Drill Design
How should drills be designed to provide the maximum benefit?
Basic Drill Design Theory
As you search through Volleyball Wisdom, you will find the majority of drills in the Nuggets of Wisdom have a suggested drill design. Before implementing the drill, be sure to consider your team, their ability level, and your available equipment/space. Each of these factors may negatively impact the drill as suggested if your situation is different from what you see in the video.
If you see differences, make adjustments as to how the drill flows. Examples:
If you have a significantly different number of players, decide how to adjust the groups so that you maximize reps and feedback.
If your team is at a different skill level - how will you adjust the drill to compensate for this difference? Change the initiation (harder or easier), change the speed, change the scoring system, etc. There are many ways to alter a drill to make it more productive.
What if you do not have 40 volleyballs or 4 ball carts? Be aware of the equipment being used. How can you adapt what you have to make the drill work?
If you try the drill as it is designed, have a critical eye with regard to how well it worked and whether the players learned what was expected. Make notes on your practice plan about what adjustments to make the next time you use the drill.
Game-Like Drills
Comparing game-like drills to nongame-like drills has been a topic of discussion for a long time. Some groups insist that every drill must be game-like and consider any other type of drill to be ineffective. Others use a number of nongame-like drills to teach specific skills.
Personally, over my career, I have had success using a wide range of drill types. I understand the philosophy behind the game-like approach. However, there are a number of factors that influence how I use a drill. In guiding other coaches, I suggest they follow the design theory considerations listed above and implement drills that meet the needs of the players.
This may mean a progressive drill which starts with an easier goal and then gets more difficult as the players work through it. If you implement an individual drill, is it game-like? For instance, some use pepper as a warm-up drill or to get passing reps. However, passing back and forth has no carry over to a match. Triangle passing provides footwork and angles which are similar to match performance. Triangle passing with an initiated toss over the net is a step better.
During a typical season, I will use more progressive and skill focused drills in the preaseason along with a number of scoring based game-like drills. Then as my team goes from mid-season into the playoffs, I will primarily use fast pace, game-like drills to help the team peak for the end of the season.
Feedback
A key factor impacting practice is the quantity and quality of feedback. You must train your staff to provide constant feedback throughout a drill. Emphasize that, whether they are initiating the drill or on the side, there must be feedback on every touch.
Proper error detection/error correction is the key to improvement. Keep in mind that “proper” means correctly recognizing what is the primary error.
Work with your staff to improve their recognition and, most importantly, given the error, the knowledge to correct the actual cause of this error. Example: Serve receive drill - passer passes the ball to the 10’ line. Generic feedback (which is not helpful): “pass the ball to the net”. Proper feedback: Assess what the passer is doing incorrectly (footwork to ball, body position, platform angle, etc.) and provide that correction.
Positive vs Negative Feedback - Learning theory supports that positive feedback (what you want them to do) is far more effective than giving negative feedback (describing what not to do). Passing drill example: “don’t swing your arms” is negative, while “hold your platform steady” is positive.
One, Some or All? When you give feedback, be aware of its relevance to the whole team. If what you intend to say should be heard by all, stop the drill and call everyone in to a huddle (I find when feedback is yelled out to a group spread all over a court, its effectiveness is minimal.) If the feedback is for one or some, pull them aside and allow the drill to continue. Never stop a drill and make the majority of the team stand by while you feedback one or two players.
Pace
The pacing of practice should accomplish these goals:
The pace should demand that all players are moving at a fast pace (whether in the drill, shagging, etc.). There should be a significant level of demands placed on them so that they must stay focused. This should mimic the focus required in a stressful match. If players are standing or walking around, re-design the drill. Note: If the players in the drill were pushed and need to recover, that should be a planned aspect of the drill.
Pacing should help build stamina. The entire practice should keep players moving so that they have gained/maintained stamina. The only time players get a short break will be during the water breaks. Make sure you provide these and keep your team properly hydrated.
Within a drill, pacing should demand game-like performance and focus. If a drill is too fast it may cause technique issues which can carryover into a match. Too slow may give the impression that a skill is mastered. Then, you are surprised that the player breaks down in a match when the pace is faster and the pressure is on to execute.
Next time
In the next blog post I will consider preparing your team for the playoffs.