Video Review: Speed up arm swing by catching

Some of the drills I see don’t work on what they say they work on (like this one). Some drills actually work against what they’re indicated as working on. This drill falls into that latter category.

As you’ll see, it features players tossing beanbags, then catching them as they do a simulated spiking arm swing. You need look no further than the video’s opening caption to know what it’s proported to be working on – speeding up the arm swing.

Small problem with that. Hitting something – especially hitting something hard – isn’t the same as catching, even if the arm tracks the same arc. You need more control to catch than to hit. Thus, you will almost certainly use a slower arm motion that starts earlier. So rather than working on speeding up the arm swing, this exercise actually slows it down.

I’d personally go with something more like what you see in this post.

6 Steps to Better Practices - Free Guide

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter today and get this free guide to making your practices the best, along with loads more coaching tips and information.

No spam ever. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by Kit

John Forman

John is a volleyball coach, performance director, and coach educator with 20+ years of experience across the NCAA (all three divisions plus junior college), university and club volleyball in the UK, professional coaching in Sweden, and juniors clubs. He has also served as a visiting coach with national team, professional club, and juniors programs in multiple countries.

Please share your own ideas and opinions.

Latest Posts

Remembering Jim Stone

The volleyball coaching world has lost a great thinker and educator in Jim Stone. His mind and willingness to engage will be missed.