

The VolleyPod presented by The Art of Coaching Volleyball
Davis Ransom and Tod Mattox
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!
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!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 22, 2022 • 28min
Episode 14: The setter dump, surviving and thriving with a difficult parent and Coach Your Brains Out
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 love an offensive-minded setter? Us too! How can coaches utilize their setters to score?
On this episode of The VolleyPod, Tod and Davis discuss when, why, and how to score with the setter dump. They also discuss surviving and thriving with a difficult parent, and they share another great volleyball coaching podcast for people to listen to, Coach Your Brains Out. They also share 3 videos from The Art of Coaching Volleyball library that coaches can watch to help their athletes score more points with the setter dump!
Skill of the week: Setter dump
Scenario of the week: Surviving and thriving with a difficult parent
Resource of the week: Coach Your Brain Out podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach-your-brains-out-by-gold-medal-squared/id1060183650
AOC Volleyball drills mentioned in this episode:
Jed Stotsenberg and Krishnalei So'oto dump variations: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/dump-variations/
John Dunning's tips and keys for the setter dump: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/tips-for-the-setter-dump/
Mark Barnard's setter attacking demo: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/setter-attacking/

Jul 15, 2022 • 29min
Episode 13: Slowing down the middle attack, making cuts and an impressive YouTube channel of volleyball highlights
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!
On this episode of The VolleyPod, Davis and Tod discuss why and how to slow down the middle attack. They also discuss how to (and how NOT to) make cuts, and they share a channel that collects and creates professional volleyball highlight playlists, VolleyWorld on Youtube. They also share 4 helpful drills from The Art of Coaching Volleyball library that coaches can learn from!
Skill of the week: Slowing down the middle attack
Scenario of the week: Making cuts
Resource of the week: VolleyballWorld on Youtube can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/c/volleyballworld
AOC Volleyball drills mentioned in this episode:
Mike Sealy's two step hitting drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/attacking-footwork-drive-close/
Tod Mattox's footwork introduction for the push set: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/middle-push-set-footwork/
Tod Mattox's tipping to zone 2 drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/strategy-tipping-to-zone-2-can-produce-an-easy-kill/
Tod Mattox's Activation game: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/activation-drill/

Jul 8, 2022 • 30min
Episode 12: Short and deep passing, my team is too quiet, and The Language of Learning
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!
On this episode of The VolleyPod, Tod and Davis talk about tips for how to pass troublesome short and deep serves. They also discuss what coaches can do to keep their teams' communication level high throughout their whole practice, and they share an insightful book, The Language of Teaching: The Art and Science of Teaching Movement, by Nick Winkleman. In addition, they share 3 helpful drills from The Art of Coaching Volleyball library that coaches can learn from!
Skill of the week: Short and Deep Passing
Scenario of the week: My team is too quiet!
Resource of the week: Nick Winkleman's The Language of Coaching: The Art and Science of Teaching Movement can be found here: https://www.thelanguageofcoaching.com/
AOC Volleyball drills mentioned in this episode:
Christy Johnson-Lynch's drop step demo: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/passing-the-deep-ball-using-the-drop-step/
John Dunning's vision and anticipation drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/short-mine-deep-passing-drill-to-improve-vision-and-anticipation/
Diane Flick Williams' reading the server drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/training-passers-to-read-the-serve-early/

Jul 1, 2022 • 27min
Episode 11: The lift tip, match coaching when the outcome is obvious and Jade Cameron's skill and performance site
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!
On this episode of The VolleyPod, Davis and Tod talk about tips for tipping, specifically the Lift Tip. They also talk through ideas about how coaches can handle coaching in matches when the outcome appears to be obvious, and they share Jade Cameron's website for developing volleyball skill and performance. In addition, they share 3 helpful drills from The Art of Coaching Volleyball library that coaches can watch and learn a lot about how to teach blocking.
Skill of the week: Lift tip
Scenario of the week: Ideas for coaching matches when the outcome appears to be fairly obvious
Resource of the week: Jade Cameron's site can be found here: https://www.cameronperformance.ca/
AOC Volleyball drills mentioned in this episode:
- Tod's fundamentals of tipping: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/how-to-perform-the-lift-tip-for-easy-kills/
- Mark Barnard's tipping and transition game: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/dig-tip-drill-with-mark-barnard-2/
- Russ Rose's tipping from the back row: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/penn-states-back-row-tip-drill-for-outside-hitters/

Jun 23, 2022 • 29min
Episode 10: Blocking, when your team's effort wanes during practice and a Facebook group 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!
On this episode of The VolleyPod, Davis and Tod talk about tips for teaching blocking. They also discuss what coaches can do to keep their teams' effort level high throughout practice, and they share a Facebook group just for Volleyball Coaches and Trainers. In addition, they share 3 helpful drills from The Art of Coaching Volleyball library that coaches can watch and learn a lot about how to teach blocking.
Skill of the week: Blocking
Scenario of the week: What can coaches do to when the energy of their team at practice slowly wanes
Resource of the week: Facebook's Volleyball Coaches and Trainers Page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/volleycoaches/
AOC Volleyball drills mentioned in this episode:
Mike Sealy’s hand position for blocking: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/blocking-hand-position/
Joe Sagula’s blocking footwork drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/blocking-fundamentals-footwork/
Terry Liskevych's timing and reading drill: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/drill-to-teach-blocking-timing/
Kevin Hambly’s blocking tips: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/blocking-with-kevin-hambly/

Jun 10, 2022 • 27min
Episode 9: Overhand digging, when you only have one hitter, and The Athletic Truth Group
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!
On Episode 9 of The VolleyPod, Tod and Davis talk about overhand digging. They also discuss what can be done when a coach only has one player who can really score, and they share The Athletic Truth Group's online resource that rethinks the traditional workout and will even have athletes putting their knees over your toes! In addition, they share 3 helpful drills from The Art of Coaching Volleyball library that coaches can view to learn a ton about how to teach overhand digging.
Skill of the week: Overhand Digging
Scenario of the week: What can coaches do when they only have one player who can really score
Resource of the week: The Athletic Truth Group, available at https://www.atgonlinecoaching.com/
AOC Volleyball drills mentioned in this episode:
Tod's Overhand Digging Basics: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/keys-to-overhead-digging/
Dani Busboom Kelly's Alternative Overhand Digging Method: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/overhead-digging-drill/
Ray Bechard's Fun Overhand Digging Game: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/hand-to-hand-combat-drill-to-train-overhead-hands-on-defense/

Jun 3, 2022 • 27min
Episode 8: Serving, what to do when a player misses practice and Joe Trinsey's SmarterVolley
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 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/


