Humbly, I’ve been overwhelmed with positive responses to Perfect 10 Stats. A few coaches have already implemented the idea into a practice setting and I’d love to learn how the session went using Perfect 10 Stats. It will be interesting to learn through a large sample size the median number for each skill to succeed. We are already familiar with the 3 Point Passing scale and the typical goal of at least a 2.0 for passers (depending on the level). I would like to know the goal for Digging (Don’t forget, the passing scale can be used for digging!), Setting, and Hitting. Then most importantly the cumulative Team goal (maybe a 6.2 per rotation to win a match?). Continue Reading

Statistics in volleyball have come a long way, especially with the advancement of technology and the myriad of statistical softwares. After attending the AVCA Convention in Seattle and sitting-in on a few educational sessions, I’ve come to the realization that the statistical pendulum has swung too far. Coaches and players have become inundated with statistics to the point where it is overwhelming, time consuming and a resource hog. We are over-analyzing every movement to the point of paralysis. “Paralysis by analysis”.

Complex statistics has it’s place, for some coaches, but I believe statistics today are ultimately separating coaches and players. There are a few players that can grasp statistics, but a vast majority do not understand the true benefits. In addition, most players do not know how to correlate statistics and effectively apply them to improve a specific movement or skill (for that matter, many coaches do not know how to explain statistics in simplistic terms to better a player). Coaches are speaking Chinese to the Twitter-Americans. Continue Reading

Editor’s note: This article appears in the September/October 2011 issue of Analytics Magazine.

By: Benjamin Alamar and Vijay Mehrotra

Over the past few years, the world of sports has experienced an explosion in the use of analytics.  In this three-part series, we reflect on the current state of sports analytics and consider what the future of sports analytics may look like. Continue Reading

Following is another resource for pencil wielding bench statisticians (like me).  A chart I concocted to track a team’s points earned and errors.  It paints a picture of a team’s strengths and weaknesses, BUT I encourage coaches not to make snap judgments from a single match.  This is best analyzed post tournament. Continue Reading

Consumers often choose products to purchase based on an affinity and trust with a vendor or the developer of a product. StatEasy is a great volleyball software program that has been developed by a passionate volleyball enthusiast, Mike Ressler. This software is going to be the next and best volleyball software on the market…oh yeah, and its FREE (take advantage of it now)! Continue Reading

After watching the incredible National Championship Match again last night (some incredible offense and defense!!!), I believe the box score tells us why Penn State beat Texas and won an unprecedented third National Championship – in a row!  As with most sports, it comes down to errors.  Texas, especially Destinee Hooker, showcased spectacular kills, but Texas committed the most errors.  Penn State kept the ball in play more (Team IPE).  As is said in the volleyball world, “Teams that win the serving and passing battle, win the match”.  Thus is true in the National Championship.

Following are statistics from the box score: Continue Reading

I had a funny experience at the Monument City Classic Tournament. My Carolina Juniors 16s Team played the early match on Sunday morning. Our team arrived first at the court, chose the bench, and I sat down to sip my tea. On the adjacent court, a father turned around and stared at me awkwardly.  He exclaimed, “You’re Coach Rey!”. I said, “Last I checked.” I was taken aback. He went on, “I couldn’t sleep last night. Our team was playing well yesterday, but we just couldn’t buy a win. I thought, maybe some statistical information would help. So, I started looking up volleyball statistical software online in the middle of the night and came across your blog. And POOF, now you’re here!”. He said it was a bit surreal Continue Reading

Searching for volleyball charts or statistics sheets to use for practice or during a match?  Have you tried creating spreadsheets to fit your match needs?  Following are a number of volleyball coach resources that I have collected over the years for your use:

Download:

Pre-game charts
Match charts
Post match statistics
Setting Diagram
Serve Receive Patterns
Workout charts

Click on an image below to download the chart/sheet.  Hope they help…Enjoy!

Volleyball Courts (4)

Volleyball Courts with Notes (4)

Volleyball Setting Diagram

Volleyball Roster

5-1 Serve Receive

5-1 Serve Receive alternate

6-2 Serve Receive

6-2 Serve Receive alternate

Volleyball Line-up Sheet

Volleyball Master Game Plan

Serve Receive Chart

Volleyball Game Chart

Volleyball Game Chart Offense

Volleyball Attack Chart

Volleyball Game Stat Chart

Passing Serving Chart

Volleyball Scoresheet

Beach Volleyball Chart

Volleyball Passing Statistics

Volleyball Serving Statistics

Volleyball Workout Chart

Volleyball Workout Log

Volleyball Vertical Jump Chart

Volleyball Cauldron Sheets (4 spreadsheets within workbook)

If you have similar resources you would like to share, please leave a comment or send me a message. I will coordinate getting it posted!

The Top 25 teams were taken from the 2008 AVCA Final Coaches Poll. The data shows the averages of each group (Final Four, Top 10, and Top 25).

The data shows statistical improvements in every category from the Top 25 to the Final Four Teams. Continue Reading

In my previous blog, I mentioned Low Country Volleyball Club’s 18s Team winning the 18 Open Division of the USAV Palmetto Region to qualify the team for Nationals in Miami. I received the stats from the team’s championship weekend (we have a parent keep stats), and just for fun compared them with the offensive stats of the 2008 Final Four Teams: Penn State, Stanford, Nebraska, and Texas. I was testing a coaching theory of IPE (read my What is IPE blog if you are unfamiliar with this concept). Here are my findings: Continue Reading