Youth volleyball
Age-appropriate training, mini volleyball levels and guiding young players.
Coaching youth volleyball: what works for each age group?
Coaching youth volleyball by age group: what works at ages 6-9, 10-12 and 13+? Concrete guidelines for practices that make kids better and happier.
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CMV volleyball: the 6 levels of Dutch mini volleyball explained
CMV volleyball explained: the 6 levels of Dutch mini volleyball, from throwing and catching to 4-on-4 — which level fits which child, and what the American equivalent is.
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Mini volleyball rules: court, net and scoring per level
Mini volleyball rules in one place: court dimensions, net height, players per team and scoring for the youngest age groups — with the official USA Volleyball numbers.
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Your first practice with a youth team: structure and a sample plan
Coaching your first youth volleyball practice? A complete structure with a sample plan: warm-up, ball skills, game play and wrap-up — plus the rookie pitfalls.
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Parents on the sideline: agreements that work
Parents on the sideline: worth their weight in gold or a source of hassle? Five agreements that work for youth teams, and how to discuss them without a lecture.
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From the small court to the full court: guiding the transition
From the small court to the full court: how to guide the move to 6-on-6 — a higher net, rotation, new positions and everything that changes in the first year.
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Teaching Kids to Set a Volleyball Without Jammed Fingers
How to teach kids to set a volleyball without jamming fingers: the four causes of jammed fingers, and a six-step progression that actually fixes them.
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How to Help a Kid Who Is Afraid of the Volleyball
How to help a kid who is afraid of the volleyball: the three causes behind flinching, a five-step ladder, and what to say — and not say — from the sideline.
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Why a Volleyball Player Gets Worse After a Growth Spurt
Why did my volleyball player get worse after a growth spurt? Why timing goes first, how long the dip lasts, and what to change in practice while it does.
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How Many Times a Week Should a 12-Year-Old Play Volleyball?
How many times a week should a 12-year-old play volleyball? Concrete guidelines per age, the warning signs of overload, and why jumps count double.
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Should a 12-Year-Old Specialize in One Volleyball Position?
Should a 12-year-old specialize in one volleyball position? Why early specialization costs you later, plus a timeline by age and a workable rotation plan.
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What Does My Child Need for a First Volleyball Practice?
What is genuinely required for a first practice, what can wait, and roughly what it costs, including the honest answer about knee pads.
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My Child Wants to Quit Volleyball Mid-Season
My child wants to quit volleyball mid-season: the five causes behind dropping out, the conversation that works, and when pushing through is the wrong call.
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What Age Can My Child Start Playing Volleyball?
What a child can handle physically and mentally at every age from five to thirteen, and whether starting late is really a problem.
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What Size Volleyball for a 10-Year-Old? Sizes by Age
What size volleyball for a 10-year-old? Size, circumference and weight side by side, why weight matters more than size, and when to move to the official ball.
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12 Fun Volleyball Games for 8-Year-Olds Kids Ask For
Twelve fun volleyball games for 8- to 11-year-olds, with what each one trains and how to make it easier or harder without killing the fun.
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How to Get Kids to Serve Over the Net in Volleyball
Change the distance, the net height and the ball first, and technique last.
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Mini volleyball drills by level: from catching to spiking
Mini volleyball drills by level: four rungs from catching and throwing to the first spike, with three worked drills per rung and the step up to the next one.
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Relative age effect: the youngest player in your youth team
The relative age effect in youth volleyball: how big the gap really is, how to count it in your own squad and what to do differently on a tryout day.
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When a child can't stand losing: what to do in the hall
Why a child loses fifty times in one volleyball session, what you say in those thirty seconds, and how to set your drills up so it happens less often.
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ADHD and sport: setting up a volleyball practice
ADHD and sport in your volleyball team: instructions in two steps, a fixed spot, transitions you announce in advance and a job for the waiting time.
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Osgood-Schlatter: can this player jump tonight?
Osgood-Schlatter in a growing volleyball player: how it differs from jumper's knee, the pain score you decide on, and when to refer the player on.
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Coaching teenagers: a team that does nothing
Coaching teenagers without a power struggle: why 13- to 16-year-olds do nothing, which drills make opting out impossible, and how to make agreements stick.
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Retaining youth players: the jump to senior volleyball
Retaining youth players between 15 and 20: where a year group breaks, the maths behind the chain reaction and four things a club genuinely controls.
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What does volleyball cost per month? The bill for a season
What does volleyball cost per month? The full seasonal bill: membership fee, federation levy, kit, team kitty and travel, worked back to a monthly figure.
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