Goldilocks Method: Setting
Differential learning is a thing. There’s some specific definitions and debate about the best applications and the scientific basis behind some of the effects, but there’s some simple takeaways for volleyball coaches. The best summary to me is:
By introducing some noise into the system, we can hear the signal better.
Much of that research has been done on literal noise in audio signals. It also makes me think of the fact that minor misspellings or missing letters can help you better learn vocabulary words. And the noise can also be movement noise introduced to a system of volleyball movements. So when we, as volleyball coaches, think about this concept of differential training, we’re thinking, “how can we introduce some deliberate variability into how a player will perform a skill, to help them better learn an aspect of that skill?
What is the Goldilocks Method?
Goldilocks is a practice technique I like to use for helping a player understand an aspect of her technique. Like the character Goldilocks, we’re looking for volleyball oatmeal that’s not too hot, not too cold, but, “just right.”
You can use the Goldilocks Method for any skill. The idea is to do a 3-rep sequence where one rep is, “too hot,” one is, “too cold,” and the third is, “just right.” In the first two reps, the athlete is thinking about a piece of the technique and deliberately performing them out on the boundary that she knows isn’t ideal. On the third technique, she isn’t thinking about her technique, she is just focusing on the result; she’s trying to make the ball go, “just right.”
Previously, I shared some Goldilocks method applications for serving:
Since setting is a skill that relies heavily on touch, it’s well-suited for Goldilocks practice.
Basement/Roof/Kitchen
A setting key I often use is, “set from the kitchen.” Many young players take the ball too low when they set. They are, “setting from the basement.” Other players are too stiff and extended too early and they contact the ball, “up on the roof.” The best setters find a contact point where they are extended up over their head but not so high that they can’t extended and finish their sets. Players will also tend to get a little higher as they get older and stronger.
In this 3-rep sequence, players:
1. Set one ball, “from down in the basement.”
2. Set one ball, “from up on the roof.”
3. Set the third ball, “from the kitchen,” or, “just right.”
There’s certainly nothing wrong with specifically cueing a contact point, and I’ve found that the, “set from the kitchen, not up on the roof or down in the basement,” is a powerful image that helps even inexperienced players find the right contact point. But introducing some deliberate noise in the system by having the players perform a couple reps where they, “do it wrong,” helps them get it, “just right.”
However, it's important for players to understand that the first two reps aren’t necessarily just, “doing it wrong,” but, “developing the feel for your contact point.” Helping players understand the purpose of this Goldilocks method helps them get more out of this practice technique.
Ding It, Lob It, Just Right
This is a useful sequence if you do setter tutoring into a target hoop. It’s most useful for more advanced setters who have good setting mechanics and are trying to dial in the speed of their sets. It’s also useful for setters who don’t have much experience running a fast offense. These setters can be prone to get tight with their sets and under-set or, “baby the ball,” instead of, “firing it to the hitter.”
In this sequence, the setter:
1. Sets one ball where she fires it flat and, “ding,” the bottom of the hoop.
2. Sets one ball where she, “lobs it,” to the top of the hoop.
3. Sets it, “just right,” into the target.
Part of the usefulness of this method is just giving the setter permission to fire the ball too fast. That in and of itself can help the setter find the right arc. But this deliberate noise in the system help the setter fine-tune her touch when setting with tempo to the outside.
Too Early, Too Late, Just Right
Setting the ball is only half the battle for a setter. One of the hardest parts about setting is reading the ball off the passers arms, tracking it through space, and getting to the point of contact at just the right time.
Many setters have happy feet; they start running and moving their feet in all sorts of directions before they’ve even read where the pass is going. These setters often have a tendency to, “charge the passer,” and struggle when the ball is passed back at them into zone 2 or passed tighter to the net than they expect. This is especially true for young setters who are a bit inexperienced, but hard workers. They want to hustle and get to every ball, and they don’t realize that by waiting a bit and reading the pass, they will move more efficiently and get to the ball faster.
Other setters have poor movement prep and get late breaks on the ball. For these setters, they often have a postural deficiency or poor first step mechanics. They tend to stand a bit too upright and then have to lower their center of gravity and take significant negative steps in order to run to the ball. These setters often don’t have a great feel for the timing of when they need to go from, “waiting,” to, “ready to run,” to, “moving to the ball.”
When doing this Goldilocks sequence, the setter will:
1. Set one ball where they move, “too early.” On this rep, they should be almost guessing where the ball will go and moving as the passer passes the ball.
2. Set one ball where they move, “too late.” On this rep, they should wait for what will feel like an eternity. Let the ball get to the peak of its arc before moving.
3. Set one ball where they move at, “just the right time.”
Many players never think about the timing of their read sequence. Introducing some noise into the system helps them get a better feel for when they need to leave. It’s important to remember that they don’t need to overthink the third rep. They aren’t sitting there thinking, “wait, wait, wait… now!” They are just reading and reacting to what they see. The differential training helps them develop this feel at an intuitive level, which is where the best sports performance comes from.
Other Variations
Goldilocks is a very simple method. This barely scratches the surface of everything that you can do.
For what it’s worth, in a recent conversation with a super-duper-high-level-elite coach who many of you would know, that coach described this technique as, “as close to a magic bullet as I’ve found in coaching.” So, there you go.
That said, we were discussing making pretty specific technical changes in a tutoring environment. So there’s a lot more to coaching besides this one little method. It’s important that players know that they have space to experiment when they are doing this. Don’t have them trying Goldilocks in a competitive 6v6 drill! Use this when a player can cycle through several 3-rep sequences and start to feel the difference.
John Mayer and I talked about some of this stuff in our small-group workshop last year.
I’d also recommend Casey Krider’s appearance on CYBO, as well as the recent CYBO with Rob Gray, which I discussed previously on Smarter Volley.
Try these out and drop me a comment if they are working well for you.