Just Starting

[Denise 0]

Hi,

I am just starting to coach youth volleyball and I will probably be coaching 4th grade and I am not sure where to start at. can somebody please give me some advice?

[John 0]

After 20+ years playing & coaching Vball in the service, I now teach 5th grade PE and middle school volleyball, so, I've got an idea or two you might (or might not) find helpful.

First, go to your nearest Barnes&Noble library and check-out (or read in their easy chairs) any or all of their coaching books (volleyball or otherwise). Personally, I would start with "Successful Coaching" by Rainer Martens - Human Kinetics & "An Understanding of the Fundamental Techniques of Volleyball" by Robert E. Howard (also Human Kinetics). "Coaching Youth Volleyball" by American Sport Education Program and "Winning Volleyball for Girls" 2nd Ed. are also good starting points. Seems almost like a broken record, as I have also recommended these books to another person here. Well, they ARE pretty good vball books and will at least get you thinking along the right lines.

My only other advise is to NOT try to get them to play any SYSTEM (5-1, 4-2,whatever) because you will make yourself crazy, and them bored with the game. Do whatever it takes to keep them playing. Change the rules to suit yourself and their talent level. But, if they (or any one of them) ask you how to do a particular skill, or why someone they saw playing vball did a certain thing, jump all over the chance to expand their vball knowledge base! Oh yes, and use those big, yellow (soft) balls to get them started. They will be surprised that bumping a ball can hurt, and the yellow ball is much easier to track (a major problem for kids at that age)

Hope I didn't bore you. This is probably my favorite subject these days.

Lots of luck! john

[John 0]

No sooner closed out the other comments than a couple of technical items popped into what's left of my brain.. Obviously, they must learn how to serve and how to pass the serve. But if you really want to do them (and any future coaches - including yourself- that they may have) a favor, teach them to do it correctly, by which I mean with the correct "form". Walking through a serve or bumping a ball with an arm swing that begins between their legs will be terrible habits to break next year.

Ok, I wont add any more, except... tell them to "play hard, play to win, and have fun!"

john

[fourmoore 0]

The very best gift you can give these kids at this level, is the love of the game; it has to be fun. I like to break up skill work with various playground or rec. games such as tag. The volleytrainers are a great tool as well as the cheap blow up beach balls, for hitting especially. I suggest lowering the net to the lowest spot and moving the endline up about 4-5 feet. This takes a lot of the fear of pain out and some frustration too.

Implement games that require them to MOVE and TALK and the skills will come later, the upper level coaches will thank you later.

Breaking skills down to the basic is key. For example, get them in position to forearm pass and have a partner toss and the passer actually catching the ball in the correct position and toss back. Setting and hitting can be done like this too.