Peppering In Volleyball: The Perfect Training Tool or A Waste of Time?

Although peppering is fun and incorporates the basic skills of passing, setting, and hitting, some coaches are strongly opposed to the use of this classic volleyball warm-up.

In this article, I’m going to explain the pros and cons of peppering so you can better decide if this is a warm-up you want to use with your players.

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33 Things Volleyball Coaches Wish They Knew Before Their First Season

Last week I asked Get The Pancake’s Instagram followers the following question:

“Coaches: What’s one thing you wish you knew in your first season?”

And boy, did you guys deliver!

It’s important to be aware that no matter how much you prepare or how experienced you are as a player, there are going to be some lessons learned the hard way. However, this list certainly gives you a few areas to focus on!

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ACL Injuries and Female Volleyball Players

ACL injuries are a concern for many female volleyball players. Most, if not all, female volleyball players know a girl or know of a girl that has sustained a non-contact ACL injury. The idea of such an injury can be scary for young girls, especially with people making the claim that it’s happening more frequently than it used to.

Learn some of the reasons why these injuries happen more often in females than in males and why the number of these injuries has seemed to increase in the last few years.

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Mix It Up: A Volleyball Hitting Drill

Benefits 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.

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Back Row Attack Progressions: Learning to Downball and Attack from the Back Row

Stop 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.

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8 Ways To Calm Your Nerves Before Your First Volleyball Tournament

Preparing 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.

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New Year's Resolutions: Volleyball Coach Edition

New 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!

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The Ultimate Guide to Coaching 5th and 6th Grade Volleyball: Rules, Skills, Drills, and More!

Do 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!

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Warm-Ups for Young Volleyball Players

Volleyball 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!

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Positions On A Volleyball Team

Young 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!

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Express Yourself - Motivating Your Players Through Gestures

Y’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!

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Spider: A Fun Serving Game For Young Volleyball Players

This 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.

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