
The VolleyPod presented by The Art of Coaching Volleyball
The VolleyPod is all about coaching kids volleyball!
Each episode we cover 3 segments that are each designed to help you become a better volleyball coach.
First, we focus on a specific volleyball skill, talk about how to teach it, and provide drills and video links for further help with that skill.
Then, we present a common coaching scenario and discuss tips for how to (and how not to) handle it.
In the third segment we share a resource that has helped us to become a better coach, with the hopes that it can help you too!
See you on The VolleyPod!
Latest episodes

Jun 3, 2022 • 27min
Episode 8: Serving, what to do when a player misses practice and Joe Trinsey's SmarterVolley
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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!
In Episode 8 of The VolleyPod, Tod and Davis talk about how they teach serving for early success. They also discuss what can be done when a player misses practice, and they share Joe Trinsey's deep dive resource, SmarterVolley. In addition, they share 3 helpful drills from The Art of Coaching Volleyball library that coaches can use to work on their players’ serving skills.
Skill of the week: Serving
Scenario of the week: What can be done when a player misses practice
Resource of the week: Joe Trinsey's Smartervolley, available at https://smartervolley.substack.com/
AOC Volleyball drills mentioned in this episode:
Beginner serving basics: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/volleyball-serving-for-beginning-players/
John Dunning's Stanford serving: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/stanford-serve-warm-ups/
Russ Rose’s serving routines and mechanics: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/serving-routines-and-mechanics-with-russ-rose/

May 27, 2022 • 37min
Episode 7: Reading, dealing with in-game serving nerves and a Hall of Fame coach's look at building championship groups
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!
In this episode of The VolleyPod, Davis and Tod talk about teaching players how to “read” the play. They discuss how to incorporate reading into every aspect of training, especially with new athletes. Next they talk about what coaches can do when their team gets the all-too-common in-game serving nerves, and they share a book that offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Phil Jackson managed to become one of the most unique, winningest basketball coaches of all time. They also share three helpful drills from The Art of Coaching Volleyball library that coaches can use to work on their players’ reading skills.
Skill of the week: Reading
Scenario of the week: Handling in-game serving nerves
Resource of the week: 11 Rings: The Soul of Success by Phil Jackson, available at https://www.amazon.com/Eleven-Rings-Success-Phil-Jackson/dp/0143125346
AOC Volleyball drills mentioned in this episode:
Newcombe, a great game for building reading skills and agility: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/newcomb-a-fun-game-for-volleyball-beginners/
Ben Josephson's look, see, decide, reading concepts: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/training-players-to-read-look-see-decide/
John Dunning's blind serving depth drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/blind-serving-depth-drill/
Diane Flick William's "back, bent, straight" reading the hitter drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/arm-swing-reading-drill-back-bent-straight/

May 20, 2022 • 29min
Episode 6: Teaching diving safely, how to set up a system for a brand new youth team and a little book with immense wisdom
Teaching diving safely, setting up a system for a youth team, and wisdom from Daniel Coyle's book are the most interesting topics discussed in this podcast. They cover techniques and body positioning for diving, coaching challenges and systems in volleyball, and share helpful drills and resources for teaching defensive moves. The hosts emphasize the importance of teaching diving for player safety and highlight the use of grass or beach settings for practice.

May 13, 2022 • 30min
Episode 5: Attack arm swing, coaching a brand new team and Mark Burik's fun Youtube resource for beginners
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!
In this episode of The VolleyPod, Tod and Davis go into teaching the attack arm swing to young players. They talk about how eye-opening it can be to coach a brand new volleyball team, and let listeners in on Mark Burik's fun, information-filled Youtube channel. They also share three helpful drills from The Art of Coaching Volleyball’s library that coaches can use to work on their players’ arm swings.
Skill of the week: Attack armswing
Scenario of the week: The joys and eye-opening challenges of coaching a brand new team
Resource of the week: Mark Burik’s Better at Beach available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BetteratBeach
AOC Volleyball drills mentioned in this episode:
Tod’s key phrases for attacking for beginners: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/teaching-spiking-to-beginnersintermediates/
John Rodriguez’s self-toss hitting progression: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/youth-self-toss-hitting-progression/
Tod's partner hitting drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/down-ball-hit-player-toss-drill/

May 6, 2022 • 31min
Episode 4: Practice warm-up routine, starting the season with core values and Doug Lemov's fascinating take on teaching
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!
In this episode of The VolleyPod, Tod and Davis talk about why a great warm-up matters and how to create a better one. They discuss starting the season by intentionally working to instill your team's core values, and share an incredible resource from Doug Lemov that combines techniques from teaching and coaching that will help you make the most out of your time with the team. They also unlock two great drills from The Art of Coaching Volleyball's database that coaches can use for their players’ warm-ups.
Skill of the week: Practice warm-up routine
Scenario of the week: Identifying core values at the beginning of a season
Resource of the week: Doug Lemov's The Coaches Guide to Teaching available on: https://www.coachsguidetoteaching.com/
AOC Volleyball videos mentioned in this episode:
Karch Kiraly's 6-person over-the-net pepper: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/6-person-over-the-net-pepper/
Blocking warmup without ball: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/blocking-warm-up-without-ball/

Apr 29, 2022 • 27min
Episode 3: Serve receive footwork, working with a big team and a foundational book for coaches
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!
In this episode of The VolleyPod, Tod and Davis talk about why and how to teach serve receive footwork, discuss how to handle working with a big (in terms of numbers) team, and share a resource that compiles teachings from many of volleyball's top coaches ever into one amazing book. They also unlock three drills that coaches can use to help their athletes be better in serve receive by enhancing athletes' balance, consistency and posture.
Skill of the week: Serve receive footwork
Scenario of the week: Coaching a team with a large number of players
Resource of the week: The Volleyball Coaching Bible (Volume 1), compiled by Cecile Reynaud and Don Shondell, available here: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Coaching-Bible-Donald-Shondell/dp/0736039678
AOC Volleyball Drills mentioned in this episode:
1, 2, 3 footwork: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/improve-your-passing-footwork-by-saying-1-2-3/
Jim Stone shuffle-through: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/keep-your-feet-moving-in-serve-receive/
Christy Johnson-Lynch drop-step: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/passing-the-deep-ball-using-the-drop-step/

Apr 21, 2022 • 30min
Episode 2: Teaching setting, the post-match talk time and learning from one of the greats
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!
In this episode of The VolleyPod, Tod and Davis talk about teaching setting, discuss how to handle the time after the match (especially when the match did not go as planned), and explore some of the mistakes they’ve made over the years when it comes to meeting with the team after competition. They share two drills that can help young athletes to improve their setting quickly and let listeners know about an incredible resource for coaches who really want to get better at their craft.
Skill of the week: Setting
Scenario of the week: How to handle the time after a match
Resource of the week: https://jimstoneconsulting.com/
AOC Volleyball drills mentioned in this episode:
Wall setting: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/wall-set-drill/
Split court doubles: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/split-court-doubles-drill/

Apr 21, 2022 • 34min
Episode 1: Spiking footwork, when your best player "doesn't work hard" and a game-changing practice resource
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!
In this episode of The VolleyPod, Tod and Davis talk about teaching the attack approach.
Then they discuss what to do when your best player has a poor work ethic, including some of the mistakes they’ve made over the years when attempting to motivate players who don’t appear to be giving their all. They also share three drills that can help young athletes develop their attack approach and let listeners know about Davis’ favorite video delay tool to use in practice.
Skill of the week: The spike approach
Scenario of the week: How to handle (and how not to handle) when your best player doesn't work hard
Resource of the week: The Bust-a-Move video delay tool can be found here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bam-video-delay/id517673842
AOC Volleyball drills discussed in this episode:
Starting with flamingo: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/teaching-spiking-to-beginnersintermediates/
Double arm lift: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/why-the-double-arm-lift-is-crucial-to-good-attacking/
Prowl step: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/attacking-footwork-prowl-step-close/