How to Coach Youth Volleyball
Volleyball was created in Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1895 and initially did not have a set number of players or number of times the ball could be hit on each side. Originally, ladies could catch and then throw the ball. Today, youth volleyball is a very popular and organized sport. Every team needs a coach who can provide solid skills training, encouragement and practice times.
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Instructions
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Prepare and Execute Youth Volleyball Practice
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Plan ahead by writing out what your practice will consist of on a time line. For example, 5 minutes for stretching, running one lap around the gym, 8 minutes on one drill and 10 minutes on another.
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Coordinate volleyball practice times with players and players' parents.
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Start each practice with a series of dynamic stretches for the arms and legs to prepare the body to play volleyball.
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Warm up the team with some running. A quick game of tag can be fun and will get the team moving.
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Work on volleyball skills using various drills. Make the drills into games or mini-competitions and recognize winning individuals or mini-teams. For example, divide into four teams with each team standing in a circle. The four teams must bump the ball without letting the ball touch the ground. The team with the highest number of touches wins.
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Consider using stations later in the year. To keep various skills sharp, players go to one station to serve, another to work on digging the ball, another to set the ball and so on.
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End the practice with warm down static stretches. Stretching is an important part of keeping your team limber and performing at its best.
Coach Youth Volleyball Games
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Arrive early to make sure the volleyball team is ready to play.
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Warm the team up with stretches and a warm-up drill from practice.
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Watch the players to see who is playing particularly well and who may be struggling. Make substitutions to allow the "hot" players more time on the court, but be sure everyone gets to play some.
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Write down notes of volleyball weaknesses in the game to work on skills during upcoming practices.
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Cheer the team on and encourage players by pointing out the good play by each player.
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Tips & Warnings
Make the length of youth volleyball practice meet the age and skill level of players. Younger players need shorter practice times of no more than 60 minutes.
Be sure to start volleyball practice on time to get players in the habit of being on time for volleyball events.
Focus each practice on an important skill that needs improvement. If better setting of the ball is needed, devote most of the time to this skill. The skills focused on will change for each practice.
