St. James Academy (KS) Head Coach;
2015 AVCA National High School Coach of the Year;
2015 Kansas Class 5A state champions;
nine state titles in eleven years 2008-18 (finished runner up twice);
2x PrepVolleyball.com National Champions (2013, 2010);
VBM 2013 High School Team of the Year; American Family Insurance 2013 All-USA Volleyball Coach of the Year;
won 56 straight matches from 2012-13; lost only one set in 2013 (finishing 96-1); over 420 career wins
In 2006, when St. James Academy opened in Lenexa (KS) Nancy Dorsey became the head coach at a brand new school with only a freshman class. In just eleven varsity seasons Coach Dorsey's teams have won nine Kansas High School State Championships and finished second twice. Dorsey's teams have also received national recognition being crowned the PrepVolleyball.com National Champs in the 2010 and 2013 seasons. In 2013, Dorsey's team remained unbeaten, going 46-0, dropping only one single set the entire season. The Thunder also finished 4th in the nation (PrepVolleyball.com) in the 2008 and 2011 seasons as well as a 3rd place National finish in 2015. In 2013 Dorsey was named the American Family Insurance All-USA Coach of the Year. This season Dorsey was selected as the AVCA National Coach of the Year. Her overall record at St. James Academy is 421-30.
Having great pin hitters is crucial to a team's success. One of the most successful high school coaches in the country, Nancy Dorsey, presents an in-depth tutorial training left and right side hitters - mentally and physically.
Each drill in this video stresses the need for hitters to "play defense first" before transitioning to offense. Most of the drills are run at a fast tempo, which provides great endurance training for players. Your athletes will also learn fundamentals and multiple skills thanks to the game-like nature of Coach Dorsey's drills.
Basic Footwork
Coach Dorsey start outs with some basic footwork moves that have outside hitters moving from block to transition from multiple points on the net. The approach is added to the mix, as players run fast-paced drills that incorporate all skills and also work on endurance. Coach Dorsey stresses the "defense first" mentality and has athletes push the block before finishing the transition strong.
Attacking
Once basic skills are learned, it's time to cover a variety of shots that players can use on the outside. Coach Dorsey reviews which shots are most effective depending on the defense you'll face, as well as how to execute each shot. Attacking from the serve receive position is also covered to make your outside hitters available to attack at all times.
Attacking Drills
Coach Dorsey shares some of her favorite drills that train pin hitters to attack using all of their shots while transitioning out of block, defense and serve receive. These drills will challenge your hitters and put pressure on them to score. Coach Dorsey's exercises also are great for conditioning, as they put hitters through numerous repetitions to help train muscle memory. Here are a few of the drills that you will learn:
- Blind Hawk Block - A coach tosses the ball over the blocker's head to the opposing hitter, who immediately attacks the ball. This forces the blocker to stay in the read position and not float to a position that would make it hard to block. A great way to get blockers to learn to look at the hitter!
- Hitter Heck Drill - This drill is great for conditioning, competition and practicing the fundamentals of hitting. You can run it from either the right or left side of the net and get all your pin hitters involved. It puts a player against a full defense on the other side of the net, which gives the hitter great experience hitting into the defense while including the entire team so you don't have kids standing around the gym. With multiple variations, you can increase the levels of competition and conditioning to fit the needs of your team.
- Nine Player Pepper - While defensive players stay in static positions, the setter and pin hitters have to continually rotate from side to side every time the ball crosses the net. This not only affords great conditioning to the front row players, but also has the pin hitters switching between outside and right side with each move. This gives them both offensive and defensive training during the drill.
Throughout the video Coach Dorsey provides suggestions for modifying the drills for younger players and gives progressions that can be used to challenge more experienced players.
Coach Dorsey gives you specific drills that you will be able to immediately add to your practice planning. Your team will have elite outside hitters in no time!
54 minutes. 2016.
VD-04950B: with Nancy Dorsey,
St. James Academy (KS) Head Coach;
2015 AVCA National High School Coach of the Year;
2015 Kansas Class 5A state champions;
nine state titles in eleven years 2008-18 (finished runner up twice);
2x PrepVolleyball.com National Champions (2013, 2010);
VBM 2013 High School Team of the Year; American Family Insurance 2013 All-USA Volleyball Coach of the Year;
won 56 straight matches from 2012-13; lost only one set in 2013 (finishing 96-1); over 420 career wins
In 2006, when St. James Academy opened in Lenexa (KS) Nancy Dorsey became the head coach at a brand new school with only a freshman class. In just eleven varsity seasons Coach Dorsey's teams have won nine Kansas High School State Championships and finished second twice. Dorsey's teams have also received national recognition being crowned the PrepVolleyball.com National Champs in the 2010 and 2013 seasons. In 2013, Dorsey's team remained unbeaten, going 46-0, dropping only one single set the entire season. The Thunder also finished 4th in the nation (PrepVolleyball.com) in the 2008 and 2011 seasons as well as a 3rd place National finish in 2015. In 2013 Dorsey was named the American Family Insurance All-USA Coach of the Year. This season Dorsey was selected as the AVCA National Coach of the Year. Her overall record at St. James Academy is 421-30.
Setters are notorious for leaving early on defense. This video from Nancy Dorsey will show you how to train your setters to focus on defense first before moving to set the ball.
Coach Dorsey builds on her theme of "training the whole player" by working on blocking, defense and attacking for setters. Through a series of progressive drills, she covers setter fundamentals from hand shape to footwork and explains every concept in great detail so setters can have a better understanding of the position.
Setting Fundamentals
You will start out with some basic fundamentals used to train beginning setters and provide a good refresher to seasoned setters. Coach Dorsey covers hand placement, body position, finishing and footwork.
Setting Technique Progression
Coach Dorsey progresses through a variety of drills that has setters working in pairs, to setting with a full team in a live attack. She begins with proper shape of the hands and arms to take the ball properly.
Next, you will learn the footwork necessary to be a great setter. Coach Dorsey's drills work on the feet, hips and overall footwork to improve control, balance and strength. She puts it all together in a drill called Set to a Box, where your setters will work on muscle memory and accuracy while setting to a target. This drill includes a number of progressions that put the setters in different situations while working on setting good hittable balls.
The next segment includes drills that work on peripheral vision. In these drills, your setters will learn to read the middle blocker and make a decision on which hitter is the best option to set to. Setters get to work on their vision and decision making in a controlled atmosphere.
Game-Like Setting Drills
Coach Dorsey demonstrates drills that help setters train everything they need to do in a game. This section covers blocking, attacking and playing defense.
In the blocking drills, Coach Dorsey explains why setters need to block first before they can think about moving to set. She then moves on to developing the whole athlete by showing how to train setters to attack. This is especially important for coaches that run 5-1 offenses, as setters need to be a threat to keep the defense honest.
The last section is a series of drills that develop all requirements of the setter. These drills are fast-paced and great for conditioning. Coach Dorsey shows a drill called the Bad Pass Series, which helps setters learn to over-exaggerate tap-tap footwork while simplifying the motions. It's a great footwork drill that trains setters to move to bad passes and still make a good set.
This video is full of drills you can immediately add to your practice plans. Coach Dorsey's emphasis on developing setters to become complete players is perfect for coaches of all levels.
47 minutes. 2016.
VD-04950C: with Nancy Dorsey,
St. James Academy (KS) Head Coach;
2015 AVCA National High School Coach of the Year;
2015 Kansas Class 5A state champions;
nine state titles in eleven years 2008-18 (finished runner up twice);
2x PrepVolleyball.com National Champions (2013, 2010);
VBM 2013 High School Team of the Year; American Family Insurance 2013 All-USA Volleyball Coach of the Year;
won 56 straight matches from 2012-13; lost only one set in 2013 (finishing 96-1); over 420 career wins
In 2006, when St. James Academy opened in Lenexa (KS) Nancy Dorsey became the head coach at a brand new school with only a freshman class. In just eleven varsity seasons Coach Dorsey's teams have won nine Kansas High School State Championships and finished second twice. Dorsey's teams have also received national recognition being crowned the PrepVolleyball.com National Champs in the 2010 and 2013 seasons. In 2013, Dorsey's team remained unbeaten, going 46-0, dropping only one single set the entire season. The Thunder also finished 4th in the nation (PrepVolleyball.com) in the 2008 and 2011 seasons as well as a 3rd place National finish in 2015. In 2013 Dorsey was named the American Family Insurance All-USA Coach of the Year. This season Dorsey was selected as the AVCA National Coach of the Year. Her overall record at St. James Academy is 421-30.
Coach Dorsey's philosophy of training the whole player starts with working on the player's strength to press the block and footwork skills that build endurance. Through a series of progressive drills, Coach Dorsey works on all the skills that a middle blocker will need both in and out of system. Players are encouraged to read opposing passers and setters so they can be ready to defend against overpasses, setter dumps or attackers.
Strength and Conditioning
Many coaches overlook the strength needed by middle blockers to be effective at higher levels. Coach Dorsey start outs with some basic exercises that can be done with a partner that work on strengthening the hands and shoulders to help players press and hold at the net. She continues working on legs and the core by adding a medicine ball to the routine to engage the muscles needed for proper defense on the net.
Training the Skill of Blocking
Coach Dorsey breaks down basic blocking footwork and has players demonstrate it in slow motion as well as game speed. She explains what you need to look for in your players and how to correct common mistakes. You'll see game-like drills that reinforce transition and approach skills after blocking skills have taken place.
While Coach Dorsey works on blocking, she covers a drill that helps middles understand how to react on an overpassed ball. You'll learn the three different options that middles have, depending on how the ball is coming over the net. Coach Dorsey explains what middles should do when they have an overpass that is low and tight, high and tight, and over and off the net.
The blocking section also works on reading the setter and committing to the direction the ball is being set.
Connection of Setter/Hitter and Hitting Options
Many coaches only use middles when the pass is perfect. This can make it easy for opponents to defend when they know middles will not be used in less-than-perfect pass situations or out of system balls. Coach Dorsey presents connection drills that explain and demonstrate attacking the 1, 2, 6, slide, back 2 and the 3. She shows you how these balls can be hit even when the set is off the net or away from the setter's target. You'll also learn where the best locations to hit are, depending on the pass and set, including tipping locations.
Game Like Drills
One huge benefit of this video is that all the drills are "game like" and fast paced, which means the player learns the game with the same tempo and confusion they'll see on game day. During the drills, Coach Dorsey explains the dos and don'ts of middles hitters in each situation. Here are a few of the drills you will see:
- Grab Ball Drill emphasizes the need to be strong at the net, while staying out of the net. Through the progression of this drill, your player will work on their blocking footwork and pressing the net while staying out of it.
- Flinch Drill works on the middle blocker's reading skills. An opposing setter is put on the opposite side of the net and randomly sets balls to either pin. The middle blocker learns to watch the setter and determine the direction of the set before the ball leaves the setter's hand. This not only improves reading skills, but also emphasizes speed and footwork so the blocker can block pin to pin.
- Connection Drill is an effective drill for middles to work with their setter to form that connection needed to have a solid middle attack. This drill progresses through a series of situations that help the hitter and setter get on the same page, no matter what kind of pass the setter receives. This exercise helps both the middle and setter to recognize when they are out of system and provides a way to keep your middle in the offense when the pass is not on target.
- Seven Minute Pass-Middle Style is a drill that trains middles to attack a variety of sets out of serve receive while facing a dedicated block. Your middles will work on both offense and defense as they move through the drill.
Coach Dorsey does a great job covering both mental and physical demands of the middle position and offers ways to train all aspects of middle blocking positions - both offensively and defensively. Whether you are teaching a full team or small group, this video will provide you with powerful and useful tools for training your middle blocker.
55 minutes. 2016.