Discussion - Part 2

Articles In This Section:

· Teaching Techniques

· Class Organization

· Individual Fundamentals and Drills - Part 1

· Individual Fundamentals and Drills - Part 2

· Individual Fundamentals and Drills - Part 3

· Individual Fundamentals and Drills - Part 4

· Individual Fundamentals and Drills - Part 5

· Individual Fundamentals and Drills - Part 6

· Advanced Drills - Part 1

· Advanced Drills - Part 2

· Advanced Drills - Part 3

· Discussion - Part 1

· Discussion - Part 2

· Volleyball Tests - Part 1

· Volleyball Tests - Part 2

· Conclusion

The remainder of the class lessons is spent primarily on team play. After team fundamentals have been practiced, the writer suggests using two periods for a round robin of short ten-minute practice games with the students also being exposed to the job of officiating. By noting the scores, a comparison of the teams can be made. If considerable differences exist, a change of one or two key players is usually enough to bring the teams to the same approximate level. When this phase has been completed, the teams follow a full round-robin schedule, playing one match per day. During these periods the instructor has an opportunity to obtain a subjective rating of each student's playing and officiating ability. The instructor should note the mistakes being made by individuals or teams as a whole and correct them at the end of the period.

Since the class time is usually limited, the games may be played to eleven instead of fifteen points. In this way more games are completed and a better comparison of the teams can be obtained. The wins and losses should be recorded and posted daily. One of the most common early mistakes observed in team play is overanxiousness to get the ball over the net. In many cases the play becomes similar to a ping-pong game with only one hit being used by each team. This can be easily discouraged by making an addition to the rules as follows. If a player returns the ball over the net on the first pass, his team loses the volley as if they had hit it out of bounds. Exceptions would be made when blocking the ball at the net, digging a hard-driven spike, and spiking an opponent's return near the net. This rule forces the players to think in terms of directing the first pass to the setter.

Some additional suggestions to improve the course should be mentioned. Oftentimes the nets are not sufficiently taut to allow the players to retrieve the ball out of them. This can be overcome by taping a 3-foot broom handle or hockey stick to the ends of the net. This spreads the net out evenly, and these end pieces can then be fastened tightly to the standards with heavy string or rope. To further improve the net, a piece of clothesline rope should be taped along the bottom of the net. This helps the net flip the ball back into play rather than allowing it to fall to the floor.

Another feature that makes the game move more smoothly is the use of scoreboards. These can be made from a 2-foot by 4-foot board by painting two clock surfaces numbered from zero to fifteen on them. A hand or dial on each clock is attached with a small spring which keeps the hand from slipping. The board can be placed just off the court and the player nearest the board can move the dial as points are scored. Thus, the players know the score at all tunes, and the usual confusion concerning the score is eliminated.