tips from Adrie

Mini volleyball in general

Three aspects have to be present in any training:
1. Fun:
Fun is most important. If children are really motivated to play sports they will learn better and more (obtainable golas, playful forms of games, sportspecificy and global playing)
2. Much movement:
Children have to move a lot. In the present society spontaneous moving-oppurtunities are less available. Children used to be able to just play a game on the streets.
It is up to us to let the children move a lot.
3. Learning-aspect:
It is our goal to teach the children a game. This learning is not only on the technical/tactical area, but also on the social area. Next to techniques, physical form and the ability to solve sportsituations, children have to develop a notion how to behave themselves during and after matches, how to interact with others and how to take responsibility in sports (technique, tactics, social behaviour, fair-play, indepence).

• With minivolleyball the contact with parents is very important. Give a demonstration-training or a parentsday and tell the parents what you are doing, you than also recrute a lot of volunteers.
• With minivolleyball the execution of the technique comes first. Performance comes later.
• Stimulate minivolleyballplayers to practise also at home. Who can bounce fifty balls; make scheme’s so that they can measure there progress. It helps if you measure.
• Don’t stretch with minivolleybal-players.
• Let players who start later playing volleyball make extra hours, so they will be able to play with players of their own age.
• If you have a very gifted player, let him only play one group higher. This will prevent social-emotional problems.
• Let children who have bad motoric skills do a longer basicprogramm for motoric skills.

Research shows that recruting players at level 1,2 and 3 is the easiest. From all new-arrivals 70% starts at that age, only 20% start al level 4,5 and 6. And 10% starts at a later age.
• Try to place yourself in the thinkingworld of the child and speak in their language.
• Provide with simple and clear exercises and prevent “traffic-jams” (rows of children waiting).
• Train minivolleyball-players with a long net. Mostly one on one, two against two or three against three. you generate many ballcontacts.
• Always make sure you have a good example at the training. Children learn in pictures.
• Make sure that children practise with different children all the time.
• Provide with the correct balls, it will speedy up the learning-process.
Level 1, 2, 3   with Mikasa Schoolvolleybal SV-3
Level 4, 5, 6 with Mikasa Volleybal Youth YV-3

• Do not give to much information at once, children are selective.
• Work a lot with sportspecificy. At matches one has to meet with the character of a specific sport (Cool Moves Volley (circulationvolleyball), minivolleyball). Practise and repeat will bring dullness with it and that goes against the nature of the child. It is important to find different practise-forms where is everything from the real sport present and offer little abstract froms of practise.
• Minivolleybal-players are not good at performing anaerobic exercise, because they have difficulty making ‘milkacid’.
• Start training two times a week from the fourth week, volleyball is a technical sport, the fun will get bigger.
• Practise on a saturday-morning; you will find a lot of help.
• Be consistent with agreements you make at the start of the season.
• Organize extra acivities next to volleyball, they will strengthen the bond between players, for example a camp.
• Teach minivolleyball-players allround, don’t switch at the net!
• Let miniplayers count a lot, it will improve their concentration. Wie can make a series of 10? Who is the first to reach 20 points?
• Recrute children especially at the end and the beginning of the season, they have to finish what they are doing first from their parents.