How to Create a Club Volleyball Practice Plan

In our club we are lucky to have a large number of alumni and current college players coach on our staff. Many times, Bay to Bay will be their first coaching experience. As such, one of the first discussions we have with our new coaches is how to run an effective practice. The easiest way to get more out of your practice sessions is to formulate an organized and efficient practice plan.

Often our more inexperienced coaches have entered the gym with a "let's see where this practice takes us approach". Aka, "I don't have a plan and will figure it out on the fly".

Honestly, some coaches do a fantastic job of this and are able to adjust their practice based on the mood, or needs of their players. There is definitely a time and place for this type of "off the cuff" practice, but I would argue that our athletes and coaches run more effective and enjoyable practices on the whole when they spend some time before getting to the gym formulating a general framework and areas of focus for their practices.

Here is how I start practice planning:

1. Get a notebook or create a specific note in your phone dedicated to writing down your practice plans.
2. At the top of the page, write down the date and any specific planning details that are important to know prior to practice planning (example: Timmy will be absent today, Johnny has to leave 20 minutes early, etc.)
3. Write down three to four areas of focus for the practice session. 
   • Passers keeping their platforms extended away from their bodies in serve receive
   • Out of system attacking aiming for the high deep corners (prioritize swinging and not tipping!)
   • Blockers working on picking up the setter earlier in their eye work

Break your practice session into 4-5 time blocks

1. 20 minute warmup drill 
   • Butterfly
     • Passers focusing on arms extended away from body
     • Attackers focusing on attacking the high line corner
2. 30 minute skill development
   
   • Virus Drill (Attackers vs. Defense)
     
     • Focus on blockers identifying out of system vs. in system situations
     • Attackers focus on attacking deep corners on out of system sets
   • 2 minute Water Break
3. 20 minute skill development
   • Serve + Virus Wash Drill
     • Focus on passers keeping platforms away from body
     • Give blockers live reps to work on their eye work and reading
     • Keep tempo high between the serve point and the virus point (teams can reset after those two rallies)
   • 2 minute water break
4. 30 minute competitive wash drill
   • "You the Man" (only one player on a team can score)
   • Focus on attacking against multiple blockers and finding different ways to score
   • Defenders practicing defending against a one option offense (i.e. out of system)
5. Game to 15 or 25 depending on remaining time
   • Write out lineups ahead of time so you can create even teams or create specific scenarios you want your team to focus on (players in different positions, 6-2 vs 5-1 offenses, etc.)
   • Remind players to focus on the concepts we worked on at the beginning
   • Minimal interruption from coaches. Let them play and talk at the end about what they felt and you saw.

The Benefits of Volleyball Practice Planning

• Allows you to formulate a plan of attack prior to beginning practice
• Gives you time for reflection on previous practices/tournaments and what players have struggled with
• More efficient use of time by purposefully allotting a certain amount of practice towards that skill
• Gives athletes a clear understanding of expectations and focuses for the day (note: write your practice plan down for your whole team to see, this will help get everyone on the same page)
  • This will also hold you accountable to practice planning because your athletes will come to expect to see the plan on the board

Notes on Club Volleyball Practice Planning

• If something is working well in practice, don't be afraid to go over your allotted time.
• Likewise, don't be afraid to cut something that isn't working short.
• At the end of your practice, jot down some notes on what worked well and what needs to be improved. You can use these notes in your next practice planning session to address your teams biggest needs.