Coaching Strategy in a 25 Point Set: Five Points, Five Factors AVCA Web Seminar Kent Miller Head Volleyball Coach University of Toledo

Five Point, Five Factors 1.Match Up: What rotation should you start in? 2.Risk vs. Reward: When to go for it and is it worth it. 3.Serving: Creating a effective strategy. 4.Is Your Offense Your Best Defense? 5.Matching Your Philosophy to Your Team.

1. Match Up: What rotation should you start in? Served Points vs. Serve Receive Points –Must score served points to win Serve Receive Points = Opponent Serve Receive Points (+/0/- one point) Serve receive points cancel out –Shorter set means fewer opportunities to score when serving Make them all count! –Served points are precious –Sideout steady, Score in streaks!

1. Match Up: What rotation should you start in? Urgency –Scoring now vs. scoring later Getting off to a good start leads to more wins What is better for your team? –Consistent serve receive Prevent opponent from scoring served points –Your offense vs. Their block and defense –Scoring served points early Stopping your opponent’s offense –Your blocking and defensive match up vs. Their offense

1. Match Up: What rotation should you start in? Know your rotations –Points +/- by rotation –Serve Receive and Points Scoring %’s Int’l Men:SR > 70%Scr > 35% Int’l Women:SR > 67%Scr > 40% NCAA Women:SR > 60%Scr > 45% –How do your score served points? Serving, blocking, transition attack?

1. Match Up: What rotation should you start in? –Personnel Where are your best players? –Best point scorers »Overall, Serve Receive, and Serving –Highest Efficiency, Kill % –Best blockers, defenders, passers vs. opponent –25 Points = Non-symmetric Rotations SR 60% ~ 15 Rotations 30 Point set ~ 18 Rotations –Some players across front row three times, others only twice

1. Match Up: What rotation should you start in? Possibilities –Best hitter Left Front Gets most opportunities –Best early serving order Get out ahead –Avoid weak serve receive rotations Don’t let them get out ahead –Best blocking and defense match up Score as fast as possible: Ace, Stuff, Trans. Attack

1. Match Up: What rotation should you start in? –Best scoring sequence Could be a combination of above –Libero/passers vs. their servers More prevalent as serving gets tougher

2. Risk vs. Reward: When to go for it and is it worth it? Served points vs. Received Points –Taking greater risks when playing for a served point Can you train your players: –To know when they are playing for a served point –To be more aggressive when they are –To be smart when they are not –To handle the emotion of a big, aggressive error or block –Risk of losing point less damaging vs. benefit of winning point. If the opponent SR % is 60%

2. Risk vs. Reward: When to go for it and is it worth it? –They are likely to win anyway –You don’t want to give them easy opportunities Errors hurt more when they are for an opponent served point. –20% More risk may equal 40-50% more scoring Get to the “Promised Land” –Total points = 25 –Aces, Kills and Blocks > ~ 17 Virtually can’t lose, even if you make a lot of errors

3. Serving: Creating an effective strategy for your team. Aces and Errors: Not the whole story –Ace/Error ratio often cited What about Ace % and Error %? –Much better indicators of performance –Olympic level may miss > 20% just to get 5-10% aces Major benefits of tough serving –Simplify opponent offense Improves your block and defense –Constant pressure Never an easy serve for opponent to pass

3. Serving: Creating an effective strategy for your team. –Increases upsets and big runs Lindsey Berg, USA vs. Italy! –Training can manage risk How does your team score it’s points? –Aces, blocks, transition offense –May vary by rotation Does your serving strategy fit your team? –How it scores points

3. Serving: Creating an effective strategy for your team. Each server to each rotation –Approach or tactics for each rotation, each servers strengths Do you vary how aggressive you are according to your opponent? –When you are much stronger, errors may not make sense –Can you train you team to serve easier sometimes, tougher other times?

3. Serving: Creating an effective strategy for your team. You can train serving –Players completely control skill –Takes time, lots of time Mix it up! –Different styles Jump Float, Jump Spin, From Deep, Tall at the Line –Different tactics Where from and where to

4. Is Your Offense Your Best Defense? Championship teams always prevent the opponent from scoring –In volleyball that is Serve Receive Offense “Steady as she goes” –Consistency is the key Avoid the opponent serving runs In system vs. Out of system –What works the most often works! Be in system as much as possible

4. Is Your Offense Your Best Defense? May mean less pass dependent serve receive offensive system Allows players to build confidence in system If you have to rely on a great pass, set and hit the opponent may never have to do much more than serve well –Lower your unforced errors Make the opponent earn their served points –Keep it simple but set well within it! Lots of “offense” is simple systems with great setting

4. Is Your Offense Your Best Defense? First Ball Kill % can still be high Avoid errors in a row Save the fancy stuff for transition –Higher chance of quality pass and set Risk of system is mitigated by likelihood of good pass and set –Difference between SR and Transition can be tough for your opponent –Up the Kill % when you can

5. Matching your philosophy to your team. System must match your players –Likely to vary year-to-year Identify what you could or should be good at. –Make sure to highlight those things Identify what you struggle at –Shore up those things as best you can –Avoid having systems rely on any weaknesses

5. Matching your philosophy to your team. What can you control? –Be realistic You may not be able to train your passers to be as accurate as you’d like –Maybe they can be very consistent at a larger target Your setter may not be able to jump set every ball –But she could be a stud from the ground –Control (train) the things you can Enough so they are confident in them High standards on easy plays

5. Matching your philosophy to your team. –Can’t “blow” opportunities »Score, Score, Score –Train the discipline to be great at the easy plays –Pressure the opponent on Free Balls and Down Balls »Don’t let them score easy