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Fixing Bad Serving Habits!
A discussion on how some players developed bad habits younger in life when they were learning how to serve the overhand serve. These habits helped cheat the system early on, but now all they do is increase serving errors. Here's how you can fix those habits for better serving.

Come Back Drill
In volleyball, Scrimmage drills that simulate real world pressures are effective towards building good team cohesion during stressful events.

Handicap Drills
In this volleyball drill, you force the stronger team to play only certain plays else they cannot score.

Pressure Drill #2
A pressure drill is an intense volleyball drill that puts consequences on the side that does not perform up to standards. This motivation not only serves to equate the game-time pressure but also adds to the conditioning regimen of the team.

Pressure Drill #1
A pressure drill is an intense volleyball drill that puts consequences on the side that does not perform up to standards. This motivation not only serves to equate the game-time pressure but also adds to the conditioning regimen of the team.

Using Hands your Hands to Receive a Serve
Long ago in volleyball history, using your hands to make first contact after the serve was voodoo bad. However, these days the rules have changed and using your hands is an effective and allowable way to return a serve.

Make Your Setters More Agressive
Do you have setters on your volleyball team that just arn't as agressive during the game as you would like? Follow the tips in this article to get your setters motivated and playing as hard as they can.

Choose a Volleyball Summer Camp
Information and help on choosing a volleyball summer camp that is good for your child.

Get Your Volleyball Players to Summer Camp
Getting your volleyball players to take the time to go to summer volleyball camps.

How to Start a Volleyball Club
Starting a volleyball club is not as difficult as you think. All it takes is a little dedication, some time and a couple steps. In no-time you could have a successful, profitable club in your town.

So Your Player Did Not Make the 'A' Team
A discussion of volleyball coaching and how picking which team the player is on is ultimately the coach's decision not the parents.

Improving Team Skill Level
Improving the skill level of any team, whether they are good or bad, takes a plan. Volleyball Coach, Tom Houser, gives you this step-by-step plan that will keep your team improving their play-level both on and off-season. It all starts with improving the individual's skill level.

Choosing a Junior Volleyball Club Team
You want to join a junior volleyball team. You have found a team that is within reasonable driving distance and you are confident of making the team if you try out. Does this team fulfill your needs and provide what you're looking for in an off-season volleyball activity? If you make a wrong decision, you may quit and lose a lot of money, or you will have months of misery. How can you know what to do? Here are the answers!

Volleyball - What Does Playing Time Really Mean
A volleyball coach to player/parent discussion on what playing time really indicates when it comes to a players success or failure.

A List of 6-2 "Be Carefuls"
Volleyball Coaches make sure you follow these simple tips to avoid common problems when starting a 6-2 offense.

Alternatives to Scrimmaging
Often coaches will resort to scrimmaging their team because it seems like a good thing to do. However, Coach Houser says to resist scrimmaging and go with something more effective.

Cancers: They are Easy to Identify. But Can They Be Cur
In volleyball or any sport, cancers are those players that not only bring down themselves, but the entire team. The easy way to get rid of the cancer is just kick them off of the team. What if instead you fix or cure the cancer? Yes it is harder, but in the long run much more rewarding to an athletic coach.

Changing the Rules....Now or Later
A discusion on when volleyball coaches want to make changes to the team rules, should they do it during the season or wait until next season?

Choosing a Defense
An article on the basic principles of a volleyball defense and how to choose the defense for you junior volleyball team.

Choosing a Junior Team that is Right for You - Page 1
There are some things that you need to know before you try out for that Junior Olympic volleyball team.

Coach for Today, Not for Tomorrow
One of the biggest dilemmas coaches have is when and how much do you teach young volleyball players. Many coaches believe that you should start teaching volleyball players to play using the skills they will use when they reach the upper levels. Coach Houser says no, teach them to win today so they will stay in the sport and be winners tomorrow.

Coach Houser's Homepage
The home of everything about the man we call, Coach Houser. Links to other works he's done as well as the extensive schedule of camps and clinics.

Coaches, How Do You Know When You Are Successful?
Sometimes it is tough for a coach to know when his or her program is successful. Here is a great explination of what success in a juior program is.

Creating Your Own Drill?
Looking at search results here at About's Volleyball site, the biggest thing volleyball enthusiasts are looking for is drills. Our mailboxes are full of emails asking about drills and where to find them. Volleyball drills are the quintessential thing in any volleyball camp or practice; however, you don't always have to go looking for a drill that will fit your needs.

Critical Aspects in Developing Volleyball Defense
Defense is critical in volleyball, especially rally-point volleyball. What defense you choose is up to you. Here are some tips in choosing a defense that will work for your team.

Five Ways to Avoid 6-2 Pitfalls
There are many pitfalls in teaching your team to run a 6-2 offense in volleyball. Follow these tips to avoid those pitfalls.

Five Ways to Deal With a Big Hitting Team
Don't let those big hitting teams destroy your season? Use these five tips to make your volleyball team score the big upset.

Get Your Players to Camp
Getting your players to summer volleyball camp can be a challenging task. Use these helpful hints to get them there.

Getting More From Your Kids...And From Yourself
Readers: I have been emailing a friend who is coaching a volleyball team. She is a rookie coach, but an experienced high school teacher. The team isn’t as committed or as dedicated as she wishes. She has noticed that the stars on the team do not give 100% at practices or at matches.

Give My Daughter a Chance!
A concerned parent writes to Tom House about her daughter's volleyball coach and Tom writes back with some great advice.

Hosting a Doubles Tournamnet
It's fun, sun and volleyball. How much more could a kid want?

How I Started My Juniors Program
Coach Thomas Hosuer reveals just how he started his juniors club.

How to Pick the Right Players at Tryouts
A volleyball article for volleyball coaches that tackles the problem of choosing the right players during tryouts.

How to Pick the Right Team at Tryouts
Selecting who to pick from your volleyball tryouts can be tough. Here are some tips that will make the process easier and more beneficial.

How to Teach Young People How to Play Volleyball
Here is a step by step method he uses to introduce young players to the sport of volleyball.

Improving the Skill Level of Your Team
Tips and suggestions to improve the skill level of your junior volleyball team.

Making the Team
Preparation is the Key in Making that High School Team

Moving a 8th or 9th Grader to Varsity
One of the hardest decisions to make is to move a young 8th or 9th grader to the varsity team. Most would say that if she has the athletic ability to go ahead and make the move. But, here are some things to consider before you do.

Not Getting the Playing Time You Want?
In volleyball, or any organized sports, one arguement that you will hear over and over is that so-and-so is not getting enough playing time that he/she thinks they deserve. Why is that? Well, let's take a look at the real reason.

On-Court Intimidation
Your high school girls volleyball team can be intimidating bunch of kids to play against!! All without getting close to a yellow card!! Here's how to make your opponents dread seeing you.

Passing: Coach 2 Coach
A coaching discussion on how to teach your team to pass and win!

Profile of Thomas Houser, Volleyball Coach
A profile of Thomas Houser, guest contributor and volleyball coach.

Promote Yourself - Keys to Getting a Volleyball Scholarship
Coach Houser spends some time online talking to a volleyball player about what to do to get a volleyball scholarship. If you are or know someone who is trying to get a scholarship, this is a must read.

Protecting the Team
One the most important parts of a coach's job is to look after your team's health and welfare. A coach must not think of his or her own success, but the success, happiness and safety of the team.

Questions That You'd Like to Ask your Kid's Volleyball Coach
You know those questions you always wanted to ask you kid's volleyball coach? Now get the answers.

Running a Camp
Before you put together your volleyball camp, make sure you get your camp priorities in line.

Selecting a College for Volleyball Players
Priorities, hints and questions that each volleyball player should ask when selecting a college.

Seniors, To Cut or Not to Cut, That is the Question
A coaching discussion on whether coaches should automatically keep all returning seniors or free up some space on their volleyball team.

Serve Receive Drill
Sometimes drills can do amazing things if they're thought out so carefully that they fit your team's needs EXACTLY. This drill is designed to do just that.

So You Want to be a Volleyball Coach
Getting into coaching is a wonderful thing but there are some things you must understand before you start.

Strict and Thorough Rules; Why I publish them & stick to
A discussion for volleyball players and coaches about rules. Not the rules of the game but rules that the team must follow in order to be a team and also make it fair for all players and coaches. Coach Houser discusses why he posts rules, and why it is very important to stick to them.

Teens, Girls, & Coaches - The Patterns that Emerge
An article for volleyball coaches discussing how coaching teenage girls has a severe impact on how you coach and the methods that work.

Ten Tips for Coaching Survival
How to survive coaching today's complex High School kids.

The Importance of Seniors
Sometimes volleyball coaches will cut their seniors in order to clean house and start over. However, volleyball teams need seniors and this is why.

The Secrets
Coaches, make your volleyball program the team that wins year after year.

Volleyball - How Do You Know When Players Are Improving?
In volleyball, or any sport for that matter, player improvement is not just getting better at the game, but much much more. Here are some tips for you as a coach to use in judging player improvement.

Volleyball - Running a Skills Competition
One good way to rate the players on your team is to have a skills competition. What is it? It is a series of drills that award points and allow you to stack each player by their skill.

Volleyball Coaching - Four Keys to Excellent Serve Receive
A big concern for volleyball players and coaches is how to perfect that serve receive. Coach Tom Houser breaks it down into four basic areas of the succesful serve receive.

When Drills Crash
Sometimes drills will crash.........and it happens MORE OFTEN in younger teams. When drills crash, it's always 50-50. Either the girls could have tried harder and the drill wouldn't have crashed or the coach could have put together a better practice plan and the drill wouldn't have crashed. But, what is important is what you do next.

When Good Players Don't Want to Play
It is a coach's worst nightmare. Your best player on the team, really doesn't care much for volleyball and would rather be doing something else. Coach Houser puts together some great advice when dealing with a situation like this as a coach.

Where to Find that Missing Vain of Gold
In this article we tackle one of a volleyball coach's hardest problems: bench morale.

Young Spikers Drill
A volleyball drill that teaches young players how to attack or spike a ball using proper approach techniques.