How To Coach Volleyball (Checklist Included)
If you are a new volleyball coach and want to learn the basics of how to coach volleyball, you’re in the right place! Although there is a lot that goes into coaching, you can feel much more confident on the court by understanding the fundamentals.
Just a heads up: even though these are the basics, it still takes time to learn and feel comfortable with these concepts. Start your volleyball education by tackling the items on this checklist as soon as you know you’ll be coaching! This way, you won’t be blindsided when the season starts.
How to Coach Volleyball: Quick-Start Checklist
If you’re brand new to coaching, this list will help you focus on the most important things early on. More details and tips are included throughout the article, so don’t worry—we’ll walk through each step together.
🎥 Watch a full volleyball match.
If you’ve never coached or played before, start by watching a full match so you can see how the game flows. The 2018 NCAA Women’s National Championship is a great option—it goes five sets and shows everything from serve receive to celebration. Bonus: keep a notepad handy and write down unfamiliar terms to look up.🏐 Understand the 5 basic skills.
Serving, passing, setting, hitting, and blocking are the foundation of volleyball. You’ll need to recognize and teach these skills, even if you’re not an expert yet. Find tips on this website that cover each one and offer drills that keep practice fun and effective.🧍♀️ Learn the positions and assign roles.
Get to know what each player does on the court (like setter, libero, middle blocker, etc.), and begin planning who might play where. You don’t have to lock it in right away, but thinking through lineup needs early helps your team succeed.📊 Know the basic systems.
For 7th grade or older: it’s helpful to understand the 6-2, 5-1, and 4-2 offensive systems, as well as common defenses like perimeter and rotation. These systems help organize your players and allow for more advanced strategies.
For 6th grade and below: Don’t worry about systems yet. Most teams at this age level (especially in rec or school programs) just play the position they rotate into. That means if a player rotates into middle front, they stay there until the next point. You can teach basic roles like "front row hits and blocks" and "back row passes," but trying to run structured systems at this level usually leads to more confusion than progress—unless you're coaching a higher-level club team that expects positional play from the start.
👨👩👧 Communicate clearly with parents.
From the first practice, set expectations about schedules, uniforms, playing time, and team policies. Good communication upfront helps avoid confusion and conflict later on!🏃♀️ Choose game-like drills.
Use drills that mimic real gameplay and get your players moving, thinking, and reacting. The goal is to help them learn by doing—not just standing in line or going through the motions.🌟 Coach with positive energy.
Stay encouraging, especially early in the season. Players respond better to specific praise and progress tracking than to constant correction.🎯 Set goals and track improvement.
Focus on progress, not just outcomes. We’ll talk about how to create team and individual goals that motivate players and help you stay organized throughout the season.
New to coaching? Learn the language first!
Check out our 51 Volleyball Terms Every Beginner Coach Should Know to get comfortable with the words and phrases you’ll hear on the court. It’s like a cheat sheet for volleyball lingo—complete with real coaching examples to help you sound confident from day one.
Need a shortcut to your first successful season?
The Volleyball Coach "Starter" Packet – $34.99 is designed specifically for new coaches who want structure without the stress. It includes printable tryout evaluation forms, weekly practice planning outlines, goal-setting tools, and more—so you can stay organized and confident, even if you’re still learning the game yourself!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Where to watch full volleyball matches:
YouTube (free full matches)
FloVolleyball (paid subscription for college and professional volleyball)
Learn the 5 basics skills:
Understanding positions and how to choose players for your team:
Understanding positions on a volleyball team: Read about the positions or listen to a podcast episode.
Evaluate and rank potential players at tryouts: Download our Tryout Evaluation Form and our Scores and Ranking Excel Sheet!
Learn the main offensive and defensive systems:
Offensive Systems:
6-2 (shorthand for 6 players who primarily hit and 2 who set. The setter sets while in the back row.)
5-1 (shorthand for 5 players who primarily hit and 1 who sets. There is one setter who sets when they are in front row and back row.)
4-2 (shorthand for 4 players who primarily hit and 2 who set. The setter sets while in the front row.)
Defensive Systems:
Perimeter defense
Rotation defense
Communicate with parents:
Learn more about important information that parents need from coaches (plus a whole lot more!): “Coaching Volleyball: A Survival Guide For Your First Season”
Game-like drills:
Design your own game-like drills using “chaos”: Listen to the podcast episode
Positivity:
Motivating players with gestures: Listen to the podcast episode.
Set goals with your team:
What other coaching topics are you interested in?
LATEST ARTICLES
Brand new to volleyball? This list is your cheat sheet! From "sideout" to "pancake," I’ve gathered 51 must-know terms and phrases that beginner coaches hear constantly throughout the season. Whether you're leading a rec team or helping with high school tryouts, learning the language of volleyball will help you coach with confidence!