Taking Your Outside Hitters to the Next Level

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)

Possessing a team full of quality outside hitters will cover up a lot of weaknesses you have elsewhere. Ryan Theis, the 2017 Big East Coach of the Year at Marquette University, provides you with plenty of coaching tips and drills to help you produce better pin players. You'll discover methods to train every area of your outside hitters' game.

Attack Work

Coach Theis guides you effortlessly through techniques and practical examples of how to get more from your outside hitters. The attack segment will help you understand how to utilize the three methods for arm swings. There are simple cues to help your hitters become more successful. Additional footwork training will help your hitters understand the tempo needed to put the ball down more consistently.

Your pin hitters will learn the three techniques of hitting explosive line shots, cross body trickery and wrist away for better success. Theis also shows how to consistently hit line shots by letting the ball get to the left side of the body and rotating shoulder-to-shoulder. He explains two-step and four-step approaches, including training with a "slow to fast" technique with a final push for power.

Passing Routines

For your team to be successful, it's important to create exercises in practice that your players will see in games. The First Step Efficiency drill will drive home the importance of that first move toward making a good pass. Changing the server angle and spin will get your passer reading the ball better and create better passing angles. Too often posture is too low, and that makes it too difficult to handle high balls. Coach Theis' Partner Defense drills cover shoulder digs, sideline digs and line digs in a fun and competitive spirit.

Blocking Skills

Coach Theis explains how he uses the swing move and shuffle move with his outside hitters to cover more net space in the front row. The swing move teaches your blocker to "shoot your guns" and extend over the net to get more blocks. With the shuffle move, your blocker will be able to cover a greater area much quicker so that your outside hitter can help cover middle attacks.

Theis covers how to incorporate vision training into your outside hitter blocking schemes. Outside sets require a bigger step, while inside sets require the step to be smaller. When the middle hitter is added, it creates complexity and forces the blocker to utilize better vision.

Serving

You'll hear Coach Theis explain the jump spin and jump float serves so that your team will prosper at the service line. He again utilizes the concept of "slow to fast" and the details of the four-step approach. With the graded serving segment, Theis explains the importance of velocity, flat serves, and accuracy.

Coach Theis is an excellent teacher of the game and has figured out how to create situations in practice that mimic real game situations. Your outside hitters will learn everything they need to know with this video.

85 minutes. 2019.