Monthly Archives: July 2010

Jul 26

7 items every sand player needs

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So, I convinced you to play sand and you’re all, “I’ve never played sand before and I don’t want to show up unprepared.” Check out my list of 7 necessities below. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a little partial to the number 7. My playing number was 17 but I couldn’t think of 17 real necessities for sand.

1. Outdoor Volleyball: Don’t use an indoor, you won’t like it. Outdoor volleyballs are a little heavier and won’t float away with the wind (that’s bad).

Here’s one of the better ones from Amazon.

But this one will do for recreational players.

2. Towel. For sweat and sand.
Here’s one, but really any ol’ towel will do.

3. Sunglasses. For sun and sand.

4. Sand socks. Even my friend Pete (he’s the one who called me a wimp on facebook when I recommended the sand socks) was taking short breaks in the cooler grass yesterday.

5. Water. Lots. A cooler would be ideal, unless you like warm water.

6. Lines. Is this court regulation size or what?! Usually, neighborhood courts are not. Lines are nice to have.

7. Sunscreen and bug spray. Get the spray. It’s easier to reapply when you’re all sandy.

Now get out there and play some sand before the fall volleyball season starts!

Jul 25

7 reasons to play sand volleyball

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Yes. This is another article about sand volleyball. For those are only in to indoor volleyball, don’t look past this post, there’s a little in it for you.

As you know by now, I LOVE SAND VOLLEYBALL! Let me take this opportunity to “count the ways.”

1. Megan Fox tan: Ok, maybe this isn’t appealing to all but I do appreciate those few morning rays that have recently replaced my powder bronzer.

2. Think about Timing: When you first step on to a sand court, you think like an indoor player: “I have time to get there.” But, you will quickly realize that you don’t and you better get your butt movin’ (especially in doubles). In any hit in the sand, you have to get there sooner. Which means 1. Read the ball of the serve or hit. 2. If you know your partner is gonna take the first contact, you better jet to the net to set (like that rhyme?). 3. A quick approach is much slower in the sand and the sets are not always perfect, so you have to be ready to adjust.

3. Shots: Much of sand volleyball relies on shots (unless you have raw power and mad skills like Phil Dalhausser-below).

Who can hit zones of the court the most effectively? He will be the winner in sand. Unless he’s Donnie, playing against his wife, who dug him 3 times the other day. (Sorry Donnie, I can’t help that I’m awesome).

4. Ball Control: This is kind of a combination of Shots and Timing. You must read, be in the right spot at the right time and execute with almost perfect form. In other words, there is almost no room for error in sand volleyball. You only have one other player to chase down that shank and it’s very difficult to “book it” in the sand. Plus, if you keep shanking it, you might get a little hostility from your winded partner.

“I used to hate playing sand volleyball because it’s so hard. But, I can’t believe how much it has helped my indoor game. I feel more confident passing and digging now because sand forced me to better at reading the hitter.” – player from my team.

5. Speed, Agility, Vertical: Think all that jumping and running and diving in the sand is for nothing? Play sand volleyball for a few weeks and then hit the gym. You will be more stable, moving quicker and jumping higher than you ever have!

6. Communication: With only 2 players, it’s either you or her. Blocking angle or line? Who’s taking this pass? Where does the set need to be? Sand volleyball is not like indoor, where you have a full team and system. You must constantly communicate with each other if you want to compete.

7. Killer workout: In the summer, I play sand volleyball just twice a week for 2-3 hours. I’d say I’m in pretty good shape, but by the time I get into the third hour, my legs are jell-o and my lungs are heavy. Plus, I googled it, and playing sand volleyball burns 500 calories/hour!

Indoor players: If you’re still reading this, thanks for sticking in there! In case you haven’t figured it out by now, all of the above points will improve your indoor game (ok, except the tan, that’s an added bonus). Timing, Shots, Ball Control – I’m always preaching about ball control to my players and sand volleyball is the ultimate training method to practice ball control – Communication.

So before, you dismiss sand volleyball as a game to played by beer-gutted neighbors at a block party, think about how much a few hours a week can improve your indoor game… and your figure.

Jul 21

Simple serve and pass volleyball drill

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Big volleyball match tonight? Don’t wait until 20 minutes before the starting whistle to get your reps in. Here’s a simple warm-up, Serve and Pass drill to get those feet moving say… the morning of the big match… or even just before you hit the road (But don’t sweat too much).

How simple you ask?
1. Serve
2. Pass
3. Target catch
4. Rinse and repeat

Because of its simplicity, Serve and Pass is a perfect beginner volleyball drill too!

Jul 15

Swing Block Progressions

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What is a Swing Block Progression? Let’s define it.

Swing: move or cause to move back and forth or from side to side
Block: to stop a blow or ball from finding its mark
Progression: a movement or development toward a destination or a more advanced state

I know. I know. Those are just definitions of words. But when you put them together, you have a Swing Block Progression volleyball drill, which is a super awesome way to get better at being a wall! I.E. Levels of a drill practicing the movements back and forth to stop the volleyball’s path.

Remember when we demonstrated the steps for a middle hitter swing block and an outside hitter swing block? (If not, I linked to them so just click the link for a refresher.)

Here are 2 progression drills to practice those impenetrable blocks.

First is simply back and forth, back and forth. This is very effective because repetition is key.

I know what you’re thinking. “I’ve been conditioning all summer, that stuff is easy!” Ok then, hot shot, try this one on for size. We’ve added an approach in the middle. That’ll get your blood pumpin’.

If you’re still thinking, “Look I’m in Misty May-Treanor shape. Give me a real challenge.”

To you I say, Hit me with your best shot. Do you have an idea for progression number 3?

Jul 12

Summer volleyball: a time for building

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As a coach, one of my big areas of focus is team chemistry. I believe good volleyball teams can be great when teammates “click.” The thing about chemistry is that you can’t just create it, you have to develop it. Here are some things that my team is doing this summer to give us an edge.

League of extraordinary volleyball players
Besides our summer weights and practices, we hosted a summer league at our school and invited 7 other schools in our area play. There’s only one thing better than playing together often… it’s playing short-handed with nothing on the line. We’ve had girls on our team gone for work, vacations, USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in Reno… you name it. We’ve had to rely on players to play outside of their comfort zone in positions they don’t play (like both of my DSs playing outside and middles playing backrow). I love this too. It creates more well rounded players and reminds them that their teammates in different positions don’t have it as easy as they might think.

Watching the pros
Recently, my whole team went to see the USA men’s volleyball team play Russia. This was a great event for my girls to see, because in Kansas they don’t normally get the chance to see men’s volleyball played at a high level.

You should have seen their eyes light up when these men hit the ball. I also loved to point out to my players the footwork and different strategies the USA men do exactly how I teach our girls. I think this helps with MY chemistry with the girls too… “maybe coach does know what he’s talking about” ;)

Summer volleyball tournament
Our grand finale this summer is a 5-hour road trip to a tournament (we were invited as a result of last year’s success). There’s something about being stuck in a car together for hours that builds relationships, not to mention hotel roomies. We went on a 14-hour road trip last year and our girls still reminisce about it today.

Yes, but, how do we pay for it all?
This summer, we want to play in tournaments and travel. That’s a lot of extra money for parents so I’ve empowered my team with the fundraising responsibilities. Together we came up with 3 fundraising ideas and I had my team roll with them.

  1. Youth mini volleyball camp. We held a 1 day, 2 hour camp for kids in grades 1-7th. I put my players in groups where they coached 4-5 campers each (my 6-year-old daughter also attended the camp-oh the benefits from Coach Dad).
  2. Garage sale. This turned out to be a huge money maker for us. The girls set everything up, ran the sale and even sold concessions during the sale.
  3. Dodgeball tournament. We didn’t have the turnout we hoped for on this, but it was fun and a good bonding experience. The girls played in it, even our coaching staff played on teams.

These fundraising events were great to give the girls ownership for our summer volleyball and even had an effect I didn’t expect. It forced many of the girls to be accountable. When one player didn’t show up, other girls were texting and calling to make sure they were going to be there. I loved it!

Whether you are a coach or player, there are plenty of activities you can do over the summer to improve your game and your team’s togetherness. What are some things your team has done to during the off season to build chemistry?