with Craig Skinner,
University of Kentucky Head Coach;
2017 SEC Co-Coach of the Year - 2x SEC Coach of the Year;
2011 AVCA All-South Region Coach of the Year;
2006 USA Junior National Team Head Coach (won Gold Medal in the Under-20 NORCECA Championships);
former Nebraska Assistant Coach (won the 2000 NCAA Championship)
Setters have become an integral part of any program regardless of the type of offense that a team might run. A setter's leadership, demeanor, and command of their peers' respect are all key factors in molding a dominant volleyball team.
In this video, University of Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner shares his methods to training a top-tier setter. He covers fundamental hand and body positioning and gives you drills that use props, such as boxes, to emphasize angles to better shape, window, and freeze. Skinner's drills will help your setters get their teammates to trust where the ball will be set while also promoting leadership skills and confidence.
Working the Hands
Hands are the key to setting technique. Coach Skinner shows how to use a physio ball to create some stabilization to isolate hand placement, movement and finish. This will improve the angle and timing of your setters' balls!
Once players have become comfortable with the correct hand technique, Skinner progresses to drills featuring a coach on a box. Receiving balls from a box and pass will allow athletes to continue working their hands while also introducing a footwork/base element.
Improving Footwork
Coach Skinner's footwork movements cover:
- Starting in loaded position
- Getting a rhythm to step hop
- Step hopping forward, backward, diagonal toward the net, and back
To close the video, Skinner has a brief Q & A with high school coaches, adding insight and detail to the drills presented.
This video will help you create an aggressive setter by teaching how to dump, read blocks, set a low-passed ball, and take the ball out of the net. Learn how to take your setters to the next level today!
55 minutes. 2018.
VD-05397B:
with Craig Skinner,
University of Kentucky Head Coach;
2017 SEC Co-Coach of the Year - 2x SEC Coach of the Year;
2011 AVCA All-South Region Coach of the Year;
2006 USA Junior National Team Head Coach (won Gold Medal in the Under-20 NORCECA Championships);
former Nebraska Assistant Coach (won the 2000 NCAA Championship)
Craig Skinner shares his concept of time management and why the critical first 10 minutes of a practice help set the tone for the rest of the session. He shows how you can warm-up your players with a variety of over-the-net pepper drills that emphasize keeping players engaged.
Skinner believes in having a base of five core drills that can be used over the course of a week to promote improving a chosen skill. By incorporating the drills shown in this video, you'll find a way to break up any monotony that your players are getting sick of in practice.
Practice Drills
Warm-up drills should provide your team time to learn fundamentals while maintaining a competitive culture. Some of Coach Skinner's drills include:
- Columbus Drill - A co-op drill that incorporates thinking and control.
- Cover Drill - The defense goes into their coverage and then into transition, promoting offensive coverage.
- Many fundamental transition footwork and passing drills.
Skinner concludes the video with his philosophy of why progressing as a team is more important than trying to be perfect.
Coach Skinner displays many drills in this video that are functional for the beginning of your practices. There are also many ways you can adjust them according to your team's level of play or to make them applicable toward the focal point of a practice. These exercises will promote playing with energy, get your players' minds in the right place for the rest of practice, and incorporate a focus on fundamentals.
55 minutes. 2018.