Determine the Focus for Each Practice
When planning volleyball practices, the first step is to determine what skill or game system you want to focus on for that day. Having a clear focus will drive the structure and drills you choose for that practice.
Some examples of potential practice focuses:
- Serving
- Serve receive
- Passing
- Setting
- Hitting/attacking
- Blocking
- Defense
- Running specific offensive plays
- Serving toughness
- Handling free balls
Really dig into what your players need to work on and set 1-2 priority focuses for each practice. This focus can span a few days—you don’t need a completely different focus every practice.
For beginning teams, keep the focus broad and work on fundamentals. For more advanced teams, get into specifics like improving the speed of a middle attack or synchronizing the timing on a back row attack.
Make sure your players know the focus as well. Communicate it at the beginning of practice so they know what to zone in on. The focus should drive the skill and drill work you do that day.
Before practice, spend 5-10 minutes reviewing recent game film or stats to determine what to focus on. As you map out the practice plan, check that each component ties back to achieving the focus for the day. Everything you do should ladder up to that priority skill or system.
Keeping a tight focus each practice will maximize the time with your players and accelerate their development as volleyball athletes.
Structure the Main Parts of Practice
Once you’ve determined the focus, map out how to structure the main components of practice:
Warm Up Drills
Always start with some type of competitive drill to get players engaged from the very beginning. This could be small-sided games like 2v2 or 3v3, or full team competitions like “King of the Court”.
Make sure to change up the warm up drill each practice to keep things fresh. These opening drills set the tone and energy level for practice.
Dynamic Stretches
Follow the warm up game with about 10 minutes of dynamic stretching and warm up exercises. Incorporate full body movements like lunges, squats, and arm circles to get the blood flowing. Also spend time on shoulder-specific stretches and exercises like external rotations to get them ready for overhead motions.
Skill Development
This is the meat of practice where you’ll work on your focus for the day. Break this into:
- Ball control drills like passing, 10-15 minutes
- Skill-specific drills, 15-20 minutes per skill
- Situational drills like transition offense/defense
Structure your skill development as skill-drill pairs. Teach a new skill or technique, then design a drill for players to reinforce it. Don’t try to teach complex new drills here—the focus should be skill mastery.
Closing Drills
Finish with a 6 v 6 competitive drill that is higher energy and fun. Avoid teaching new drills here since the team will be tired. Choose tried-and-true games they are already familiar with like Queen of the Court. This ensures you end practice on a high note.
Keep the Structure Consistent
When planning multiple practices within a training block, aim to keep the overall structure consistent rather than reinventing the wheel each day.
Here are some benefits to keeping a consistent practice structure:
- Players can focus on skills and execution rather than learning new drills each time. The learning curve is lower.
- You can progressively build skills over multiple sessions. By keeping drills consistent, it’s easier to observe growth.
- Players develop familiarity with drills, which increases reps and mastery.
- You eliminate the need to re-explain new drills, saving time.
Within this consistent structure, here are some best practices:
- Keep the opening and closing competitive drills the same for the week. Players can benchmark progress.
- Keep the middle skill development section the same for the week as well. This provides continuity.
- Change the closing 6v6 drill each practice to incorporate variety and fun.
- Rotate partners and teams within drills to expose players to different looks.
- Increase difficulty, speed, and pressure on drills over multiple sessions as skills improve.
Don’t keep things identical day-to-day though. Progressively challenge your team while maintaining the overall shape of practice. Small tweaks and increased difficulty will keep things fresh and engaged.
Follow a Consistent Timeline
When executing your practice plan, aim to follow a consistent timeline to keep things structured and on schedule. Here is a sample practice timeline:
- 5 minutes: Opening competitive drill
Get things started off with a competitive game like 2v2 or 3v3. Keep this segment short and fast-paced.
- 10 minutes: Dynamic warmups
Spend about 10 minutes doing full body dynamic stretches and movements to get ready for practice. Shoulder focus as well.
- 10 minutes: Basic passing drills
Fundamentals like passing are vital. Dedicate time each practice to sharpen these core skills.
- 15-20 minutes: Skill/drill segments
Allot 15-20 minutes for each skill or system you want to focus on. Teach the skill then drill it.
- 2-3 minutes per rotation: Lineup drills
Run lineup drills for a defined time like 2-3 minutes per rotation. Keeps things moving.
- 5-10 minutes: Closing game
Finish with a fun closing game in the last 5-10 minutes. End on a high note.
Keeping practice moving according to a timeline will maximize your limited time with players. Come prepared with a specific timeline for each segment. If the team is moving quickly, you can add in more reps or competition. If things are dragging, trim time off less vital drills. Remaining agile within the timeline is key.
Plan Ahead
With busy coaching schedules, it’s not always feasible to meticulously plan out every practice. Here are some tips for efficient planning when you’re short on time:
- Map out a basic structure as you’re heading to the gym or right before practice. Even 5 minutes of planning helps.
- Have a bank of “go-to” drills in your back pocket so you’re not creating new ones on the fly. Build up this library over time.
- Keep notes on drills and games that worked well so you can repeat them in future practices.
- Designate periods where you repeat the same practice plan for a week. This allows continuity.
- Have a few high-energy game ideas on hand to plug into the closing drill.
- Utilize pre-made practice plans to take the design work off your plate. Tweak them to fit your team.
- Set reminders to prompt you to plan ahead of time. Even 30 minutes makes a difference.
- Carve out time on your calendar dedicated just for practice planning. Treat it like an important meeting.
The more you plan ahead, the less you will be scrambling leading up to practice. Make it a habit to set aside time for structured, strategic planning based on your team’s needs. Your players will benefit from improved practices.
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