Monthly Archives: December 2009

Dec 16

Passer’s workout

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Here’s an example of how we like to work our passers out individually.

- Start out with standard platform passing

- Once she’s feeling good about her rhythm, move on to some basic digging technique. Step back, hop forward.

- Then, throw in some serve/receive with a ball cart as the target (this is tough!)

- Practice perfecting the float serve

- Get moving with some “active passing” (see our active passing video)

- Work on playing some defense with a hitter on a box, smashing balls angle

There you have it… enjoy!

Dec 08

FIVB or bust

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Last weekend, Donnie and I were forced to sit through a four-hour mandatory rules meeting for USAV coaches. Personally, I thought the meeting was appropriate considering all the over-the-hill, under-a-rock (old and uneducated) coaches I face in the club season.

But we learned a lot!

In the U.S., there are like 8 million different sets of rules. There’s NCAA (men’s and women’s), NAIA, NFHS (high school), USAV indoor/outdoor and so, so many more. Most other countries follow FIVB rules (that’s Fédération Internationale de Volleyball), which is the international governing body for the sport of volleyball. Why don’t we follow FIVB’s rules? I have no idea. (I think we should) But, it seems to be like asking why we don’t use the metric system (no comment).

So, now that high school volleyball is over, we need to switch gears to USAV rules (which are the most similar to FIVB rules). Officiating club volleyball just got a lot more subjective. No more cut and dried faults. Read below and see if you agree.

  1. The center line: You can literally lie down over the center line with no fault. That is, unless you interfere with the other team’s ability to play the ball. (But… no stepping over the line though, that’s still a fault).
  2. The net: You can touch it! You read that right. You can touch the net now. Of course, you cannot interfere with the other team’s ability to play the ball or use the net to your advantage but still, it’s legal.
  3. Warmup: Danger! No more passing, digging or any volleyballs behind the team on the court. So… yeah. 3 extra minutes of standing time before each match. (My opinion? Lame. It seems to be one of those incidences where one idiot ruins it for the rest of us.)

So, that’s it for the new rules (well, the one’s I really care about). And, our “moderator” ensured that we would be required to return after the 2012 Olympics because that’s when the rules change. I think it’s a great idea. If you love the sport enough to coach it, you should know the rules, right?

What do you think about the new rules? Do you hate them? Love them? Or is it a bittersweet, love-hate relationship you have with the new USAV rules?