If you play volleyball in a competitive environment (and maybe even if you don’t), it won’t take long for you to realize that communication is extremely important. Even in a 2-person game like beach volleyball, there is a lot of conversation going on during and between games. When you move to the 6-person indoor game, the complexity increases and requires even more communication. Here are some tips on how to improve communication on the court.

Make sure calls are strong and followed by action

There is nothing worse than seeing a player calling the ball, making an initial move, then stopping to let someone else take it. A good ball call is loud and authoritative, leaving no doubt that the player is receiving the ball. Calling the ball three times – “mine, mine, mine” – is a good idea, since it leaves no room for doubt. The call must be followed by an intended move (or occur at the same time) – nothing attempted. The only thing that should stop the player from going for the ball is someone hitting him on the spot. Calling the ball and moving with conviction will eliminate a lot of balls that fall between two players.

about communicating

There are probably things that don’t need to be said repeatedly, like whether the setter is front row or back row on the fifth consecutive serve. Saying it anyway builds the habit of communicating so you don’t forget it during the times when it’s most critical. In a way, it can also be part of the pre-serve ritual that helps players focus on the next point. If the blockers call out the hitters and the passers declare their seam responsibilities, then everyone connects with each other and prepares to play the next point.

Enforce communication requirements in training

If you don’t talk during practice, chances are you won’t talk during games either. That means you need to develop the communication habit during training so that it carries over to your matches. This requires making sure that the balls are called every time. To encourage this, have consequences for not calling the ball, such as not counting a good pass in a service receiving drill. Or maybe offer rewards for good communication, like giving a team a bonus point if blockers correctly call hitters every play for 3 straight plays. Incorporating a focus on communication into your training, and making sure everyone knows it’s a priority, will go a long way toward getting players talking to each other during game time.

Developing good communication on the volleyball court takes a lot of work, especially with inexperienced players. However, if you work on it constantly, it will improve quickly and eventually become second nature.