Practice Design
Productive, efficient, goal oriented practice is the key to success. Many coaches I
worked for and with have been excellent practice designers. Every minute is
detailed with specific goals for players, groups of players, the team. During the
practice there is competition, score is kept and data collected. This attention to
detail is what is the difference in a performance of a team. Here are some guidelines
in developing a top-notch practice.
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Progression
Limit non-volleyball actions
Keep time, score and data
Compete and Play
PROGRESSION
The idea behind progression is building level of intensity, building larger focus from
individual to small group to whole team, to progress complexity of concept and to
build speed of competition throughout each practice. Starting with individual skill
work such as passing footwork, warming up hands for setting, or getting on a hit box
to get the arm repetitions for hitting at the beginning of practice, then at the end 6 v
6 drills that promote intensity, and game play. This progression allows for personal
skill development and then use that growth in a game like situation all within one
practice.
LIMIT NON-VOLLEYBALL ACTION
Court time is valuable. Any time that is spent on the court that is not directly related
to the game of volleyball is something that needs to be looked at and eliminated if at
all possible. Three years ago we eliminated all static and dynamic stretching from
the beginning of practice. We replaced it with slow paced passing and arm throws,
slow paced over the net warm ups and progressive footwork drills. In three years,
not a single pulled muscle by a player. It gave us an extra 20 minutes of practice
that was skill specific. Physical conditioning happened off court or was built into
drills of competition that involved game simulation at a high rate of speed. Any off
court conditioning meant 30 minutes of work in the weight room that was not part
of the actual 2 hour practice time set up. Every volleyball practice consisted of 2
hours of solid court time and 30 minutes of conditioning. It made our 2 hours of
volleyball practice a skill and competition focused time.
KEEP TIME, SCORE AND DATA
Each of these items creates an atmosphere of accountability. If you are true to
schedules by keeping time, athletes usually will make sure that goals are reached in
that time. Time and also be kept for competition to create a sense of urgency while
staying focused to win the drill. Time is valuable. Coaches can show that by design.
Keeping score is another accountability piece that helps players simulate pressure
when it comes to winning a match, or trying to come back in a match. Playing short
games when you start a match with the score 21-23 and you are serving for the
match is pressure that the players get used to doing over and over. Keeping score
means that you will have losers in practice. It is a great time to coach them on the
most important play, which is the next one. It is the only one you can control. If you
lose game one, you still can work and win the next three. Coaching this situation is
critical to making players continue to play until the last point is scored.
Keeping statistic during practice is a method picked up from the soccer coach from
North Carolina, Anson Dorrance. The competitive cauldron is the idea that he had
for the best soccer players from all over the United States when they came to North
Carolina. He wanted to find the most competitive players and let them play for him.
Every drill had data, winners and losers and competition. He charted everything
and kept a running score. Did it work? He had a winning percentage of .935. He
won 101 games in a row. His teams won 21 of 31 national championships. It
worked. To modify it to volleyball was interesting but doable. Consistent use of
good data gives a good picture of your players. Even if all you do is chart passes, it
will show who is consistent, who can handle pressure, who is improving. It is a tool
all coaches need to try and find a way to make it work for them.
COMPETE AND PLAY
Everything can be competition. We charted which players were on the court for the
winning team each time we did completion games. The games could be individual,
2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 person teams. Every group was different. Sometimes, it was a mix of
9th, 10th, 11th and 12th graders. Sometimes the groups were by position. Sometime
partners were randomly drawn. No matter the grouping, players earned points for
winning the drill or game. What we found was that the real competitors stepped up
their game each time and performed at a high level to earn those winning points. It
didn’t matter who was on their team at the time, they would find a way to win. I had
a setter that won more than anyone else and it never mattered who she was playing
with at the time or what the competition required. One day in particular she was
playing a two’s tournament and her partner was a weaker member of our JV team.
Our setter, served tough every time she went back to serve. If the JV player passed
the ball anywhere near the net our setter found an open court spot to place the ball
for a point. If the other team served the setter, her serve reception was always high
and right to the JV player to get the second contact, which the setter would work
hard and get a third hit with good pace and location. The setter and the JV player
won the tournament. Guess whom I wanted on the court all the time? A player that
will find a way to win, even in tough circumstances, is a player that is valuable to
your team. Find them and use them as much as possible to lead the team. The way
to find them is to compete every day in practice. Give them the opportunity to learn
to compete.
These simple aspects of practice design will add value to any practice. Be true to the
schedule, be true to the plan, focus on needs of the team and build competition into
every practice. Good Luck!
Remember Volleybald Volleyball is available to consult with you about your practice
plans at your request.