How to Effectively Utilize the Back Row Attack as Part of Your Offense

with Ryan McGuyre,
Baylor University Head Women's Volleyball Coach;
2019 USMC/AVCA Div. I National Coach of the Year;
2019 Final Four;
2x Big 12 Coach of the Year (2017, 2019);
Big 12 Champions (first time in school history!);
former Cal Baptist University Men's & Women's Head Coach;
9x National Champions;
NCCAA Division I National Coach of the Year (2011);
Named AVCA's Men's & Women's NAIA National Coach of the Year in the same year (2010)

A back row attack strategy can be effective for teams looking to expand their point scoring options; it will also complement a team's strong front row.

In this video, Coach Ryan McGuyre includes multiple drills that will challenge your understanding of how effective the back row attack can be. McGuyre does an outstanding job of presenting his knowledge and philosophy of utilizing the back row attack. The drills shown can be successfully altered to fit the needs of any team at the high school level or beyond.

Back Row Attack - Is it an Option?

Coach McGuyre emphasizes that in order to have a great back row attack, a team must first have a great front row attack. A back row attack must always complement a front row attack in order to be effective. First, you must first analyze the strengths of your team from the front row and then decide if and how the back row attack can strengthen your offense.

Some points of consideration that Coach McGuyre suggests include:

• How strong is your front row?
• How consistently and accurately does your team pass to the setter?
• How versatile is your setter?

Through practice repetitions and a commitment to work hard, teams can become more aggressive in competition with the addition of attacks from both lines.

Back Row Attack - How to Challenge Your Players

With multiple high-paced team drills that stress the back row option, McGuyre reinforces the multiple variables that coaches should take into consideration when establishing the back row offense. The Beat the Middle drill progression focuses on running different tempos while stressing blockers to work on reading and getting touches off the ball. A back row version of Queen of the Court will challenge your team to be better decision-makers in order to be a threat when your opponents least expect it. Finally, Coach McGuyre promotes aggressiveness by encouraging players to be fire-breathing dragons when attacking the ball.

In all drills, McGuyre reinforces the prioritization of a good passing game and explains different attack options that are created from the quality of and location of the pass.

Decision Making Skills

Coach McGuyre emphasizes that in order for your team to be able to execute the back row attack, your players' communication level must be elite. Setter and hitter conversations are a necessity to adjust to what is happening on the court, and back row attackers must know where the best opportunity to score is on the opponent's side. Through constant communication, your team will be able to adjust to your opponent by running multiple offensive plays.

All drills in this video can be adapted to focus on what your team is looking to improve on a daily basis. The drills can be altered for specific skill development and adjustments can be made to focus on what you want to see your team improve. Coach McGuyre provides many challenging repetitions for all court positions and emphasizes communication and aggressiveness - all to help your team take the next step in its back row attack!

51 minutes. 2020.