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Marie Zidek Assistant coach, University


of San Diego women’s team


Indoor: Thinking teammates try to take off-speed shots, free balls and other reasonably soft opponent hits away from their setter on defense so the setter can stay in system with transition offense (i.e. set the ball to hitter of his/her choice). Non-thinking players play a “spot” on defense, allowing the setter to take an easy fi rst ball requiring a non-setter to facilitate a high-ball offense. Hence, the team doesn’t take advantage of an opponent’s non-aggressive shot.


Russ Rose Head coach, Penn State


Deitre Collins-Parker


Head coach, San Diego State University women’s team, 1988 U.S. Olympic Women’s Team


Indoor: The thinking player tries to stay ahead and simplify the game by being proactive and anticipating the next possible actions. The non-thinking player is often reactionary and makes playing the game more diffi cult.


women’s team


Thinking players don’t let an error or loss beat them twice.


Hugh McCutcheon


Former U.S. Olympic Men’s and Women’s Teams head coach, current head coach of the University of Minnesota women’s team


Indoor: When thinking players get sets they’re not particularly enamored with, they’ll do something that gives them a tactical advantage relative to winning the point — like tapping it into the block so they can get it back, or chipping it off a hand or tipping it to the other team’s setter. Non-thinking players generally take a bad set and make it worse. They try to hit it hard. They hit it low. They hit it out. They don’t manage it. I think those little things have huge cumulative impacts on results.


Nicole Welch Head coach, UC Santa Barbara women’s team John Hyden


3-time Olympian (2 indoor, 1 beach) Beach: Non-thinking beach players


over train. They just go out there every day and play. The thinking volleyball player is very sports specifi c both on and off the court and doesn’t over train. For instance, thinking players focus on a particular skill by creating multiple reps in a short period of time that will transfer over into their game and allow them to perform skills without thinking. The goal is to get to a place where you rely on muscle memory during matches rather than having to think too much.


John Kessel USA Volleyball director


of sport development


Indoor: Thinking players have a high volleyball IQ that has been enhanced by playing in game-like situations, not in good looking drills where you look good but don’t perform well. By doing deliberate, game-like reps in practice, you’re able to play in matches without thinking.


USAVOLLEYBALL.ORG | 43


Indoor: Thinking setters wait to see the entire situation and until the last possible second before deciding who they set (including noticing where they might have a mismatch or the opposition may have cheated to), where non-thinking setters tend to set in a pattern that becomes readable to the opposition.


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