Season Preparation Checklist
Here are some things to consider as you start down the road of daily practices.
In an earlier post, I outlined a few thoughts on preseason conditioning and tryouts. In the most recent post I reviewed a plan for developing your team’s culture and how to provide continual opportunities for team bonding. This includes steps to aid your players in setting team and individual goals. With tryouts complete, what other organizational details should have been reviewed/completed as you begin daily practices?
Travel
You will need to work closely with your Athletic Director (AD) to schedule and confirm your transportation requirements. Depending on your school’s location and your team’s schedule this may be school buses, charter buses, or vans.
First Aid/Safety
You, along with your AD, must be sure that your staff is up-to-date with their first aid certifications.
Parent Meeting
It is very important to host a parent meeting after you have made final selections for the teams. This meeting should include all of the players and their parents. This meeting will provide an important opportunity for you to connect with the parents, provide schedules for all of the teams, review expectations (attendance, playing time, season overview, communication protocol, etc.) and answer any questions. I strongly recommend that you provide a clear step-by-step communication plan so that the players and parents understand how to resolve concerns.
For instance, if there is a concern regarding playing time, you would state that the first step is for the player to discuss this with their team coach. Next step would be for the player and parent to meet with the team coach. If not resolved, a final meeting would be set with the player, parent, team coach, and the program’s head coach. In addition, you would let everyone know that coaches are not available to discuss playing time concerns during or immediately after a match or at a tournament. I would emphasize that the priority at a playing site is the team and their performance.
Uniforms
Uniforms and practice gear for each team must be ready to be distributed. Ordering these items should have occurred in the winter/spring. It is important to have a versatile and flexible plan for uniforms (sizes and numbers) so that you do not have a serious issue in the fall (not enough uniforms overall or a shortage of small/ large uniforms for a team). Trying to get fill-in jerseys, etc. during the season can be very difficult if not impossible.
Stay up-to-date on your state and conference rules in regards to uniform requirements, jewelry, hair, etc. Your sport activity association should have all of this information on their website. If there is not a website available, your Athletic Director will provide you with the appropriate information. Communicate with your team on the clothing your program supplies and which items they are required to purchase (i.e. shoes).
Suggestion: Try to avoid a significant drop in quality of uniform from the Varsity to the Frosh team. If you are intending to develop a strong PROGRAM, then all teams and all players should feel that they are important. The quality of uniforms and practice gear given to each team will reflect the culture of the program.
Equipment
Minimally, 20 to 30 balls should be available for each court/team along with two ball carts. A plan should be in place to replace a portion of the balls/carts each year.
Coaching boxes (for a coach to stand on for drills or to train players in specific skills) should be available. These can be built quite easily (email volleyballwisdom@gmail.com if you need a blueprint or instructions for building such boxes).
There are a number of companies that sell a variety of volleyball aides for training. Be sure to comparison shop and check prices with your local sporting goods dealer.
Adjust the Practice Plan
Now that you have selected the teams, your staff should review the players by position and adjust the practice plans. Based on the skill levels that you saw in tryouts, it is important that your plans are designed to begin the training cycle focused on what your players need.
Position Training
Your schedule must provide time for specific position training. I suggest that all players across levels do position-specific training together. For example, the varsity, JV, and freshmen setters should do setting training together. This provides continuity in training so that everyone is trained the same way, hearing the same cues, and understanding the expectations of the position.
Position training will require more time in the preseason and then be reduced as you move through the mid to late part of the season.
Team Training
Since most programs have very limited time prior to the first contest, it is imperative that team training (6 vs 6) begin immediately. For Frosh and perhaps JV teams, this may include basic training in rotations, overlaps, and position responsibilities, along with defensive and offensive systems. The volleyball knowledge/experience of your younger players will dictate the amount of time required for this education.
Conditioning
Your staff must consider how your practices will support the players’ conditioning as you move through the season. One training philosophy promotes actual team play/drills as sufficient for proper conditioning. Others include a conditioning session in the practice plan. Based on my experiences, I developed a plan that front-loaded proper conditioning in the preseason and sustained that level of stamina throughout the season using a combination of typical drill work and short conditioning drills sprinkled throughout practice. The goal is for your team to know that they are in better shape than the opponents they will play.
Serving
You will hear a number of coaches mention that the game ultimately comes down to serving and passing. A realistic goal is for your players to show continued improvement in their serving as you move through the season. How would you measure that growth?
One foundational piece of my serving philosophy is that the ability to hit targets/zones is more important that just hitting the ball hard. Players must be able to execute a serving plan by attacking the weaknesses of the opponent. Constant pressure must be applied to keep your opponent out of system.
To achieve this, make sure that serving is given an appropriate amount of time in practice each day. This would include drills that focus on target serving, serving with varying speeds, and serving in game-like situations (during team drills with pressure). Again, emphasize the ability to attack a target with an appropriate speed versus just blasting a serve hoping for an ace.
Conclusion
Next blog post - Let’s jump into practice planning, practice evaluation, and preparing for your first match.