Youth Special: The 6-3

My favorite rotation option for 14s and below.

I was reading and article from Matt Hanlon’s Coaching Volleyball Substack where he mentions an internal debate over systems for youth teams. My response to him:

Matt, do you have much experience with the 6-3 system that Kessel briefly mentions? I particularly like the version where the setter sets from 2 and 1. I like a 6-6 for true beginners, but, like you, I think there is a lot of value in teaching the concept of roles and responsibilities. A 6-3 where they set out of 2 and 1 basically prepares them to play a 5-1 system, but the rotations themselves are incredibly simple and involve no left-right overlap.

I have worked with U-14 teams where I have installed this system in 1 practice. The 6-3 is slightly more complex from a coaching perspective (the pattern recognition from years of coaching 5-1s does not apply at all because the positions are now in triangles instead of opposite each other), but simpler for players.

Matt wanted to hear more about the particular 6-3 that I like to teach youth teams, and I figured that would make a good post. So here we go.

(Very) Brief Systems Overview

6-6
Everybody sets, usually when they rotate to position 2. Sometimes when they set to position 3. I think this is fine for a very beginner team. I also really like this style if you have a youth league where you play 4 v 4. The upside is that everybody gets to do all the skills a bit, and you spend zero time teaching systems so you can spend all your time teaching skills. The downside is that it doesn’t accommodate varied skill levels and interest as well.

I like a 6-6 for club 12s teams that are completely new to volleyball. So usually this wouldn’t be a 12-1 team at most clubs. This could be a U-10 team, or a 12-2 or 12-3 team, something like that.

4-2
2 setters who are opposite each other, and they set from the front row. The upside is that this system is very simple once you enter the rally phase. Beginning players have an easier time when the setter is in the front row. That’s all good. The downside is Rotation 4. Rotation 4 is one of the most difficult rotations even for competent high school teams. But everything that I like about the 4-2 can be done, better, with a 6-3. More on that in a second.

6-2
2 setters who are opposite each other, and they set from the back row. You might leave a setter in the front row to hit, or (most commonly in American club volleyball), you sub her out for a hitter.

5-1
1 setter who plays all the way around. The most common system in NCAA volleyball (although this was randomly a big year for 6-2s) and, due to sub rules, almost the only system that can be played at high levels in international volleyball.

Alright, So What Is A 6-3?

6-3
3 setters in a triangle. Every other player is a setter, and every other player is a non-setter.¹

A way to think about the differences here is:

6-6: You do one rotation (setter-3 or setter-2) and you repeat it 6 times.
4-2: You do three rotations (setter-4, setter-3, setter-2) and repeat them twice.
6-2: You do three rotations (setter-1, setter-6, setter-5) and repeat them twice.
6-3: You do two rotations (I like setter-2 and setter-1) and repeat them… thrice.

If you want to see it written on a white board, it looks like this:

I’ll get to why I like to do setter-2 and setter-1 in a moment, because you don’t necessarily have to do it that way. You could do setter-3 + setter-2 (therefore, the setter is always in the front row) or you could do setter-1 + setter-6 (therefore, the setter is always in the back row). But, I like setter-2 + setter-1, so that’s what I’m showing.

These are the 2 rotations, which you’ll do 3 times each. So in this drawing, S1 starts in position 2 and is the setter. The serve receive is simple enough to set up. When you rotate, S1 is now in position 1 and is still the setter. That serve receive is also easy to set up. Once you rotate again, S1 is now in position 6, and no longer the setter, because S2 is in position 2, so she’s now the setter.

Now you flip back to the setter-2 rotation and restart. Continue until you get back around to S1 being in position 2 and you’ve completed all 6 rotations.

Getting The Details Right