AAU Volleyball Skill Progressions Series

with Kevin Hambly,
Stanford University Head Coach;
2019 NCAA Champions;
2018 NCAA National Champions;
2017 Final Four;
2018 Pac-12 Volleyball Coach of the Year, 2018 AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year;
former University of Illinois Head Coach;
2011 NCAA Runners-up; 5x Sweet Sixteen appearances;
2011 Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year

Are you looking for a simple method to break down the art of setting to teach your setter? This is the video you will want to pick up.

In this volume of Kevin Hambly's coach-, player-, and parent-friendly series, he teaches how the key components of being a successful setter can be taught, learned and practiced. Coach Hambly has an experienced college setter demonstrate balanced, efficient posture and movements then walks a less experienced player through how to execute the same "Go Posture" and technique.

Some of the essentials for successful setting at any level include:

• Beginning in a balanced, neutral "Go Posture"
• Facing the action of the ball before making the set
• Using whole hands to contact the ball (not just fingers)
• Using body torque to generate setting power
• Finishing palms (not fingers) to the target

This video covers every aspect of setting technique from how to fundamentally prepare for the ball, move to the ball, and contact the ball to how to handle more difficult, out-of-system, realistic match play situations such as:

• Back setting
• Pass setting
• Tempo Setting
• High Ball Setting
• Setting out of the bottom of the net
• Setting out from the top of the net

Your setter touches nearly one out of every ball on your side, wouldn't you want those to be good touches? Coach Hambly's instruction makes it easy for your setter to check themselves on each component. Hambly teaches your setter to set at a college caliber level, no matter what their age.

75 minutes. 2013.

with Kevin Hambly,
Stanford University Head Coach;
2019 NCAA Champions;
2018 NCAA National Champions;
2017 Final Four;
2018 Pac-12 Volleyball Coach of the Year, 2018 AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year;
former University of Illinois Head Coach;
2011 NCAA Runners-up; 5x Sweet Sixteen appearances;
2011 Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year

Kevin Hambly presents his method of teaching beginning athletes the fundamentals of a powerful attack. He breaks the attack down into a natural progression of skills, which gives coaches of any level, as well as parents or fellow athletes, the steps they need to develop solid hitting skills.

Coach Hambly covers the skill of hitting with focus on the arm-swing, approach, and vertical jump. He uses some of his college players to demonstrate his detailed progressions for teaching hitting, and then he teaches younger players to execute the same safe, aggressive hitting movements. Listening to Hambly's teaching points as he corrects the young athletes will help you know how to help your aspiring volleyball players.

In teaching an effective attack from start to finish or movement, Hambly walks his players through a progression of movements in which each step builds on the previously learned technique. His progression involves putting the following steps together:

• Throwing
• Attacking from the ground
• Working vertical movement
• Approaching to attack

His drill progressions show great insight into the bio-mechanics of the swing and how to train players to perfect the motions. See how he uses tennis balls to help players get the hang of the swing mechanics without having to worry about the timing of hitting a ball. The use of the throwing technique and tennis balls in Hambly's drills really help athletes get the feel for the motion of the swing. He shows some great drills that can be used to work on all of the keys to hitting and goes into great depth on how to toss and when to toss for each drill.

After arm swing is covered, athletes begin to work on their approach, taking their horizontal movement and turning it into vertical. You will learn why the last two steps are so important in transferring movement to vertical. Hambly focuses on slow to fast efficient movement, removing any unnecessary motion. The video finishes with the slide approach which Hambly explains is a great skill for more experienced players.

As he takes both levels of athletes through the progressions, one skill is focused on at a time. This singular focus really allows the athletes to fine tune one skill before moving on. Even after moving to the next layer, Hambly only stresses the current skill being taught. Revisiting these skills over and over will develop the consistency a high level athlete needs.

At several points in the video Hambly stops to give advice to parents or athletes who want to train without access to a volleyball court. This allows for driven athletes to get more training time in even when they can't get to a court. Additionally, his teaching is easy to understand, with terminology that anyone can understand. Finally advice on how to toss a volleyball for a hitter!

Whether you're a coach, player or parent of a player, this video will be a useful tool in teaching and learning how to become an aggressive attacker while maintaining safe movement to prevent injury. Any coach, player or parent will feel very confident in their hitting training after watching this very detailed video.

78 minutes. 2013.

with Kevin Hambly,
Stanford University Head Coach;
2019 NCAA Champions;
2018 NCAA National Champions;
2017 Final Four;
2018 Pac-12 Volleyball Coach of the Year, 2018 AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year;
former University of Illinois Head Coach;
2011 NCAA Runners-up; 5x Sweet Sixteen appearances;
2011 Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year

Kevin Hambly has created a coach-, player-, and parent-friendly series that demonstrates efficient movement and controlled passing, and the methods to teach them. Coach Hambly has experienced college athletes demonstrate balanced, efficient posture and movement then teaches younger, less experienced players how to execute the same "Go Posture" and movements.

Hambly takes the time to carefully explain, demonstrate and teach how to successfully move and execute controlled passes. He emphasizes these key points to both experienced and inexperienced players:

• Begin in balanced, neutral "Go Posture" - Good posture makes it much easier to move to pass when starting with good posture
• Initiate movement in any direction with body's center - This will help create a consistent passing platform
• Face the line of the serve to pass from body's center - This gives the passer proper platform contact minimizing potential for passing errors
• Act on the ball by initiating contact and finishing - The player acts on and controls the ball opposed to being acted on and controlled by the ball (or opponent)

After laying a solid foundation or balanced movement and controlled passing, Hambly spends time with overhead passing for those advanced players ready to tackle the increased challenge.

With each key, he takes the athletes through progressions that quickly get them passing with good form and accuracy. Each key is taught with singular focus. Hambly believes the athletes learn better by focusing on only one thing at a time. This singular focus allows for a more thorough understanding of each key. Points that are not mastered can be revisited at another time rather than making multiple corrections at one time. Developing movement patterns is extremely important so athletes don't have to think about technique when the ball is in play. Athletes will need a great many repetitions of these skills before they will become masters of their craft.

As with the other videos in this series, Coach Hambly gives parent and players advice on how to train outside of the volleyball court, as well as tips for initiating the ball so that drill work can be as efficient and effective as possible. Hambly's easy, conversational style makes this video a benefit for coaches and athletes of all skill levels. Simple keywords and phrases for each key are valuable for the beginning coach or a parent helping their athlete improve.

Have you ever watched a team that passed nearly every serve to target, nearly every hit to make it playable, and thought, "I wish my team passed like that". This video will train you and your players to do exactly that and frustrate all other teams you play.

115 minutes. 2013.

with Kevin Hambly,
Stanford University Head Coach;
2019 NCAA Champions;
2018 NCAA National Champions;
2017 Final Four;
2018 Pac-12 Volleyball Coach of the Year, 2018 AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year;
former University of Illinois Head Coach;
2011 NCAA Runners-up; 5x Sweet Sixteen appearances;
2011 Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year

Everyone knows "how to serve", but do they know how to serve correctly? Kevin Hambly has created a coach-, player-, and parent-friendly series to show how successful serving can be taught, learned and practiced efficiently.

As he moves from skill to skill, Coach Hambly has his experienced players show how it is done and then he brings in younger players who are being taught the skills for the first time. He actually teaches these young players on the spot and then shows how to correct some parts of the movements with them until they are doing everything correctly. Time and again Coach Hambly emphasizes that coaches teaching skills should allow for singular focus during drills and players wanting to achieve advanced skill levels must put in the time to get the high number of reps to reach their goal.

Acknowledging that his athletes are at different levels and have different strengths, Hambly lays basic serving foundation then progresses players through a variety of advanced serves based on their own strengths and skill levels including:

• Standing Float
• Jump Float
• Jump Slide Float
• Jump Top Spin

Hambly emphasizes the same key points to all players regardless of skill level:

• Start slow - finish fast
• Use bow and arrow form
• Finish to target
• Make good hand contact
• Drive through

After teaching sound serving technique, players go through various drills to work strategic serving be hitting target zones, moving passers side-to-side, and moving passers short and deep. Having the ability to make passers move into each other and towards sidelines can increase the potential for serve receive errors or force your opponent into out-of-system situations. Coach Hambly wraps up by reiterating that players wanting to become skilled servers have to put the time in to achieve their goal.

Whether you're a coach, player or even parent of a player, this video will prove helpful in achieving serving goals!

46 minutes. 2013.

with Kevin Hambly,
Stanford University Head Coach;
2019 NCAA Champions;
2018 NCAA National Champions;
2017 Final Four;
2018 Pac-12 Volleyball Coach of the Year, 2018 AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year;
former University of Illinois Head Coach;
2011 NCAA Runners-up; 5x Sweet Sixteen appearances;
2011 Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year

In this edition of the AAU Volleyball Skills Series, Kevin Hambly teaches coaches, athletes, and parents how they can improve individual defensive skills. In an easy to understand style, Coach Hambly takes both college athletes and young players through a series of drill progressions that will improve the defense of any level player. Listen in as he corrects technique in each drill; you will learn what to watch for as you teach and train your athletes.

In the first section of the video, Hambly introduces the "go posture," a ready position that takes the pressure off the back and allows athletes to move quickly and effectively to any ball. He begins every drill with catching the ball instead of passing; if you can't catch it, you can't dig it! As athletes become adept at the movement, they begin to dig the ball. The key to effective training is to progress from easy to hard.

The beginning drills have the athletes working stationary, but they are quickly moving to the ball in the next level. When movement is entered in, you will learn to teach your athletes to get their center to the ball, initiate contact and then finish the dig to get the ball high and create a swing.

Each progression cycles back and reinforces elements from the previous drill before adding more complex skills. Coach Hambly also shares ways less experienced coaches or parents can enter the ball in drill so that athletes still get maximum value out of their training time. Accuracy in the toss or hit helps athletes to be successful.

In the final segment, more advanced individual defensive techniques are covered. From extension moves to overhead digging, this section will help prepare experienced athletes for higher levels of play.

Create a defense that is relentless and gives your team the best opportunity of scoring. A tough defense will beat a good offense nearly all the time, so wouldn't you want the best chance to go undefeated?

83 minutes. 2013.

with Kevin Hambly,
Stanford University Head Coach;
2019 NCAA Champions;
2018 NCAA National Champions;
2017 Final Four;
2018 Pac-12 Volleyball Coach of the Year, 2018 AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year;
former University of Illinois Head Coach;
2011 NCAA Runners-up; 5x Sweet Sixteen appearances;
2011 Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year

This is the ultimate tool for any coach looking to train a player to be a libero. Kevin Hambly has created the perfect video to teach the role and skills of the libero to coaches, parents and athletes. Coach Hambly breaks down the role of the libero, explaining the importance of footwork, using your center of gravity, making a correct platform, moving around the court and keeping your distance from the net.

He starts by explaining the "go posture" and the importance of the athlete starting in this stance. He progresses them into moving side to side, catching the ball and then bumping it. He shows a proper platform and then shows how to correct the younger players. He moves on to the skills of digging, overhand digging, passing and setting. Hambly provides various tips for liberos and goes through several advanced but critical skills:

• Double Down Dig
• Shin Dig
• Overhand Dig
• Set

Coach Hambly talks about coverage, the role of the libero on a team, and how to identify the best player for the libero position. He covers every aspect of being a libero in easy to understand segments that are easy to understand and master.

As he moves from skill to skill, Coach Hambly has his experienced players show how it is done and then he brings in younger players who are being taught the skills for the first time. He actually teaches these young players on the spot and then shows how to correct some parts of the movements with them until they are doing everything correctly. Time and again Coach Hambly emphasizes that coaches teaching skills should allow for singular focus during drills and players wanting to achieve advanced skill levels must put in the time to get the high number of reps to reach their goal.

This video will help you identify a player in your system who would best fit the libero role and it gives you all the skills to train her/him properly.

75 minutes. 2013.

with Kevin Hambly,
Stanford University Head Coach;
2019 NCAA Champions;
2018 NCAA National Champions;
2017 Final Four;
2018 Pac-12 Volleyball Coach of the Year, 2018 AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year;
former University of Illinois Head Coach;
2011 NCAA Runners-up; 5x Sweet Sixteen appearances;
2011 Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year

2011 Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year Kevin Hambly provides step-by-step instruction for teaching and practicing effective blocking. This instruction is geared to the athlete, coach and parent

Give your blocker a chance to score off of every hit, even if you have shorter blockers!

Coach Hambly breaks it down into its most simple components; footwork, arm work, and eye work. His ability to break down each aspects into smaller parts allows a coach at any level teach and learn what to watch for on blockers to be more successful. He goes through each key of blocking by using the older players to demonstrate, and uses younger players to actually show how he teaches the skill.

In this video, Coach Hambly demonstrates various hand positions and arm movements and when to teach and use each. Arm movement may need to vary based on player strength and skill level, and hand position can vary based on attack angle to put up the most effective block possible. Hambly also emphasizes the importance of involving the body's core for solid blocking movements.

Once the foundation has been laid with good posture, hand position, arm movement and core involvement, Hambly progresses players through various footwork patterns. Developing strong skills in different footwork sequences provides players with the tools to get on the attacker efficiently regardless of their location along the net.

Once they have base movements and footwork mastered, Hambly has players progress through drills to work various other aspects of blocking such as:

• Soft block
• Eye sequence
• Independent arms

The skills demonstrated in this video will help coaches, players and even parents of players in teaching and learning how to become an effective blocker regardless of skill level or size. Add this one to your library today!

84 minutes. 2013.