Volleyball Videos: How Watching Video Improves Your Volleyball Game

Watching volleyball videos can seem like the mostlike a tape recorder in my mind. This is actually kind
boring aspect of pre game preparation but like mostof easy because when you aren't performing a skill
things you just have to know how to MAKE it workcorrectly THAT IS when your coach starts yelling at
for you.you anyway, right? What they are yelling at the top
Usually there are two basic reasons why a coach hasof their lungs already exists in your mind so you just
you watch volleyball videos...in preparation of anstart playing that mental volleyball videotape, over
upcoming game or to get better at performing aand over.
particular volleyball fundamental. It's easy to get lulledThen little by little both what I SEE in my mind and
into or lost in the moment of the game on the smallwhat I HEAR in my head start meshing together.
screen but instead of watching every play just forWhen I re-play this continuously in my mind these
the sake of saying "hey I finished watching thetwo things start coming together where I form a
video" pick a particular volleyball fundamental that youmental volleyball movie of my own. When this mental
need to improve and watch the best one or twomovie starts playing then after awhile my body
players perform that fundamental over and overstarts to respond to the mental voice I hear and the
again.mental picture I've been playing.
If you need to improve your volleyball serve receiveMy body starts doing the things that I have been
skill or "pass the ball" better then that's the part ofrehearsing over and over again in my mind. I start
the game you need to focus on watching otherseeing myself -take the place of that player and in
more experienced players do. Unless your volleyballmy mind I see myself performing the pass correctly
coach has instructed you to watch something inover and over.
particular (like the way a team plays defense or theAnd the aspects of the game that I am playing over
way a player transitions off the net) focus onand over start to become automatic and I start
watching a better player perform the skill that youdoing these things physically- not just mentally- but
need to work on the most. How does she do that?actually in real life.
What are they doing? How are they standing whileThat's how I make watching volleyball videos work
the server still has the volleyball? Do they have afor me.
stutter step or do they hop jump as the ball isIt's great when you can hear a volleyball champion
crossing the net? Which foot is forward? Is theirwho has played for years commentate on the game.
upper body straight up or crouched over? Are theySingin Smith, Karch Kiraly, Mike Dodd and Holly
straight legged or are they in a slight squat positionMcPeak do the color commentary with Chris Marlowe
when they serve receive?for the AVP Beach Pro Volleyball Tour games on
This is what happens to me when I'm watching atelevision. All these volleyball Champions represent
volleyball video...some of the greatest players in the history of the
If I'm watching someone serve receive well....I watchAVP and all are past Olympians with multiple
this player execute the right volleyball skill orgold,silver and bronze medals in Indoor and Beach
technique over and over and over again. I want toVolleyball. Listening to them talk about the game is
take that "scene" and take that "visual" with me so Ilike going to volleyball school. The more you do it...the
start playing that scene repeatedly in my head. Ibetter volleyball player you can become....and that's
start visualizing that player doing the same thing inone way to make volleyball videos improve your
my mind after I've stopped watching. When I govolleyball game.
home, when I go to bed, when I'm washing dishes,April Chapple is a former USA National Womens
before practice I get used to seeing this player doVolleyball Team member and Volleyball Professional
the serve receive correctly in my mind.who created Volleyball Voices the first virtual
Then... I start hearing my coach's words on how tovolleyball mentoring community for girls volleyball
do this skill correctly. So then I hear my volleyballplayers and volleyball coaches with stories by
coach, I hear my coach say "step to the ball",champion women volleyball players and coaching
"present my platform", "use my legs", and I keepvolleyball articles that break up volleyball skills so
hearing my volleyball coach's words over and overfemales learn how to play better volleyball.