How Club Volleyball Teams Train and Develop Players

# How Club Volleyball Teams Train and Develop Players

Families spend a lot of time evaluating club volleyball through tournaments.

Did the team win?

Did my athlete play?

What division did they compete in?

Where did they finish?

Those things are part of the experience.

But if you want to understand whether a club volleyball team is actually developing players, you need to look somewhere else too.

**Practice.**

Tournament weekends show you what a team can currently do.

Practice is where coaches are supposed to help athletes become capable of doing more.

Understanding how that development process works can help families recognize the difference between simply being busy in a gym and actually getting better.

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# DEVELOPMENT SHOULD HAVE A PURPOSE

A good practice shouldn't simply be a collection of drills.

There should be a reason behind what athletes are doing.

Maybe the team needs to improve:

• Serve receive
• Serving pressure
• Transition offense
• Blocking
• Defense
• Setter-hitter connections
• Out-of-system play
• Communication
• End-of-set execution

The coach should understand:

**What are we trying to teach?**

Then the practice should help athletes learn it.

Activity is not automatically development.

Sweating is not automatically development.

Touching a lot of volleyballs is helpful, but even repetitions become more valuable when athletes understand what they are trying to improve.

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# DEVELOPMENT STARTS WITH TECHNIQUE

Before athletes can consistently execute complex team systems, they need individual skills.

That includes things such as:

• Passing
• Serving
• Setting
• Attacking
• Blocking
• Defense
• Footwork
• Movement
• Ball control

Coaches may break these skills into smaller pieces.

For example, an attacker may work on:

• Approach rhythm
• Arm swing
• Jump mechanics
• Contact point
• Shot selection

A passer may work on:

• Reading the server
• Movement
• Platform angle
• Balance
• Communication

These details matter.

The goal isn't simply getting the ball over the net.

The goal is developing technique that can eventually hold up when the game becomes faster and more difficult.

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# REPETITION MATTERS

Athletes need repetitions.

A lot of them.

Understanding a skill intellectually is different from being able to perform it consistently.

A coach can explain passing perfectly.

That doesn't mean the athlete can immediately pass a difficult serve.

The athlete needs to:

**Learn it.**

**Repeat it.**

**Make mistakes.**

**Receive feedback.**

**Adjust.**

**Repeat again.**

Over time, movements become more efficient and consistent.

There are very few shortcuts around quality repetition.

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# BUT REPETITION ALONE ISN'T ENOUGH

Imagine an athlete practices passing 100 easy balls tossed directly to her.

She may become very good at passing those tosses.

Then tournament day arrives.

Now the server is:

• Hitting harder
• Serving different locations
• Changing trajectory
• Creating pressure

The athlete has to read.

Move.

Communicate.

Decide.

Adjust.

That is why training should eventually progress beyond controlled repetition.

Athletes need to learn the skill first.

Then they need to learn how to use it when volleyball becomes unpredictable.

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# TRAINING SHOULD PROGRESS

A useful way to think about development is:

LEARN THE SKILL

Understand the movement.

REPEAT THE SKILL

Build consistency.

CONNECT THE SKILL

Use it with teammates and other volleyball actions.

MAKE DECISIONS

Read what is happening and choose the correct response.

COMPETE

Perform while someone is trying to stop you.

HANDLE PRESSURE

Execute when the point actually matters.

The exact progression will look different depending on age and skill level.

But eventually, athletes have to move from **performing a skill** to **playing volleyball.**

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# POSITION TRAINING MATTERS

As athletes develop, they begin learning the responsibilities of their positions.

Setters need setter-specific work.

Middles need middle-specific work.

Liberos and defensive specialists need back-row training.

Hitters need attacking and blocking development.

Position training might include:

SETTERS Footwork, location, tempo, decision-making, attacking options, communication.

HITTERS Approach, arm swing, shot selection, transition, blocking, serve receive where appropriate.

MIDDLES Blocking movement, reading, transition, quick attacks, connection with setters.

LIBEROS AND DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS Serve receive, defense, reading attackers, movement, communication, ball control.

Athletes still need to understand the entire game.

But specialized training helps them become more capable within their specific responsibilities.

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# CONNECTIONS HAVE TO BE TRAINED TOO

Volleyball skills don't happen independently during matches.

A pass leads to a set.

A set leads to an attack.

An attack leads to transition.

A block affects the defense behind it.

A dig creates another offensive opportunity.

That means athletes eventually need to connect skills.

A hitter doesn't only need to know how to swing.

She needs to learn how to:

**Block → transition → approach → read the set → attack.**

A setter doesn't only need good hands.

She needs to:

**Defend → transition → locate the pass → make a decision → deliver the set.**

Volleyball is a game of connections.

Good training should eventually teach those connections.

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# TEAM SYSTEMS COME NEXT

Once athletes begin developing the necessary individual skills, coaches organize those skills into systems.

That may include:

• Serve-receive formations
• Defensive systems
• Blocking responsibilities
• Offensive systems
• Transition responsibilities
• Coverage
• Free-ball organization
• Out-of-system play

This is where athletes begin learning how their individual responsibility fits into what the entire team is trying to accomplish.

A player isn't simply learning:

**"Where do I stand?"**

She should eventually understand:

**"Why am I standing here, what am I responsible for, and what changes based on what the opponent does?"**

That deeper understanding builds volleyball IQ.

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# GOOD TRAINING TEACHES ATHLETES TO THINK

Coaches cannot control every rally from the sideline.

Volleyball happens too quickly.

Athletes eventually have to recognize problems and make decisions themselves.

Should I tip?

Swing?

Roll?

Set outside?

Set the middle?

Release to block?

Stay?

Move forward?

Drop deeper?

Those decisions happen in seconds.

That is why development should not only teach athletes **what to do.**

It should help them understand **when and why to do it.**

The ultimate goal is not creating athletes who constantly look toward the bench for answers.

It is developing volleyball players who can read the game.

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# COMPETITION BELONGS IN PRACTICE

Athletes need opportunities to compete before tournament day.

That might happen through:

• Small-sided games
• Wash drills
• Scoring games
• Serve-receive competition
• Position battles
• Six-on-six play
• Situational games

Competition changes the environment.

Now there is a consequence.

Someone wins.

Someone loses.

Pressure increases.

Decision-making becomes faster.

Athletes begin learning whether their skills can survive when somebody on the other side of the net is actively trying to beat them.

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# PRESSURE SHOULD BE TRAINED TOO

Imagine a team practices serving for 15 minutes.

Athletes miss serves.

Grab another ball.

Miss again.

Grab another.

Then tournament day arrives.

The score is:

**23–23.**

Now the serve feels completely different.

Why?

Because the consequence changed.

Pressure affects:

• Breathing
• Decision-making
• Confidence
• Muscle tension
• Focus

Athletes need opportunities to experience pressure during training.

A coach might create situations such as:

**Down 20–23.**

Can the team fight back?

**Ahead 23–20.**

Can the team finish?

**Down 10–14 in the deciding set.**

Can the team stay composed?

The goal isn't punishment.

The goal is preparing athletes to execute when volleyball becomes uncomfortable.

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# PRACTICE SHOULD NOT JUST CHASE LAST WEEKEND'S PROBLEMS

This happens frequently.

The team struggles passing Saturday.

Monday becomes entirely about passing.

The next weekend blocking is poor.

Now practice becomes entirely about blocking.

Then serving breaks down.

Everything shifts again.

Tournament results should absolutely provide information.

But a team also needs a longer developmental plan.

Otherwise, the entire season becomes:

**Fix whatever went wrong last Saturday.**

Development requires looking beyond the most recent result.

The coach should be asking:

**What kind of team are we trying to become by the end of the season?**

Then practices should gradually build toward that team.

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# TOURNAMENTS ARE INFORMATION

A tournament tells coaches things practice cannot.

It reveals what happens when athletes face:

• Unfamiliar opponents
• Pressure
• Fatigue
• Different serving styles
• Stronger attackers
• Difficult matchups
• Momentum swings
• Real consequences

Coaches should use that information.

Maybe the team discovers it struggles against short serves.

Maybe hitters cannot score out of system.

Maybe the team loses composure late in sets.

Maybe blockers struggle reading faster offenses.

Those observations can guide future training.

Tournament performance becomes feedback.

Not the entire curriculum.

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# DEVELOPMENT ISN'T ALWAYS LINEAR

Athletes don't simply improve every practice.

Sometimes they struggle while learning something new.

A technical change can temporarily make a skill less comfortable.

An athlete may improve dramatically and then plateau.

Another athlete may suddenly make a developmental jump.

This is normal.

Development often looks more like:

**Improve.**

**Struggle.**

**Adjust.**

**Improve again.**

Parents should be careful about evaluating progress from one practice or tournament.

Look over longer periods.

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# DIFFERENT ATHLETES MAY NEED DIFFERENT THINGS

Fair development does not always mean identical development.

One athlete may need more technical correction.

Another may need confidence.

Another may need faster decision-making.

Another may need physical development.

Another may need to improve communication.

The standards can remain high while the teaching changes.

Good coaches learn their athletes.

They identify what each player needs to take the next step.

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# THE ENTIRE ROSTER SHOULD BE DEVELOPING

A team's developmental responsibility doesn't end with the starting lineup.

Athletes with smaller competitive roles still need:

• Repetitions
• Feedback
• Correction
• Position training
• Competition
• Opportunities to improve

This is particularly important in youth volleyball.

The athlete who isn't ready today may become extremely important later in the season.

Or next season.

Development should not stop because an athlete currently sits lower on the depth chart.

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# HOW CAN PARENTS TELL IF DEVELOPMENT IS HAPPENING?

Don't evaluate only by wins.

Don't evaluate only by playing time.

And don't evaluate only by whether your athlete moved to a "higher" team.

Look for evidence.

Can your athlete:

• Perform skills more consistently?
• Explain her position better?
• Read the game more effectively?
• Make better decisions?
• Handle faster volleyball?
• Communicate more confidently?
• Execute under greater pressure?
• Identify her own mistakes?
• Make adjustments?
• Compete with greater independence?

Those are signs of development.

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# ASK YOUR ATHLETE WHAT SHE IS LEARNING

This may be one of the simplest ways to evaluate training.

Ask:

**"What are you working on in practice?"**

Then:

**"What is your coach teaching you about it?"**

As the season progresses, your athlete should increasingly be able to explain:

• What she is learning
• Why it matters
• What she struggles with
• What she is trying to improve

Athletes who understand their development can begin taking ownership of it.

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# MORE PRACTICE DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN BETTER DEVELOPMENT

A team can practice many hours without using those hours particularly well.

Another team may practice fewer hours with tremendous purpose.

Quality matters.

Look for:

• Organization
• Teaching
• Feedback
• Appropriate repetition
• Decision-making
• Competition
• Progression
• Player engagement

Don't simply ask:

**"How many hours does this club practice?"**

Ask:

"What happens during those hours?"

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# FROM THE SIDELINE

I've always believed one question should sit at the center of practice planning:

WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO TEACH?

Not:

**What drill should we run today?**

The drill is just the vehicle.

The teaching is the purpose.

If we're working on passing, what exactly are we developing?

If we're playing six-on-six, what decisions are athletes learning to make?

If we're creating pressure, what response are we trying to develop?

And most importantly:

**How does today's practice help build the team we want to have at the end of the season?**

That is development.

Not chasing every mistake.

Not collecting drills.

Building athletes and teams deliberately over time.

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# COACH MIKE DZ'S ADVICE

Parents, when evaluating a training environment, look beyond how impressive practice appears.

Ask five questions:

1. WHAT ARE THEY TEACHING?

There should be purpose behind the activity.

2. ARE ATHLETES GETTING QUALITY REPETITIONS?

Skills require repetition.

3. ARE THOSE SKILLS EVENTUALLY BEING USED IN GAME-LIKE SITUATIONS?

Training needs to transfer to competition.

4. ARE ATHLETES LEARNING TO MAKE DECISIONS?

Volleyball players eventually have to solve problems themselves.

5. IS MY ATHLETE DIFFERENT THAN SHE WAS THREE MONTHS AGO?

That may be the most important question.

Not just:

**Is she playing more?**

Ask:

**Does she know more? Can she do more? Can she handle more?**

That is development.

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# YOUR FAMILY CHALLENGE

At three points during the season, ask your athlete these questions:

WHAT SKILL ARE YOU CURRENTLY TRYING TO IMPROVE?

____________________________

WHAT IS YOUR COACH TEACHING YOU ABOUT IT?

____________________________

WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW THAT YOU COULDN'T DO EARLIER IN THE SEASON?

____________________________

WHAT IS THE NEXT PART OF YOUR GAME YOU WANT TO DEVELOP?

____________________________

Save the answers.

Ask again a few months later.

You may begin seeing progress that doesn't appear anywhere on a tournament result.

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# KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Practice is where much of player development happens.
• Every drill should have a teaching purpose.
• Technique creates the foundation for more complex volleyball.
• Quality repetition matters.
• Training should eventually progress from controlled skills into decision-making and competition.
• Position-specific training helps athletes understand their responsibilities.
• Volleyball skills must eventually be connected into team systems.
• Athletes should learn why and when to make decisions, not simply memorize movements.
• Competition and pressure belong in training.
• Tournament results should provide information without becoming the entire practice curriculum.
• Development is rarely perfectly linear.
• Different athletes may need different teaching methods.
• The entire roster deserves development.
• Families should evaluate progress beyond wins and playing time.
• More practice hours do not automatically mean better development.
• The real question is whether athletes are becoming more capable as the season progresses.

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KNOW BEFORE YOU COMMIT.

Don't just ask how often a team practices.

Ask what those practices are designed to accomplish.

**Great training shouldn't simply keep athletes busy. It should deliberately build the players and team they are capable of becoming.**