Training - Volleyball drills and conditioning at Volleyball Training Ground

Read This Complete Run Through Of Volleyball Rotations And Tips On Running The Offense

Volleyball rotations will be explained and diagrammed in detail on this page to help you get the most out of your offense. In order to get the most out of these diagrams, there are some things you should understand:

Keep in mind that these diagrams are based on a 5 1 offense. Since that is what our team runs, I am going to go through it with you. Realize that if a team is running a 6 2 or a 4 2 offense, a few minor changes can be made to make this workable.

All of these rotations are based on getting the setter in a position to set and to keep the best people passing the ball (outside hitters and opposite hitter).

Free Stuff!

Don’t forget to get your free volleyball tools. Check it out for more details!

You may look at these thinking that there is an easier way to line up. Feel free to experiment, but do not sacrifice efficiency for ease. I mean that just because it is easier to keep everyone where they are, that doesn’t mean they are the best passer or the right person to have there.

The key point here is that I am not trying to teach you the “easy” way. I want you to improve and if this guide helps you, then I have done a good job. If you feel that this is a step backward, then move forward with what you are doing.

Here is a diagram of our basic 5 1 offense line up:

5 1 Offense Diagram

Since this is how we line up for our offense, this is going to be where each position is at in the rotations. The key is as follows:

OH – Outside Hitter

MB – Middle Blocker

OP – Opposite Hitter

S – Setter

With the players in this position, I am going to call this rotation one. Each rotation after wards will assume that the players have rotated one position clockwise like in a game. These positions are based on receiving serve.

Here is the diagram for volleyball rotation one:

Rotation 1 Diagram

Rotation one has two front row attackers with the setter in the front right position.

The outside hitters and opposite hitter are going to be there for passing purposes. The OH1 is going to hit to the left like usual with the MB1 moving away from the net to make his approach for the hit.

MB2 is standing on the back line and is the voice for the team. As the serve is coming it is his responsibility to call the ball in or out. With him on the back line, if the ball is above his ankles, it is going to be out of bounds. This also keeps the middle blocker out of the way of the passers since the middle isn’t the best passer usually.

Got it? Here is rotation two:

Rotation 2 Diagram In this volleyball rotation, the setter is in the serving position and will be coming off the back row to set.

The middle is going to make their approach to the middle as usual. With the outside hitter and the opposite being flip-flopped, they will hit once in the positions shown, and then switch back to normal after the ball goes over the net.

The MB2 may have to step up and pass if the two passers cannot handle the passing responsibilities.

Make sure you also keep detailed volleyball statistics. The reason is that you want to know which rotations are your most effective and which ones are your worst. Only the volleyball statistics will tell you that.

Here is rotation three:

Rotation 3 Diagram

The setter is in the back middle in this position. This position will run very similarly to rotation two.

The opposite hitter and the outside hitter are going to hit as shown once, and once the ball goes over the net, they are going to switch back to their normal hitting spots.

Here is rotation four:

Rotation 4

The setter is on the back left but can come closer to the net as he is not overlapping the middle blocker.

The OH2 and the OP in this volleyball rotation are going to hit in their normal places.

The middle blocker will be back on the line to call the serve as usual.

Here is rotation five:

Rotation 5 Diagram

The setter is in the front left position for this rotation. With the setter in the front row now, there are only two attackers this volleyball rotation.

The MB2 will move to their hitting position as the ball is served and the OH 2 will hit as usual in the front left.

The three passers will round off this rotation and make it optimum for the offense. If the pass is tight to the net, the setter will still have the option of dumping the ball since they are on the front row.

Here is rotation six:

Rotation 6 Diagram

For the final rotation, the setter is in the front middle position. He will slide over to get into setting position.

The MB1 and the setter are going to “stack” in the corner so that the OH2 (who is in the front right position, can pass and still hit the left side. By the MB1 and the S moving to the left corner, they are not out of rotation and are legal.

The MB1 will hit in the middle as usual with the OH2 hitting left as usual.

The stack simply lets the offense run as usual with the best passers in place.

Basically, that is the breakdown. Use these diagrams of volleyball rotations to improve your placement of players while running your offense.

If you like this page, you might also like the page that has volleyball training aides.

Return from Volleyball Rotations to Volleyball Offense

Middle Blocker Training

The middle blocker is my favorite position. Okay, maybe that has to do with the fact that this is the position I always played! In any case, the information on this page will help you get the most out of your blockers in the middle.

What makes this position so much fun to play? For me, I really liked the mental aspect of being able to out-think and out-play the other team. Hitting a fast set is such a rush and blocking a ball on a huge point is so energizing. Those kinds of plays can quickly turn the momentum in a match.

Middle Blocker Training Many of those big plays are made by the middle blocker and I loved every minute of it!

So, what are the keys to learning to play this position well?

First of all, you must be able to read the other team’s offense and know where to be for the block. There are many aspects to reading the offense such as:

Seeing how the setter distributes the ball.
How well the passers are passing.
Are the hitters left or right handed?
If the setter telegraphs where the set is going to go.
Who is their “go to” person when they need a kill?
Lining up the block with the hitter’s shoulder.

These are just a few of the skills that we can teach you about playing this position. These abilities are great blockers will possess.

Another skill you must know is proper blocking technique. There is nothing more frustrating than to be at the right place and right time and miss the block because of poor technique. This detailed description will help you know what to look for and how to do it properly.

You must also be able to call out the other team’s offense, setter and hitters. The middle blocker will take control of the front row defense. They will call out who is setting and who is hitting.

When the ball is set to another hitter, you are going to be the person that backs them up in case they are blocked. It is really frustrating for a team and their coach to see a ball hit the floor because the other players were standing around and not backing each other up.

Lastly, this position must be able to hit well and have great timing with the setter. In many cases, you will be running fast, short runs in the middle of the court to keep the defense hopping. In some cases, you are the primary attacker. In other cases (with a well run offense) you are going to be the decoy to draw blockers from the other team.

I love this position and there are so many skills that we can teach you to make you a powerful middle blocker. When you study the skills and practice them, you will be amazed at what you can achieve.

Return from Middle Blocker to Volleyball Home Page

Setter Training for Players and Coaches

Setter training is one of the most critical aspects of having a great volleyball team. Whether you are a player or a coach, this information will help you improve at this very key position and teach you how to work with setters for maximum effectiveness.

There is a very large difference between someone that can set a volleyball and someone that can run the offense. Your task as a coach is to teach your setter how to run the offense as efficiently as possible. As a setter, your job is to own that responsibility and keep the team flowing. These tips will help setters improve and become all that they can be.

Constant feedback is necessary from all levels. Setters must be great at receiving feedback from hitters and coaches. It is also important for the setter to provide feedback to the passers.

Setter Training Too frequently, I see coaches and hitters that expect the setter to know where the ball should be and how they are playing. during practice and matches, hitters should provide feedback to the setter as to the last set. Was it too high or too tight to the net? Too wide? The feedback process must be constant in order to achieve optimum results.

In football, there are coaches specifically for the quarterback because of the nature of the position. In volleyball, the setter is your quarterback and there needs to be proper support and training for them. As a coach, you need to spend time with the setter reviewing their performance. Were they quick enough to the pass, even when coming from the back row? What was their side out ratio? How were the sets distributed between hitters?

These types of review sessions after each practice and match will be invaluable for your setter training. As a setter, you need to have this mindset of constant improvement and ability to adapt based on this feedback. If your team and coaches do not do this, take it upon yourself as the leader of the team to ask these questions and let them provide feedback.

Avoid the perfect pass syndrome. I see a lot of teams that suffer from the perfect pass syndrome and it hurts their overall offense.

The perfect pass syndrome is when the pass is perfect, the setter will set the ball to their middle hitter on a quick set. If the pass is less than perfect, the ball is going to the outside hitter.

Setter Training An offense like this is so predictable and easy for the defense to adjust and get two or even three blockers up. If this is happening, this is not your hitters’ fault. This is an issue with the setter and training is needed.

The setter will be much more deceptive when they learn how to set the middle hitter on a less than perfect pass. In fact, this is one of the skills that defines setter training that was done properly. Being able to distribute the ball from any kind of pass is the mark of an elite setter.

Do drills during practice that will allow the setter to practice setting from less than perfect passes.

Train for the situations. This means you should practice the things that setters find difficult especially at the junior high and high school levels. This would include things like coming from the back row and being in position to set, blocking when they are in the front row, transition from defense to offense, knowing when to set and when to set with the arms (a pass), and setting to the back row attacker.

Many of these situations can be trained and simulated in drills. If you are not working on these tasks during practice, I would recommend adjusting your practice schedule and include many other drills. In fact, you can pick up this ebook with many different drills that teach situational abilities like these.

This is another key part of training your setter. You do not want to have a setter that gets in a match and lacks the ability to handle these situations.

I hope these few points of focus will help you setter training and allow you to reach the highest level of achievement possible.

Return from Setter Training to Volleyball Home Page

Return from Training Your Setter to Volleyball Setter

Volleyball Setter Training

The volleyball setter position is one of the most difficult to train and to play. They run the offense and the hitters are completely dependent on them to place the ball at the right spot at the right time. That is why this section of the website is so critical.

Your offense will flow as well as your setter knows how to run it. If you are running an offense with multiple setters, then there are multiple people that must understand the offense and how to distribute the ball.

Volleyball Setter Training There is a saying that says that the speed of the pack is determined by the leader of the pack. I have seen from experience that this saying is true. The setter is the leader on the court and the general of the offense. When they know how to lead and how to read the defense, incorporate the whole team, the entire team literally improves. That is how important the setter is.

So, how do you train some of these concepts and techniques?

There are a lot of different components to this kind of training.

First of all, the setter must know the basics of their position. These volleyball setting drills can help facilitate some of that learning during your practices. When it comes to distributing the ball to your various hitters, they must understand each hitter and where they like the ball. That learning happens during each practice through the repetition of setting each hitter during these drills. This is learning that only comes through experience. This is an important first step in setter training.

Another aspect of training a setter for volleyball is knowing how to read the defense. Who is their strongest blocker? What match ups can you exploit to your advantage? Who is your best hitter for a clutch kill? These are the foundational questions that will help you read the defense.

The setter must also know how to distribute the ball. If they are continuously setting the same hitter, the defense can adjust and put two or three blockers up and shut down the hitter.

There is also the skill of knowing how to set from different court positions. Volleyball setters would love for each pass to be perfect, but they must know how to set a bad pass, and from different locations on the court.

These points and ideas give you a glimpse of what a setter must be able to do. That is the purpose of this section of the website. This volleyball setter training will help you improve your offense by mastering the setter position.

Return from Volleyball Setter to Volleyball Home Page

Volleyball Coaching Tools and Resources

Volleyball coaching will be a lot easier for you with this section of the website. I wanted to create a section with tips on coaching, sample practice plans, forms, and anything else a coach would need!

A volleyball coach will need to have the right plan in place to train their players, teach them the necessary skills, and prepare them for competition. In order to do that, the coach must have the right mindset, tools, and resources to achieve maximum potential from his or her team.

Volleyball Coaching If you need some new volleyball drills to help you in your practices, then we have the information you are looking for. This section on our website has volleyball drills that you can use for just about any skill you are looking to improve on your team.

There are also forms that you will need for coaching. Depending on the level of coaching you are doing, some of these forms may not be needed. However, I wanted to provide them as a resource anyway. You might need volleyball lineup sheets, volleyball stat sheets, or volleyball score sheets.

If you need a sample practice plan for running a practice, we can provide you with that too. Here are sample volleyball practice plans for your volleyball coaching needs. Feel free to use them as needed and don’t hesitate to modify them based on the needs of your team.

If you are coaching youth volleyball, then you are not only teaching them the fundamentals of the game, but you are also teaching them about life. There is a lot of good that you can do by instilling in your players your passion, drive, and motivation to achieve. These are skills that carry them throughout their life.

I hope these coaching resources will be a great help to you as a coach.

Return from Volleyball Coaching to Volleyball Home

Volleyball DVDs – Best of the Best

Looking for great volleyball DVDs? This page showcases some of the best ones I have seen for teaching specific techniques, or an overall understanding of the game. Depending on what you are looking for, there is a great DVD for you.

The first DVD is one that is put together by Pat Powers. Pat is one of the most successful volleyball players and coaches that have ever been associated with the game of volleyball. Pat has many wins on both the court and the beach as a player.

Volleyball DVDs He runs one of the largest volleyball camps in the nation and brings his expertise and training to this camp. If you have seen the Pat Powers interview, then you know that I am a big fan of him and what he has accomplished. That is the reason that I really like this volleyball DVD so much.

In this 70 minute DVD, you will get to have a taste of what is offered as his volleyball camps. The DVD will show you various drills that you can use in practice to further your skills, advance your skills in the basics, and improve your communication skills.

With his long history of playing, coaching, and teaching, this is a valuable addition to any volleyball coach or player that is serious about the sport of volleyball.

You can get it here at Amazon.com: Volleyball Tips and Techniques DVD

The next volleyball DVD is actually a set of four DVDs that cover all of the basics.

Volleyball DVDs The four volumes are as listed:

Setting
Passing and Serving
Blocking and Defense
Hitting

All of these DVDs focus on the core skills that any volleyball player must know and master. You can order all of these videos individually, or you can order the set to save money.

I am a huge believer of getting back to the basics. Better execution of the basic skills allows teams to overcome their opponents that are not as disciplined. I know that repetition of these skills will improve your team’s performance and develop better talent.

I also highly recommend this set of DVDs. You can find them here: Play Better Volleyball Set of DVDs

I hope that you find these volleyball DVDs to be the training and education that will benefit your team.

Return from Volleyball DVDs to Volleyball Home Page

Return from DVDs for Volleyball to Volleyball Supplies

Scotdale Vixen’s

Vixen's

by Laval Sands
(Bahamas)

We are a team that is filled with heart and attitude. We have been around for more than 20 years. We are from the Bahamas.

Best Jump Rope and Exercises

What is the best jump rope? That is the purpose of this page is to show you how to get the most of out of this piece of training equipment. What good is training equipment without some exercises to go with it?

This is one of the best jump ropes I have seen at a very reasonable price. I like it for a number of reasons.

Best Jump Rope First of all, it is very durable and will work for a long time. It is durable because of the padding on the rope at the bottom, and the way the ball bearings rotate the rope on the handles. If you mostly jump rope on concrete, this will last a long time.

I also really like this particular jump rope because of the ability it has to add or remove the weights to the handles. This allows you to combine a little resistance with your cardiovascular workout for added benefit.

The rope is also adjustable based on your height and needs. That makes this a jump rope that any volleyball player of any age or size can use.

It is a great jump rope at a very attractive price. If you would like to pick one up, you can get one here at Amazon.com: All Pro Weight Adjustable Jump Rope

Jump Rope Exercises

What good would the best jump rope be without some exercises to go with it?

I love jumping rope because it is a total body workout that develops your cardiovascular system as well. With all of the new training equipment that has been developed over the years, this piece of equipment has somewhat been lost over time. This is one of those pieces of training equipment that has stood the test of time for good reason.

Jumping rope is one way that you can greatly increase your vertical jump. One of the best ways to exercise with a jump rope to increase your jumping ability is to jump so that your toes only touch the ground as you jump and land. If you keep your heels off the ground the entire time, it puts emphasis on your calves to increase your jumping ability.

Another thing that jump ropes are very good for would be to increase agility and foot speed. For this, I like to take the weights out of the jump rope and work on my feet. The faster I can move my feet while turning the rope, the better. As I continue to work on this over time, not only do my feet get faster but I notice that I also have a faster reaction time to the ball when I play.

When you want to do some upper body strengthening, I like to add the weights to the handles to get the most out of the time I jump rope.

These are the ways that I get the most out of exercising with a jump rope.

Return from Best Jump Rope to Volleyball Home Page

Return from Jumping Rope to Volleyball Training Aides

Volleyball Passing Tool Perfects Your Form

Volleyball passing is one of the most important skills to master and also one of the skills that is the most difficult. As I have coached players, I notice that many players use the wrong technique to pass the ball. That is the main reason I really like this training tool for volleyball.

The training tool is the Volleyball Pass Rite System. The whole purpose of this tool is to improve your technique and form while passing the ball.

Volleyball Passing Many players when bumping the ball will swing their arms at the ball adding a lot of unnecessary spin and momentum to the ball. The main cause of this is that they over-swing their arms during the pass.

This tool specifically will prevent players from swinging their arms. If your back row defense is having a hard time controlling hard hits, use this training aid to help them with proper form. When they use the proper form, controlling the pass is the end result.

The cuffs that go around the wrists and ankles are lightweight and the elastic is durable. Since the elastic will restrict the player’s upward arm movement, it helps them perfect their technique.

This type of training tool can be used at the volleyball net, off the court, or anywhere else where you have a little space. After a little use from this tool, your players will be earning volleyball scholarships in no time!

I think this is a critical tool for any player. In a volleyball game, passing is such an important skill that every player should learn and do well.

I highly recommend this tool. You can pick it up for a very reasonable price at Amazon here: Tandem Sports Pass Rite Training Tool

Where to go next?

Passing Techniques – Learn the proper technique for passing.

Vertical Jump – The methods for increasing your vertical jump can be found here.

Famous Volleyball Players – Who are your favorite players?

Return from Volleyball Passing to Volleyball Home Page

Return from Volleyball Training Tool to Volleyball Training Aides

Karch Kiraly – What You Need To Know…

Many people argue that he is one of, if not the best, volleyball player to ever play the game. In fact, I am one of those people! Let me share some important information with you about his accomplishments and what drove him to excel.

Let me share a few facts about Karch Kiraly and why I think he is the greatest player that has ever played:

He is part of a very elite club to win gold medals in the Olympics for both indoor and outdoor volleyball.
He also won three national championships at UCLA when he played. As a side note, he only lost five total matches during his collegiate career.
He was named FIVB (International Volleyball Federation) player of the year in 1986 and 1988.
During his professional beach volleyball career, he won a staggering 148 titles.
He has also won over $3,000,000 in prize money during his career, which is more than any other player.

Because of these facts, I truly believe that he is the measuring stick of volleyball excellence.

His Other Accomplishments

Karch Kiraly One of the things that I will always attribute to him the most is a volleyball book that he wrote. In my opinion, it is one of the most influential books ever written on volleyball. Even today, this book still revolutionizes training methods to help people achieve their maximum potential.

In this book, he shares his insights, thoughts, and training methods to be at the top of his game.

In addition, he also shares his exact workouts and exercises for others to follow. As a result, this ends up being a blueprint for others to follow to achieve their volleyball potential.

If you have never taken the opportunity to read up on this book, I highly recommend it. There is a reason that he is one of the best and it is an amazing thing to learn from one of the best.

You can pick up a copy of this book here from Amazon.com: Beach Volleyball

Return from Karch Kiraly to Volleyball Home Page

Return from Kiraly Volleyball Book to Famous Volleyball Players