Find drills for your next practice, fun games for volleyball camp, and articles covering topics like visualization and playing time philosophy!
When ACL and MCL injuries happen in a non-contact setting, it’s typically because the joint was forced too far into the “un-allowed” range and the ligament could not hold up to the stress. Learn more about ACL and MCL injuries in volleyball and how to prevent them.
Read MoreWhat will your team do if your setter goes down with a rolled ankle mid-match? What if your libero gets sick the night before regionals? Prepare for these scenarios before they happen so that your team remains calm during an emergency!
Read MoreShould 12-year-old volleyball players train differently than 15-year-olds? What about 17-year-olds? Does it even matter? Find out in this insightful article from David Hardy, Volleyball Trainer!
Read MoreWhat’s the “right” way to warm-up for volleyball? Are butt-kicks a good idea? We asked Volleyball Trainer, David Hardy, to explain some of the basics of warm-ups for volleyball!
Read MoreBenefits Of Running This Attacking Drill:
Beginner volleyball players develop multiple attack options.
Intermediate and experienced players start to attack more strategically.
Your defense gets better at recognizing different attacks.
Your team becomes more well-rounded because they’re playing against better players in practice once they all understand these concepts.
Leaving the gym after a less-than-stellar performance is one of the worst feelings for a coach. But don't get hung up on what went wrong! Give yourself a day for your pity party, then it's back to work! These 4 steps will have your team back on the right track in no time!
Read MoreStop sending over freeballs! This volleyball drill is easy to run and will have your players hitting downballs and back row attack in no time! This is a fun volleyball drill to run with youth and middle school volleyball teams, at volleyball camps, and clinics! Perfect for coaches who like a more aggressive style of play.
Read MorePreparing for your first volleyball tournament (even as a coach) can be scary! Practically all coaches feel uneasy, nervous, anxious, underprepared, overwhelmed, stressed… you get the point!
But there’s hope!
You can calm your nerves (and help your players and their families feel better, too)! All you need to do is use these 8 easy tips to help you calm your nerves before your first volleyball tournament.
Read MoreNew Year’s resolutions are a fantastic way for volleyball coaches to review what worked for them, identify where they struggled, and create a plan to get better! But New Year’s resolutions don’t have to all be about self-improvement where you’re hunched over a notebook. There are plenty of activities where you can get up and out of the house, while still bettering yourself as a coach!
Read MoreDo you need a crash course on the basic rules of volleyball, what skills young volleyball players need to know, and what concepts you need to teach them? Let me walk you through how to coach beginner volleyball step-by-step!
Read MoreVolleyball warm-ups for young athletes do not need to be the long, complicated stretches you remember from PE. Arm circles, butt-kickers, and Frankensteins are fine for older children and adults. But what about your 4th-grade rec team? Check out a basic warm-up for your athletes, and then build your own from there!
Read MoreLibero rules are confusing (and not always enforced properly). Let me give you the technical rules, a summary of those rules, and then explain how I teach my own players!
Read MoreYoung players, parents new to the sport, and new volleyball coaches often wonder about the different roles players fill on a team. Learning what the positions on a volleyball team are can be challenging, but with these brief descriptions, I hope to make it a little easier for you!
Have you ever wondered why one player touches every other ball? Or why your daughter subs out but another girl doesn’t? And why is that girl showing up to games in a different colored jersey!? We’ll discuss that all here!
Read MoreY’all know by now that I promote communicating with your players in a positive manner whenever possible.
Well… now I’ve got (more) evidence to back up my thinking!
While hunting down research I sited in Episode 23 of the Get The Pancake Podcast, I came across another study that seemed worth reading! Of course after I read the paper, I realized this information NEEDED to be shared!
Read MoreThis serving game is a great way to spend 15 minutes laughing, cheering, and bonding with your team. Use this game with your young players to keep them engaged at practice, or play it with an older group as a reward for hard work.
Whether you’re using this as a drill for volleyball camp or during team practice, you’re sure to share a ton of laughs with your athletes.
Read MoreNo matter what age you coach, you’ve probably seen it happen. Maybe it was in the middle of a long rally, or happened on the first attack. It could have been due to a deceptive jump set, or just a misread of your opponents attack.
What am I talking about?
When the middle goes up to block with the setter/middle, and the set goes somewhere else.
In other words… your defense becomes a lot less effective.
Run this drill to practice your team’s reaction to this common mistake.
Read MoreIt’s currently the beginning of the school season, which means one thing is certain: We’ve all got a LOT of work to do.
Players will always be growing and developing, and even us coaches aren’t as perfect as we’d like to believe. But there’s something I’ve seen a lot of this particular season and I want to help you see it and overcome this lazy play with your own teams.
Read MoreThe phrases for offensive systems used in volleyball aren’t exactly beginner friendly. If you’re here because you’ve been wondering, “what the heck is a “5-1” and what does that even mean…?” you’re in the right place!
While volleyball terms can be tough to grasp for new coaches, some of the most difficult to handle are when someone asks you if you’re going to run a “5-1”, a “6-2”, or a “4-2”. Once you understand the basics of what these numbers mean, you’ll feel confident in talking shop with other coaches in your program.
One of the most popular systems is a 5-1. This system, along with a 6-2, are the most commonly used systems in intermediate to advanced middle school teams, most high school teams, and most club programs.
Read MoreIf you’re a new coach, you’ve probably heard the terms “6-2”, “5-1”, “6-3”, etc… And if you’re like most new coaches (and most new volleyball players), you probably thought to yourself, “ummmm…. what??”
These are all terms for offensive systems, which sounds intimidating at first but is rather simple… AFTER you understand what the terms mean.
Today I’m going to break down a 6-2 offensive system for you, which is basically a fancy way of saying what your players do when they’re standing in different spots on the court.
Read MoreCoaches of young or new volleyball players might benefit from review this passing concept with their team: Face the hitter, angle your platform to target.
Too often this is something that we as coaches tend to overlook. Between getting them to not bend their elbows when they pass, making sure they’re standing in the right place, or sometimes even just paying attention at practice, it can be easy to forget about small things.
In this case, it’s a small thing that makes a HUGE difference.
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