Summer 2024 Mailbag - Part 2
Hitting windows, (not) 4-Ball Passing, and DataVolley
Part 1 of the Mailbag was earlier this week. Let’s get right into it.
Some of you have been enjoying the Olympic Live Blog. Drop me a comment and let me know what you’ve thought of the volleyball (or anything else) out in Paris!
A reader asks:
I have a question for you about the hitting window that is taped on the floor. I understand that the box is 1mx1m. But what are the dimensions inside the side line...it looks about a .5m in from the side line and that the top of the box finishes .5m from the next. Just curious if you used an actual meter stick to measure or just kind of eyeballed it? It looks like the middle of the box is 1m from the net. Hope this question makes sense...I just wasn't totally sure when I reread the article.
Yep, you got the dimensions right. I do measure it if I can. A lot of gyms here use Sportcourt, which is 10" x 10" tiles. So 4 tiles almost exactly =1m, which works out nicely. But sometimes I just eyeball it if that's all I can do. Lately I’ve actually been backing the box off the net 1 more 10” square, which is incredibly unsatisfying from a geometry perspective, but giving high school hitters a little more space off the net seems valuable.
Super-Commenter Caroline Winand in Notes From Richmond:
I don’t think 4 ball passing sucks, but I shifted it when I went to the Karch - Slabe clinic at NC State in April. I wanted to have 2 passers as often as I could get them, so I have a passer in the 6 and the 5 with an extra “bowler” in the 1. On the other side of the net I have a passer in 6 and in 1. I have a setter on each side of the net releasing from a different serve receive rotation. I have two servers on each side on the net, one in the cross and one serving straight ahead at the seam between passers.
Then I rotate them through. I found that we got really good at passing alone and really good at passing the serve from straight ahead. This offers different angles and an opportunity to communicate AND set live passes. Still call it 4 ball passing though, as a nod to the man, the myth, the legend himself
I think this is a great set-up and I use this one quite a bit as well! I usually Pass-Set-Hit out of this 2-Way setup, but sometimes you can just serve and pass it. I agree, the danger of over-relying on 4-Ball Passing is that you’re getting so many reps straight ahead and solo and not getting those team passing reps. I don’t like much more than 10 minutes per practice in the 4-Ball setup.
A young college coach asks:
Hi Joe! quick question! I am reading your blog and your guide about DV I want to know more to create the Workssheets for practices and games...do you have some examples to show me and help me with the formula creation? thank you so much!
Check out this manual that I wrote. It's free for Premium Subscribers :)
In particular, if you go to page 88, that is the section on building worksheets.
My main suggestion is to use the Formula Wizard and to start small. This will give you a feel for how they work. For example, start by just learning to use the Wizard for something like:
Player #1
R# passes (The formula will be <*01R#>)
R+ passes
R! Passes
R- Passes
R/ Passes
R= Passes
And do the same thing for Player #14, for example the formula for their number of R= will be <*14R=>
Then you can start learning to make simple calculation formulas. For example:
(<*01R#> + <*01R+>) / (<*01R>)
This is a basic Good and Perfect Reception % formula for player with jersey number 1.
Then from there you can keep adding 1 more thing as you learn the formula for it. In the beginning, you will have to use the wizard every time, but as you get used to it, you will remember the formulas in your head and can edit them without using the wizard.
Get started with this and let me know if you have any more Qs!