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Tip by Brogan Johnson, Salt Lake Academy in Herriman, UT.Nine Man Pepper - This is a good drill to work on ball control, back row defense, and communication while getting a lot of reps and conditioning for setters and hitters.Start with three players fixed in the back row on each side of the net. Have a setter front row in the middle as well as two pin hitters hitting on the left and right on one side of the net. The front row, setter and hitters, will go under the net and switch sides after each attack and will continually...

Tip by Aurora Salas, Horizon Prep in Rancho Santa Fe, CA.  My tip is to make the butterfly drill a competition. It helps you see who is earnings points offensively and defensively. I start out with the standard butterfly drill and have them progress through the drill to warm up. 10 free ball passes (to the tosser) over the net as a group, 10 sets over the net as a group, and finally 10 down balls over the net as a group. Then you move into competition phase. Attackers can earn a point if they can hit the ball without...

Tip by Cristina Williams, Cascade HS in Tuner, OR Coaching tip... Really get to know your players as individuals. Understand their upbringing, understand their family dynamics, get to know what makes them work their hardest, what their insecure about, what makes them happy. When you sit down and really get to know who your players are, not only do they feel valued and heard, but they feel the genuine love you have for them, and they start to trust you and the program. Sit down with each of your players and develop that bond and trust.

Tip by Tim Joyce in Columbia, PA. Serving (Standing)- External Cues Even elite athletes are rarely fully aware of what their bodies are doing in a moment of athletic action. Use external (focused on something other than the body), as opposed to internal (ie. "elbow high, shoulder back"), cues to help athletes serve better.LIFT- Lift the ball to where you can hit it hard (higher than head, in front of hitting shoulder). The term 'toss' implies higher elevation, which may result in more ball tracking and greater contact variance. Using the term 'lift' suggests more control and less variability. SHIFT-...

Tip by Adam Evans in Tennessee.  30-Second Tempo DrillI use this drill to work on the tempo of my offense.The drill starts with all 6 players on the floor in their free ball defensive positions ready to transition to our offensive set. I put 30 seconds on the scoreboard so the girls can visually see how much time is on the clock throughout the duration of the drill.I stand on the opposite side of the net with the ball cart ready to throw in balls into play. Since this is strictly an offensive tempo drill, there is not a defense...