This is an entry in my volleyball coaching log for 2014-15.
Ideally, this should have been a match-prep training session for the first team, but three prospective starters were missing for various reasons. As such, it ended up having to be more of a general training.
I continued my work on trying to get the players to operate in a less panicky state, slow the game down, eliminate the 1-arm digs and passes, etc. I started them off doing some ball-handling after the dynamic warm-up, followed by some serving. In line with what I did on Monday, I then had them play winners 3’s on a narrow court (2/3rds) with bump setting required, initially back row attacks only with a switch to front court about halfway through.
After that I introduced a variation of winners I used with the men’s team the other day. With the guys it was a 5s game with a setter, MB, OH, RS and middle back defender (we had 16 in training that session). For the women, because I had fewer numbers, I made it 4s – S, MB, OH, and middle back defender – and kept it on the narrow court. Setters were fixed (the one whose team won the rally went to/stayed on the winners side).
The session wrapped up with 22 vs 22 where I pitted a semblance of the starting team against the second string. I used the player who’s played OPP the last two matches at OH as despite being a lefty she had a number of very good swings on outside balls before that in the session. In her place on the right I put in one of the second team players who is a bigger block and has been coming along quite well (I actually used her for a set in at MB in the last match – and probably will again in the next one). Just wanted to see what that would look like. I only had 5 players on the B side, so I declared 6 out of bounds.
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