passing and conditioning

Question
Coach,

How do you teach the foot positioning for passing? I have read on the internet that you should always have your right foot forward and hips to the target.

Also, can you suggest some conditioning excersises for defensive specialists.

Thank you for your time and effort.

Chuck Zimmerman
Norton High school
Norton, Ks

Answer
I've always taught that no matter which foot is forward, you need to square your shoulders to the net and make sure the feet are shoulder-width apart and the player is up on the balls of their feet.  This allows for the most stable platform.  Generally, however, I teach that the "outside" foot is forward.  Whichever foot is closest to the sideline is forward, and the inside foot is back.  This allows for a natural position for passing to the front center of the court.  

As for conditioning, check out this great article:  http://volleyball.about.com/cs/coachhouser/a/coach2coach.htm

Written by Coach Houser for my site, it is a coach-to-coach discussion on developing great passers.

Scott