. When doing this, remember to let your
 back row defense know that an area is not going to be blocked and will be left
wide open for the defensive back row to get. Trust in your back row.

-Sometimes it is ok to have a small gap between blockers when doing a double block.
reason being, you are challenging the attacker to hit between the gap if they are skillful
enough. Widening your block between two blockers when performing a double block
will cover a sharp angled hit and down the line. Again the downside is that you are
allowing a risk by challenging the hitter to see/ hit that open gap between the two
blockers.

-Never call “touch!” when blocking if the ball happens to slightly touch your fingers or
hand. Your back row will know if you touched the ball or not and try to save it. Better
yet, if thae ball heads out of bounds, you can easily play it off as if you didn’t touch the
ball at all.

-Remember that the purpose of the block is to stop the rally in favor of your team.
Making the ball stay on the opponents side. Also you are trying to redirect the ball
upward or make the velocity of the ball being hit by the opponents attacker move
slower, making it easier for your team mates to pass the ball when the ball is popped
up or when the ball is slowed down when the blockers touch it.

-If you are guarding an opponent that isn’t skillful, stats are low, and isn’t getting enough
Sets, then go off and cheat to help out and your fellow blocker. That way, you still have
An eye on the weaker hitter and at the same time, you are close enough to help
Double block on a better hitter.

-If the Setter is back row, and he or she makes the first pass, the Opposite Hitter
Coming off the block or cover will be the backup setter and will set the ball.

-Sing Blocking vs. Pivot/ Regular Blocking

-Pivot Blocking is used for the inexperienced/ beginners technique when it comes
to traveling across the net to block. It is mainly used for regular blocking
formation (wide formation) and sometimes bunch blocking. While the Middle
blocker is taking huge steps to double block the outside attack, his or her body
is running parallel to the net. The inside foot, (foot closest to the net while
running parallel to the net) will be the foot that you pivot on to square up to the
net, just before you jump to block. It is good to teach pivot blocking first. Covers
the basic movements of swing blocking (ie squaring up to block, speed, proper
technique, synchronizing with other blockers, and proper spacing). It takes a
bit more energy to pivot block since you are stopping your momentum from
running/ traveling, to pivot, and then jump to block.
-Swing Blocking is used for more advanced players and is mostly performed
while in bunch blocking situations. As Middle blocker and/ or any outside
blocker travels along the net to block an outside attack, their body isn’t at a 90
degree/ parallel to the net. It is actually slightly angled to a 45 degree. At the
same time, You are in a position to move fast along the net and also have good
 body Position to square up to the net to block. To reduce the timing of what a
pivot block technique offers, you continue your movement from traveling to
jumping with no unnecessary stops. Your arm swing provides loss of time from
this transition by giving you momentum to run, then jump, and still carry out
proper techniques like squaring up to the net, spacing, synchronizing with your
other blockers and of course the speed is much faster than pivot blocking.

-If you’re a front row and you find yourself at a defensive cover instead of blocking,
remember that your main responsibility is anything short within the insides of the
ten foot line. You may adjust how deep or how short your cover is based on your
overall cover formation.

-Don’t watch your own server as he or she serves the ball. Look at your opponent
And figure out their next POA.

-If the opponents setter is the person you are guarding as a blocker, your concerns are:
-To see if he/ she “dumps” the ball over the net on the two ball. It’s not that much
of a concern, but just keep an eye on that setter.
-Strategically, you should find ways to help out your Middle blocker by double
blocking, instead of being glued to that front row setter. When doing so remind
your back row to watch your back as you try and focus more attention to helping
helping out your Middle blocker. If the ball is dumped over your back row should
be there to pick it up.
-Be watchful of the opponents back row hitter that’s on the same side as the front
row setter. They might use that back row attack to compensate for the lack of
front row hitters.

-Most of the time, this is for setters that are front row. But if the first pass is a bad one,
and is going to be an overpass and your opponents front row can jump straight up
and make a quick sudden attack, your instinct should be to turn toward the net, just
before the ball goes over the net, forget about setting it and immediately put up a
block.

-If you are capable enough, in a one on one block, it is wise to jump and show what
area you will be blocking. (Line, arms straight up or angle, arms at an angle) as your
opponent is in the air, have them see what you are blocking then quickly shift your
arms and cover the other area.

-Triple Block is done only when:

-The set is high an all three blockers have enough time to come together an put
up a triple block.
-All 10 foot attacks (most of the time they are high sets) should be triple blocked.
-Most of the time you are able to triple block when you are in bunch block
formation.
Key Notes

-Emotion is ALWAYS left at the doors of the gym. If you bring negative emotion to
practice or to a game, your fellow team mates will feed off your negativity and you will
only be bringing down your team. If you can’t get rid of it, excuse yourself out of the
gym until you are ready to handle business.
-Such examples are:
-Boy friend or girlfriend fights
-Bad grades, tests, or homework (Tell your coach about this)
-Family or social issues

-The key to volleyball is understanding ACASEO

-Attitude, you must first must have the attitude to succeed, want to become a
better player, want to help your team, will give your all and make sacrifices for
your team. Without starting with the right attitude, you can’t understand the
other key terms.
-Communication, must always have communication. Volleyball only works when
your team is on the right page. To do so you must communicate constantly to
your team, off and on the court. Be a “mini coach”, a commentator, critique each
other. There shouldn’t be 2 to 3 seconds of silence what so ever on the court.
If you’re not talking, you’re not doing your job at all.
-Adjust, you must be experienced to adjust to anything that changes, even if its
a split second change. Be ready to adapt to anything that is given to you.
-Speed, speed is important because if you are faster to get to beat the ball to the
Spot of where its going, faster to put up a block, faster to make attacks and arm
Swings, faster to run plays, you will always be the better team.
-Execution, your stats as an individual player and as a team must always be
aimed to a 100%. Less mistakes is needed. You must show your team and
opponent that you can be trusted to do your job every single time without being
reminded or told.
-Options, knowing your options, thinking ahead, thinking of strategies, will make
you a better volleyball player. Playing the mind game in split seconds will let
you have the upper hand in any rally. Pretty much you are saying, Im always 3
to 5 moves ahead of you.

-Frosh- Soph trains at a JV level, not a Frosh- Soph level. They learn the basics and
then apply JV skills like running plays, introduce all 3 types of serves, etc. At the JV
level, they train at a Varsity level, learning advance skills and drills, strategies and
tactics. Varsity level trains at a college level. There shouldn’t be much to learn at this
level. Most of the time you are only enhancing your execution/ statistics, and running
advance strategies and tactics.

-During timeouts, those who are still on the court sit down and relax. Those who are
on the bench stand up and warm up by jogging, stretching, or pepper with a ball. Or
 they can help give out critiques to their team mates.

-During matches, the coach should have the following help:

-Assistant taking team stats with match ups with the opponent.
-Assistant taking the opponent stats with their match ups against our team.
-An assistant that takes overall notes that the coach wants written down.

-At the end of every rally, those on the court should come together and quickly discuss
any pointers, critiques, strategy, what went wrong and how we can fix it, etc. After that,
key leaders start talking to the rest of the team. Middle blocker tells blockers what to
do as they set up. Middle Back or Libero does the same fro the back row defense. And
the Setter starts talking about what offense the team will run next.

-Practices should be broken down into these categories:

-Stretch out
-Watch video of last practice or game. Point out what needs to be fixed and
anything the team did well. Most of the time, you will have negative comments.
-After watching videos, give a brief talk on what the focus of the entire practice
will be. Be specific and detailed, make sure everyone is on the same page.
-Run your laps, net drills, and warm up drills
-Run the key focus drills of today’s practice
-Such things can be an entire day of passing, or hitting, or serving,
either one of the three
-Run the minor key focus drills of today’s practice. Kind of like a preview of next
practice.
-Scrimmage
-Stretch out
-Go over what the team did today at practice, give a back brief. Have the team
say what they did and how they can improve or any sustained comments.
-Individual training after practice, leave the gym open for those who want to
train a little extra longer. The coach should help one on one with these people.

-Condition days should be every other day before practice. Which also include weight
lifting.

-You are not a Varsity player unless you have mastered ACASEO. It doesn’t matter
if you’ve been on Varsity for a long time or even if you’re a Senior. Every spot on the
team is at jeopardy. The best players will play. And if you have trained the entire team
well, you can easily rotate anyone in any position at any time so that majority will have
an equal share of playing time.

-Know when to call for time outs.usually in the beginning of the game to in the middle,
when your opponent is up by 4 or 5, a time out should be called. Near the end of the
set, if your opponent is up by 2 or 3.

-Compete with each other during practice, make fun of each other, build that team
 Chemistry. Remember its all business on the court. Off the court you can be friends
again.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 

Warm Ups
 
Forehand Passing
    *10 Regular, 10 Side to side, 10 short and deep
    *As you pass you run to the side of your partner, as he or she makes the pass you run back or back
     peddle back to make the pass.
 
Passing on the wall
    *See how high you can get the ball without swinging pass shoulders
    *Aim for a spot  on the wall
 
Wall Sets
    *100 quick
    *20 rotations left, 20 rotations right, 20 on each single hand and left and right rotations each hand
    *20 high sets
 
Overhand Passing
    *10 Regular, 10 Side to side, 10 short and deep
 
Snapping On The Wall
 
Wall Hitting
    *Bounce the ball to the wall, make your approach and hit.
 
Speed Drill
    *Can do this drill on the wall
    *Squat down
 
Knee Passing
 
Downball Wall Passing
    *Can either set or pass the ball
 
Hard hitting
    *Can do this drill on the net or on the wall
 
2 Man Setting/ Passing On The Wall
    *Passer or Setter ricochet the ball off the wall
    *Both face the wall one behind the other
    *back person sets or passes the longer ball to the wall, person closest to the wall passes or sets it back
      to the person behind him
 
Pepper
    *Over the net pepper- 1st person passes ball over, 2nd passes ball over, 1st passes and sets ball to
      him or herself and hits a downball over the net. 2nd person does the exact same. Then switch back
      to passing it over.
    *Spread them farther apart
 
 
 
 
 

Defense
 
Passing
 
Caterpillar Drill
    *Can do the drill with just sets.
    *Key is communication, saying each others name
 
Shuttle Passing
    *Can do the drill with just sets
    *Have passers turn and touch the ground before passing
    *Have passers touch wall after passing
 
T Drill
    *Have OH, Mb, OPH face away from net MB (with line behind him) face the other 3.
    *MB passes to Mb, Mb to OPH, OPH to OH, OH to MB. Each passer replaces the other in the direction
     of which they passed the ball.
    *Can do this drill with just sets
 
Passing Weave
    * Line 3 or 4 chairs across. Have passers weave through (Left to right) as Tosser tosses the ball to
them.
 
3 Man Passing
    *Reverse Belly, Free Ball, Roll Shot, Down Ball, High quick Free Ball.
 
Butterfly Drill
    *Do not toss the ball but hit the ball over.
    *Can do the drill with just sets
    *Constant hopping in line
    *Have 3 lines and have one tosser do all 3 spots
 
Corner Passing
    *With chair to go around
 
10 or 20 Ball
 
Cover Drill
    *Regular and Perimeter Cover
    *Toss or hit ball over
 
Back Row Calling The Play
    *Have hitters hit the ball. Coach has a chair to simulate block. Defense calls either angle or line for the
      open attack
    
Advance Cover Drill
    *Mc Oa OPc Ma Oc OPa
    *Toss or hit ball over
    *Add in Regular and Perimeter Cover
 
Log Passing Drill
    *3 Passers a on the floor linking themselves one on top of the other
    *Tosser slaps ball then the players arise and tosser toses the ball
    *All 3 players must talk and decide who gets first ball. Then move the ball forward Closer to the net
     with an attack at the end
 
Cover Hitter
    *Toss ball over to simulate a block and have them pass it up
    *After passing it up, initiate another attack (organized recovery)
    *After passing it up or on the first ball, put the ball over the net. (quick recovery)
 
Middle Back Drill
    *Make MB start at default, moves either left or right covering deep line.
    *Put Downballs down both lines.
 
Pit drill
    *3 to 4 people
    *Emphasize all aspects of volleyball
 
Pancake Drill
    *Toss ball at far distance
 
Rolling
    *Rolling forward or backward
    
Distinguishing Back Row Duties
    *Have Back row be in any cover formation (outside, opposite, or middle)
    *Toss the ball in areas to distinguish who ball it is.
 
Diamond
    *Have them go to spots farther
    *Stay low
 
Alternate Setting
    *Setter 1 sets mid court to Setter 2, then goes behind Setter 2 to the net
    *Setter 2 sets backwards to Setter 1 then goes to the net facing Setter 1
    *Setter 1 Sets forward on the net to Setter 2, Then goes behind Setter 2
    *Setter 2 sets backwards to Setter 1
 
Around The World Passing
    *One person on the court passes to each person around the court
 
Basketball Weave Passing
 
2 Line Passing Weave
    *1 Line is for passing the ball forward, the other passing the ball straight up
 
The Defensive Checklist
    *Teach front row and back row players communication on defensive checklist
    *We have serve- Whos hitting, Wheres the setter, Where are the attacks coming from (before we
     serve and during rally), Where are the mvp players,are your players positioned correctly, any possible
     special attacks, last minute reminders on special adjustments
    *We we have recieve- Setter gives signals, where are the mvp blockers, are your players positioned
     correctly, in and outs, who has the pass, offensive cover, line or angle, how many blockers, dink or
     hit.
    
 
 
 
Blocking
 
Line Up Blocking and Freeballs
    *Must distinguish between a roll shot, downball, and freeball
    *Must either line up to hitter and block downballs and roll shots or back up for freeballs
 
Side Step Net Drill
    *Make sure players squat to get maximum height
 
Cross Over Net Drill
 
Advanced net Drill
    *Op M Op M O M O
 
Reacting To Sets
*All 3 Blocks must read where the set will be going and react to it.
*After the attempt block, have blockers run an offense right away.
 
Watching The Hitter
*Have hitting lines and all 3 blockers block the attack by just watching the hitter
*Have hitters run plays
 
Overpass Hit And Blocks
*Have blockers learn to hit or block overpass balls by either own team or opponent
 
 
 
 
 

Offense
 
Hitting Lines
    *Run all options
    *Hit Backs
    *Must set the ball to setter if not hit backs
    *Have people blocking or passing on other side of the court
 
Multi Ball Drill
4 Tossers
 
(Initial Start Of Drill) Tosser 2, Downball With 2 man block up (cover OP)
 
Pass goes up and S sets (1)OH
 
Tosser 4 tosses at 10ft line, LB passes to OH, OH sets a (2)RED for LB, LB and OH switch, Tosser
4 tosses it in 4 Hole, LB that switched with OH Sets the 1 ball and OH hits the (3)4.
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------
 
(Initial Start Of Drill) Tosser 2, Downball With 2 man block up (cover OP)
 
Pass goes up and S sets OH
 
Tosser 1 Sets a 5 for (1)OPH, OPH backs up, Tosser 3 tosses it to MB, MB passes it to S, S sets a (2)5
for OPH, OPH backs up and goes for a front 2, Tosser 2 tosses the (3)front 2 for a 1 ball hit for the OPH
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------
 
(Initial Start Of Drill) Tosser 2, Downball With 2 man block up (cover OP)
 
Pass goes up and S sets OH
 
Tosser 2 tosses a 1 ball having the Mb (1)hit the 2, Mb backs up and as MB passes to S to set the 5 for
the OPH the Mb (-2) fakes a front 1, Mb backs up and goes for a slide 5, Tosser 2 tosses it to MB, MB
passes it to S and S sets a (3)5 for the Mb sliding in.
 
Stamina Hitting
 
Running Plays
    *Have hitting lines do various attacks and plays
    *Make sure setter gives signals before the ball is tossed to the setter
 
Pin Point Attacks
    *Practice hitting lines or angles at a specific location by spiking, rollshot, or dinking the ball
 
Approach And Standing Attacks
    *From the middle, Have hitters hit backrow then for a 2
 
Adjust Hitting
    *Toss ball high on top of hitters
    *Hitters must adjust by taking steps back to make a successful jump at the ball to attack
    
Adjust Approach Based On The Setter Loacation
    *Hitters must adjust teir approach if setter sets the ball other than default spot
 
Continuous Rally
    *Start a scrimmage, toss  ball, team that gets 3 or 5 rally points gets to rotate.
    *Ball is tossed everytime a team gets a point and is tossed to the team that got the point.
 
Reach Hitting
    *Start at a far line and have players hit the ball from there as they are reaching and snapping
     Then move the line closer n closer to the net
 
Continuous Pin Point Hitting
    *Have a player hit 5 or so balls continuously in 4 or 5 areas, ie holes 1 2 5 4
 
Cover Then Hit
    *Simulate front row blocking then tossing the ball to have setter set as front row
 
Short Passing Freeball
    *Have all 6 ready for freeball but have the toss be short for hitters to pass, or short enough for back row
to
      ha back row pass
 
Cover, Pass, Attack
    *Simulate 3 different cover positions, toss the ball over to have them pass, set and attack
 
Hitting From Anywhere
    *have Setter set balls from different locations, teaching hitters options and adjustments
 
Tip Or Swing Away
    *Players: S, LB, OH, Mb, Tosser
    *Set all four positions on both sides of the net
    *Tosser tosses it to LB, LB passes to S, Sthen sets Mb. OpFor Mb ties and blocks it. If OH helps then
     Offensive Mb tips right and LB has to cover the short. If OH doesn't help block, offensive Mb swings
     away
 

Serving
 
 

Setting
Two Contact Setting
    *Set back and forth with a partner
    *Before setting to your partner set to yourself first

Alternate Setting
    *Setter 1 sets mid court to Setter 2, then goes behind Setter 2 to the net
    *Setter 2 sets backwards to Setter 1 then goes to the net facing Setter 1
    *Setter 1 Sets forward on the net to Setter 2, Then goes behind Setter 2
    *Setter 2 sets backwards to Setter 1

Individual Roll Setting

    *Keep the ball close to fingers while doing quick sets
    *Bend Down then roll on you back to lay down then roll back up all while doing quick sets
 
Scissor Leg Sets
    *Player is on her back legs straight out with ball in the middle of her legs
    *A she does short quick sets her legs are going back and forth like a scissor
Rotate Backwards Setting On The net
 
Turning Direct setting
    *Player 1 sets the ball to Player 2
    *Player 2 turns backwards and sets it back to Player 1
    *Player 1 sets it back to Player 2, Player 2 gives it back to Player 1
    *Player 1 turns backwards and sets it back to Player 2... and so on
 
Setter Dumps
 

Individual Training
Middle Blocker
-Have Mb block the outside,middle, and backside randomly and continuously. Every 5 or so blocks, (with
ball on stick) Have them back up and hit offensive options
-With the ball on a stick, have the Mb do multiple blocks in one area. As they make contact, have them
practice pushing the ball to the sides
-Practice determining whether a good or bad ball is being passed to the setter, if its a good ball, the Mb
should run the 1 or quick attack every time.
-Teach why we double or triple block in the middle and what needs to be done to cover the missing holes.
-Teach Slide Attacks
 
Opposite Hitter
-Have OPH block the outside,middle, and backside randomly and continuously. Every 5 or so blocks,
(with ball on stick) Have them back up and hit offensive options
-With the ball on a stick, have the OPH do multiple blocks in one area. As they make contact, have them
practice pushing the ball to the sides
-Have OPH Cover from the opposite side, then simulate a set from the 4 hole (long ranged), making the
OPH hit the long 5 attack
-Have OPH block the opposite then set an offensive attack, Then have then short cover then set an
offensive attack.
 
Outside Hitter
-Have OH block outside, then do a backside cover and pas the ball up. From there toss a ball to simulate
a dink, have them pass straight up and run the 1 or 2 attack. (You can have an Mb in as well but have the
run a 3 or 4.) Depending how short OH covers, they can stay and hit the 4 attack.
-When backrow, have them run the quick pike from the middle s Mb runs the 1 attack.
-Teach the meaning of switching hitters to block.
-Teach Bunch Blocking, especially against angled hitters.
-Outside Hitter Cover Defense To Offense. Have hitter pass a short cover ball then tosser sets an outside
attack
 
Defensive Specialist
-Teach about "Happy Face"
-Teach Square Side passing
-Freeball = Set