Monthly Archives: September 2010

Sep 30

Are you the queen of the volleyball court?

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If you ask your boyfriend or husband, I’m sure he’ll say you are the queen of the court. But what would your volleyball team say?

Prove your skills in this game situation volleyball drill, Queen of the Court.

This is a fun, competitive, conditioning-type drill for teams of all ages. In Donnie’s video below, he chose to have his girls play doubles. Typically queen of the court is played with triples but vary the teams depending on your skill level. “Fast fours” is a version of Queen of the Court for younger, less experienced players.

Enough chatter, on to the drill!

Object: To win rallies on the queen side of the court to earn the goal points first.

So, here’s how it goes.

1. Set a goal number of points. We’ll say 10. The teams only earn points on the queen side.
2. One side of court is named the “winner (queen) side” and the other is the “challenger side.”
3. Put one team on each side (I usually make them race to earn the court).
4. The challenger side always serves the ball. 
a. If the challengers win the rally, they move to the queen side and start earning points.
b. If the queens win, they get a point and the challengers step off the court; a new challenging team will take their place.
5. The game continues until a team reaches the 10 points.

BEWARE: After the first time you do this drill, be prepared for your team to ask for it at every practice. Yeah… it’s that fun.

Sep 28

Wanna play volleyball in college?

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What about sand volleyball?

Last January, the NCAA voted to add sand volleyball as a spring sport for the 2011 season! Later that month, the DI board pushed the approval date back to August 2011 because they need more time to “build the sport.” I get it, I get it. It takes time to develop the perfect sport. ;)

But they are making progress, they recently posted this in the NCAA “Latest News”:

So, do you wanna play volleyball in college?

What about sand volleyball? If you’re a 2011 grad – who intends to play volleyball in college – you may want to ask your future coach if they plan to add sand volleyball for the 2012 season. Or, at least… that’s what I’d do.

If I could only go back.

Sep 26

Pass, set, hit 3-person volleyball drill

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When I played Division I volleyball, 3 or 4 times a week I’d be scheduled with the coach for an “individual.” Individuals usually consisted of me and 2 or 3 other players (I guess that’s as individual as it gets when you have 17 other players on the team). Lovin college volleyball ;) .

Annnnyway, this drill reminds me of my individuals, except it’s demonstrated by young high school volleyball players. Just a few girls getting reps for about 30 min to an hour. It’s a good time, outside of practice, to get individual attention from the coach. I guess that’s where the name came from. In a setup like this one, the coach can look for skills that need work within each player – such as approaches, etc…

The video is self explanatory. If you have questions, feel free to post them in the comments section.

Sep 22

Todd Rogers’ road rage

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Have a hard time moving on from that last play? You’re not the only one.

I’m watching US Team Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser lose to the Brazilians 4-10. The ref made a bogus 4 hits call and a usually cool-headed Todd Rogers overheated.

Todd can’t get his head back in the game. The announcer attributed the last 6 unforced errors to Todd’s “road rage.” And this is an Olympian. A highly skilled player deemed the “Best Defensive Player” in the FIVB. One little play has completely changed the game for the Americans.

Why am I telling you this? Because as a coach, I’ve spent at least 60% of a season coaching mental toughness. Mental toughness helps players get passed errors and poor ref calls, and win games. As the announcers keep repeating, “Todd needs to clear his head and focus on his game.” If a key player cannot get passed one error, it will snowball, just like it did with Todd Rogers.

The game just ended 10-21.

I know what you’re thinking, “If Todd Rogers can’t do it, how am I supposed to do it?” And to that I say, for one, this situation is an anomaly. Todd Rogers is a rock of a volleyball player – emotionless, strong. And, second, it’s not about how physically tough or skilled you are, it’s about your confidence, your mental toughness. Can you make an error and not dwell on it? Can the ref make a poor call and effect your entire game?

Check out this article on mental toughness. Show it to your team.

Here’s what I do: Practice drills that require your team to come back from a deficit. Put them in unfamiliar situations frequently. Help them focus on the game as a whole and not individual plays. Have teammates help build player confidence.

Oh, and in case you were wondering. Todd and Phil just came back and won the match. Making this their 9th FIVB gold medal this season (never done before). Todd’s comments, “I lost in that second match but really came back in the third. I let it go and that’s what true champions do.”