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Given volleyball’s nature, it can be difficult to construct a practice plan that doesn’t feel monotonous.
But finding a way to do so is crucial when it comes to keeping your players feeling both engaged and excited about showing up and improving each day.
Not to mention that if your players aren’t focused during their practices, it will be that much more difficult for them to flip a switch and become prepared for the pressure that comes when the lights are bright and the games begin to count in the season.
Yet, what part of playing volleyball do players find the most fun? Playing in games, of course. And remembering this allows coaches to kill two birds with one stone (so to speak), by making their practices as game-like as possible.
And Genny Volpe is the perfect person to teach you how to do so.
2024 was Coach Volpe’s 21st season as the head women’s volleyball coach at Rice University in Texas. Genny Volpe has established the Owl volleyball program as a power in the Southwest, having taken them to eight NCAA tournaments (2004, 2008, 2009, 2018, 2019, spring 2021, fall 2021, 2022), the only eight appearances in Rice's history.
Volpe was inducted into the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame on October 27, 2023. The sixth head coach in Rice volleyball history, Volpe holds the program record for both career wins (394-210 overall) and highest career winning percentage (.652). The 2020-21 AVCA Southwest Region Coach of the Year and also a two-time C-USA Coach of the Year (2008 and 2018), Volpe has led the Owls to five conference championships under her watch (Conference USA: 2009, 2018, 2020-21, 2021, 2022), and has coached 16 All-Americans and 64 all-conference selections.
Coach Volpe’s ‘Game Ready! Implementing Game Situation in Daily Practice’ course is a masterclass when it comes to getting your players excited for each practice while preparing them for actual games. Her practice plans and drills are exactly what you need to not only set your team apart, but have them winning endless sets this season.
General Principles for Planning Practice
One of the most important principles for Coach Volpe when it comes to planning for practice is understanding how much practice time you’ll be allotted.
This is going to vary depending on what level of team you’re coaching at. Regardless of that, knowing how much practice time you have per week will allow you to prioritize the drills that you know your team needs most in order to improve.
One somewhat unconventional aspect of Coach Volpe’s practices is what she calls “practicing ugly”. This is her way of acknowledging that much of what happens in a volleyball game can look ugly, and involves improvisation that occurs outside of whatever system the coach and team are trying to implement. Therefore, Coach Volpe believes it’s important to ensure players are getting these “ugly” reps (perhaps just by scrimmaging without any set plays, and just trying to keep a rally alive by any means necessary) during practice so that they’re prepared for them inevitably occurring in-game.
In addition, Coach Volpe likes to drill game situations that might occur in a game, such as a team running out of rubs or pivoting to an offensive-focused formation. Therefore, if these scenarios occur in the game, a team won’t be hapless to deal with them.
Finally, Coach Volpe notes that she wants to ensure her practices are fun so that her players remain engaged and get what they started playing the sport for in the first place.
The 3 C’s
Coach Volpe’s practice philosophy centers around her “Three C’s: Collaborative, Competitive, and Challenging.
Collaborative: Coach Volpe wants to be asking a lot of questions to her players during practice. She wants to get their opinions on whether they feel like they’re optimizing their time, she asks them to set goals for each practice, and asks them to make sure they understand all of the different strategic aspects she discusses throughout a practice.
Keeping players engaged and getting problems and confusion solved before they become something bigger is a major part of running an efficient, effective practice in Coach Volpe’s eyes.
Competitive: Making practices competitive both enhances focus and the overall performance of practice. Regardless of what a team is doing in their practice, there’s almost certainly a way to make it competitive.
Challenging: Coach Volpe is a big believer in what she calls setting stretch goals. What she means by this is that she wants to set goals for her team (and wants her players to set these goals for themselves) that might be too lofty for them to achieve. This will not only help players to improve and get closer to achieving these goals, but it will also get them acclimated to failing; which will come in handy when they inevitably fail at some point during a game.
Non-Traditional Plays, Reaction Drills
Coach Volpe has several what she calls “non-traditional” plays that happen all the time in volleyball games but aren’t necessarily practiced, because they aren’t part of a set play or formation.
Among these are when the block has to turn and play a ball that’s coming right at their face. Others are creative coverages, getting touches off of the block, playing balls that come off the net in a strange way, jousting, and handling overpasses.
Teams are bound to across multiple of these scenarios in games. And while it may seem difficult to simulate a scenario in practice where it occurs, all you need to do it make it as barebones as possible or mimic the brief reaction time a player will need in order to execute one of these split-second plays.
All while simply using regular household items to work on their game. It’ll not just get them more focused on the sport, but also at the same time, I’m sure you will see some rapid improvement with their on-field performance. Throughout this article, I’ll walk you through some at-home drills you can teach your players.
Drill #1: Posterboard Strike Zone
This drill you can do with a number of different things, but I’ll suggest using a posterboard. Grab some tape and create a strike zone on the board. Then, tape it about a foot off the ground. Once you have your strike zone built, head upstairs and grab a few pairs of socks rolled up (in other words, your softballs). The last item you’ll need is a camera. Anything will do here, you can even tell them to grab one of their parent’s phones. Set it behind where you’ll be pitching from and set it to record video.
Finally, now that you’re ready to practice, work on the motion of going through the windup and throwing the socks (i.e. softball) into the posterboard. With the video footage, you’ll be able to dissect the motion and overall throwing process. Some valuable insight that most youth players never evaluate.
Drill #2: Arm Strength and Hands Drills
A major part of being an effective softball player is having soft hands and a strong arm. An easy drill for this only requires a net or a wall. For the hands aspect of this category, all you have to do is throw the ball off the wall. This will allow you to practice various ground balls, short hops, and so on. Then, for arm strength, just use the wall as a way to practice throwing. Work on arm motion particularly here.
Don’t have a solid wall to use? No worries, just use a tennis ball and the garage. Trust me, it works just as well.
Drill #3: Take Some Cuts
This final drill might just be the simplest one for your players to practice. For this, they’ll just need a mirror and a bat. The player will get in front of the mirror and simply take full cuts while seeing in-person how their stance looks, as well as the swing. While it might sound like a nominal drill, it’s actually key to developing a consistent swing.
As for how often it would be recommended to do this drill, I’d suggest having them take 15-20 swings at a time on 3 different instances each day.
Practice, Practice, Practice!
In the end, one of your primary jobs as a youth softball coach is to develop the work ethic necessary to grow as a player and a person. Even though you won’t be working first-hand on these drills with your players, you will be the one responsible for growing their love for the game!
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Players should make it a priority to master proven bunker shot fundamentals and techniques to improve their game. One of the most challenging parts of golf is when you land in the bunker. However, if you master the various bunker shots I’ll teach you in this article, you can turn this difficulty into an advantage. A well-positioned grip, ball position and swing path are essential fundamentals golfers must utilize to become skilled bunker players.
This article will focus on the fundamentals of bunker shot play, helping players of all levels to advance their game. I will break down several shots and demonstrate them alongside basic techniques for performing each shot.
Fundamentals: Grip, Ball Position and Swing Path
The fundamentals of grip, swing path and ball position in golf are essential to mastering the shot. Players must have these techniques down to a tee to ensure their performance is not compromised when under pressure in tough bunker situations.
Grip
A player’s grip determines the ball’s trajectory, often leading to poor performance in the bunker when a grip is not positioned properly. Players adopting a grip with the bottom hand underneath (strong) will result typically in a closed club face, which will cause the club to dig into the sand when executing the shot in the bunker.
Instead, players should adopt a grip with their bottom hand (right for right hand golfers) on the top of the grip (weaker position), while turning the club face open.
The right grip and open club face enable the club to glide through the sand on impact rather than digging.
The grip is critical in ensuring the club face remains open into impact. Adopting this grip will maintain an open square club face, leading to effective shots from the bunker.
Ball Position
When performing a bunker shot, the ball should be positioned forward of center in your stance.
This ball position allows you to accurately and effectively impact the sand properly a couple inches behind the ball for the best control.
Swing Path
Once the proper grip and ball position is established, a well-defined swing path is needed to execute a bunker shot. While a swing path with a club such as a driver differs in technique depending on the type of shot you play, bunker shots require a slightly outward swing path.
For the best swing path and ball control, adopt a slightly open stance and swing along that stance line, which will promote the advantageous outward path to create the perfect sole-sliding shallow impact.
An outward swing path is essential here – an inward, shallow swing could lead to inconsistent impact hitting too far behind the ball (chunked shots) and bladed low shots with no spin.
Note: If you want to better visualize any of these explanations, please check out my full video course on bunker shots in the ISNation app.
Short-Sided Bunker Shots
A short-sided bunker shot requires you to hit a short shot softly with precision. This challenging shot can best be performed by ensuring the clubface is laid very open on it’s back.
To perform this shot, open the club face on its back and place the ball in the proper position—forward in stance, inside your left heel.
Once the ball and club are in position, maintain the very open club face in the downswing and into the delivery. Swing through the shot with ample speed, ensuring a hard release upon shallow impact of the sand. The club face should be facing back at you after swinging to your finish.
Alternatively, another method players can adopt is a “stick-the-club-in-the-sand” approach focused on a softer, more controlled shot. The shot involves striking the sand firmly and abruptly with a more square club face at impact of the sand. This method adopts a slightly decelerated dead-hand finish creating less spin and more release. The visualized landing spot is shorter.
Long Bunker Shots
On the contrary to short shots, long bunker shots require you to hit the ball further when you are in the sand. This method requires a slightly open club face that is not fully open, unlike the short shot.
Begin by slightly opening your club face while keeping the same grip and ball position.
Blog post image
Club face slightly open.
Next, when in position take a wider, more neutral swing path, while carrying plenty of club head speed to a full finish. You should seek to establish a wide arc and shallower path, aiming for a shot that releases more toward your intended target-line rather than the fast-paced, abruptly re-hinged short shot creating lots of spin illustrated in the first short bunker shot method. Using a less lofted wedge also aides in creating more release and needed distance.
Wider Swing
The wider swing, slightly open club face and dead hands through impact allow the ball to release more after hitting the green, which is vital for gaining the distance needed for a long bunker shot.
Uphill Bunker Shot
A player’s body alignment and swing path determine the success of hitting the shot precisely and accurately on a slope or hill in a bunker.
To perform the uphill bunker shot, players must align their bodies with the slope they are hitting from. Set your shoulders parallel to the slope’s angle and spine tilts perpendicular. This will ensure you enter the sand at the most optimum delivery angle.
After establishing proper alignment, place the ball slightly forward in your stance compared to other shots.
As you swing, make sure your swing path follows the incline of the hill, swinging in-line with the slope and striking the sand at an optimum shallow delivery.
This shot can be adjusted to match the angle of the slope, your aim, and where the ball is positioned based on match-up scenarios. For example, if the ball is positioned above your feet and the target is left, you must adjust your aim more to the right as the ball will naturally fly more to the left and vice-versa for the ball below your feet as it will fly more to the right for a RH golfer.
Downhill Bunker Shots
The downhill bunker shot requires opposite of the uphill shot, but requires greater control in swing due to the likelihood of the ball rolling further upon hitting the green.
Align your body with the angle of the hill, place the ball slightly back further and ensure your clubface is open.
Now, adopt a proper swing path by swinging down the hill, following its angle setting the club slightly more vertically in the back swing while in the delivery impact the sand at the normal shallow position.
This shot should be planned out to land shorter and release more than the level or uphill bunker shots.
Buried Lie Bunker Shot
A buried ball plugged into the bunker is a challenging in-game situation that players must overcome. Due to the inability to get spin on the ball, players must adopt new approaches to get the ball out of the sand, such as the buried bunker shot.
Start by adopting a more square club face while keeping the same grip and ball position.
To perform the buried bunker shot, you must dig your club into the sand. Start by adopting a more square clubface while keeping the same grip and ball position.
Strike the sand with an aggressive, upright swing a couple of inches behind the ball, projecting the ball up and out of the bunker, allowing the leading edge to dig into the sand.
Aim to land the ball short of your target due to the ball releasing more after hitting the green.
Grasping The Basics For Proficiency
With a specific focus on the basics of ball position, swing path and grip, combined with a detailed breakdown of various shots golfers can perform in-game, players of all abilities can learn to turn various ball placement in a bunker into an advantage on the green.
Whether it be uphill, downhill, or buried shots, players can learn to master the bunker shot.
For a visual guide on how to perform these shots, check out my course on the ISNation App.
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Roller hockey and ice hockey are very much the same. The disparity being that it's done on a dry surface and the players utilize skates that have wheels. There are 2 forms of roller hockey. The first is the standard Roller Hockey that's performed using the quad roller skates and the second one is Inline Hockey that's performed using inline skates. Each one of these types of hockey has a different system and gear. The game has a large number of fans and is being played in virtually 60 countries around the world.
Quad Roller Hockey is well-liked in Latin nations like Portugal, Spain and Argentina. These nations have been dominating the game since the 1940s. Other nations like France, Italy, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, Andorra and England have been competing in main international competitions but have often failed to defeat the leaders in the game. Within the United States, Roller Hockey (Quad) was commonly known as Hardball Hockey, until the USOC used the title Rink Hockey in November 2008.
The goal of each team, consisting of four players or skaters, as they're usually called, and one goalie, is to make a goal by striking the ball in the opponent's goal with the help of the stick. There are two halves of twenty five minutes per half. The group which scores the most total of goals within the given time will win. Each team will get one minute timeout in every half. There can be a minimum of six players or a maximum of 10 with a support goalkeeper.
The rink is normally fabricated from polished wooden surface, although any flat floor that is non-abrasive and non-slippery could also be utilized. Though there are three typical measurements; minimum measurement of 34x17 meters, average size of 40 x 20 meters and maximum measurement of 44 x 22 meters, a rink may be of any measurement between the minimal and the biggest dimension maintaining the 2:1 ratio.
Inline Hockey in the US is often called as Roller Hockey sometimes as well. It's a sport that's much like ice hockey. Same like in ice hockey the players use sticks to hit the puck into the competitor's goal. It's a well-known North American skilled sport that is embodied by the American Inline Hockey League.
Here are a number of main variations between Inline Hockey and Ice Hockey. Inline Hockey is mainly conducted at room temperature on a plain dry surface. In contrast to hockey where the surface is made from frozen water, the Inline Hockey floor is made of lumber, plastic tiles or sealed concrete. The floor should be such that it lets the wheels of the skates to balance and lets the puck slide easily. Since no floor might be as even as the ice, the pucks utilized in Inline Hockey are constructed from light plastic and the puck is placed on tiny plastic nubs that lessen the friction between the puck and the ice rink surface. Inline Hockey is a much less physical game that carries tough punishments for fighting and body checking normally resulting in a fine. Though players use a whole face mask, they often wear less heavy clothes with less safety padding.
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Ecclesiastes is a book in the Old Testament written by King Solomon who reached a sobering conclusion regarding the meaning of life. The catbird seat is a position of favor, prominence or power. How can one begin a path to be in the most advantageous situation in life after acceptance of the solemn determination reached by Solomon circa 970 B.C.?
Let’s first examine the author. Solomon had it all from an earthly perspective. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines at his disposal. He made "great works" of houses, vineyards, gardens, orchards and pools of water. He had servants and maidens, musicians and other delightful perks. Gold, silver and great herds of cattle were also part of his life of pleasure.
Ecclesiastes 2: 9-10 concludes "So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labor."
This is known in modern parlance as achieving the "American Dream". Was the fulfillment of earthly desires the victory that Solomon supposed it would be? Not quite. He declares in Ecclesiastes 2: 11 that "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun." He had reached an understanding that a life of materialistic conquest does not satisfy and that "better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit."
Solomon in Ecclesiastes touched on the advantages of simplicity and that "the sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer (allow) him to sleep." This fits in perfectly with those that live in the Hollywood fast lane. How many "lifestyles of the rich and famous" stories have you heard that turned into drug abuse, psychiatric disorder or the ultimate despair of suicide? The spider web of fame and fortune has claimed many victims and is continuing its destruction to this day. The casualties are not only within the entertainment industry but extend to all levels of society and possibly within your own home. There is no discrimination.
The book of Ecclesiastes gives various examples of the types of excess that fool mankind. You should take the time to read this work and determine if you have unwittingly placed yourself on the altar of hedonism. The first hurdle along the road to the catbird seat has been passed once that a focus solely on the physical desires of life has been overcome. A fleeting, worldly mindset must be cast aside for an eternal perspective on life. So where does one go from here?
Old Testament prophecies foretold of the life and mission of a Messiah that could free mankind from slavery to the flesh and a sinful world that leads ultimately to spiritual death. These were predicted hundreds of years before someone named Jesus was born in Bethlehem to accomplish the mission of salvation for all who believed in Him and followed His teachings. What evidence is there that can lead us to a rational conclusion that Jesus is, indeed, the antidote to counteract the emptiness that exists within many or most of mankind?
Research shows that there are hundreds of predictions in the Old Testament concerning the first coming of the Messiah already accomplished as written in the New Testament. These include 12 prognostications including that the Messiah was to be preceded by a messenger (Isaiah 40:3 / Matthew 3: 1-2), would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 / Matthew 2:1), would come from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10 / Luke 3:23-34, Matthew 1: 1-16), would enter Jerusalem on a colt (Zechariah 9:9 / Luke 19: 35-37), would be betrayed by a friend (Psalms 41:9 / Matthew 26: 47-50), would be sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12 / Matthew 26: 14-15), would be spat upon and beaten (Isaiah 50:6 / Matthew 26: 67-68), would be wounded by his enemies (Isaiah 53:5 / Matthew 27:26), would be silent before his accusers (Isaiah 53:7 / Matthew 27: 12-14), would have his hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16 / Luke 23:33), and would be crucified with thieves (Isaiah 53:12 / Matthew 27:38).
There was also a prediction that the money paid for his betrayal would be thrown in the temple and given for a potters field (Zechariah 11:13 / Matthew 27:5-7) Christian scholar Grant Jeffrey calculated that the odds of just these 12 prophecies to come true in one man’s life would be 1 chance in 10 billion times a billion.
The testimony of Jesus within Luke 24: 44 to his disciples after his resurrection from the dead proves that He carried out His mission as prophesied in the Old Testament. He stated "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me."
The sensible, pragmatic man or woman reading this should come to a conclusion that something incredibly powerful occurred during the days of Jesus and that immediate attention is due to His life. The probability that Jesus is the Savior that He claimed to be is just too overwhelmingly positive to consider otherwise.
You might already be fully familiar with and believe in the truth of the message of Jesus and are reading this article as a reinforcement. You may also have just been made aware of Jesus for the first time and made a decision to surrender your life to Him and biblical Christianity as a believer. Both positions are to be commended. There is just one crucial truth that must be understood by both sides before the catbird seat is firmly secured. What is it?
It is simply the understanding that life is not a playground but a battleground. There is spiritual warfare going on at this moment from an unseen enemy that seeks nothing less than your enslavement and destruction. The stakes are for your very soul. It’s the power that has manifested itself over time from outright wars and oppression to the subtle urgings we all receive to do harm to ourselves and others. Ephesians 6:12 explains it by stating that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Where did this malevolent force come from?
A mighty created being in the heavens known as Lucifer took it upon himself to commit treason against God. Isaiah 14: 12-14 explains "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."
Pride in himself was the motive that prompted the actions of this being known also as Satan as described in Ezekiel 28:17. Revelation 12:4 indicates that 1/3 of the angels in the spiritual realm followed his lead. How does this affect you?
Chip Ingram, author of The Invisible War: What Every Believer Needs To Know About Satan, Demons, and Spiritual Warfare explains that we are engaged in battle now whether we like it or not. The good news is that "Satan was defeated at the cross. Nothing can diminish that. His defeat was irrevocably sealed when Jesus conquered sin and death by dying and rising again. The penalty we incurred for our sin was paid, and its power was broken. Through the cross, Jesus disarmed and triumphed over the enemy."
The fate of Satan and his minions is cast in stone. There is, however, an ongoing demonic guerilla warfare that will try to distract us from doing God’s will in Scripture until the return of the Messiah. We must all call upon Jesus when confronted with trials and temptations to resist the evil one and his demons that strike. We must proclaim that we are children of God and that "greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) and ask Jesus to intercede in our battle against temptation and wickedness. Chip Ingram explains on another positive note that "as believers in Christ, we do not fight for victory; we fight from victory. In Christ’s power, we are invincible." The fact that believers have the upper hand is, indeed, good news!
Have you realized the futility of materialism and understand that "whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God"? (James 4:4) Have you accepted Jesus as the only solution to be triumphant in a wicked world? (Romans 6:23) Do you know that you can be forgiven of all sins through Him? (1 John 1:9) Will you be battle-prepared to "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."? (Eph. 6:11). If so, there’s a catbird seat waiting with your name on it.
(Chip Ingram’s "The Invisible War: What Every Believer Needs To Know About Satan, Demons, and Spiritual Warfare" and Grant Jeffrey’s "Armageddon: Appointment with Destiny" and the Bible can all be purchased at www.ChristianBook.com )
Brian is a freelance author who has written articles ranging from business to spiritual matters including "Hell or Heaven: Firsthand Authors Describe Your Fate" He can be emailed at brian_connors@comcast.net with any questions or comments.
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