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Girls celebrating winUSA Volleyball Education is focused on improving developmental and educational opportunities across the sport of volleyball from grassroots to the national team level. Our goal is to provide the opportunity to access, complete and apply high-quality information and methods in the technical, tactical, physical and emotional aspects of the game for athletes and coaches while providing training, support and resources for other key stakeholders including officials, parents and clubs.


USA Volleyball Development Model

For years, the focus of volleyball in many areas and across various levels shifted to a mindset of winning at all costs.

What we now know is that the most successful teams in the world have developed a model of training and a culture that supports a holistic approach to athlete development which not only sets them up for competitive success on the court, but values and emphasizes the important of athlete health, well-being and long-term involvement in the sport.

The USA Volleyball Development Model was created based on the idea that volleyball in the U.S. could be taught differently, resulting in long-lasting positive outcomes across all measures of performance while keeping kids involved and loving the game longer.

USA Volleyball Development Model

Know Better, Do Better

The five pillars of the USA Volleyball Development model provide the basis for a holistic approach to the core elements that are vital to supporting development at every level and across age groups.

  • Craft: Mastering the skills and strategies of our game
  • Heart: Becoming your best self through connection, gratitude and emotional well-being
  • Mind: Training our minds to maximize performance
  • Body: Developing the physical capacity to train and compete at the highest level
  • Team: Building a culture of excellence that honors ourselves, our team, our game and our country

Role-Based Education

USA Volleyball Education is committed to providing support for the volleyball community with a role-based approach to education and training. Whether you’re planning practices, cheering from the stands or making the right call, we provide the tools and resources to help you succeed.

Coach Education

Athlete Education

Parent Education

Officials Education

Club Director Education

Drills for Sports Imports Volleyball Trainer+ and The Vertec

USA Volleyball partner Sports Imports has provided USA Volleyball coaches with drills for use with their Trainer+ and The Vertec.

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Sports Imports

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December 12, 2015

Thoughts on Defense

Defense is plodding attention to duty, grit and determination and perseverance. It requires an act of will and risk. All you need is the decision to put out and give 100 percent.

December 12, 2015

Thoughts for Setters

Because of the nature of the sport and the number of contacts afforded the setter, they carry a dramatically over-weighted value.

December 12, 2015

Am I Too Short To Play Volleyball?

First things first, height is not a deciding factor in and of itself to ever prevent anyone in our sport from reaching the very highest level.

December 12, 2015

The Pathway To Being a Olympian

First and perhaps most important, is that Olympism is a process that begins when an athlete discovers an Olympic sport. From that point on, their love of the game is guided by what Olympism stands for.

December 12, 2015

Play One-on-One To Be Great

The short version of this article is simple: Have fun playing more one-on-one and you will be better because you learn most by contacting the ball over a net.

December 12, 2015

My Favorite Player

After 30-plus years of coaching in this great sport, I think it is time to tell you who my favorite player is. Every coach has one, you see, and I am no different.

December 12, 2015

Volleyball Fun for Youth

Great ideas to make volleyball fun for kids.

November 4, 2015

Oh the Games We Can Play

IMPACT training provides a long list scrimmage scoring options. Some coaches mistakenly read this as “all you do is play games” with supposedly no focus on technical skills. The assumption is, since it is not a coach controlled training environment, it must not be technical.

November 3, 2015

Fifteen Reasons You DON’T Want to Play Volleyball

You spend most of your time active. Wouldn’t you rather play a sport where you get to sit around most of the time like baseball, cricket or wrestling? While you get to rest a bit between points, volleyball makes all 12 people on the court move all over the place and that is just tiring!

October 26, 2015

Bamboo and a Better Self

We’ve become so ingrained with how indoor volleyball should be: nice gym floors made of wood or tile with shiny red or blue poles surrounded by thick padding and pristine black and white game nets in use because the practice nets might have a small tear in them or seem dingy.

October 9, 2015

Creating Talent with What You Have

If you live in a place with thousands of players, this article might help you get better. If you live in a small market with just a few or maybe no players (yet), this is a competitive advantage to help you take on those teams that seem to have all the talent.

August 27, 2015

Words of Little or a LOT of Meaning

Words have little meaning to beginners in motor learning.

August 26, 2015

YET

My son had something that I gave to him in his dorm room at Princeton; in capital letters on an orange post-it note, the word “YET.”

August 24, 2015

False Fundamentals

The term false or fake fundamentals, along with the concept of irrelevant training, is one that it seems coaches, parents and players simply want to ignore.  Understandably so, as it gives them a feeling of success and mastery, even though it is not helping them in competition. 

August 12, 2015

Seven Tips on How To Block The Middle Hitter

Women's National Team Foluke Akinradewo gave us her seven best tips on how to block the middle hitter.

August 3, 2015

The Game Will Find a Way

Spent some time in June  based out of Pago Pago, teaching the coaches and players one of the farthest “regions” that USA Volleyball supports, American Samoa. Since 1878 the US had a naval station there, and during World War II a 2,500 ft long run way, airbase and mobile hospital. 

July 29, 2015

Stay Quiet and Let Them Play

Sometimes as coaches, we need to stand back and see if we have taught them anything (the ducklings.) If you are simply quiet, and let them have a little independence, they’ll prove your worth as a coach.

July 12, 2015

Volleyball After High School

Many younger players might not know of the myriad ways to get even better at volleyball while also helping grow the game.

July 12, 2015

Youth Volleyball Tips for Success

After nearly 40 years of spending time coaching 12U, I though it might be of value to share some of the best ways to grow the game, which should start at this 6-12 year-old age group level.

June 23, 2015

Growing Kids’ Volleyball

This year marks my 40th year of coaching youth volleyball, which I define as 12 and under. The last few years I have seen growth in this area, but far too much of it simply is adults coaching the adult 6 vs 6 game to little kids.

June 12, 2015

Suggested Volleyball Reading

A list of books to help you improve