Timing for outside hittrs

Question
Hello

I am coaching a 13 club volleyball team and I am looking for some advise about "when outside hitters should approach to hit."  I seem to hear "at the peak of the set."  What are your suggestions for timing and maybe a drill to help with timing.  

Answer
Hello Coach:

Thank you for visiting www.allexperts.com!  It's great to hear from you.

Timing: You can coach and coach your girls with their timing, but just like catching a baseball, or knowing when to start swinging your softball bat, the timing is more dependent on maturity & age, then practice.  

I'm not saying you shouldn't keep on allowing your girls to try to get better.  Of course you should.  But 7th graders will mistime their spike approach.  In fact, I imagine that 10% of 8th graders' approaches are mistimed and 5% of 9th graders'.  It happens.  But, just like other athletics concerns, mistimed approaches will usually vanish as the athlete get older.

When To Start:  One of the biggest misconceptions of vball is when people say, "Start at the height of the set."  Has any coach actually tried to do that themselves?  The set has to be so high, that the amount of athleticism required to hit the ball is impressive.  And we expect our players to do this?  Our 6th graders?  I have no idea why this statement continues to be believed.  I guess coaches are just grasping to tell their players something concrete.  

Then what DO I tell my players?  "Keep trying.  Keep getting older. Keep coming to the gym everyday.  It's frustrating, but you'll get better."

Finally:  Don't punish or criticize your players for what they aren't old enough to do.  Don't say stuff like, "For every mistimed approach, the team will do x consequences," b/c that's poor, immature coaching.  Would you punish your 5'8" boy every time he fails to dunk a basketball?  Would you punish your 6th grade female player every time she misses an overhand serve?  I don't even punish my 17 year olds.  It won't help your team play better.  It's immature coaching and it's poor coaching!  

Please visit me sometime at www.coachhouser.com.  My staff did six site camps last summer, and we've already got 4 reserved for this summer!  I can't wait!!