Ask Coach Houser: How Do I Improve My Teams Defense?

I have a really young team this year and they have been absolutely fabulous to work with - they work hard on/off the court, communicate "well" and so far no drama.

We're actually playing better than I had expected considering our youth; sometimes I look on the court and I have two freshman, three sophmores and one senior on the court...Yikes!

As you might guess we have our ups and downs and trouble staying focused on each and every point that comes and goes. We continually have difficulty covering tips.

We work on it continuously and they seem to understand what needs to be done but are consistently "slow" to react to hitters that, for example, come to the point of attack with their hitting arm held high and are clearly going to tip. We react but not quickly enough so at best we're lunging to cover the tip.

I'd love to hear your views on what I might be able to do to improve this part of our team!

You tell me you have a young team. If they are not playing club ball, then they will "learn" to pick up and read tips in twice the time as the club players.

Why? Because they are playing half as much. You and I can "see" when a tip is coming because we've been around the game for dozens of years. We see the short serve coming. We see the back set coming. They don't.

Drills That Create Chemistry

My teams do volleyball-specific warmup drills. We don't run, we don't jog, etc. at the onset of practice.

We'll spend 5 or 10 or 15 minutes on something like this. I will call out 2 teams of 6's. Then tell them instructions:

• "I will poke a ball over. It will be passed, set outside, then tipped on the third hit."
• "The other side will dig the ball, then set middle or back, then they will tip. The ball will be dug by the other side, set outside, etc."
• "This will go on until 15 balls are dug into our setters' hands. Then the 'outside' team will have to set middle or back, while the 'middle back' team will have to set outside."

More explanation: "I want these balls dug. We want these balls dug. I prefer you to not slam, throw, power tip, etc. The longer this drill goes, the less time we have to serve, serve receive, play 6's, etc."

After a few practices, my girls get very good at these types of drill, the drills are over in 10 minutes, and we stretch and go on.

This drill does WONDERS for your team. It will create "teamness," it will allow girls to practice tipping, it will force setters to back set and middle set; hitters will have to control their tips (because if the tip falls, then another ball must be poked. So every tip that falls means the drill last LONGER, and we get to actually PLAY less.)

Teaching Aggressiveness

Later when you play 6's, have a game like this. Call out two teams of 6's, then say:

• "First team to 10 points wins. You score by getting three points for a tip kill (not a bump, not a pokey, not a hit, not a roll shot), and you get 1 point for any other kill.
• No one single girl can score more than 4 points.
• Loser does x consequences, winner does (1/2)(x) consequences."

I alternate down balls. I guess you can play make it/take it, or the team who's behind gets the balls, etc. You will see some NASTY tips, and you will see girls GOING FOR the dig.

One of my coaching expressions: You can drill ANYTHING!

Laying Down the Law

TEAM RULE: We don't get beat in front of us. Never. If we get beat in front or us, then we're playing TOO far away from our teammates.

If you're not good at reading tips yet, then play a little closer. MAKE your opponents beat you behind you. That's harder for them.

It's MUCH easier to tip than to hit. Much! You know it is. And the more the opponent is successful at tipping, the more they'll tip. We must take that away from them, and make them do what's harder. Deal?

Try it, and you'll find your squad playing their best in no time.