Tips on scouting your opponents from coaches and volleyball professionals

So the glow of your child being chosen to play for a club, perhaps even the experience of having to choose between multiple clubs and not cut, has faded. In the heart of the season, coaches begin making decisions on playing time based on what they have seen in practices and tournaments.

Lately I have been wondering why so many well meaning coaches, and players, speak to the importance of ball control. I know I will be up against the many attendees of the Church of Tradition and Ball Control (CTBC as I call it) yet this is really important stuff to change.

Professionals give tips on how you can be a better teammate

Sharing the science and my thoughts based on motor learning as to it relates to most machines

There are long time players who reminisce about the way volleyball used to be played in the days of sideout, not rally, scoring. I remember the competitions that started at 8 a.m. and went until 4 a.m. the next day, or speaking to parents about their child still playing in an event after midnight.

This month some kid I know really well has his senior year athlete banquet. I was looking at the Princeton website, and at the top of the athletic department’s home page was a quote I had never heard that impacted me.

Watching some 80 year old players at the US Open and seeing their joy for a sport of a lifetime has me wondering why any kid in the last few decades stops playing.

A list of books to help you improve

This year marks my 40th year of coaching youth volleyball, which I define as 12 and under. The last few years I have seen growth in this area, but far too much of it simply is adults coaching the adult 6 vs 6 game to little kids.