In an issue of the AVCA’s Coaching Volleyball magazine there was an article on the collection and use of stats. It’s a pretty comprehensive discussion. It focuses, however, on the more basic stats, not the higher end stuff that some coaches use these days. The author takes the perspective of a coach in a small program where there isn’t much in the way of help for collecting stats during training, etc.
That article made me think about making the stat collection process more player-centric.
I wrote before about player-centric drills, which in contrast to coach-centric ones put players in charge of initiating the process. For example, a passing drill where players serve is player-centric. One where the coach serves is coach-centric.
So how can we take coaches out of the stat-taking process? Basically, players must keep track of serves, passes, hits, or whatever. This is in place of a coach (or manager) doing so. The article mentions doing something like having passers write down how they did in a serve receive drill. There obviously are other ways you can do this.
I’ve mentioned my own personal struggles keeping stats while my team is in action. I really don’t like having to take my eyes off the play to tick a box on a clipboard or tap a tablet. Working by myself, or with limited coaching help, while I was at Exeter and Svedala, I was forced to find ways to do what I wanted or needed to do in terms of training. I had to give some thought to how I can do the same thing with stat collection.
Ideas are certainly welcome!
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