Bert

A good coach ....... never lose. (I could explane this)

Hello Mary Ellen, Thank you for you're answer! Kids at the age of 12 years old can serve with an overhand or learning the overhand serve on this level, over here, but I could imagine that you start with the underhand serve when most of the players never play volleyball before, perhaps you can even start with throw the ball. In 'our' circulation volleyball kids start also with throwing the ball, but I must say these kids are about 5 or 6 years old. I think the way is: 1. throwing the ball over the net 2. use a underhand serve 3. use a overhand serve My expercience, by the way, is that the biggest problem with the overhand serve isn't the way the bal is hit, but the way some one throw the ball in the air. Most of the times they throw the ball to high. Let someone who will serve with a overhand serve first walk to the net. Let he raise his hand and he will see that when he will hit the ball with a straight arm, and he hit the ball with his hand or fist, the ball doesn't need to go to high to go over the net. The biggest problem is the velocity of the ball to reach the disctance some one want to give the ball. Now, when some one throw the ball high the velocity downwards of the ball is higher than when some one throw the ball less high. When the velocity downwards is higher it needs in the first time a more difficult way of timing, in second places it needs more power to give the ball the velocity forwards to reach the distance to get the ball over the net on the place you want. So when kids or adults I coach doesn't get the ball over the net with a overhand serve, the first thing I look at, is the way they throw the ball and most of the time the advice is to throw the ball less high. Another advice than is to hit the ball with a fast armswing (do you know what I mean?). Of course kids first start on a short distance to serve to each other, and when this is correct than slowly over a longer distance. I think it's important to serve over the net right away (some coaches let there kids first serve to each other without serving over a net. Bert

I am from the Netherlands ...... I was wondering, how old are '6th graders'??? Bert

There is something else, I always use. I make a teambook, for all the kids in my team. Al the kids receive this teambook on the first meeting of the season. In this teambook the kids and there parents could find things like, the teamrules, something about our sport (in my case, volleyball), but also the adresses and telephone numbers of the members of the team and the coaches. It's my experience that parents like such information very much, and you don't get much difficult questons from parents after that. Bert

This is the way I do it over here: I use to organize a parents meeting at the beginning of the season, but I also invate the parents every 6 weeks for a parentmeeting. I invate them to visit the training, so they can see what I do and what there kids learn (or don't learn) and they can ask me all what they want. At the end of the season I organize a evaluationmeeting with the parents. I have good expercience with this kind of working. Parents never ask difficult questions during the season or after the season, because they are very good informed. Bert

I am again replying on my own topic ..... doesn't matter. When some one like to know more about circulation volleyball, I found on the next site more information (in english): http://www.fivb.org/EN/Programmes/minivolleyball.asp Bert

Hello! Difficulty of dialogue is caused my weak English! I communicate with you with the help of the machine translation system. I the trainer from Russia, from city of Ufa. The system of preparation in the different countries is very interesting to me. I studied systems of America, Italy, Finland much. There are serious differences in systems of preparation, system of motives and the further career of players and in mentality, culture of the different countries. You ask, that is 3ì-6ì-9ì is a distance up to net the player throwing(stopping) or serving a ball. Also it is possible to replace a throw impact of a ball in a floor on the party(side) of giving player. And the most important - moving and a stop to the rack for processing a ball. Hello Yuri, I am sure that that there are very much differences in the systems of America, Italy, Finland and maybe Russia. Could you tell us more about this??? Perhaps in a different new topic? Thanxxx Bert

Hello Janet, I am not a favorit of 'ping-pong' volleyball. I know that you will win games with it, like John says, at lower levels. In my experience teams who play ping-pong volleyball always makes the first mistakes, the game is getting faster and faster. Besides that when will there be a oppurtunity for a set up and a spike? I think the spike is one or the spectacular technique in volleyball, it's like make a goal in soccer, I always told my kids. But, the problem you wrote about is a serieus problem. A few years ago, I visit a clinic of John Kessel, here in the Netherlands. Kessel told us that there are good mistakes and bad mistakes. I his words, I think passing the ball direct over the net is a good mistake and when the ball isn't play at all ...... I think that will be a bad mistake. I think reading the way of the ball over the net can be trained on differented ways. When you read the topic I wrote about the developement plan here in the Netherlands and you look at level 4, you see that on this level we allow the kids to catch the second ball. So the ball over the net must played with p.e. a forearm pass, but the second ball (after this pass) must be catched. The setter throw the ball then in a fluid movement to the spiker and then a kid can spike the third ball over the net. They must always play in three times on level 4. In the next levels, 5 and 6 they also may play in two times or one time of course, but when they can spike, most of the teams try to play in three times. In Sweden they have, or better Anders Kristianson (coach of the Belgium topclub Maaseik and former headcoach of the nationalteam of Sweden) find a whole new method/game. It's called Volley2000. In this games it's allow the let bounced the ball one time. So when the ball came over the net and the ball isn't easy to pass, it's allowed that the ball first bounced on the floor. When the ball could be passed, a kids can passed the first ball, but then the team could bounced the second ball or the spiker could bounced the third ball. Every moment it gives the kids more time to get under or behinde the ball, to play the ball. It's a great game to see, but in my opinion (but who am I?) it's not game like to let a ball bounced. Besides that I think that it's will be a whole way of reading the way of the ball when a kid let bounced the first ball or must play the first ball. On the next link you will find more information about the game Volley2000: www.volleyboll.se/files/ %7BBCD986E2-BFC6-46F9-B905-6FBA779DA56E%7D.pdf. It's in swedish, but ........ you never know. This is pure my experience and when there are others, with other ideas ........ I like to know it very much! Bert .......... by the way, of course congradulations on your team's win. It's always nice to win the first game!

Hello, 22 people had read the this topic. I was wondering if there is some one who visit p.e. the sites I mentioned and what you think of the whole route and circulation volleyball as a method to learn children to set there first steps in volleyball? Bert

Hello, I hope this is interesting for some of you: Belowe you will find the highlights of the education plan we use in our club, it's based on the youth plan of the Nevobo, the dutch volleyball federation. We know the folow levels: Level 1 - they play circulation volleyball, court 6 x 4,5 m. and the net is 2 m. high Level 2 - they play circulation volleyball, court 6 x 4,5 m. and the net is 2 m. high Level 3 - they play circulation volleyball, court 6 x 4,5 m. and the net is 2 m. high Level 4 - they play mini-volleyball (4:4), court 6 x 4,5 m. and the net is 2 m. high Level 5 - they play mini-volleyball (4:4), court 6 x 6 m. and the net is 2 m. high Level 6 - they play mini-volleyball (4:4), court 6 x 6 m. and the net is 2 m. high Level C - they play youth volleyball (6:6), court 9 x 7 m. and the net is 2,05 m. high Level B - they play youth volleyball (6:6) Level A - they play youth volleyball (6:6) In another topic I allready wrote about circulation volleyball. It's a fun game, children moved a lot in those games and it is easy to start with. On www.volleyballnederland.nl, the site of Adrie Noy, the inventor of the game and a great coach, you will find a translation in english of the rules of this game. Below the rules in short: The game know as you can see three levels: Level 1: the key issue over here is reading the ball who came over the net and learning movement skills. Level 2: the key issue over is are the same as in level 1 but also learning the forearm pass. Level 3: the key issue in this level is the same is level 2 buth also reading the the service pass. The ball over the net can be catched. Another technique on this level is the underarms serve. The game or method is called circulation volleyball because after every time the ball passed the net the team must rotate one position. Another typical thing of this game is that a child who made a mistake must leave the court so the team must deal with less players in court. So less players must do more. The start in all levels with four kids. A team have one point when they pley the whole opposite court empty. After that they started all over again with 4:4. On level 2 and 3 the team can win a player back. On level 2 a player come back when a player pass the ball with a forearm pass and catch his own passed ball. On level 3 the team can get a player back when a player passed the ball witch game over the net also with a forearm pass but now another player of the own team must catch the ball. Level 4: On this level the play mini-volleyball. So normal volleyball 4:4. As follow on level 3 the first ball who came over the net must played with a forearm pass and the second ball must be catch. Now this player must throw the ball to another player and this player can play the ball with a overhead pass over the net. The key issue on this level is the overhead pass and playing in three times. The serve must be a underarms serve. Level 5: On this level of course they also play mini-volleyball, 4:4. It's the same as level 4 but now it's not allowed anymore to catched, the second ball must be played with a overhead pass or a forearm pass. The serve must be a underarms serve Level 6: On this level the also played mini-volleyball, 4:4. It's the same as level 5 but now there are some new techniques: like the overhead serve and the spike. Because children most of the time learn the overhead serve very easy, the key issue on this level, for me, to improve passing on a overhand serve, because when I don't do this the number of zero contacts is very high. Level C: On level C they play youth volleyball. They play 6:6, the field is two meters shorter than a normal field and the net is 2,05 m. high for both boys and girls. Most of the time we are busy to improve the techniques they allready know but now must be practice on a bigger court with 6 players in court. New is learning the block, the individual technique, so no the two block and the floor defence, Barrel roll recovery. Key issue is playing in three times. Level B: On this level they play youth volleyball. They play 6:6 on a normal court, the net is 2,24 m. high for boys and 2,15 m. high for girls. The key issue is to improve all techniques, new is the different kind of tempo in setting. New is also learning to block with two players. Level A: On this level they play you youth volleyball. They play 6:6 on a normal court, the net is 2,24 m. high for girls and 2,43 m. high for boys. They key issue is to improve all techniques, new could be techniques like the jump serve .......... ect. ect. This is the whole play in a very short way, when some one like it I could mail our plan, but this will be in dutch. Of course there could be differences in the levels, and of course there is more to tell about the different levels and the techniques learned on the different levels. As I wrote on www.volleyballnederland.nl you will find more about the first part of this story, on www.jeugdvolleybal.nl you will find more about youth volleyball. On www.volleybal.nl you can also find more about youth volleyball over here. Bert

Hello John, What do you mean by this: "I would also be interested in hearing the coaching progressions you use for teaching the game to players as they go from, say, 10 or 12, to 18" I could tell something more about the whole education over here, about the youth plan of the Nevobo (Dutch volleyball federation or the way we do the things in our club. Bert

Yes, I know a fun game, better a fun method: circulation volleyball. Circulation volleyball is part of the method of Volleyball Nederland, the method we use here in the Netherlands. Besides over here kids in Danmark, Poland, Iceland and in some parts of Africa and middle America playing circulation volleyball. When you like to know more about it, please serve to www.volleybalnederland.nl, there is a translation of the method in english or please sent a email to me! Bert

"I certainly agree with your suggestion that players play closer instead of deeper in almost all situations. Some coaches are still having problems moving their players closer to the net because their players still prefer to play to many balls with forearm passes instead of overhead passes, which does require them to be deep(er). How are coaches in your area handling this?" I think this is the same in our area. We have coaches who have problems with moving there players closer to the net. In our club all coaches doesn't have problems with moving players closer to the net. I use the follow explanation when the ask me about it: I say what is more difficult, a overtaking manoeuvre with a car of a two ways road, where the cars can come in front of you or on the highway where all the cars driving in the same direction? They agree that a overtaking manoeuvre on the highway is easier because all the cars drive in the same direction and because of that it's easier to value the velocity of the other car. I hope you understand what I mean.

Hello everybody, In another topic some one told me that I should introduce my self and I think this is right. Well, my name is Bert, I am 42 years old and I am a volleyball coach from the Netherlands. I hope this is allright with you? I have started with coaching when I was 16 years old, so I am doing this now for almost 26 years. I have coached on several levels, both man and woman, both boys and girls, but I think I am a much better youth and mini-volleyball coach than a coach for adults. I am a typical educator, I like to learn kids playing volleyball. The key issue in coaching kids is for me that they always must enjoy playing volleyball. During those 26 years I have played 16 times in the final of a dutch youth championship, all of that 16 finals with teams in the age between 10 and 12 years old, where I must say that sometimes we have even 8 years old kids in a final for kids in the age between 10 and 12 year. Most of the kids I have coached are now playing in the national competition of the Netherlands, some of them played or have played in the top division, some of them played or have played in the 2 or 3 division. Some players have played in foreign competions. This season two players I have coached when they were kids, reach the 9 place on the World Champion beach volleyball, one player in the WC under 18 and one in the WC under 21. Beside coaching children I coach new coaches, who just start with coaching mini-volleyball, and beside all this I am also one of the editors of the dutch volleyball coaches magazine, Volley Techno. For this magazine I mostly write articles about, of course mini- and youth volleyball, but also about sport psychology (beside my work, I am studying organisation psychology). I like to discusse with other coaches about volleyball and coaching all over the world, and I hope I can learn a lot about the way other coaching doing things (you are never to old to learn) and perhaps there are coaches who like to know how I do things over here. With kinds regards and from here a happy newyear, Bert

Yes, I am sorry, I shall introduce my self! Then about the question about reading the serve, yes I mean throuth the ball. When I say this to the kids I coach, I say that they must stare, they must see not only the ball, but also the space before and after the ball, like there is something but you can't see the ball. This is what I told the kids. I don't know if you understand me now, but I don't not right now how I could explane is better....... Bert

For reading the serve - two thinks are important: 1. learn the children to look 'truth' the ball 2. it's easier the move with the ball than towards the ball. So don't learn the children to stay close to backline, but let the whole team stay much closer to the net and learn the children then to move backwards. ....... but when I am wrong please say so.

There is something else to handle with bad attitude - it's called the Rose of Leary. Leary said that we react of another reaction, and that we get a whole desigh of interaction. Truth such a desigh we get role people play in a group. We can use this roles, people play in a group to transfor these role in another rol. A bad asttitude is part of one af the roles. I have an article about this way of working. It's in dutch but perhaps there is some one interested. When some one want this article, please say so.

I agree with David, but I use parents very often, no matter if there is something the matter or not. Every 6 weeks I invite all the parents on my training, I talk to them how things are going, what I am doing and why I do the things I do. Parents do know how it's going with there son or daughter so, like Davids says notthing is a suprise for them.