Setter Drills for Improving Wrist Speed and Timing

with Craig Skinner, University of Kentucky Head Coach;
9 Consecutive SEC Regular Season Champions (2017 - 2025);
2025 Final Four;
2025 SEC Tournament Champions;
2020 NCAA National Champions;
2021 AVCA National Coach of the Year;
2021 Volleyball Magazine National Coach of the Year;
5x AVCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year ;
7x SEC Coach of the Year;
2006 USA Junior National Team Head Coach (won Gold Medal in the Under-20 NORCECA Championships);
Nebraska Assistant Coach from 2000 to 2004;
2000 NCAA Championship (with John Cook as head coach):
Wisconsin Assistant Coach from 1994 to 1998;
Muncie Burris High School (IN) Head Coach from 1988 to 1989;
Munciana Volleyball Club, Director and Coach in 1988 and 1989;
played college volleyball (Ball State University) for Don Shondell

and Kyle Walton,
Oklahoma Volunteer Assistant Coach;
Transylvania University Head Coach from 2014 to 2017;
former Assistant Coach at Kentucky, Louisville, Saint Louis and Southern Illinois

To be successful, volleyball teams need a strong offensive system, and the most effective way to improve your offense is to improve your setter. Craig Skinner and Kyle Walton take you through a training program they've used in their own programs to improve setter performance. The coaches demonstrate drills and provide tips you can use to improve your setter's range while developing consistency and increasing your setter's volleyball IQ.

The speakers demonstrate the various drills they use that relate to the different progressions of training. Along with this progression, they discuss different location drills and how they impact the trajectory of the ball.

Wrist Strength and Balance

Coaches Skinner and Walton provide an alternative method to building wrist strength and speed that has a lower risk of injury than using a weighted ball. Adapted from strategies used with baseball pitchers, the concept consists of getting reps using two different types of light-weighted volleyballs and then using a regular volleyball. The setter actually increases wrist speed because the ball is lighter, and after those repetitions, the speed carries over into match play.

This series of drills works the setter from lying down, to seated and finally standing. The drills work on increasing the speed of the setter's hands, range of the wrists, and flexibility of the wrists and will help your setter be more effective, especially in out of system situations.

You'll learn how to teach your setters to arrive balanced to the ball to deliver a good, consistent set each time. The Five Star drill works setters from different areas of the court where they focus on being balanced on every set, no matter where the pass takes them. Your setters will get multiple reps while taking the ball from different areas, focusing on having great posture every time.

As the focus moves on to setting tempo, coaches Skinner and Walton share drills and tips using a stopwatch to help setters become consistent with their timing. They show a drill where setters set with their eyes closed from all different areas of the court. The main goal is to get players to stop worrying about mechanics and create a consistent set. Your setters will get feedback about their set before they open their eyes. This is a great way for them to focus more on the outcome of their sets.

Mental Training for Setters

Is over-analyzing a problem for your setter? Coaches Skinner and Walton take you through a progression that will help your setter get "out of her own head" and not over-think their sets. They also offer tips for mixing up your training while working on skills to make your setter a more complete player.

Volleyball IQ for the Setter

The final part of the video focuses on developing volleyball IQ. Combination drills with the middle blocker will help your setter's vision to fool the opposing middles and set in the opposite direction the middle goes to block.

Coaches Skinner and Walton demonstrate some fun and competitive drills that will help your setter's decision-making skills. They wrap it all up with a rapid fire 5 ball, 7 ball, 8 ball drill that puts it all together and adds a conditioning element to the training.

Training setters is all about repetition and commitment. This video shows a quick, but powerful series of drills that will give your setters all the tools necessary to take their abilities to the next level. You'll be able to go through the drills and give your setters the amount of reps necessary to improve their abilities.

Produced at the 2015 AVCA National Convention.

50 minutes. 2016.