Coaching volleyball...

Volleyball Coaching – Tips on Developing Team Chemistry: Volleyball is an athletic, team-oriented game. Because of the competitive nature of the sport, proper coaching is required to be able to perform well. There are two main categories for volleyball coaching, namely developmental coaching and match coaching. Developmental coaching lays emphasis on elevating the skills of the players by making them perform regular drills, which consist of special exercises. The main purpose of match coaching, however, is to win in competitions by devising, supervising and managing the team’s strategy. This involves building the team spirit, or chemistry.

Here are a few basic volleyball-coaching tips to help build team chemistry:

• The most important tip is to make the team practice team-driven drills.
• Schedule team outings, so that the players can bond together.
• Run them through the Findlay Progressive Drill.
• Allow your team to sit together and establish a set of goals for the match season.
• During practice sessions, allow your team to play competitive games against each other. Prizes can be given to the team that achieves the most number of goals

It is important for a volleyball coach to encourage and praise the team. This will boost their morale, and is one of the best ways to develop team chemistry.

Volleyball Coaching Clinic: Volleyball coaching clinics cover a wide range of topics, from improving ball control skills to training to excel in each position of the court. They also give practical coaching, utilizing the skills in practice sessions. In order to improve the team’s performance, a volleyball-coaching clinic will devise a combination of drills and various serving strategies.

Most coaching clinic sessions involve teaching all the basic skills, motivational drills, and organization of practice sessions. Clinics are designed to create fully accomplished volleyball players in every aspect of the game. In addition to showing videos and practical instructions, guest lecturers cover important topics like nutrition and stamina building.

Volleyball Coaching for the Youth: Volleyball coaching for the youth can be one of the most rewarding experiences for a coach. The volleyball coach should use tried and tested coaching philosophy, teaching the youth in a fun and result oriented way. Good volleyball coaching methods improve balancing, mobility and jumping abilities. To improve other aspects of the game, a coach’s main job is to emphasize on the following basic skills:

• Serving
• Hitting
• Blocking
• Forearm passing
• Overhead passing

Teaching team members to pass the ball to each other effortlessly will increase their effectiveness in matches. Tossing the ball is another key element of volleyball, which the coach must stress upon.

Volleyball coaching strategies for drills: Drills enhance the players’ skills by repetition of various volleyball movements, specifically in areas concerning body positioning, footwork patterns and ball contact. Volleyball coaching also devises drills that replicate match situations, which results in improving the players’ timing, speed, anticipation and teamwork.
Drills are also constructed to meet the team’s strategic needs, based on the requirements of each team member.

Team members should practice an assortment of drills, like passing drills, ball control drills, digging drills, tactical drills and shooting drills, to be able to develop their skills to the optimum level. For example, the “Clubhouse Drill” is generally practiced to develop digging skills. A fast drill, it teaches attacking, digging and transitioning. Practicing drills so that the team performs smoothly in match situations is one of the main aims of volleyball coaching.