Ryan Theis Coaching Volleyball 2-Pack

with Ryan Theis,
University of Florida Head Coach;
Marquette University Head Coach from 2014 to 2024;
led Marquette to the school's first Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2018;
2017 Big East Coach of the Year;
2017 Big East Coaching Staff of the Year;
Ohio University Head Coach from 2008 to 2013;
2x MAC Coach of the Year (2009, 2013)

Coach Ryan Theis covers arm mechanics for hitters and transition footwork in this informative instructional video. He addresses the basic arm mechanics for a hitter, as well as some more advanced concepts that are useful to start teaching younger players as they transition to become stronger players. Theis discusses a dozen topics and provides straightforward drills for each skill set.

Arm Swing Concepts

Coach Theis discusses the core elements of the arm swing, including terminology for draw, separation, and rotation. Players demonstrate these fundamentals as he explains key elements of each skill. You'll observe multiple drills to allow you to target these skills in your players, as well as some keys to detect if your players are executing properly.

Improving Accuracy

Next, Theis demonstrates how to help players' hand contact skills through a set of drills to learn to control arm angle and wrist angle. He shows how players can learn to control ball placement across a net with a partner, and he helps you understand the strategy to teach attacking the ball. Coach Theis provides terminology to help your players understand the technique of a cross body shot versus using arm angle along with wrist angle to disguise an attack.

Footwork Strategy

Theis breaks down a four step approach and discusses footwork and timing for a successful attack. He explains the philosophy in body angles, particularly weight transfer with knees over toes, and approach timing to respond to out of system sets. Coach Theis also demonstrates how a controlled and well-timed approach allows a player to make adjustments during the set to place themselves in a position to hit effectively.

Coach Theis covers all elements of a front row player, including transitions from blocking or defense, approach footwork, and arm mechanics. Once you've finished watching this video, you'll walk away with plenty of strategies that you can apply with players of any age to help them become successful hitters.

41 minutes. 2021.

with Ryan Theis,
University of Florida Head Coach;
Marquette University Head Coach from 2014 to 2024;
led Marquette to the school's first Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2018;
2017 Big East Coach of the Year;
2017 Big East Coaching Staff of the Year;
Ohio University Head Coach from 2008 to 2013;
2x MAC Coach of the Year (2009, 2013)

Habits, good or bad, form early in volleyball players. Bad habits can be difficult to change, which holds back players and teams from becoming the best they can be. The ability to help your players correct bad volleyball habits can help set them on the path to greater success. This video featuring Marquette's Ryan Theis will provide you with the advice you need in order to correct some of the most common bad habits found in volleyball players.

Coach Theis first explains how the lack of consistency in training effective techniques at the earliest ages creates challenges for players and coaches later on in their careers. Maximizing a player's performance requires coaches to recognize bad habits and provide specific ways to replace them with good volleyball habits that can be reinforced.

Digging and Passing Corrections

Next, Theis describes common mistakes made in general and specific digging and passing techniques and ways to correct them. This includes teaching players more optimal digging body and elbow/hand position, along with a partner warm-up series for improving right back, left back and off blocker digging on tipped, hard-driven and deep balls. He also shares insights on better serve receive posture and first step efficiency for passers, along with drills to create more effective passing habits.

Blocking, Hitting, and Serving Corrections

Coach Theis then identifies bad habits in blocking, and provides ways to teach more ideal spacing from the net, footwork for blocking different types of attacks, and coordination of shoulder and hand position when blocking. You'll also learn insights into identifying bad habits in approaches and arm swing mechanics for hitting and serving, along with several drills that can instill correct techniques. For example, Theis provides two partner drills involving a two-hand ball toss to self followed by a spike to a partner 30 or 60 feet away to teach simplified motion, optimal hand separation, opening up, shoulder rotation and hand finish.

In this video, Coach Theis shares an approach to successfully identify and correct bad habits in your players. The video includes 12 individual and partner drills that target specific solutions to common bad habits in all of the main volleyball skills that are employed today by the Marquette women's volleyball team. Implementing these methods can help promote good habits starting at the beginning of a volleyball player's career and provide solutions to bad habits in even the most experienced athletes.

51 minutes. 2021.