Scientists have argued that individuals need to practice a skill in the right way for at least 10 000 hours before they can perfect it. Long and repetitive drills are often what makes good players great. However, they often cause burnout among athletes and performers. A prime example is the former tennis superstar Andre Agassi. In his autobiography, the American reveals that the repetitive training and preparation he had to put up with during his adolescence paved his way to greatness but also made him despise the sport he became obsessively addicted to.
Some of you may play volleyball with a desire to become professionals, others may do it because you enjoy winning. Third are on the court to meet new people, to get fit and active or to reduce their stress and anxiety. But the common thing in all cases is that through playing volleyball people seek to have fun. And very often, the fun lies in discovery, when people come across something new or have the autonomy to explore new things. And yet, most volleyball players at any level persist in doing repetitive drills or playing the game in its standard 6v6 form. So, why don’t you experiment more often? Why do you stick to playing 6v6 volleyball when you can use your imagination and invent new ways to play the game?
Volleyball, and sport in general, has the unique capacity to be fun and engaging in any of its rules and forms, as long as the game objectives are clear and achievable by all players. More importantly, by thinking outside the box, players can acquire a new skill or address a weakness without having to go over repetitive non-game-based drills.
Thus, we at Volleycountry are offering you 10 ideas to use the volleyball court in a more creative way and diversify your sessions. Some of them are perfect for kids, some are great for introducing volleyball to adult beginners, while others can be a good supplementary tool for the objectives of your elite squad:
1) The ‘Back Court – Front Court’ Game
The first game is great for gaining court awareness and learning the court markings. It can be played by as many as 20 people, but you need at least 3 players per team. The court is divided into four zones two back court zones (coloured in light blue) and two front court zones (coloured in light yellow). Each team has one blue zone and one yellow zone. Players can only stay within their own mini-zone or chase balls flying outside the boundaries of the court. They cannot set foot (or any other part of the body) within the other zone in their half (front court if they are in back court; or back court if they are in front court). However, every time they touch the ball, players have to change zones (i.e. move from front court to back court or vice versa) during the rally itself. You can start the game with equal amounts of players in each mini-zone. Players remain in their zones after the point finishes. In that case, there might be a situation in which there are no players covering a zone which is the ideal objective of the opposing team and the worst-case scenario for your team. The purpose of this game is, above all, to teach players how to use their cognitive skills: looking for gaps in the opponent’s court, and thinking about their future court positioning while playing the ball.
2) Two-Ball Volleyball
Two-Ball Volleyball can be confusing and chaotic but, if done properly, it is one of the most exciting and engaging activities you will ever play. The coach (or an extra player) throws two ‘free’ balls towards both sides of the court and the players divided into two teams start playing against each other under normal volleyball rules. However, every time a ball drops ‘dead’ players need to throw it back in play. If both balls are dropped dead at the same time and both are scored by one of the teams, this team wins a point. If not, the rally continues. The rallies may last as long as two minutes which makes the game vigorous and exhausting. It can be played by as many people as possible. If they are too many and can’t fit inside the court, you can use a wider area (for example, the basketball court markings). This game is especially attractive for people who are new to volleyball as it keeps them alert (two balls are greater stimulators than one ball is!) and engaged (they get involved in more touches per minute than if playing normal volleyball).
3) King of the Court Challenge
We have all played King of the Court and, although it can involve a lot of people at once, coaches are sometimes finding it difficult to motivate their players to do their best. This might be due to the fact that players are not given a long-term objective and only focus on winning the next point. Thus, you can alter the King of the Court and make it extremely competitive. One way of doing it is to let one team (of 3, 4, 5 or 6 people) cover one half of the court and be challenged for a certain amount of time (5-10 minutes) from all the other teams. The team in red (see picture) is challenged by all the other teams which take turns serving against them. The reds stay in their place for 5-10 minutes while the greens (and subsequently, all the other teams) join the back of the queue after the point finishes. Then the next team serves on the reds. When the reds’ time expires, they join the back of the queue and their place is taken by another team (e.g. the greens). A team can win points only when it is in the ‘challenge’ zone. At the end, the team with the most points wins the game. This game is not only entertaining but also applicable to 6v6 rotational volleyball. One example is when a server makes an error and thus gives a free point to the opposition, which is the same as in normal volleyball.
TO BE CONTINUED…
