All Players Should be Good at Peppering

All Players Should be Good at Peppering

The most important skill to have in volleyball is being able to pepper. The reason that it is so important because you can practice the three most vital parts of the volleyball game: setting, hitting, and digging. I always say to my players that I have never met a good volleyball player that is bad at peppering. The best volleyball players in the world are really good at it. Players must know that they should master the art of the pepper. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen players just not care much about it or just really are not good at it. Though not a real volleyball rule, I believe that knowing how to pepper is definitely one of the unwritten volleyball rules.

Spend a lot of time in practice peppering. Do or have your players do the different types of peppering to really help in mastering it. In this article, I am going to point a few things that players can do to become better at peppering.

Pepper with Tips Only
Have players warm up by getting them to tip at each other in pepper rather than spiking at each other. This way they will start with some control in the pepper. Most of the time when two partners are struggling, one or both either cannot spike the ball at the other player or one can’t dig the ball. Have them start off with easy tips then work to aggressive tips. They should always be sure that they control the tip and allow the other player to dog the ball.

Fast Pepper
This is how I warm-up my liberos before volleyball matches. Have the players stand very close to each other and pepper as fast as they can. Quick pepper literally means a quick bump, a quick set, and a quick spike. If done correctly and under control, this warm up gets them much better at peppering and also gets them ready for the game. Have players do this in practice to help with their reaction time.

Far Away Pepper

This is by far the hardest version of peppering. Each partner should stand, facing each other, on opposite sidelines. Have them pepper. The goal here is to get them to pass the ball long, hit the ball long, and set the ball long. This drill is outstanding for getting players to control their spikes. This is obviously very important.

Things to look for
Whether you are coaching or playing, you always want to be aware of a few things while you are peppering. To begin with, make sure that you are always in the athletic position. A player should never be standing stright up and not ready, especially in practice. Be very careful to stay on the toes, not flat footed. A key point here is that players should never be standing still, rather always in motion. Once they stop moving, they will get stuck and will not be able to play a ball correctly.

HOW TO COACH VOLLEYBALL: COMMUNICATION

images 2 How To Coach Volleyball: Communication Regardless of the type of communication (correcting an error, explaining volleyball rules, teaching a skill or complementing a play), keep these things in mind:

Be positive and honest
State it clearly and simply
Say it loud enough, and say it again
Be consistent

BE POSITIVE AND HONEST

You should strive to have five positive comments for every one negative comment. Players need encouragement because they often doubt their ability to perform. So look for and tell your players what they did well. In other words, catch them doing it right!

But do not say that something was good if it wasn’t. Kids know all too well when they have erred, and no cheerful expression can undo their mistakes. An effective way to correct a performance error is to first point out the part of the skill that the player performed correctly. Then explain – in a positive manner – the error that the player made and show her the correct way to do it. Finish by encouraging the player and emphasizing the correct performance.

An example might be, “Molly, I like the way you moved to get the ball in the middle of your stance. Next time, it will be even better if you don’t swing your arms when you pass.”

Be sure not to follow a positive statement with the word “but”. For example, you shouldn’t say, “That was a good approach on your attack, Kelly, but you didn’t contact the ball at the peak of your jump.” This causes many kids to ignore the positive statement and focus on the negative one. Substitute the word “and” for but. For example, you could say, “That was a good approach on your attack, Kelly. And if you contact the ball at the peak of your jump, you’ll be able to hit it harder. Way to go.”

Also, use the phrase “it will be even better if…” This reinforces to the player that they are already good and the instruction will help them take their play to the next level. For example, “Sara, you did a great job going after the ball. It will be even better next time, if you try to set balls that are above your head.”

STATE IT CLEARLY AND SIMPLY

These players are young and their attention span is short. Be brief and clear with your instructions and comments. If you ramble, the players will miss your point. Use language that your players will understand. Think before your speak and be concise. Be specific with your feedback and do it immediately following the situation.