Your first practice with a youth team: structure and a sample plan

Next week you will stand in front of a group of ten kids with the energy of a rock concert for the first time. What do you do that first hour? This article gives you a complete, proven structure for your first youth practice — including a sample plan and the mistakes every rookie makes.

Before you step into the gym: three things to arrange

• Know the names. Ask for the member list and learn the first names by heart. "Hey, Sam!" works a hundred times better than "you there". An attendance list you check off every week helps you remember both the names and the turnout.
• Know the level. Ask the previous coach or the coordinator which level of CMV (the Dutch youth volleyball format) or which age group it is — that determines your entire drill material.
• Plan too much. Prepare more drills than you need. Nothing is more awkward than staring at ten kids while you figure out what comes next.

The fixed structure of a youth practice

Every good youth practice follows roughly the same skeleton — the content varies, the structure does not:

1. Arrival and start (5 min): a fixed ritual — circle, names, what we are going to do. Keep it short.
2. Warm-up as a game (10 min): a tag game or relay with a ball. No running laps; with youth, the warm-up can always be playful.
3. Ball skills (15 min): today's technical theme, in pairs or small groups with lots of repetitions.
4. Game form with the theme (15 min): the same skill, now in a small game with adapted rules that force the theme.
5. Free play (10 min): a scrimmage — what they have been waiting for all week. Never skip this; it is the engine under everything.
6. Wrap-up (5 min): circle, one compliment per child or for the group, a look ahead. Putting the balls away together is part of it.

Sample plan: first practice, ages 8-10

A worked-out hour with forearm passing as the theme:

• 0-5 min — circle and name game: toss the ball around; whoever catches it says their name and one thing they enjoy. You memorize names, they get used to you.
• 5-15 min — crossing game with a ball: dribble across the gym without getting tagged. Everyone moves, everyone has a ball.
• 15-30 min — passing in pairs: one tosses an arcing ball, the other passes it back with the forearms; switch after ten balls. Extension for those who can handle it: slap the floor first, then pass — that forces the ready position.
• 30-45 min — game form 3-on-3: small courts, a point counts double if the rally includes a forearm pass. That way the game rewards your theme all by itself.
• 45-55 min — king of the court: the winning team stays on, challengers come in. High tempo, lots of turnover.
• 55-60 min — circle and wrap-up: one question ("what went better today than at the start?"), tidy up together, high fives at the door.

Keeping order without yelling

Ten kids and a gym full of balls: without agreements it turns into a playground. Three things that work from practice one: a fixed silence signal (whistle or hand up — hold your ball, eyes on you), balls still on the hip the moment you speak, and explanations in three sentences at most. Being consistent in week one saves you arguments in week ten. And do not raise your voice: speak more softly and you get kids who listen better.

Afterwards: two minutes for yourself

Right after practice, take a moment to jot down three things: which drill ran well, which one fell flat, and which child needs extra attention. Those notes are gold for your next practice — and after a few weeks you spot patterns you miss in the moment. A coach who saves their practices and observations builds a personal reference library in a single season that lasts for years. Also ask the kids themselves now and then which drill they liked best: youth players are surprisingly honest, and their answer reveals exactly where the learning and the fun were.

The five pitfalls of beginning youth coaches

• Explaining too long. After thirty seconds of talking, nobody is listening anymore. Demonstrate, start, adjust as you go.
• Lines and waiting. One ball and ten waiting kids is chaos in the making. Small groups, many balls.
• Starting too hard. Better a drill that turns out too easy (add a rule, done) than frustration in minute five.
• Only correcting. Name at least one thing per child that went well. Children grow on whatever you give attention to.
• Showing up without a plan. Write out your practice, add the lessons learned, and reuse what works — within a few weeks you have a library of your own.

Frequently asked questions

Further reading

Coaching youth volleyball: what works for each age group? Parents on the sideline: agreements that work