Crowds Lessen Impact: AKA Donaldson’s dive into the stands

I know this is a blog about volleyball but I pick up topics from all sports and after seeing something on FSN and searching for hours to find the video, I gave up. Well, I couldn’t find exactly what I had seen but I found the play that was being referenced in the show and that’s close enough for me.

Essentially, I was watching a highlight reel of last week’s MLB plays which include Josh Donaldson’s wicked catch from the Blue Jays game against Tampa Bay. I mean, this is the reason he’s playing professional baseball and I’m not. Not because I can’t hit a ball more than ten feet, which isn’t relevant. Anyways, check out his catch below.

No Ninja Volleyball

Ninja volleyball is a term one of my coaches used that refers to a player not making any noise on the court and sneaking up on their teammates. So for those of you who think I'm against the app, I only found it two minutes ago. This often causes at least one of the players to get injured. When I was officiating coed recreational volleyball the other night, two players on the same team went up to block the same ball and the guy slammed into the girl, causing her to fall to the floor. He also fell on top of her afterward. I immediately stopped play because she was clutching her head do to the fact that it had just hit the ground. Neither of them had verbally communicated that they were going to take the block.

This is something I see often in rec ball. Players don’t communicate and it is the ultimate downfall of the team. Teams could have poor technical skills but if they communicate they’ll beat a skilled team nearly every time. One of the easiest things to do to improve your game is to communicate with the person you’re playing with. This limits the number of assumptions made. And when I say communicate, I mean say anything and everything that you see or that you are going to do.

We avoid concussions simply by calling the ball we’re going to take. Remember the seagulls from Finding Nemo and how annoying they were, constantly saying ‘mine, mine, mine’? That is exactly what you should do. Call the ball and call it three times. If you hear your team mate call the ball then open to them and say their name. This lets them know that they have been heard by you and solidifies their claim to the ball.

For those of you that are new, I frequently reference Disney movies. I admit that I have an addiction but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a problem.

Anyways, we don’t have much time between plays, it can range from ten to thirty seconds at most so you need to make those seconds count. When I coach and I need to talk to a player during a game, I limit it to five words or a predetermined signal. If I want my hitter to wait and go fast when she goes to attack, I form a ‘W’ with my hands and call her name. If I want my setter to follow through, I make a setting motion and hold it. It can be difficult to limit yourself to five words, but you don’t have time for anything else and honestly, the message won’t sink in mid game if you use more than that.

Another simple communication technique is calling for the ball when you want to hit. I can’t tell you how many times I simply dumped the ball over the net when I was a setter and I didn’t hear a single hitter asking for the ball. I take that message as them not being ready or not being confident in their hitting abilities. My favorite thing to do when I play middle is to scream what I want and get the middle blocker on the other side to stick to me. This allows my setter to set up the outside or right side with one fewer blocker on the other side.

Other things to talk about include how a ball is going to come back over the net. If you see the hitter going to tip the ball, tell your team so they can adjust in to pick it up. If you see a split block, tell your teammate between plays. If someone is bumping the ball over the net, you need to call ‘free’ so that your team can set up for a kill.

There is no limit to what you can say when you’re playing. And I promise, you can always talk more and you can always be louder. I’m the loudest one in the gym and I still don’t think I’m loud enough or talking enough. You should lose your voice by the end of a tournament because of how much you talked.

I’d love to hear from you about things you find essential to tell your teammates. Leave a comment below!