We are still busy with making volleyball more interesting for boys. Here in the Netherlands, with the introduction of Circulation Volleybal, as I wrote before we do have had a boost of new kids playing volleyball, but mostly girls. So we still didn't find the solution to reach the boys. They play soccer, they play tennis, fieldhockey, but they don't play volleyball. We have had some clinics around this subject, but we still haven't find the right answers. Some people said that the answer is to get better coaches, but I don't think this is the only answer, because the problem isn't a typical dutch problem, many other country's do have the same problem. Some people said the way we introduce volleyball for younger kids isn't the best way to reach boys, but I don't think this is the whole answer, because the way we play volleyball with kids under 12, is different from the way they do in for example Belgium, is different from the way they do in Norway and Sweden is different from the way you do in the USA. I think the answer could be somewhere in the middle.

Right now, I am searching for volleyball drills, specially drills boys like to do. I mean (I think boys like those drills) where they can attack, where they defend.... I also think boys ur anlike to compete, so drills where they can compete other players, or other teams.

I hope you, readers of this forum, could help me. Please sent me your volleyball drills, perhaps also experience, your answers on the problem I wrote about. You can of course use this forum, this would be great, but you can also sent me a email: eam.brinkman@gmail.com

With kind regards,

Bert Brinkman

the presentation, there as a brief Q&A session, and the question was raised about whether players (no age or gender specified, but the talk had been mostly about National team women) should wear ankle braces if they had not been previously injured. Jill Wosmet, MA, ATC, and trainer for the USA Women's National Volleyball team, answered the question with a definite No! She felt that wearing the braces without previous injury, as simple a preventative measure was not a good idea as it weakened the ankle... and might cause more harm in the form of a fracture above the brace. As a middle school and club coach, over the last few years I've gotten more and more convinced that they were a good idea if taken only from the view of injury prevention. I believe in them strongly enough to see that even my 11 year old grand daughter is wearing them in games and practices, and she's 700 miles away!

So, what do you think? Do you wait until your player has rolled an ankle and is out for weeks before you consider an Active Ankle or similar device? Or, do you work on strengthing the ankle joint and work on movement mechanics to prevent injury? Or maybe combine the two somehow?

I do intend to get back with Jill and see if she will expand on her explanation. If so, I'll let you know.

Hope to hear from you.

john

Since the start of Cool Moves Volley (volleyball for 6-12 years) a lot of kids started with volleybal, but much more girls then boys.

I was told that's also a problem in the USA too, largely due to American football, which is your number 1 boys sport and has over a million athletes playing at the school level.

I was wondering, what is your experience, what do you do to get boys play volleyball???

Thanks for any reaction, information!

Bert Brinkman

Teacher Volleyball Academy and member projecteam Mini-Volleyball Nevobo

This passing progression has improved the passing accuracy of every team I have ever worked with, so here we go:

THE STANCE:

-Feet wider than shoulders with rt. foot slightly in front of left (big toe on lt. foot lines up to

instep of rt. foot)

-Ankles flexed or bent forward so that weight is on front of feet and heels feel like they are

barely touching the floor. (This will cause their knees to bend naturally-but telling them to "bend their knees" will not guarantee their weight is on the front part of their feet.)

-Hands waist high with elbows bent in front of hips, palms facing each other.

-Hips up, shoulders forward, so that the back is flat and parallel to the floor.

Tip: You do not not want them to bring their heals off the floor in their stance. USA Volleyball did a study awhile back and concluded that if the heals are off the floor in the ready position, the first thing that happens when the player begins to move is that the heals go down to the floor anyway, thus slightly slowing down the start of the movement to the ball.

Tip: Each time they get into the ready position, have them lean forward and "swipe" the floor with their right hand with a sideways motion, touching it with their finger tips-this tells them they are low enough and helps to ensure their weight is forward on the front of their feet. Do not let them "squat and poke" the floor, make sure they lean forward and swipe instead.

THE RHYTHM STEP/PASSING PLATFORM:

-As the all comes in to them, they take a small "left-right" step to the ball. It's almost a shuffle, as the left foot should never come totally in front of the right foot.

-As they are doing this, the arms/hands are extended straight out from the body.

-Hand position: lay the right hand across the inside of the left hand so that the first knuckles of the right hand are just outside of the pinkie of the left hand, then bring the base of the thumbs together and rotate the wrists so that the thumbnails are pointing toward the floor.

Tip: This hand position guarantees that the fleshy part of the forearm will be exposed to the ball. This leads to more control of the ball upon contact than if the ball were to contact the bony part of the forearms-which is what is most exposed to the ball if the old "make a fist and wrap your other hand around it" technique is used.

THE PASS:

-Keep the ball between their hips

-Point their passing platform at their target

-Watch the "bottom-half" of the ball into the fleshy part of the forearms.

-If the ball were to somehow pass right through their arms it would hit them right in the

mid-to-upper thighs.

-Hold the platform to the target until the ball reaches the target (or gets far enough away from them that it misses the target)

Tip: After they pass, have them stay low and again lean forward and swipe the floor with their right hand. This keeps them from bringing their shoulders up, and thus producing too much arm motion on their follow through, which produces too much force on the ball.

PRACTICE:

-Start them with the "Stanford Passing Drill"

-Pair them up with a ball for each pair.

-One girl from each pair is 15 ft. off the net, the other is at the net as the tosser/target.

-Give them a goal of so many good passes in a time period, and make sure to define for them what counts as a good pass.

Tip: As their passing level progresses, move the passers to the ten foot line. (The closer they are to the target, the harder the drill becomes.)

Next go to "Short/Long Passing Drill":

-Same alignment as "Stanford" to start.

-First ball is tossed so that the passer has to shuffle three steps minimum to make the pass.

-Passer then holds that position until the tosser tosses the next ball at least three steps minimum to make the pass.

-Passer holds that position until next toss is made in front of them like the first toss of the drill.

-Go for 30 secs with a "total good pass goal" and make sure everyone goes twice.

Next use the "Passing Footwork Progression Drill":

-A coach stands at center net on the same side as a single file

line of players on the endline at middle back. Two players are to the left of

the coach at the net. One serves to hand the next ball to the coach and one

is at the target.

The drill starts with the coach rolling a ball to either corner. The first player in line

must shuffle to the ball in their passing stance and let the ball roll through the

center of their legs (mid-line of the body) while keeping their hips and shoulders square to the net.

The player then turns and runs to retrieve the ball and moves to the target position to the

left of the coach. The player serving as ball hander gives the coach the next ball and runs

to the end of the line at middle back. the target player moves to the ball hander position,

and the drill continues in rapid fire fashion.

Progression:

-After a few times through the line, the coach moves to bouncing the ball

on a low and quick path.

-After a few more times through the line, the coach moves to tossing the ball and

the player passes the ball to the target.

-After a few more times through the line, the coach moves to the opposite side of

the net about twenty feet back and throws the ball overhand to the corners, and

the player passes the ball to the target.

Tip: Stress "beating the ball to the spot". This gets the players to focus on moving

quickly enough to be in correct passing position when the ball arrives.

This is a great drill for teaching shuffling to the ball while staying in the passing stance and

square to the net. The progression allows the players to apply the footwork and body

position to actually passing a ball immediately.

Next use the "Triangle Passing Drill":

-Groups of 3 girls/two balls-aligned in a triangle formation with the two tossers about 10 ft. apart and the passer about ten ft. away and in the middle of them.

-One tosser tosses ball directly out in front of herself and passer must shuffle over and make pass back to her.

-As soon as the pass is made, the passer starts shuffling to get in front of ball tosses by the

other tosser, who tosses it as soon as the first pass is made.

-Go for 30 secs. and the score is the total of the good passes to both tossers added together.

More Tips:

-During this entire progression, periodically have them take off one knee pad and place it between their shoulder blades. This keeps them from bringing their shoulders up, because if they do, the knee pad falls off.

-With each of these drills, be sure to make sure they remember their scores and then set a goal to beat that score the next time the drill is run.

-Any time the ball is more than three shuffle steps away, they need to break down and run to get behind the ball and then quickly get back into their stance to pass the ball. Make sure they focus on "beating the ball" to the spot, not "meeting the ball at the spot".

-As you move into drills that are more of a combination of skills, make sure to demand they

continue to focus on their passing fundamentals. Usually the more involved the drill is, the more they let their basic passing fundamentals drop off.

Good Luck!

Thanks

New Coach

Thanks for your help, because I am that novice volleyball coach. But one that wants to do the very best job that I possibly can.

I am 3 tournaments through a 6 tournament JO season with a u14 girls team and its been a fairly bumpy road so far. We entered as a Bronze team, got bumped up to Silver before the first tournament, and have gotten spanked twice, prior to being returned to Bronze last week and playing about to our potential. My girls continue to improve, and also are having fun, so it can't be all bad. Also, they are perhaps one of the best ref'ing teams in our age group and region.

We play a 4-2, but are working on a 5-1 in practice. On defense we play a center-up defense, and receive in either a W or 4 player formation. Our weakness, like most in our division, is serve receive. However, we have one exceptional setter, and for a team that averages 5' 4", we have good jumping hitters.

So.... what are you doing with your team?????

lets hear from you

john

This is my 2nd year coaching 12 and under. I am a little nervous about this year. My last season was not that great. Just feel like I could have done better. There were some girls that learned a lot but others I just couldn't get them to improve much. I also did not know how to handle the parents. It was a nightmare. I have learned that it does not matter what you know how long you have played volleyball, you need to know how teach it to someone else.

First problems I had was determing which drills were too advanced and but not bringing them down too low that it was not challenging. I want them to learn and be pushed but not to the point where they do not get anything out of it. I am planning my first 6wks practices and would love some drills that are more appropriate for 12's team, that are challenging and keeps them moving. Also for discipline, what tactics do you use for miss serves and letting balls drop without going for it. I am old school, all my coaches made me either run, situps or wall sits. Is this considered a negative impact for their age?

What I mean by technique drills for example I just learned the grab the fist. They hold their right hand out to the side and grab there fist and then to

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Ik was wondering. Is there anybodu who have ever heard of the SAQ methode from Alan Pearson?

SAQ means: speed, agility en quickness. It is a method primair used in soccer. Next week there is a coach in my club (the coach of our boys selectionteam under 18) who organise a clinic with this subject. I really don't know what it is, I have seen pictures (on the website of my club: www.dros-alterno.nl) but I was wondering, is someone already use it in a volleyball setting?

Bert