By Mike Wall, GM2
Blocking is an interesting skill to talk about. I’ve often times wondered why blocking, and specifically swing blocking is such a hot topic. There’s no question that its popularity has grown over the past 10 years, particularly in women’s volleyball. However, that’s not what I want to discuss in this post. We’ve had endless conversations comparing and contrasting different blocking styles. Lets ignore that for now. My objective is to make you think a little bit differently. And, maybe even change how you view and talk about blocking in general.
Does blocking helps is score or does it COST US POINTS?
This is an interesting question. We know that at the high school, club, and college level back row swings in the women’s game are typically not effective (don’t take our word for it, take stats in your gym). There’s no doubt an elite group of women that can be effective from the back row, but that’s not the norm (statistically). So, why do our 12s and 14s block back row swings? Furthermore, why do our club kids block attackers that are 5 feet outside the pin with no approach? It seems to me that we are helping our opponents by giving them hands at the net to work with.
The alternative is to teach your kids to see the game (volleyball is a visual motor game with an emphasis on the visual) and recognize situations where they “stay down” and play defense from the floor. We think this is a powerful concept that when trained correctly it can create both substantially and qualitatively more opportunities for your teams in transition. Personally, I don’t think this concept applies exclusively to the club and high school level. This concept is being taught at the highest levels of the game. In fact there are some specific times in men’s international volleyball when we want stay on the ground. So, look for opportunities NOT TO BLOCK.
How do we train this?
It all comes down to our ability to see the game. Your athletes will need to learn what sets to stay down on (show them video). In our gym the athletes figured it out in a hurry. It also depends on how aggressive you want to get. If you have a really solid back row, maybe you can stay down on more balls? As always, BUILD YOUR SYSTEMS AROUND THE ABILITY OF YOUR PLAYERS. That’s an important concept to remember. There’s no one perfect solution for every team. The game of volleyball is too random. That’s why we have principles that free us up to make informed and effective coaching decisions.
Summary: It’s important that we teach our kids how to block when they’re young so they can be good when they’re older. We are not advocating that coaches shouldn’t teach blocking. We are trying to make you think about two primary concepts….
We suggest that you implement blocking systems and mechanics. But, if blocking isn’t highly correlated to winning, how much time should you spend working on it given limited practice time? However, transition is highly correlated to winning, so your players have to be great in that phase of the game.
Are there times when blocking hurts your team? We think so.
Lastly, don’t take our word for it! Learn about your team by gathering and evaluating sound information. Your coaching decisions from team to team will change, but the process by which you make coaching decisions should be based on principles.