PDFE Assignment One!

On August 26th I observed the Berry College women's volleyball team during their daily practice in the Cage (Berry's sports complex). Before we go any further, here are some terms you may need to know!

Spike: A ball contacted with force by a player on the offensive team who intends to terminate the ball on the opponent's floor or off the opponent's blocker.
Block: A defensive play by one or more players meant to deflect a spiked ball back to the hitter’s court.
Set: The tactical skill in which a ball is directed to a point where a player can spike it into the opponent's court.
Dig: Passing a spiked or rapidly hit ball. Slang for the art of passing an attacked ball close to the floor.


Observations are as follows:
Safety:

*All players wore appropriate attire. This includes knee pads and braces if needed.

*The coaches are present and overseeing all drills.

*There is also a trainer present.

*The team has two aids that help in multiple drills and exercises.

*The only thing that caught my attention as being unsafe would be the amount of loose balls only a short while after the start of a drill.


Learning:

*At beginning of practice there is a ball tossing activity used to aid the players in getting used to calling the ball. This drill shows up later in practice as the team scrimmages.

*Individual practice in specific area/position: during this activity the coach physically shows the player what to do. After a few tries the player begins to perform the activity correctly. The player's improvement shows in the scrimmage.

*The coach stops the drills to correct the players. They show an understanding by performing correctly afterwards.


Active:

*The team starts their practice with agilities.

*As a team they run a drill on blocking, the act of blocking the opponents ball from coming over the net. This drill includes running, jumping, diving, and digging.

* They also perform individual set drills. These include running, jumping, and setting.

*Once the team is warmed up they play a scrimmage. The scrimmage requires all players to jump, shuffle, serve, make short sprints, dive, dig, and block.


Modifications:

*I myself have never played volleyball competitively and cannot say that there are many things that I would modify. I will suggest maybe having someone to collect all balls as the drills are being expected and adding a cardio warm-up to the routine other than only doing agilities.


Enjoyable:

*All players seem to be enjoying their time as they smile, laugh, and talk while warming up.

*The entire team has great chemistry, working together with good attitudes.

*The players compliment each other during practice.

*All players become excited and are motivated when they reach a goal.

*The coaches give encouraging compliments.

*During the scrimmage after every point, whether they obtained a point or not, the teams would huddle and encourage each other.


Interesting:

*Before practice officially began many of the players were already doing drills that were seen later on in practice.

*Many of the players in volleyball specialize in a position as opposed to being diverse.

*The coach places a point value on many of the drills to raise competition.