Core Strength in Volleyball

To review, volleyball training entails: 

• Skill development
• Game knowledge and strategy development
• Physicality - strength, quickness, conditioning
• Psychology - attitude and resilience 

How does core strength impact volleyball players? 

Core strength impacts hitting power, agility, and movement. Core training may also promote injury prevention. Amidst plyometrics, leg, and upper extremity training, players can overlook core training. Mistake! 

Get a consult from artificial intelligence (via ChatGPT).

Core strength is foundational for volleyball performance, yet it’s often overshadowed by more visible aspects like vertical jump, arm swing power, or defensive quickness. A strong core enhances nearly every volleyball skill by providing stability, power transfer, and injury prevention.

1. Stability and Balance

Volleyball is a game of constant movement—jumping, lunging, diving, and reacting. A strong core stabilizes the body, allowing players to stay balanced while executing skills. Whether it’s holding a solid blocking posture, landing safely from an attack, or absorbing impact on defense, core stability keeps players in control.

2. Power Transfer for Attacks and Serves

Powerful hitting and serving don’t come from the arm alone. The kinetic chain begins with a strong base, and the core transfers force from the lower body through the torso to the arms. A weak core leaks energy, reducing the efficiency of attacks and serves. Exercises like rotational med ball throws, anti-rotation holds, and resisted twisting movements build the ability to generate and transfer force effectively.

3. Quickness and Explosiveness

Change of direction is critical for blocking, defensive reactions, and transition play. The core connects the upper and lower body, allowing for explosive first steps, quicker adjustments, and smoother movement. Plyometric drills combined with core strengthening help players react faster and move efficiently.

4. Improved Jumping and Landing Mechanics

A strong core contributes to a higher vertical jump by stabilizing the midsection during takeoff and maximizing force application from the legs. On landing, core engagement protects the spine and reduces injury risk by promoting proper body control.

5. Injury Prevention

Volleyball involves frequent overhead motions, which can strain the shoulders and lower back. A strong core reduces the load on these areas by ensuring proper posture and alignment. Weak core muscles can lead to excessive spinal arching or collapsing during movements, increasing injury risk over time.

6. Better Defensive Positioning

For liberos and defenders, core strength helps maintain a low, stable position without fatiguing. The ability to hold an athletic stance and react quickly to digs or passes depends on core endurance and control.

Training the Core for Volleyball

Effective volleyball-specific core training includes:

• Rotational strength: Medicine ball throws, Russian twists
• Anti-rotation control: Pallof presses, resisted band holds
• Explosive core work: Hanging leg raises, V-ups
• Stability and endurance: Planks (front, side), dead bugs, bird dogs

Takeaway

Core training isn’t just about aesthetics or generic “ab workouts.” It’s a crucial component of volleyball performance, influencing power, speed, endurance, and injury resistance. A well-trained core allows players to be more efficient, explosive, and resilient on the court. 

Many athletes find core training difficult. Devote a portion of your training to dedicated core exercises. Here are suggestions. 

"Classic" core exercises (planks, dead bug, Russian twists). As an OG, I find these tremendously challenging and am nowhere close to three sets of eight of these. 

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OG Core exercises (you can do better than this) 

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Short YouTube video with samples of volleyball 'core' muscle exercises.  

One more short video with some different core exercises. Key takeaway...don't neglect core strength. 

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Believe in Possible

Yesterday was the 27th anniversary of an improbable upset in Women's Sports. ACH - "Anything Can Happen." You can only be as good as your self-belief.

Yesterday, I sent an email to retired Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith to remind her. I'm sure that she remembered. 

Make your memories. 

Finding the Truth

Kara Lawson GOLD 🥇

“If you’re around what’s real and true, you can spot a fake from a mile away.”

Great teams are built on honesty.

Don’t tell them what they want to hear.

Tell them what they need to hear.

Be a Truth Teller🔥.pic.twitter.com/t9pQRWG1BC

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) March 14, 2025

“You can’t fool children, dogs, and volleyball players.” Players need to know their status, role, and avenues for growth.

What's truth? Here are some examples.

• "The magic is in the work."
• "The game honors toughness." 
• Teamwork matters. 
• Competitive greatness requires belief and time. 
• Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence. 
• Success arrives via character and competence. 

First a digression. As a young doctor in the Navy, I often ate lunch with senior physicians...CAPT Baker (Cardiology) and CAPT Walsh (Pulmonary). Peers asked why I ate with 'old guys' instead of them. "They know stuff and they share that with me." 

CAPT Baker: "The worst thing in cardiology is turning a heart problem into a brain problem (stroke)." 

CAPT Walsh: "Never do that...you're following a lit fuse." 

CAPT Baker: On exotic diagnoses, "You fellas are fishing those waters pretty hard." (Simplify. There was nothing there.)

CAPT Walsh: On expectations. "Handle it." (Do the job and do it right, right now.)

CAPT Baker: On irrelevant training..."If there's a crocodile in the clinic, do we have to know how to dispose of it? Can't we just call the chief and say, "Chief, can you send some guys up to deal with this crocodile?" This did not sit well with the Chief of Medicine.

CAPT Walsh: On irrelevant training..."DATU. Doesn't apply to us." We never went to Fire Safety Training, Mercury Spill Training, Sexual Harassment Training, Equal Opportunity Training. 

CAPT Baker: "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission." 

Becoming a leader as a player has a useful analogy. The Sherpa. The Sherpa is there for climbers to lead, to follow, and sometimes to rescue. The Sherpa is there to help them safely ascend and descend challenging and potentially deadly peaks. Become a Sherpa for your team. 

Lagniappe. Volleyball at 11,000 feet. 

Lagniappe 2. Serve receive training options...

Become Explosive

High school soccer ⚽️ full body strength training day:

▪️Staggered TB DL
▪️SL box jumps
▪️Skater squats
▪️Single leg RDL
▪️Chin ups
▪️Kneeling OHP
▪️Banded deadbugs pic.twitter.com/5YM3gVbSZO

— Jeremy Toohey (@Toohey_sp) March 13, 2025

These exercises work for volleyball, too in a full body workout. This is not a sequence ideal for jump training per se. Other more plyometric-focused workouts - hurdle jumps, skater jumps, broad jumps, etc. are available in other posts. 

Athletic explosion builds performance and confidence. 

 

A Learning Culture (Print and Save Edition)

"Learn every day."

Learn life lessons. Learn how to learn. Learn your sport. Each of us has a state of being which evolves. Embrace a learning culture across the arc of your life. 

Acquire resources to function more effectively at home, in school, and on the court. 

Boost emotional intelligence.

12 Sentences Emotionally Intelligent people use under pressure pic.twitter.com/wcoKvYecia

— Always Keep Learning (@AlwaysKeepL) March 9, 2025

Learn how to learn. 

Take the free Coursera course on learning when you have an extended break (e.g. summer). It's about 8-10 hours. You will learn better study habits. I wish I had access to this as a youngster. 

Write better.  

A couple of great resources for writers are Stephen King's book, "On Writing" and Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird." You could start by searching for highlights from ChatGPT or Claude AI. 

Become a storyteller. People remember great stories. The Heath Brothers' Made to Stick is a great read about the magic of storytelling. 

And follow the advice of Director Werner Herzog, "Read. Read. Read. Read. Read." 

Think better. 

Use Mental Models. Get a valuable introduction to "Thinking Models" of Charlie Munger. Apply these principles to improve analysis and decision-making. 

Use every tool in your toolbox to better yourselves. 

The famous football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg was asked what he thought about his team. He replied, "Ask me in about twenty years and I'll be able to give you a better answer." Your coaches would say the same thing. 

Lagniappe. The mental game raises excellence. 

Exemplary

The Patriots released center David Andrews, who emerged from a free agent signee to a Super Bowl champion and team leader.

How would you want your coach to describe you? "Every day, his performance on a daily basis is really exceptional,” former coach Bill Belichick said in 2023. “Attitude, effort, communication, energy, leadership of the younger players, leadership of his peers, communication, you name it."

Be that 'guy'.  

Lagniappe. Don't say, "I'll try." Say, "I will." 

Need a Boost?

🔥 12 quick energy-boosting habits:

(each takes just 10 minutes but can transform your entire day) pic.twitter.com/nOT2nZg7yC

— Victoria Repa (@RepaVictoria) March 10, 2025

Everyone benefits from extra energy. The author suggests a few. Find a couple that work for you... 

• A minute of mindfulness
• Deep breaths
• Power nap 
• A glass of water
• A healthy snack 

 

"The One Thing" (Part 2)

“If you chase two rabbits you will not catch either one.” Russian Proverb 

Visualize the process not the results. Students asked to focus on process had better motivation and focus. And better process leads to better results. 

• Optimize process. Great process gives us a chance at excellence.
• Multitasking is a lie. A computer multitasks by rapidly switching between tasks. Humans can't do important work that way. Walk and chew gum? Yes. Study and watch television? No. We can only do one thing with full focus. Texting and driving kills, and estimated 16 percent of fatal accidents. 
• Excel at time management. Do more by wasting less time. 

Focus on "The One Thing" as described in Gary Keller's book of the same title. 

Examine the big picture...all things possible for the success of a program. From the Pareto Principle we know that 80 percent of the results come from 20 percent of the input. Our job is to find that One Thing needed to succeed. 

Players? Players without coaching? Incomplete. 

Coaching? Even the most exceptional coaching needs players. 

Strategy? Without players and coaching, there is no strategy. 

Player development. Without all of the above, pointless. 

What encapsulates all of the above? Culture. Culture binds all of the above together. "Culture eats strategy for breakfast" and "fight for your culture every day." 

What elements belong within the MVB culture? 

• Positivity. "We can do this." 
• Learning. Grow your game. 
• Teamwork. "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts." 
• Simplicity. "Keep the ball up. Put the ball down."
• Meritocracy. Performance matters. "This is not a union job." 

Director Ron Howard says, "the director is the keeper of the story." In sport, the coach is the keeper of the culture. 

Lagniappe. 

Lagniappe 2. High volume touches in practice for ball control... 

 

Bonus Post - The Best Cinnamon Rolls You'll Ever Eat

Regular readers access "bonus posts," inevitably delicious and health-challenged recipes.

Like cinnamon rolls 

Unseen Hours

Watch the video.  

The Work You Do in the Dark…

Everyone sees the wins, the big moments, and the success.

What don't they see?

- The early mornings & late nights.
- The reps when no one’s watching.
- The doubts, failures, and the grind.

The unseen hours define you.

Coach K GOLD 🥇 pic.twitter.com/4qUSZbSgsk

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) March 11, 2025

Consider this. You are closer to the beginning of fall MVB 25 tryouts than to fall MVB 24 tryouts. That page has turned. 

You know the names of some of the exceptional players in MVB history. You've seen some of their video.

You haven't seen them:

• Running bleachers
• On machines
• Lifting free weights
• Running the track
• Practicing their platform and setting skills, sometimes in their family room

Unrequired work. Unseen hours. Whatever it takes. 

The magic is in the work. 

Lagniappe. Process the game. TONS of TIPS. 

Four Games That Mattered Most and Some Honorable Mentions

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. 

"Every season ends in tears - tears of joy or tears of sadness." I've seen almost all of the most meaningful MVB games since 2002, not as a disinterested spectator. Choosing a handful as the "must see" contests is tough and arbitrary. 

Over the past three decades, MVB adherents have witnessed extraordinary moments, highlighted by one State Title, four championship game appearances, and ten sectional titles. Here are my top four. 

2012, Melrose beats Longmeadow 3-1 to capture States. Preordained? Certain Melrose opponents didn't think so and yet Melrose lost only four sets all season. The talent level was extreme. Brooke Bell and Sarah McGowan were Boston Herald 'Team of the Decade' selections and Jill MacInnes and Allie Nolan became All-State players in later years. The blocking tandem of Rachel Johnson and Kayla Wyland was the best in Melrose history. That team had no weaknesses. 

2003, Melrose upsets Arlington Catholic 3-0 to win sectionals. AC had taken Melrose out in 2002, before Melrose was ready to challenge for a title. AC came in with a pair of 6'2" middles and had not lost a set all season. Melrose had a Big Three of Marianne Foley, Erin Hudd, and Amanda Labella and destiny smiled on Melrose in Andover's Dunn Gym and its low ceiling. 

2021, Melrose wins sectional 3-2 at Billerica. During the COVID era, Melrose made an improbable comeback, trailing 10-3 in set five. Melrose outscored their hosts 13-4 with a furious comeback capped off with a down the line winner by Abby Hudson. 

2009, Melrose hosts Barnstable and Hannah Brickley and company sweep the "name brand" in Massachusetts Girls Volleyball. The previous season in Barnstable, the hosts playfully greeted Melrose with a musical serenade of "M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E" and swept the match. The return engagement saw Melrose get the cheese. The win was the biggest regular season victory for MVB. 

Many other matches had drama and meaning. Long-term fans can select others that spelled ecstasy and heartbreak. For example, 2011 at Lincoln-Sudbury is another favorite albeit without high drama. The first round playoff game in 2005 against a talented Central Catholic team was a five set nail biter. The 2011 team had an amazing comeback at powerful Central Catholic that proved their resilience. The 2010 sectional win was another donnybrook. 

Lagniappe. Attack live defense.

 

The ONE Thing (Part 1)

"Passion for something leads to disproportionate time practicing or working at it. That time spent eventually translates to skill, and when skill improves, results improve. Better results generally lead to more enjoyment, and more passion and more time is invested. It can be a virtuous cycle all the way to extraordinary results." - The One Thing, by Gary Keller

The one thing is the main thing. Excellence.

Seek Excellence. Model excellence. Live the UNC Women's Soccer motto, "Excellence is our only agenda." It's not fame, awards, records, or legacy. Deliver your best every day, everywhere.

One Person. The constant over decades is commitment from Coach Scott Celli. He brings energy, enthusiasm, and positivity. People want to be part of the program. Be the best fit for the team and your position, you play. Freshman or senior, it doesn't matter. Politics never matter. 

One Passion. Be a great teammate, regardless if you're the star or the fifteenth player. "Do more to become more and become more to do more." Love playing and competing. Love studying the fine details of the game. Feel the burn on squats, lunges, and plyometrics. Bring the fight whether winning or trailing. 

Minstrels will probably not sing of your achievements and nobody knows what the next season will bring. But who wouldn't want to be part of that story?

Lagniappe. Know your most important thing. As Shakespeare wrote, "This above all to thine own self be true." 

Department of Redundancy Department

Every great MVB player was an exceptional athlete. Yes, some athleticism is genetic but a lot is acquired.

Here's another dumbbell workout for the whole body.

• Goblet squats
• Underhand rows
• Snatches
• Split squats
• Renegade rows

You can do these! 

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In the Arena

☕️Coffee & Thoughts 💭

“Man In The Arena”

This poem is for all of those brave souls chasing dreams and overcoming obstacles. I often find myself referring back to this poem by Theodore Roosevelt. It reminds me to always “Stay In The Fight!”, critics are apart of the journey. pic.twitter.com/ArSHQ3VyKu

— Tyler Gillum (@Gillum66) March 6, 2025

"There is nothing impossible for the person who doesn't have to do it." 

 

Character Skills

Talent allows you to do things that others can't.
Character allows you to do things that others won't.

Talent opens doors to extraordinary possibilities, but it's character that paves the path to greatness.

Success is waiting for those who dare to go beyond what's required. pic.twitter.com/MoHW3AchB8

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) December 22, 2024

Develop character and competence. You know character skills as intangibles.

• Focus
• Teamwork
• Sacrifice 
• Toughness
• Effort 
• Resilience 

Don't try to memorize lists of intangibles. Be the player who embodies playing the right way, the player others want to be. 

You've watched a lot of volleyball, both locally and elsewhere. What players caught your attention? Why? What made them special? 

Think about the past few seasons:

Elena Soukos - powerful attacking, leadership

Gia Vlajkovic - athleticism, shotmaking

Sadie Jaggers - attacking, mental toughness

Leah Fowke - leadership, all-around skill 

Lagniappe. Platform skill control at home...

 

Be Memorable

Be memorable. Your game play looks like the visible iceberg. The "body of work" is the total iceberg, the sacrifices developing skill, game understanding, athleticism, and resilience.

"Unseen hours" in the gym for strength, quickness, and conditioning help you and teammates make memories. 

Bill Russell said it well, "My ego depends on the success of my team." Remind yourself that you have many teams - home, school, community, volleyball. 

Make memories. 

Lagniappe. Cover more territory. You don't need a gym to work on footwork.

Lagniappe 2. CONSISTENCY BEATS INTENSITY

Kobe Bryant said, "It's just good old fashioned 'do the work'. When you do that, every day, for a long period of time, you wind up having a success that goes on."

Consistency isn't about perfection - it's about progress, discipline, and showing up. pic.twitter.com/EQzFVdZyti

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) March 3, 2025

The Struggle to Fuse Philosophy, Talent, and Mindset

Nobody wins without talent. Yet talent alone seldom carries the day. Coaching takes a back seat to talent, but someone still has to steer.

Let's examine excerpts from Gary Washburn's "On Basketball" Boston Globe column on new coach Rachid Meziane of the Connecticut Sun. Meziane was the Belgian national coach with a Eurobasket title under his belt. 

"My philosophy is built on three key pillars - hard work because I don't believe in only relying on talent, discipline, in understanding what we are doing and how we carry ourselves, and communications, how we talk to and how we learn from others." 

“Using these pillars, I am [going] to build a culture of respect, hard work, and unity.

“My experience has taught me that the success doesn’t come just from the on-court strategy, but also, I’m caring about people and trusting the players to execute.”

“I believe that for our team to succeed, every player has to feel valued and aligned with our shared goal,” he said. “If everyone feels involved in the project, we can be better, we can be more committed, and we can give the best of ourselves.

“I’m thinking about your player development process. For example, take care of the ball and make our offense more efficient to help them advance further next season. I think that I am here for bringing my skills. And I think that the European style demands more IQ basketball and maybe better ball movements.” 

Winning principles cross domains. 

Lagniappe. Envy is one of the seven deadly sins. Do we consider what the target of envy has done to deserve it? 

Force the Issue

Play so well that the coach has no choice. 

Asking for More Gets Old

QOTD: pic.twitter.com/0LqJFfjC9T

— Allistair McCaw (@AllistairMcCaw) March 4, 2025

Success begins with attitude. You can only be as good as your self-belief. If you're getting on the bus with the expectation of a loss, that's the kind of performance and effort you subconsciously deliver. 

Bill Walsh's quote should resonate, "Champions behave like champions before they are champions." 

Don't Build an Excuse Machine

"Oh Lord, Thy sea is so great and my boat so small." - A sailor's prayer

"Don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses." - Coach John Wooden

Nobody wins all the time. Never make excuses for losses - injuries, bad luck, officiating. The accountable approach is that we didn't make enough plays or the other team was better. 

Sometimes external factors contribute...all of the factors above. Still, control what we control - attitude, choices, and effort. MVB has not trafficked the Dark Side of excuse making. 

Most successful people and teams succeed at the intersection of 'aptitude', commitment, and mentoring.

Aptitude helps as does size and athleticism. Commitment implies using the time and resources available to build skill. Volleyball requires training in fundamentals and game strategies. Then, play a lot. 

Let's say we decided on a goal of participating in the Olympics. Many of us lack the physical attributes to do so. What about curling? If we don't like the cold, that's a deal breaker. What about resource availability? We're not going to become an Olympian going once a week for a few months. We'd literally have to consider moving to Canada and then finding trainers. Or building our own facility. Our curling dreams are dashed. 

Use what you have. Fill empty gallon jugs as dumbbells. Jump over pillows. Jumping rope is inexpensive, great plyometric training. Work out with friends. Study the train at home videos.

Lagniappe. Setting at home. 

Get quicker feet. 

Improve hitting at home.