Volleyball Skills is a compilation from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). It features 10 chapters with contributions from several coaches. Some names you probably know, but others may be new. The first six chapters cover the main volleyball skills – serving, passing, setting, hitting, blocking, and defense. They are followed by a chapter on team offense. Then there is another on team defense. The last two chapters focus on transition and practice. In many ways this is a newer version of Volleyball Drills for Champions in structure and general approach.
All the skill chapters include a discussion of the mechanics. They also share a group of drills at the end. Worthwhile in each case is a collection of specific coaching tips related to the various skill elements discussed. They appear in separate boxes for easy reference. You will recognize many of the drills, no doubt.
We can debate the validity of certain techniques. That is true for any technical book. Nothing here struck me as dubious, though.
I found two aspects of the book quite useful. One is a section in the Setting chapter (Chapter 3). It shares a setter development progression plan. This isn’t meant to be something coaches use as is. It definitely provides a nice conceptual framework, though. The other is Chapter 10, which focuses on practice. It includes a good discussion of practice planning. It goes beyond that, however, into the areas of training philosophy, managing players, feedback, and the like. Definitely a valuable read for a developing coach.
Overall, I put Volleyball Skills on par with one like Coaching Volleyball Technical and Tactical Skills. The latter gets more detailed in certain ways. This is partly because it’s few years newer. It lacks a bit in terms of the broader coverage, though.
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