The VolleyPod presented by The Art of Coaching Volleyball

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Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! ⁠⁠https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/⁠⁠

Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/⁠⁠ and Twitter at ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod ⁠⁠for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills!

Scouting can mean the difference between a fast start and an advantage in matches, but many teams do not really scout. This week's podcast covers what to look for that actually matters when it comes to scouting, how to do it, and how to teach your team how to do it.

In our scenario segment, we discuss the common refrain from coaches, "My team plays way better in practice than in the matches", and how to think about the issue.

We always share one great resource each week, and this week it is recently deceased football coach Mike Leach and his book Swing Your Sword.

Skill of the week: Scouting opponents

Scenario of the week: My team plays way better in practice than in matches

The Art of Coaching Volleyball Videos discussed on the Pod This Week:

Russ Rose's video about creating a game plan and scouting your opponents: ⁠⁠https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/game-planning-scouting-your-opponent/

Kevin Hambly's in-depth discussion about scouting opponents: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/scouting-with-kevin-hambly/

Brennan Dean from Wave VBC discusses scouting: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/scouting-competition/⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Resource of the Week: Mike Leach's book, Swing Your Sword, can be found here: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Swing-Your-Sword-Leading-Football/dp/1938120124

Wait!

Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! ⁠https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/⁠

Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/⁠ and Twitter at ⁠https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod ⁠for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills!

With great insights from Tod, we discuss the coaching skill of teaching decision making. Tod is 1/2 way down an ecological dynamics rabbit hole, so he is rethinking how he teaches decision making, and he shares how coaches can use some of those ideas to make their own practices more effective.

In our scenario segment, we discuss how to think about the recruiting process prior to your junior year in high school, when colleges can actively recruit junior level athletes.

We always share one great resource each week, and this week it is VIVI Athletics, who helps athletes value and build their internal athlete.

Skill of the week: Teaching decision making

Scenario of the week: Getting recruited before your junior year

The Art of Coaching Volleyball Videos discussed on the Pod This Week:

Diane Flick Williams' instruction about how to overload the block to create advantages for the hitters: ⁠https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/teach-setters-to-overload-and-isolate-to-gain-an-offensive-advantage/

John Dunning's video discussing how to become a better reader and how to teach players to become betters decision makers: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/becoming-a-better-reader-and-learning-to-make-decisions/

Christy Johnson-Lynch's demonstration of 8 Game-mimicking drills to help promote decision making: ⁠https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/8-game-mimicking-drills-that-promote-decision-making/

The Resource of the Week: VIVI Athletics can be found here: www.viviathletics.com

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Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/

Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills!

One of the most under-taught skills in volleyball is attacker coverage. In this episode we go over how to approach coverage and why it is so important. Learning how to cover will save your team more points and frustrate your opponent.

In our scenario segment, we go over ideas for what to say during a coach's critical breaks in action, timeouts.

Finally, we share information about Karch Kiraly's book, Chasing Greatness.

Skill of the week: Hitter coverage

Scenario of the week: What should I say during a timeout?

The Art of Coaching Volleyball Videos discussed on the Pod This Week:

Former Penn State University Head Coach Russ Rose's coverage drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/coverage-drill-2/

Russ Rose's video about how to handle variations in coverage situations: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/russ-rose-adjusting-hitter-coverage-to-the-situation/

Austin Juniors' drill that focuses on tooling and covering your hitters: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/cover-your-hitter-drill/

The Resource of the Week: Chasing Greatness by Karch Kiraly is available here: https://store.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/shop/karch-book/

Wait!

Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/

Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills!

One of the most powerful ways to coach involves using key words or phrases to help athletes learn skills. By "chunking" bits of information coaches can "lead" the athlete into the desired behavior, by calling out the word/phrase prior to the goal/behavior. This episode is all about key words that our coaches use to help their athletes learn various aspects of the game. They share their key words and phrases for each primary volleyball skill and they want to hear yours, too!

In our scenario segment, we do something new, and place the spotlight on a particular player and try to describe what makes him or her "so good". This episode's player spotlight is star opposite, Yuji Nishida, from Japan. He has taken the volleyball world by storm and is nothing short of a celebrity! He can also really play and we go in on how he is so dang effective!

Finally, they share information from the Junior Volleyball Association's beautiful, concise coaching resources

Skill of the week: Using key words to teach skills

Scenario of the week: Yuji Nishida player profile - How is he so good?

The Art of Coaching Volleyball Videos discussed on the Pod This Week:

Deborah Newkirk from Coach Em Up with 30 minutes of drills for young players: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/30-minutes-of-drills-for-beginning-volleyball-players/

Cary Wallin from 949 Athletics, and her cues for serving: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/volleyball-serving-for-beginning-players/

Key words/phrases for beginning passing form: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/training-beginners-to-master-proper-passing-form/

The Resource of the Week: Junior Volleyball Association's Coaching Resources are available here: https://jvavolleyball.org/education/coaches/

Wait!

Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/

Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills!

Everyone wants to hit harder, but there is not that much discussion on how to do so. This podcast goes into everything "heat" and how to get yourself to hit harder, with more power!

Also, Tod and Davis discuss a common scenario, when the team is too emotional, and ways to think about, and handle that situation.

Finally, they share information about The Change the Game Project, which is available here: https://changingthegameproject.com/

Skill of the week: Hitting hard(er)

Scenario of the week: My team is too emotional

The Art of Coaching Volleyball Videos discussed on the Pod This Week:

Brent Hilliard's look at what goes into hitting harder: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/help-your-outside-hitters-generate-more-power/

Ken Murczek's drill to reinforce the mentality and skill of hitting hard: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/hitting-drill-train-players-to-take-more-aggressive-swings/

Mark Barnard's video about why and how outside hitters should "go big": https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/why-outside-hitters-need-a-go-big-mindset/

The Resource of the Week: The Change the Game Project is available here: https://changingthegameproject.com/

Wait!

Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/

Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills!

Coaches have a tendency to watch the ball in flight and not watch what is happening on your side of the court as much. Today's podcast is all about evolving from beyond ball watching to being more of an observer of the intricacies of our team's movement, preparation, coverage, and so much more.

Also, Tod and Davis discuss whether it is a good idea for young players to play exclusively beach or indoor, or if it is a better idea to play both. Davis is currently both a Head Beach Coach for a high school and a Head Coach for a highly competitive indoor club team and has experience with both giving him an insider's take on how to view this challenging topic.

Finally, they share information about our very own, Tod Mattox's books, which are available on The Art of Coaching Volleyball website here: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/       

Skill of the week: Evolving from ball watching

Scenario of the week: Should high school play exclusively beach, exclusively indoor or both?

The Art of Coaching Volleyball Videos discussed on the Pod This Week:

This video is a great team coverage drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/coverage-drill-2/

This video is a look at how to help players expect the unexpected: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/cues-to-help-players-read-the-unexpected-plays/

This video helps coaches to see if there players are reading off-speed attacks: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/read-off-speed-attacks/

The Resource of the Week: Tod Mattox's books can be found here: https://store.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/product-category/03-coaching-books/

Wait!

Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/

Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills!

As an attacker, using the entire court to score can be crucial. One of the "key" swings that attackers can use to "unlock" the whole court is sharp cross-court. This shot forces the blockers and diggers to dial their defense around which can expose the middle of the court for numerous kills. However, many athletes hit sharp cross-court in a manner that can be dangerous for either: their legs/knees, like when they land on one leg, or their shoulders, when they swing outside of their body line. This episode focuses on how to hit sharp angle safely, but also with a lot of power and efficiency.

Also, Tod and Davis discuss some options for what to do when you have front row players who are not physically capable of blocking over the net. They also go into some ways that coaches can evaluate whether or not having a big blocker is more useful than having a smaller, more skilled player in the front row. 

Finally, they share multi-time a very insightful book written by Hugh McCutcheon, an Olympic medalist as the coach for both the U.S. Men's National Team and the U.S. Women's National Team.

Skill of the week: Attacking sharp cross-court

Scenario of the week: Front row players that can't block

 Videos Discussed on the Pod This Week:

From The Art of Coaching Volleyball, the following video is an instructional video about hitting AND defending sharp angle swings: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/drill-to-train-attacking-and-defending-the-angle/

From Titans Volleyball, this video is a collection of crazy angle swings. Watch and learn from the best!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EugO_ogF40Q 

From Power Volleyball, this video is also collection of super sharp angle swings. Check out the 30 second mark for possibly the sharpest angle ever. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EugO_ogF40Q 

The Resource of the Week can be found here: 

Hugh McCutheon's book, Championship Behaviors, is available widely, but you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Championship-Behaviors-Competitive-Excellence-Sports/dp/1629379573 

AND

McCutcheon has an incredible TEDTalk, based on the same topic, available here: https://www.ted.com/talks/hugh_mccutcheon_championship_behaviors 

Wait!

Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/

Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills!

Team communication has become a source of debate in the coaching world lately. Some coaches feel as if less communication is more effective, while others believe that communication is a critical part of success. Coach Tod Mattox shares his take on communication and how to make it really work for your team.

Also, the two experienced coaches discuss the common refrain, "I want it more than my team", and talk about how to think about this type of situation, perhaps differently than we would have as young coaches.

Finally, we share an excellent resource that teaches volleyball through lots of International level clips combined with instruction.

Skill of the week: Teaching communication

Scenario of the week: "I want it more than my team"

Resource of the week can be found here: https://volleycountry.com/ and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/volleycountry/ and Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@VolleyCountrycom 

Wait!

Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/

Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills!

Closing the block can be extremely difficult when teams are running a fast, balanced offense. However, having two blockers that are hip-to-hip, in front of the hitter, will make it much more challenging for the hitter to score. How can our teams get two blockers in front of the hitter more often? Today on The VolleyPod we cover this and much more!

Today Davis and Tod go over closing the block, and give listeners a slew of ideas for how to close the block more often and more effectively. This podcast is mostly focused on the middle blocker closing to the pins.

Also, the two old buddies discuss the common refrain from coaches, "My team has no leaders", and talk about how to handle this situation and make it great for our players.

Finally, we share an excellent resource for developing new leaders, Jeff Jansen's The Team Captain's Leadership Manual.

Skill of the week: Closing the block

Scenario of the week: My team has no leaders

Resource of the week: Jeff Jansen's The Team Captain's Leadership Manual is located here:https://www.janssensportsleadership.com/resources/leadership-for-captains/ https://www.instagram.com/Volleycountry/?hl=en

Volleyball resources mentioned in this episode:

- Ohio State Mens Volleyball Blocking Concepts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2R5H7FI43o

- Keegan Cook from University of Washington and Chris Tamas from University of Illinois share tips about how to close the block: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJclrFY7YZM

- Rachel Adams from the U.S. National Team teaches the 3-step crossover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOCp5wUOrXk

Bonus Video:

- Brian Rosen from Carolina Juniors introduces concepts through a game-like blocking drill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaKK1qKDo8Q

Wait!

Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/

Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills!

When events follow the typical sequence of pass-set-hit, typical transition footwork can be utilized, but what about when other, less common, events take place? Has your team rehearsed a plan for each of these occurrences? 

During this episode Tod and Davis discuss how to train for the randomness of transition and become more effective when things are less than perfect. 

Also, the coaches discuss the challenges and fun of winning a 3-day tournament: the before, during, and after.

Finally, we share a new device that can help players to maintain a strong, resilient shoulder and help keep injuries to a minimum AND get a killer workout. AXIO Centripetal Training uses the energy of creating and maintaining centripetal force to make the shoulder and core stable and injury resistant.

Skill of the week: Transition options and choices

Scenario of the week: Winning a 3-day tournament

Resource of the week: AXIO 360 and AXIO Centripetal Training is located here:https://axiotraining.com/

AOC Volleyball resources mentioned in this episode:

- Karch Kiraly's middle transition drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/middle-transition-drill-with-karch-kiraly/

- Michelle Collier from Georgia Tech's video discusses solutions to common transition problems: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/michelle-collier-finding-effective-solutions-to-various-transition-situations/

- Christy Johson-Lynch from Iowa State goes into how to effectively train transition using 6 on 6 games: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/the-art-of-training-transition/