News

Dr. Lorne Sawula (GBR Women’s Head Coach)

Try to “think” how you can use balls within your warm up period to create extra contacts for your players. Physical warm up, without balls, may have some role in the early part of the season or when players are tired but you still can do many activities using the ball, especially if the time for training is short (under two hours/one or two training times per week). This is the beginning step for use of "control drills" in training.
It is also important to have more than one net set up, at least for the first half of practice. If only one net is available use antenna to divide the court in half, take a rope and stretch it across from wall to wall, etc. This will allow for more touches for each player as they go through skill learning.
The key is to begin slowly and not ask for maximum exertion or power. These drills can last around 15/20 minutes and then follow this with 5 min or stretching. Some teams ask their players to do pre-training stretching and moving for 5-10 min before training starts – in hall way or wherever.

Below are a few drills that can begin to show how this concept can be taught to athletes:

1. Pairs (Xo ----- X) or 3's (X Xo ------- X)

5 – 10 - 20 single or double contacts for each person while running and switching position, both overhand and underhand. Ball is with first athlete who starts the drill and then moves to exchange positions with the person in front of them. Double contacts are very useful for teaching ball control so it can be used when in Pair or Triple player drills.

1. For younger players it is very good to use double contacts – one player makes two touches of the ball (one low and one high to the player in front of them. Drills using pair’s is a good concept, in the beginning, to use with players who are learning skills. The first contact can even be a ‘catch’ of the ball (moving feet under ball, good body position, etc.) then setting the 2nd ball to their partner who catches and then sets back.

1. 5 – 10 – 20's again, but this time they can throw the ball to the other player (warming up for attack), bounce the ball after hitting it (working on opening the hand, etc, warming the shoulder up, etc.), spin the ball to the partner; running pepper, pepper with 3's (one setter and two attackers and receivers), etc.
2. 5’s – each player has double contact (two repetitions, usually one low to self and one high to partner). First, overhand pass, overhand and then side set to partner, overhand and back set (take as many contacts as needed before back setting the ball to partner); and then the same with underhand pass contacts. The double contact slows the pass of the ball down and allows players time to try and execute better skill technique. The reason for using these 3 skills is that they transfer very quickly into skills that can be needed and used in the game itself. To teach the side overhand side set and underhand side set – show the players how to dip their leading shoulder in the direction of the pass. If the ball is going to their right, then dip the right shoulder – the left shoulder when going the other way.

Players can also use the double contact to move themselves to create a more dynamic warm-up. I.e. First ball high and1 – 2 m to their left/right/forward/back – then set to partner. If it is in the catch stage then catch and throw the ball in one of the 4 directions. You can also add something to be done after the ball goes to their partner i.e. sit down, touch toes, make a circle, etc.

Later you can start to use little games like alphabet or mathematics to get players to talk. For the alphabet game – the first player thinks of a word that starts with ‘A’ and tries to say it before they catch or double contact the ball, their partner says something with ‘B’ and so on. You will be amazed at the noise that comes out of the hall as they have fun and still make contacts with the ball at the same time.

In the mathematics game one person is the teacher who asks the person to add, subtract, multiple, divide a number that they give them. It is cumulative and continues for a set number of contacts until players switch being a teacher and student. I.e. Teacher to player as they throw the ball – ‘Add 2’ – Student yells ‘2’ – drill continues ball to teacher, teacher to player – Plus 2 – Student yells +4 (2 + 2), back again and then ‘Divide by 2’ - answer ‘2’, etc.

Later if you want to teach peripheral vision or you can have the player – hold fingers up in the air or put them on the chest/stomach area. The player waiting to take the set has to call out the number of fingers that are presented. Then the same when the ball goes back. Double contacts works well with this.

1. In Pairs – one player has to run around the other player and back to the same spot they left – other player volley’s ball overhand continuously until the other player returns and ‘yells’ for the ball.

Variations:
a. Same with underhand contacts
b. Same but before ball is given back player must identify # of fingers of player who has just returned.
c. Player running around can stop at any time and ‘yell’ for the ball – the other player then can do the same – players end up side-setting, back setting, etc. the ball to their partner

vi. Technical Training and Repetitions
This is a great time to teach certain movements or certain skills that you want used by the players. It can then involve running and ball contact. For example – Coach on one side of net two players on other side facing – slaps ball, players go back to the outside of the court using “cross-over step”. Coach gives easy ball to one player who receives underhand and the other player then catches the ball. Two more players get ready to move in, etc.

Continue to where setting is the 2nd contact and then where there is an attack. For young players the first action may be a ‘catch – turn and face’ then set ball to partner, etc. The key here is to work on various kinds of footwork. There are many variations like using 3 people working on the court – back out receive – set – attack by one of the other two – purpose to call out and communicate who is going to set, etc. Think how you can work the footwork for movement of middles, left side and right side attackers off the net, from their starting positions defensively, etc.

After about 10-20 minutes, when you think they are warm, allow them to stretch out for about 5 minutes. Remember that you do not do ask for maximum effort until you have warmed them up through the drills that you have done. After that it you may move right into some drill that is part of the objective of the practice and ask for maximum effort.

There will be more drills, at another time, on the next step on using balls for warm-up and learning ball control. Good training and be patient – each drills has a goal or purpose. What do you want to teach the player by using the drill you decide to use?