The VolleyPod presented by The Art of Coaching Volleyball

Wait! Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/ Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills! 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 

Wait! Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/ Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills! Team communication has become a source of debate in the coaching world lately. Some coaches feel as if less communication is more effective, while others believe that communication is a critical part of success. Coach Tod Mattox shares his take on communication and how to make it really work for your team. Also, the two experienced coaches discuss the common refrain, "I want it more than my team", and talk about how to think about this type of situation, perhaps differently than we would have as young coaches. Finally, we share an excellent resource that teaches volleyball through lots of International level clips combined with instruction. Skill of the week: Teaching communication Scenario of the week: "I want it more than my team" Resource of the week can be found here: https://volleycountry.com/ and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/volleycountry/ and Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@VolleyCountrycom 

Wait! Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/ Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills! Closing the block can be extremely difficult when teams are running a fast, balanced offense. However, having two blockers that are hip-to-hip, in front of the hitter, will make it much more challenging for the hitter to score. How can our teams get two blockers in front of the hitter more often? Today on The VolleyPod we cover this and much more! Today Davis and Tod go over closing the block, and give listeners a slew of ideas for how to close the block more often and more effectively. This podcast is mostly focused on the middle blocker closing to the pins. Also, the two old buddies discuss the common refrain from coaches, "My team has no leaders", and talk about how to handle this situation and make it great for our players. Finally, we share an excellent resource for developing new leaders, Jeff Jansen's The Team Captain's Leadership Manual. Skill of the week: Closing the block Scenario of the week: My team has no leaders Resource of the week: Jeff Jansen's The Team Captain's Leadership Manual is located here:https://www.janssensportsleadership.com/resources/leadership-for-captains/ https://www.instagram.com/Volleycountry/?hl=en Volleyball resources mentioned in this episode: - Ohio State Mens Volleyball Blocking Concepts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2R5H7FI43o - Keegan Cook from University of Washington and Chris Tamas from University of Illinois share tips about how to close the block: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJclrFY7YZM - Rachel Adams from the U.S. National Team teaches the 3-step crossover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOCp5wUOrXk Bonus Video: - Brian Rosen from Carolina Juniors introduces concepts through a game-like blocking drill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaKK1qKDo8Q

Wait! Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/ Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills! When events follow the typical sequence of pass-set-hit, typical transition footwork can be utilized, but what about when other, less common, events take place? Has your team rehearsed a plan for each of these occurrences?  During this episode Tod and Davis discuss how to train for the randomness of transition and become more effective when things are less than perfect.  Also, the coaches discuss the challenges and fun of winning a 3-day tournament: the before, during, and after. Finally, we share a new device that can help players to maintain a strong, resilient shoulder and help keep injuries to a minimum AND get a killer workout. AXIO Centripetal Training uses the energy of creating and maintaining centripetal force to make the shoulder and core stable and injury resistant. Skill of the week: Transition options and choices Scenario of the week: Winning a 3-day tournament Resource of the week: AXIO 360 and AXIO Centripetal Training is located here:https://axiotraining.com/ AOC Volleyball resources mentioned in this episode: - Karch Kiraly's middle transition drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/middle-transition-drill-with-karch-kiraly/ - Michelle Collier from Georgia Tech's video discusses solutions to common transition problems: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/michelle-collier-finding-effective-solutions-to-various-transition-situations/ - Christy Johson-Lynch from Iowa State goes into how to effectively train transition using 6 on 6 games: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/the-art-of-training-transition/

Wait! Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/ Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills! Do you want to score more points and run a fun, fast offense that uses all of your players to achieve a way higher hitting efficiency, create more 1 on 1 attacking opportunities, and put more stress on the defense?  The Tempo Spread Offense is the answer. But what is it and how can you use it achieve its best effects? This episode goes into the fundamentals of the Tempo Spread offense and how and why to use it with your teams. Also, Tod goes into how he handles the end of the season, player recognition, and the end of season event.  Finally, we share info about AOC's Youtube channel which is packed with great videos, including full episodes of The VolleyPod! Skill of the week: The Tempo Spread Offense Scenario of the week: The end of the season event Resource of the week: The Art of Coaching Volleyball's Youtube Channel is located here:https://www.youtube.com/@AoCVB  AOC Volleyball resources mentioned in this episode: - Kerry McDonald from Volleyball Canada discussed how to create attacker-blocker advantages: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/running-an-offense-finding-gaps-overloading-blockers/ - Kirsten Bernthal Booth discusses the many advantages of running an up-tempo offense: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/how-a-fast-offense-can-give-your-team-an-edge/ - Jim Stone goes into how and why to run an offense that uses space across the whole net to help attacker score from a variety of attack points: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/jim-stone-sample-offense-with-multiple-attack-points/

Wait! Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/ Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills! Does your team make too many errors? Everyone knows that errors are the kiss of death for a volleyball team, right? Well, sort of. Davis goes into how to perceive errors in a way that will help your teams to win more matches.  Is your team "not mentally tough"? Being "weak mentally" is why they lose all of those close games, right? Kind of. Tod dissects this common refrain from coaches and discusses ideas for how to help your teams handle this challenge differently than many coaches.  Scenarios of the week: When your team makes too many errors & when your team isn't "mentally tough" Resource of the week: Max Out Mindset can be found here: https://www.maxoutmindset.com/  AOC Volleyball drills mentioned in this episode: - Don Patterson's blog about how a 9 second clip of Samantha Bricio can help your hitters be better: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/9-second-video-of-samantha-bricio/ - Mike Sealy's video about two different methods for setters to deliver the ball: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/setting-touch-on-the-ball/ - Jamie Morrison's video about coaching while considering the limits of a person's working memory: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/working-memory/

Experienced coaches discuss creating movement and efficiency in volleyball for younger teams, emphasizing the importance of teaching movement and rules of the road. They explore concepts of angles, flow, and opening up in the game, and provide drills to practice these skills. The chapter also covers postures, hand positions, and reviews previous topics.

Wait! Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/ Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills! From the floor of the AVCA Convention, Tod Mattox and Davis Ransom share some of the most interesting ideas that they found over the course of the annual coaches meeting, as well as interviews with some of the tops coaches in the game: Tina Kinkead, from La Jolla Country Day School and Coast Volleyball Club Toby Manzanares, Hall of Fame coach from St. Pius X in New Mexico Terry Liskevych, the ambassador for The Art of Coaching Volleyball, former National Team Head Coach, and one of the greatest influences in modern volleyball history This episode is so good that we had to make it one hour! Each coach shares some of what makes him/her great and you can sense the excitement on the floor of the Convention Center! Bonus Instagram video showing the Fake Attack Then Set tactic: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CfMlfj-De99/?igshid=ZmMyNmFmZTc=

Wait! Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/ Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills! How can we, as coaches, make our practices more enjoyable, engaging, and joyful for our athletes? We know that athletes will be more likely to keep playing and be more engaged if they have fun while they are playing. This episode goes into how we can create space for joy in practice! On this episode of The VolleyPod Tod and Davis cover some really valuable topics. First, they discuss how to make practice more joyful and therefore more effective, for players. Little things can make all the difference. Next, they go over statistics, from the ground up. They cover all of the fundamental stats, how and why to take them, and how to make them actually benefit your team. Finally, they share a incredible resource from legendary coach Terry Pettit: his book about championship teams, Talent and the Secret Life of Teams.  Skill of the week: Making practice more joyful and fun for players Scenario of the week: The why, what, and how of Statistics  Resource of the week: Terry Pettit's book Talent and the Secret Life of Teams can be found here: https://terrypettit.com/shop/talent-and-the-secret-life-of-teams/ AOC Volleyball resources related to this episode: The value of rewards: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/motivating-ice-cream/ Terry Liskevych's fascinating article about Norway's unique method of putting fun first: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/norways-winning-formula/ Deborah Newkirk's great video about subtle ways to add some more fun to practice: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/how-to-add-subtle-fun-to-practice/ Debbie Brown's video discussion about how to figure out which drills are both fun and effective for your team: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/identifying-what-makes-drills-fun-for-your-team/

Wait! Use code "VOLLEYPOD" for 20% off of almost anything on The Art of Coaching Volleyball's platform INCLUDING memberships, nearly all of the books, printouts, and more! https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/ Also, be sure to follow The VolleyPod on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheVolleyPod for exclusive content and immediately useful tips and drills! At the youngest levels, consistent serving can easily overwhelm the opponent's serve receive and help your team to win games. But, serving can be a challenge for many young players. So, how can we as coaches become experts at teaching serving and help our players achieve more, earlier? This episode goes into coaching serving with a baker's dozen tips on teaching serving to our newest players. This week on The VolleyPod,  Davis and Tod cover how to serve for beginners, and offer key insights that will most certainly help your team serve more consistently, and improve quickly. Next, the coaches discuss how to handle the situation that happens to almost every team in the early part of the season: when roles have not been clearly established yet, and you are going into competition soon. Finally, we share an incredible resource for coaches and players alike, MoreThanWinsVB, an Instagram profile from Scott Mattera, a coach who really knows how to win, but he also creates a culture of fun and inclusion.  Skill of the week: Serving for beginners  Scenario of the week: Playing time when roles are not clearly defined yet  Resource of the week: MoreThanWinsVB on Instagram or they can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/morethanwinsvb/?hl=en   AOC Volleyball resources mentioned in this episode: - Julianne Faucette-Johnson's (Univ. of Texas Alum) tips for beginning serving: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/developing-a-consistent-and-powerful-serve/  - Everyone's favorite serving game, "Dead Fish", where the servers "fish out", and rescue, the servers that miss their serve: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/dead-fish-serving-drill/  - Gwen Egbert provides a great wall serving series that gives instant feedback to players: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/wall-serving-progression/