As coaches, we are tasked with teaching all different types of learners. Some athletes just need to hear it and they can quickly execute or make a change. Others need something different, something visual. Many programs are incorporating technology into their gyms to provide that extra bit of information. Below are a few examples of some things we do in our gym at Oklahoma.

Video Feedback

Every practice, we set up a couple video delay stations. We have a TV cart on which we air play footage from an iPad directly to the TV with an adjustable delay through an app. We also utilize our larger video replay board that we connect to our VolleyMetrics camera with a delay. For those without a video replay board, you could easily set up another TV cart and access your VolleyMetrics camera to provide a different view. We utilize this setup during drills, especially low-intensity ones or ones that are initiated by a coach. This allows the player to do their rep and then step aside and watch what they just did to see if they are executing whatever our focus is that day. On occasion, we will have a coach stationed at the TV to talk to that player about their rep(s) while the others continue. We have found that this is a great way for a player to make that connection between what they are working on and what they are physically doing. There are simpler ways to execute this with a phone, camera, iPad, etc. that are budget-friendly and accomplish the same goal.

On-Court Scouting

We’ve all sat through a scouting session that can be… well… boring. We have found some ways to make scouting more interactive and put our minds in game mode. We will use the same setup mentioned above often to watch and talk through our opponent before getting on the court and doing it ourselves. This is great for serve receive patterns, offensive rotations, opponent defense, etc. This is a cool way to get creative and keep things visual for your players while you are walking through a game plan.

Challenge Review

We know as coaches that we have to rely on our players when it comes to challenges a lot of the time. This process still takes some getting used to. We will occasionally use our challenge review system on an iPad in practice (operated by a manager) when we are playing 6v6 games and a team wants to challenge to keep things “match-like” and simulate that delay in action. This can also be a good way to keep players that are off engaged and looking at things that are happening as scrimmages/drills are happening. Also… it’s pretty fun to do and gets the competitive juices going!

Post-Practice Video

There are so many cool ways to engage players post-practice. Now, they can watch everything back on their own from the comfort of their own room. Not everyone has the luxury of having video coordinators or people to stat and code every contact. There are many free sites and platforms (e.g. Google drive, Microsoft teams, Teamworks, Box, etc.) that allow you to clip things that you want players to see and pop them into a folder for them to view right from their phones or laptops.

These are a few super easy ways to meet the student-athletes where they are. It is our job as coaches to adapt as times change and teach in a way that resonates with our players. Keep learning and stay creative with your practice gym!