Episode 43: Attacking sharp cross-court, front row players who can't block, and Olympic Medalist Hugh McCutcheon's book

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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