Benchmark Blocking! Blueprints, Drills & Techniques For Building Better Blockers

with Alicia Williams, Bradley University Head Coach,
Iowa Western Community College Head Coach from 2013 through 2022;
2021 & 2020 NJCAA Division I National Champions;
2021 NJCAA Division I Volleyball Coach of the Year;
335-44 record (.884) over 9 seasons as head coach at Iowa Western University;
As a player, was part of Iowa Western's first-ever National Championship in 2006

Blocking is a difficult skill and many teams have players that can barely get their fingertips above the net.  As a result, coaches may put blocking training on the back burner.  

Coach Alicia Williams, fresh off her second NJCAA National Championship and en route to her new Bradley University head coach position, counters that notion and shares how teaching solid fundamentals gives your players a reason to be jumping and as a result, can become effective, regardless of  their jumping abilities. 

Blocking Fundamentals

Coach Williams explains the teaching points she emphasizes for blocking fundamentals:

• How to adjust drills based on jumping ability and athleticism
• Importance of body control to stay out of the net; forcing the hold
• Live hitting to work on player blocker deficiencies

Practice Segments, Technique and Drills

With her instruction on blocking fundamentals Coach Williams emphasizes the importance of footwork, blocking posture, and defining your blocking scheme.  Blocking posture instruction focuses on an emphasis of knees loaded, toe turned out, and ready hands to keep players active and ready to attack the attacker.   Blocking progression drills shown will help you create an effective defensive team.   

Williams suggests these questions are worthwhile to ask yourself as you look ahead with your program:

• What are my players good at?
• How will I design my block based on their capabilities and the scouting report from the opposing team?

In this terrific video, Coach Williams gives you everything you need to know about blocking. You will learn the techniques that will be a solid foundation to develop your players into a highly skilled blocking team.  She also stresses how to make your live practice segments areas of growth by expressing the purpose of the drills and then the importance of giving feedback on that purpose.  This develops a way to hold players accountable for the given purpose. 

57 minutes. 2022.