Email Campaign Archive

My Thoughts on Pre-Match Preparation

-By Dave Cross

Tom answered the following questions in an article
posted on 2/25. Well, here are my answers to the
same questions. If you compare the two articles
you will see a common philosophical approach
between our two styles. Yes, we do have a couple
of different ideas, but that is to be expected.
Maybe you'd like to submit your answers to these
questions for our members to consider? If so,
simply email them to me.

-Dave Cross

A Question for Dave:

I want you to share your thoughts on pre-match
warmup as if you're a coach for a High School team
or Club team (say 16U). Below you will find seven
questions that pertain to the information I'm
looking for. Your input will be most valuable. 

Dave's Replies:

1. In your words what defines "pre-game" warm-up?

The actual "physical warmup" starts when they do
their dynamic warmup before they stretch, of
course. But, our "actual" preparation starts
when we have our meeting before they get dressed.
This meeting will start about one hour and
thirty-five minutes before we would begin the
pre-match twenty minute warmup (assuming the JV
match takes an hour, so a lot of times it is
actually one hour and fifteen or twenty minutes
since most JV matches take about forty to
forty-five minutes).  

2. How do you physically prepare your players for
a game?

We normally practice two hours and fifteen minutes
at the max the night before a match. Toward the
end of the season we will cut it back to around
an hour and forty-five minutes. We'll also go
shorter if we are playing a tough stretch of three
matches in five days, for example. I feel it is
very important to keep the kids as fresh as
possible, and with the condition my team is
usually in, this amount of practice time does just
that. 

But, if I know we are playing a weak opponent that
won't push us, I have been known to push them
hard the night before-especially if we've had a
stretch of matches like this and we have tough one
on the horizon.

The girls then know to get home and relax. We do
not work on week nights at all-unless a family is
in a situation where it simply can't be helped.

In terms of how we prepare for the next opponent,
it depends greatly on who that opponent is. About
ninety percent of the time we simply work on fine
tuning our own game. We will work on serving to
certain zones or attacking specific areas if I
feel it's needed. Defensively, if we know the
opponent is going to present a challenge with a
certain part of their offense, we will work on
defending that.  

3. How do you mentally prepare your team for a game?

At the beginning of practice we will talk about
the specific challenges our opponent will present
if there are any, but many times it is simply
about focusing on continuing to improve and making
sure we are ready to play both physically and
mentally the next night.

Then, at the end of practice, we'll sit down and
go over whatever we talked about before practice
started. I always remind them to "play the game"
that night at home-which is a visualization
routine the girls do the night before a match
specific to that next opponent.

On match night, as I mentioned above, we go into
our team meeting about an hour and a half before
we expect to warmup. We will cover want we want to
focus on concerning our own performance first,
("We need to make sure we call the lines better
tonight", or "let's improve at covering our
hitters"). Then we will cover the strategies we
need to employ to beat this opponent, ( "Ok, we
are going to serve to 5 and 12, keep the ball away
from 10 if at all possible", or "From the middle
we are going to attack the corners and tip the
middle", or "The outsides have a tip right over
the block down the line."

Then I will leave and the girls will do a "focus
circle" which I have written about many times
previously, followed by a visualization session
where the "play the game" again for about ten to
fifteen minutes.

When they come out of this meeting they go
straight into change and then come out and warmup
in the hallways. From the time we enter the
meeting until the match is over it is "team
time". No boys, no parents, (except for "Mom,
did you bring my water bottle?" or "Do you have
any ibuprofen?", until the match is over.

If they have time after warming up, they usually
will go back in the lockerroom and "get pumped"
to whatever music that team is into that year.
 

4. What is the one essential element you never leave
out when preparing your team for the up coming
game?

That we need to give one hundred percent
physically and mentally-no exceptions, no matter
how weak the oppenent is. We always stress that we
want to be "proud of our effort" when we walk
into the locker room after a match. Our kids our
very proud of how hard they work. Some of our
quietest locker rooms ever have been after a
lackluster performance in which we still won
easily-that simpy isn't acceptable in our
program.  

5. What is your favorite on court pre-game warm-up drill?

We don't do anything fancy. The hitters will
swing from where they usually do in a match and
the DS's will be on the other side digging things
up. When we are off the court, we'll run two
lines digging a coach with half the team shagging,
and then switch half the way through the allotted
time. 

I personally don't like the six on six warmup
idea. I've never seen a team play hard doing this
and it seems to me that you want to wait to
"unleash" them on the court when the match
actually starts.
  

6. Best advice you could give to a coach in preparing
her/his players for a game?

Gauge their "state of readiness" and get it
adjusted when necessary. Never take it for granted
that they are "ready to go". Usually I am more
on them about it before we play a weak opponent
because they won't get themselves ready as much
for these matches. Before our big matches, I just
watch to make sure they aren't too excited-or too
quiet.  

7.One thing you always try and avoid (because it
takes so much away) when preparing your team for a game?

No pre-match drama. No "surprises". Do
everything you can to discuss lineup changes as
long before the match as possible for that
situation. The girls know to keep everything the
same before each match-no big changes in their
hair, socks, etc.. "Surprises are Distractions".

-Dave Cross
National Director
Yes I Can Volleyball