The Ins and Outs of Running a Successful Volleyball Program Presented by Shelly Nibarger August 2, 2016 Kansas Coaching School

Be a Student of the Game Attend Clinics Talk to Successful Coaches Visit a Successful Coach’s Practice Watch Videos Read Books Written by Successful Coaches (in any sport)

Find Good Assistant Coaches Supportive Loyal Mature Knowledgeable Energetic

Incorporate a Team Theme for the Season Make it a Tradition Seniors Decide it, Announce it, Explain it Emphasize Theme with Posters (Cathy Foote, Wamego HS) Incorporate it into Team Shirts, Huddles, Pre-Game Speeches, etc...

Use Team Builders BIG: Pumpkin Patch Conditioning Day Ropes Course SMALL: Ship to Shore Who Has? Activity Song Lyrics Game

GRIZZLY ADVENTURES – BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Build a Summer Program Make an Open Gym Available for Volleyball Join a Summer League Play in Summer Tournaments Schedule Scrimmages Hold a Team Camp Take Your Team to a Camp Emphasize Participation in a Weights Program

Establish Strong Relationships Administration Strength & Conditioning Coach/ Physical Education Teacher Custodial Staff Bus Drivers Secretaries Parents Alumni

Plan Effective Practices Be organized Maximize the use of your time Be demanding Drill the basic skills every day Teach strategies and tactics Make drills competitive Implement “reminders” when things don’t go right

T T Tossing Line-Each Player has a Ball P1P1 P1P1 Butterfly No Drop We’ve all done some version of Butterfly Passing. But do you DEMAND talking during the drill? We expect the TARGET player (T) to judge whether it’s a good pass or not, say the count and have ALL PLAYERS on that side of the net repeat the count. So if it’s the second good pass, the target shouts “TWO” and all the players on that side of the net repeat... “TWO!” If it’s not a good pass, the target shouts the previous number in the count, and ALL PLAYERS on that side repeat it. Any ball that hits the floor resets the count on both sides of net. Set a goal.... Both sides must get 12 good passes in a minute. Alter how the ball is initiated... Overhead toss with both arms, Throw with right arm, Throw with left arm, Topspin Hit, Serve Change the direction of the drill Demand that all players talk... If they’re not, stop and run a sprint. Try again. Ray Bechard, Kansas University Emphasizes: Passing and Communication T1T1 T2T2 T3T3 T2T2 T1T1 T3T3 The Rotation: After T1 tosses a ball across the net to the passer, she crosses the net and gets in the Passing Line After P1 passes, she follows her pass and becomes the Target (T) The Target (T) catches the pass and moves to the Tossing Line on her side of the net. P2P2 P3P3 P2P2 P3P3

Stay or Go – Three in a Row The Stay or Go Passing Drill has been around for years. A ball is sent over the net to the passers. If P2 passes, everyone stays. If P1 passes, P2 shuffles to fill P1’s spot, and P4 enters into P2’s spot. P1 exits the drill and goes to the end of the line. Similarly, if P3 passes, P2 shuffles to fill P3’s spot, and P4 enters the drill. P3 exits. All passers in drill are communicating... “STAY”... “GO” This variation practices tough serving and serve receive, making it a competition between servers and passers. The passers use the “Stay or Go” rotation system, while attempting to get three good passes in a row to the target (coach’s judgment) The servers are trying to keep the passers from getting their goal, serving as tough as they can. We set a goal that the passers must get three-in-a-row in a minute. To encourage the servers to serve tough, there is no consequence for one missed serve. However, every three missed serves counts as 1 good pass for the receiving team. P1P1 P2P2 P3P3 P4P4 S1S1 S2S2 S3S3 Target Ray Bechard, Kansas University Emphasizes Tough Serving, Passing, Communication Between Serve Receivers

Washburn This is an out-of-system drill that trains the non-setters on what to do with the second contact. The coach (can be on a box) topspin hits to either P1, P2 or to the seam between them. If P1 passes, P2 must set a cross-court ball to H1. If P2 passes, P1 must set a cross-court ball to H2. The hitters approach and attack, if possible. If not, they should choose to topspin hit the ball over, OR pass it, if necessary. Both passers rotate to end of line. Two new passers enter. The hitter who attacked the ball shags and feeds coach, and a new hitter rotates in. We emphasize that the set should always go cross-court. Set a Goal... The team must get 8 successful Pass-Set-Hit’s in a minute Chris Herron, Washburn University P1P1 P2P2 P3P3 P4P4 H2H2 H4H4 H3H3 H1H1 Coach Emphasizes: Out of System Strategies, Passing, Aggressive Third Contact

6 before 20 This is a competitive six-on-six game pitting varsity versus JV. Both teams usually start in rotation 1 and move through rotations 4, 2, 5, 3, and 6 respectively. The varsity team’s goal is to get 6 “Big” points before the JV gets 20 Little Points. A Big Point is scored when the varsity wins, in succession, the serve rally, a free ball to them, a free ball to the JV, and finally a rally in which the varsity served. The first ball is always served by the JV. A Little Point is scored by the JV any time they win any rally. When a Little Point is scored, the JV serves again from the same rotation. Both teams stay in the same rotation until a Big Point is scored by the varsity. (If the varsity is struggling to get a big point, we’ll sometimes go ahead and move the JV to a new rotation) VARIATIONS: Change the goal for the JV team. Make it higher if the varsity never comes close to 6 big points; Make it lower if the varsity dominates. If the varsity has a weak rotation, have them stay in that one longer. Varsity- Team of 6 JV- Team of 6 Coach This game forces the varsity to focus hard on stringing together four rally wins in a row; something that isn’t always easy, even against the JV team. Intense game!

One Minute/One and a Half Minute This is a competitive six-on-six game pitting varsity versus JV. Both teams usually start in rotation 1 and move through rotations 4, 2, 5, 3, and 6 respectively. Each team’s goal is to score as many points as they can before their time runs out when they are the team “on the clock.” 1.One minute is put on the timer. The JV team serves at the varsity team. If the varsity wins the rally, they score a point, and the JV serves again. If the JV wins the serve, the clock starts, and a coach sends a free ball to the JV. If the varsity wins the free ball rally, the clock stops and the JV serves again. If the varsity does not win the free ball rally, another free ball is sent to the JV. This continues until the varsity stops the clock by winning a free ball rally. Play continues until either the varsity scores 5 or their time runs out. THE VARSITY CAN ONLY SCORE WHEN THEY’VE RECEIVED A SERVE. THE JV CANNOT SCORE AT ALL IN THIS PHASE OF THE GAME. 2.Now 1.5 minutes are put on the timer. The varsity serves at the JV. If the JV wins the rally, they score a point and the varsity serves again. If the varsity wins the serve, the clock starts and a coach sends a free ball to the varsity. If the JV wins the free ball rally, the clock stops and the varsity serves again. If not, another free ball is sent to the varsity. This continues until the JV stops the clock by winning a free ball rally. Play until the JV scores 5 or their time runs out. THE JV CAN ONLY SCORE WHEN THEY’VE RECEIVED A SERVE. THE VARSITY CANNOT SCORE AT ALL IN THIS PHASE OF THE GAME. 3.Move to next rotation and repeat. THOUGHTS: There is a sense of urgency to terminate the ball quickly to conserve the time on the clock. Successful serve receive is essential as a team can only score a point when they win a rally in which they received serve. The varsity has an opportunity to work on free ball plays when the JV is “on the clock” A missed serve by the JV is crucial because the varsity begins attacking free balls at them, and sometimes it’s difficult for the JV to make a stop Varsity- Team of 6 JV- Team of 6 Coach Managers with flip scoreboard and timer.

P1P1 P2P2 P3P3 P4P4 P P P5P5 P6P6 P P SIDE A SIDE B Coach Ronnie Lott (Four on Two) This a “queen of the court” type drill where four players take on two. The goal is for the twosome to win 3-in-a-row on SIDE A. The game is initiated by a bounce from the Coach to SIDE A. If P1 and P2 win the rally, they stay. P3 and P4 move to the end of the lines on SIDE B. P5 and P6 move to the front row and two new players join them. Also, the coach immediately gives P1 and P2 a tougher, more challenging bounce. If P1 and P2 win 3 bounces-in-a-row, they are the queens, and all players on the opposite side have a reminder. If the side of four wins the rally, then the two players on the front row move to side A to become partners. The two players on the back row move to the front row, and there’s new back row. The losing twosome exits the drill and moves to the end of the line on side B.

Husker This is a competitive 6-on-6 game that involves two volleyballs going at once. Each team designates their server. This player will serve all balls for their team for the entire drill. Both servers serve a ball at the same time and teams play both balls back and forth. Any time a rally ends, the team who lost that rally must retrieve the ball and return it to their server who serves it again. (Even if the server misses her serve long, for example. someone on her team must retrieve that ball and get it back to her quickly. The goal of the drill is for one team to terminate both balls at the same time. So both balls could be going at once OR just one of them could be going while the other one is being retrieved and returned to the server. This is a fast-paced, chaotic drill which our players love to play. The court is never any louder than when Husker is being played in our gym. Team TwoTeam One Nebraska Volleyball Camp, 2008

P1P1 P3P3 P2P2 P4P4 P5P5 P6P6 Coach SIDE A SIDE B Tennis and “Don’t Drop the Baby” Tennis is basically a doubles game in which each team of two is only allowed one contact. That contact must be a forearm pass: No overhead setting and no contact with one arm only. The game is initiated by the Coach who sends a free ball to SIDE B. If the partners on SIDE A win the rally, they stay, and a new team steps onto SIDE B. If the partners on SIDE B win, they move to SIDE A, and a new team steps onto SIDE B. “Don’t Drop the Baby” is the same game with an added twist. Each partnership also shares a volleyball between them. Any time the game ball crosses the net towards the partners, they must decide who will pass it back over. If it’s the person holding the ball they share (the baby), that player must toss the “baby” to her partner before passing the ball. This definitely adds extra challenges for communication and concentration. THOUGHTS: Just like most other “Queen of the Court” games, we play until the team on Side A wins three-in-a- row. At our middle school camp, we have them play 4- on-4 instead.