Episode 33: We must protect our base (defense), when your team has one player that is less experienced than the rest, and What Drives Winning?

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A strong "Base" defense can frustrate the opponent through discipline and defensive grit. How can you be super solid in base and win way more rallies where the ball comes over on 1 or 2 contacts, or they run the quick?

On this episode of The VolleyPod, Davis and Tod go over the importance of, and keys for, a strong "Base" defense. Base defense has been described as one way coaches can tell if they have a disciplined team, and the tips in this episode can definitely help with that. Next, Tod and Davis discuss a situation that happens all the time on younger teams: when one player is less experienced than the rest of your team, and offer some great ideas for how to handle it, that are win-win for the player and the team. Finally, we share What Drives Winning, a Ted-talk style website that features influential figures in sport delivering some of their best advice.

Skill of the week: Protecting your "Base" defense

Scenario of the week: When one player is significantly less experienced than the rest of the team

Resource of the week: What Drives Winning can be found here: https://whatdriveswinning.com/

AOC Volleyball drills mentioned in this episode:

- Tod's win more than 50% game allows for tons of team defense feedback: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/defensive-transition-drill/

- Defense is an attitude and teams should use that competitive edge to score more points: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/digging-to-score-and-train-a-competitive-mindset/

- Nabil Mardini plays 3 vs. 6 in his practices to reinforce good team defense habits: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/wash-to-five-drill-with-nabil-mardini/