Page 15 - Jim Stone Book Beginner

I want to emphasize two things about teaching skills or motor patterns. My general opinion is
coaches tend to verbalize the critical aspects of a skill. Providing a visual of what you want the
athletes to work on is a foundation for effective learning. The late Carl McGown, former USA Men‘s
National Team coach, provided this sequence when imparting information to players.

1. Provide a visual of what you want the players to replicate while emphasizing
key points
2. Give them opportunities to repeat
3. Provide another visual with emphasis on key aspects that might be problematic

4. More opportunities to repeat
5. Success!!
Carl McGown

This is a model that I‘ve used over my career and I would highly recommend that coaches organize
their presentations with this model as a framework for activities. The second point is when
presenting any skill, I tend to work from the feet upward. Without good footwork, the ability to master
the various skills will be problematic.

I will divide the Beginner stage into two parts (Level 1 and Level 2) that will progressively challenge
the athlete by emphasizing both general motor skill development and volleyball specific skills.

Beginner Level 1— Movement Training

In the Level 1 of the beginner stage, we prioritize the development of general movement and motor
skills. By developing these general skills, the athlete will create a foundation for the acquisition of
volleyball specific skills. We will gradually introduce the volleyball and specific volleyball skills.
However, with beginning players, much can be accomplished using other non-volleyball activities to
develop motor patterns.

Throwing