Volleyball Training Philosophy

Limitless Performance Volleyball aims to enhance our athletes both skill-wise and mentally. Whether you are on or off the court, we want to mold you into a better player, teammate, and person.

#1 Mindset

Similar to basketball, we want all of our athletes to tackle their internal struggles on the court. The most effective way to improve in your sport is to overcome the most difficult obstacle: yourself. Learning to stop doubting yourself and pursuing a growth mindset will help you make significant strides in your athletic career.

• Learning about work ethic and creating habits that will be very useful in your journey (refer to our notebook)
• First-person experiences (learning from a coach with over a decade of experience)
• Quotes of the week (a quote that provides the main focus for the week)
• Visualization (research shows that athletes who dedicate time to visualizing their success are more likely to succeed in their sport)

#2 Volleyball Athleticism

As volleyball can be an injury-prone sport, it is crucial that our training includes preventative measures. Mobility is undeniably important for all sports, especially volleyball. We want to teach our athletes how to expand their movement abilities to excel in their respective positions.

• Ankle mobility (for jumping and redirection of movements)
• Hip mobility (for sprawling and diving)
• Shoulder mobility (for a quicker and stronger arm swing)
• Wrist mobility (for quick and precise sets)
• Coordination (for diving techniques, approaches, and overall footwork)

#3 Hitting

Hitting is one of the three major skills in volleyball and can be broken down into several categories. This list applies to all positions (outsides, right-sides, and middles):

• Footwork
• Arm swing
• Wrist snap
• Manipulation/redirection of the ball
• Becoming a versatile hitter (running different plays and routes)
• Back-row hitting
• Blocking
• Communicating with your setter

#4 Setting

The second main skill taught through our program is setting. Setters are the playmakers on the court, and it is important for them to be as versatile as possible and handle unpredictable situations.

• Footwork
• Hand placement and strength
• Eye sequencing (identifying the best hitter based on the opponent)
• Blocking (depending on age and rotation)
• Reading setter diagrams and setting different routes
• Tempo setting
• Becoming an offensive option (tipping, setter dumps, etc.)
• Taking suggestions from hitters

#5 Passing

Passing is crucial for all positions, as it helps keep the other team from scoring. Defense/passing is also a primary position in volleyball.

• Footwork
• Digging from various areas of the court
• Learning different defense models (perimeter defense, rotational defense, etc.)
• Diving and sprawling
• Digging to different areas of the court and “cushioning” the ball
• Overhand digging
• Taking the second ball
• Leading the back row

#6 Serve Receive

Serve receive is one of the most important skills in volleyball, as it initiates a play. It is essential for all positions to master this skill.

• Footwork
• Using your platform to direct the ball to the target
• Passing float serves
• Passing top-spin serves
• Understanding the serve’s trajectory
• Overhand reception of serves

#7 Serving

Serving is a crucial skill that all positions must learn. Players’ abilities in this area will vary depending on what they learn.

• Underhand serving
• Overhand serving
• Perfecting the float serve
• Jump-float serving
• Top-spin serving
• Location serving

#8 Leadership Training

The final pillar is leadership training. Sometimes everyone wants to be a leader, and other times, no one does. We aim to teach our athletes how to lead their teams to victory and highlight that everyone has the potential to be a leader. There is never just one leader on a volleyball team, as it is a team effort.

• Leading by example
• Leadership (position-specific)
• Handling criticism
• Giving constructive criticism
• Maintaining composure in difficult moments
• “Gritting it out”