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A very interesting way to evaluate the quality of progression during a rally for a small volleyball coaching staff. I will definitely try this out for my high school team. Thanks Coach Rey.

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VB ADDICTION! December 2013: Developing Consistency

Developing consistency

We can all serve a tough ball every once in a while, and hit that perfect corner shot sometimes, but don't you want this every time? How do we develop that consistency to be able to touch a ball over and over again the same exact way? Sure, practicing makes us better skilled for competition, but when we face a comparable team, consistency will earn us that win. 

Keep six lists: Serving, Passing, Setting, Hitting, Blocking, Digging.

In bullet form, outline every step you take to perform each skill. Include what you do physically and mentally. Focus on the things that are in your control: footwork, eyework, and communication. As you grow your skill sets, keep track of the advice you pick up. Your coach will teach you something that will strongly resound and make you better. Add these new ideas into your lists and try to place them in the correct order in which you would perform them. By doing this, you will build a routine list that you can also review off the court.

This list is your game plan. When you compete, ALWAYS follow your routine. The footwork and eyework may be the most obvious parts of your routine. But if you have "call seams" on your passing list, then call your seams before EVERY serve. If you have "take a big breath" on your serving list then take a big breath before EVERY serve. It might seem small, but these little things add up.

Focus on your routine between every rally. Volleyball may be a fast-paced game during the rally, but you have plenty of time between rallies to focus on your lists. If you made an error, quickly identify which bullet point you missed and do it next time. Focus more on what you can improve and focus less on what went wrong. It's better to be too ready than not ready. It's better to over-communicate than not communicate.

Stay positive, work hard, and have fun.

Check out our "Training & Coaching" page for access to more tips and information about volleyball.

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VB ADDICTION! November 2013: Serving Tough

Serving Tough

Tips for serving aces

In soccer, they have free kicks. In basketball, they have free throws. In volleyball, we have serves. What do they all have in common? These are opportunities to score a point without a defender standing in your way. It's just you, the ball, and the court. Before you even have to outplay your opponents, take away their first opportunity for offense by serving a tough ball. There are many strategies for serving tough.

Develop a hard & speedy float serve:

This serve should have lots of velocity and no spin, making it hard to pass.

Toss, step, hit. Make sure to contact the ball with a flat hand and stiff wrist.

Contact the ball at the moment your arm reaches its highest point and follow through with your feet and arms aiming towards your target

Serve hard and deep, aiming for the deep corners.

If balls are soaring out, do not dial down the power, but take a step back. Corner to corner serves will give you the most distance to work with.

Develop a consistent, mindful, float serve:

This serve should be smart and limiting the opponents attack.

Serve towards clusters of players

Serve into setters' or middle hitters' paths to make them take a different route

Serve to your wing attackers and make them move towards the inside of the court to pass the ball and limit their approach pattern.

Develop an attack jump serve:

This serve should have lots of velocity and lots of top spin, making it very hard to pass.

Toss the ball high. Flick your wrists as you release the ball to put top spin on the ball.

Take an approach and hit the ball high and in front of you.

Make sure to follow through with a long arm.

Aim for deep corners.

Check out our "Training & Coaching" page for access to more tips and information about volleyball.

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VB ADDICTION! October 2013: Running an Offense

Running a 6-on-6 offense

Strategies for maximizing your team's offensive game

Setters: Get Square

Setters need to be able to set all hitting positions on the court while also being able to slow down the defense on the other side of the net. Setters should face the left antenna every time they set the ball. This is called "getting square" to the antenna.

Have an outlet hitter

Make sure your team knows who their go-to hitters are and feed them. The outside hitters are usually the easiest players to feed. Make your best hitter an outside hitter so that they receive the most sets and make the most offensive attempts.

Know when to hit hard and when to keep it in

Games are not won by which team hits the hardest. Games are won by consistency. Cleaning up errors is the most important thing your team can do to give up less points to the other team. When the passes and sets are good, take a rip on the ball. When the team is scrambling to keep the ball up on the first and second touches, make a smart shot on the third touch.

Know where to place your shots

Take a look at your opponent's base positions and defensive positions. Watch for their individual tendencies. Once you have found a team's weak spots, exploit them. Decide with your team where to place the ball during a scramble play. We are not looking for a termination kill, but we want the opponent to work harder for their offense and increase their chance for errors.

Check out our "Training & Coaching" page for access to more tips and information about volleyball.

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VB ADDICTION! July 2013: How to Build a Sand Court

How to Build a Sand Volleyball Court A step-by-step guide to constructing your own beach court.

Summer is the perfect time for building volleyball courts.Whether you are building a court for simple recreation or for professional competition, Volleyball Mecca can help you create a playing environment that is guaranteed to last you endless summers.

The following guide will help you plan out your project from start to finish.

Excavating

Use a front-end loader to excavate to your desired depth. Usually 2'-3' depending on how thick of layers of sand and gravel you intend to use. Be sure and "pitch" the excavated area to a corner or low point where you desire excess water to travel. A drainage ditch should be dug allowing water to flow out from the court area. 

Pole Installation

Ideally, poles should have a length of 12 feet, which allows for 3' underground and 9' above ground. Leaving 9' of pole above ground allows the ability to set up your net at official height and the comfort to adjust your net height if your playing surface level changes over time. If you plan on using wood standards ensure that they are pressure treated and no smaller than 6"X 6." Holes for 12' poles should be dug to a 3' depth under the desired level of the playing surface. Sink poles at least 2' in concrete to ensure stability. Poles should be placed 36' apart to allow for a standard volleyball net length of 32' and some buffer space between players and the poles. 

Drainage Pipe 

Position perforated drainage pipe in a zigzag pattern across your court being sure to have the open end at the low point of the court to allow water to flow and escape. Remember to wrap pipe with landscape fabric to keep materials from clogging up the perforations and prohibiting the flow of water. Perimeter 

Putting in an outer perimeter around your total sand area will prove to be beneficial as it prevents dirt and plants from migrating on to your sand and keeps your sand contained as well. Railroad ties or similar materials work well. Another option is to construct a "burm" or hump along the perimeter with excavated ground materials.  Fill

Cover drainage pipe and court area with approximately 1' of drainage small drainage gravel. Cover gravel layer with landscape fabric to keep gravel from mixing with sand yet allowing water to pass through to your drainage system. Fill over your gravel with at least 1' of sand and your court is  complete!  Enjoy 

Install your high quality net and boundaries (that of course were purchased from Volleyball Mecca) and you're ready to enjoy your volleyball court for endless summers!  

  Please visit our Court Construction page for extra tips and recommendations. If you have any other questions, please call us at 888-271-3616. 

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VB ADDICTION June 2013: Tips for Indoor Players transitioning to Sand

"You touch every other ball and, if you screw up, you only have one more person to back you up. You can't go hide in the corner." - Kerri Walsh-Jennings As the indoor season wraps up and the game moves outdoors, there are a lot of new things to keep in mind while playing in the sand. While the transition to the beach may be a little frustrating at first, your experience will pay off in the end and make you a better player when the indoor season comes back again. When we compete as athletes, we tend to let our training take over. Indoor players need to be careful not to play their "position" while playing outdoors. You are a Hitter, a Setter, a Libero, a PLAYER on the beach. Practice all the fundamental skills of volleyball, and practice your squats because you will need a lower ready position. Remember that you are responsible for a much bigger fraction of the court on the beach than indoor. Focus on seeing all of the cues in the player handling the ball to anticipate your next move. Carefully read all 3 touches because you never know when your opponents might send the ball over earlier than you would expect. Pro-act and anticipate what your next move will be to handle the next ball. Get yourself in a position to cover their strongest hit and anticipate off-speed shots. Be ready to play the ball off the block and send it over in two more touches. Plan with your partner beforehand where to cover on each contact. Communication is KEY. Listen to and trust your partner. After you set your partner up, look for your opponents' weak spots and call them out to your partner.  Lastly, don't blame the sand, wind, or sun for making you make mistakes. The elements will always be present for you and your opponents. Practice your footwork in the sand. Pass the ball a little bit lower on windier days. Use the sun to your advantage when you are on the "good" side and serve the ball high. Visit our Coaching Page for helpful books, tools, and equipment to improve your team's game. Are our tips helpful? Do you have a request? Want to give us your own two cents? Please Facebook us with your questions/comments and we will be sure to include you into our next VB ADDICTION! digest.

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VB ADDICTION May 2013: Tips for Shorter Players

Playing against taller and bigger teams can be intimidating. They can reach higher and hit harder. But every powerhouse team has their weaknesses and can be defeated. Here are some things to focus on that will help you beat your tall opponents at the net.

Develop a consistent, mindful, great serve. Before you even have to go up and outplay a bigger team, take away their first opportunity for offense. It does not have to be a hard overpowering serve, but one that is smart and limits the opponent's serve receive attack.

Serve towards clusters of players.

Serve into the setters' or middle hitters' paths and make them take a different route.

Serve to your wing attackers and make them move towards the inside of the court to pass the ball. This will limit their approach pattern

Expand your attack range. Contact the ball at your highest reach. Mix up your shots and hide your intentions by snapping your wrist in different directions. Misdirect off the opponent's block by aiming high and away from the court. When confronted by a tight set or big block, learn to recognize the situation, tap it in and play it back up. Be a smart blocker. Prepare yourself before every serve and remind yourself who is up to hit and where your responsibilities are. Know your opponents hitting tendencies. See what is coming and establish good position. You are not looking to stuff block the hitter, but to take away their strongest shot and force them to hit their less preferable shot. Play up when the team is down. Why you are still playing volleyball even with your height disadvantage? Because you love the game. You probably put out great energy on the court when you play.  See struggles as opportunities, stay positive, and work your opponents with everything you have. Eventually things will break down on the other side. Seize that moment to shine and take back the momentum of the game. Visit our Coaching Page for helpful books, tools, and equipment to improve your team's game. Are our tips helpful? Do you have a request? Want to give us your own two cents? Please Facebook us with your questions/comments and we will be sure to include you into our next VB ADDICTION! digest.

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VB ADDICTION April 2013: Defensive Eyework

Understanding how to use your eyes is key to an effective defense. You may have heard the words, "Ball, Setter, Ball, Hitter." But what exactly does this mean? What information are we gathering and when are we making our eyes move in this pattern? Can you juggle? Take a volleyball and hold it in one hand near your waist. Juggle the ball by tossing it above your head, back and forth from one hand to the other. Look straight up and avoid looking at either hands while doing this. Most athletes do not need to watch the ball fall completely into their hands to know exactly where it is going to fall. Instead, we only need to see the peak of the ball's path. Once the ball reaches its maximum height, we know that the ball will fall the same way it went up. Whether backrow or frontrow, when we are in defense, we need to make sure we are watching the ball after every contact until it reaches its peak height. Once the ball starts to fall from its peak, we know exactly where that ball is falling. Then, we can switch our gaze to the Setters or the Hitters to gather as much information out of the opponents until they make contact. Ball - Watch the ball after the first contact right until it starts to drop. Setter - Watch the setter. Figure out what the setter will do based on where you know the ball is landing. Ball - Watch the ball the moment it releases from the setter's hands. React and transition into defense. Hitter - Watch the hitter the moment the set starts to drop. Set your defense based on where you know the ball is landing. Visit our Coaching Page for helpful books, tools, and equipment to improve your team's game. Are our tips helpful? Do you have a request? Want to give us your own two cents? Please Facebook us with your questions/comments and we will be sure to include you into our next VB ADDICTION! digest. #volleyballmecca #volleyballtips

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VB ADDICTION March 2013: Injury Prevention

INJURY PREVENTION

Every year a number of players are sidelined or hampered for the season by injuries, many which can be avoided by following a simple warm-up program. By implementing and adhering to a warm-up program, players can avoid many injuries, which may otherwise cost them valuable time on the court. 

Dynamic Movement Ten minutes of dynamic movement will ensure that your muscles are warmed up, will be far less likely to pull while playing and will help them respond better to stretching. This includes high knees, butt kicks, lunges, shuffles, grapevine, bunny hops, frog jumps, and more. Start with low impact exercises and move up to higher impact exercises as you get more warm. Stretching  Hold your stretches for at least 30 seconds. It is important to begin with your lower back, as this will allow you to perform the rest of your stretches freely. Next, stretch your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and IT band. Finally, be sure and stretch out your ankles and your shoulder, as these are perhaps the most commonly injured areas for the player. Use a lacrosse ball and a wall to apply pressure on any tight areas in the shoulder and back. Have you heard of the Foam Roller? Shoulder  Be sure to include shoulder-strengthening exercises as part of your regular work out routine to keep your shoulder strong and hitting hard at the net. Use dumbbells or resistance bands to strengthen your rotator cuffs. Ice This is the most important of all the routines. Prevent inflammation which can lead to injury with ice. Ice your joints for 30 minutes after any hard practice or tournament and you will be back on the court playing your best in no time.