When I first undertook the project of strength coaching a volleyball team I was forced to consider the nature of the activities that volleyball players performed during the course of a game or match. It was obvious that jumping was a major component of their activities, and, as I was to discover, a major focus of obsession for most volleyball coaches. I also looked beyond the standard perspective and realized that volleyball players had to employ rapid elbow extension, rapid lateral movement, torso stabilities in off-balance positions, flexibilities in full squat and lateral lunge positions and to deal with issues of durability of the hands. I also considered the nature of the rhythms of the sport and realized that most points were concluded during a relatively short period of time, and that the development of anaerobic endurance was a crucial physiological factor to be considered in training program design.

I consulted regularly with the volleyball coach and found that most of his drills and conditioning exercise regimens covered the anaerobic endurance demands of competitive volleyball play. This meant that my primary focus was to enhance the performance capacities of the athletes within the neuromuscular domain. From my extensive previous experience in training athletes I was confident that a well designed strength training program would allow our athletes to perform closer to their maximum capacities in a fatigued state.

As I continued to ponder the problem of improving the strength and conditioning of volleyball players, I gave some consideration to factors that might otherwise be ignored in some conditioning programs. I spent some energy focusing on the psychological aspects of athletic performance as by-products of a well designed conditioning program. I began to realize that improvement in the weight room would provide the players with a sense of physical improvement and growth that would convert to feelings of accomplishment that would certainly buoy self-confidence on the court. I also realized that heightened physical improvement would also translate into more aggressiveness for our athletes. All things considered, I believe that our girls approached their competitions feeling that they were the best prepared athletes. This is a significant factor.

Most of our athletes are from our magnet program. They are generally top end academic achievers with strong familial support for their activities. They are accomplished in problem-solving activities and are trusting in their teachers, mentors and coaches. There is very little problem in getting them to comply with the demands of the program. Because they had experienced success in a variety of academic and social disciplines they had little trouble transferring their previous problem-solving models into athletic activities. This history of problem- solving success is a definite plus.

The Rational Selection of Exercises

Having undertaken this task of developing volleyball players, which I had never done before, I needed to consider the menu of weight-training movements I would employ in training these athletes. Since I am primarily a weightlifting coach I realized that I would be biased in favor of weightlifting-type movements, but I would do so with sufficient good rationale.

I figured that snatch and clean & jerk related exercises would be the most desirable since they would economize the time spent in training. They provide appropriate stimulation for the most frequently recruited large muscle groups, facilitate the development of appropriate neuromuscular patterns, improve postural musculature, strengthen the hands in a manner that minimizes minor injuries, provide enthusiasm for strength training and stimulate a host of muscles involved in the development of proper balance for a volleyball player. Quite simply, variations of snatch and clean & jerk movements work all of the muscles used by volleyball players during the course of a competition. These two variations, along with front and back squats, would be the core movements in my training program.

When properly performed snatch and clean & jerk exercises are fast, snappy, precise movements that are especially appealing to athletes. My personal experience in the coaching of athletes has left me with the perception that athletically talented individuals are more likely to embrace speedy, well-coordinated movements in preference to slow movements that require little neuromuscular coordination. Because of the aforementioned characteristics there is less need to encourage athletes to perform them as part of a training regimen. In the designing of training programs this desirability factor should not be ignored.

At this point I must interject a rebuttal to an argument that I hear all too frequently regarding the inclusion of snatch and clean & jerk movements in strength and conditioning programs. The stock line is that weightlifting expertise will not insure an athlete’s success in a given sport. Of course it won’t if that is the only conditioning factor. But when the snatch and clean & jerk movements are combined in a well thought-out conditioning program under the supervision of accomplished coaches, the results will be strong, quick and durable athletes. The attack on the inclusion of the snatch and clean & jerk movements is usually proposed as a cover-up for those inadequately prepared to teach them. These are powerful training tools and should not be ignored by any conscientious strength and conditioning professional.

All of my volleyball players perform the snatch and clean & jerk movements from the hang position and the rationale for this is two-fold. Volleyball players are usually selected for being long-legged and this body type may provide difficulties in correctly lifting the barbell from the floor, especially if the weight is light and plates of smaller diameters must be employed. Lifting from the hang also requires that the athletes maintain a tight grip on the bar for a prolonged period of time. This prolonged gripping provides stimulation to the muscles and connective tissues of the hands and forearms, and the subsequent strengthening of these muscles and attendant connective structures increases the durability of the hands and makes them less susceptible to minor hand injuries. All of the girls had either learned the proper technique for the lifts during the previous season or during the previous semester.

The following paragraphs cover the rationale for the inclusion of each exercise in my volleyball training program.

Hang Power Snatch: This movement is performed with weights that are sufficiently light to allow the speed characteristics of the athlete to improve. It not only requires a rapid extension of the hip, knee, ankle and elbow joints, but also a subsequent rapid inhibition of the muscles that inhibit the aforementioned extensions as the athlete drops under the weight. The width of the grip is sufficient to place a significant stress on the gripping muscles of the hands and forearms during both the pulling and supportive phases which will add to a greater stability in the morphology of the hands. The overhead support of the weight causes a strengthening of the torso musculature that is stimulated by the isometric contractions necessary to provide a sound base of support.

Hang Split Snatch (alternating legs): This movement provides all of the benefits of the hang power snatch but also places a premium on foot speed since a significant portion of the success of the lift is dependent upon the speed at which the feet move to their split destinations. It also provides a welcome diversion to hang power snatches.

Hang Power Clean: Since the distance the weight is moved is less than that in the power snatch, approximately 20% more weight can be employed in this exercise. The same qualities that are enhanced by the power snatch are also developed by the power clean but with greater resistance which means that the muscles are more heavily stimulated.

Hang Split Clean (alternating legs): All that applies to the relationship between the power snatch and the split snatch, and the power snatch and power clean. Generally speaking, cleans provide greater stimulation for the musculature, while snatches enable greater stimulation for different aspects of the nervous system.

Press: Shoulder strength, elbow extension strength, and postural strength are enhanced by properly performed standing presses.

Push Press: This enhances the ability of the legs to perform a coordinated movement to develop momentum for the weight being lifted by the arms. More weight can thus be lifted than in a standing press and the elbow extensors and shoulders receive greater stimulation.

Push or Power Jerk: This movement requires more coordination than either of the previous two movements, and allows the arms to develop the snapping extension so valuable in all throwing and hitting motions in volleyball.

Back Squat: This movement stimulates the quadriceps, hamstrings, hip extensors and torso musculature while developing the basic strength needed to improve jumping.

Front Squat: Front Squats also stimulate the quadriceps, hamstrings and hip extensors, but also place a different emphasis on the musculature of the upper and middle back that provide stability for off balance striking movements in volleyball.

Lunge: This leg exercise works the quadriceps, the hamstrings, and the thigh adductors and abductors.

Good Mornings: This is primarily a hamstring, hip extensor movement that has the benefit of stretching the hamstrings, as well as developing them as hip extensors rather than just knee joint flexors.

Overhead Dumbell Lateral Lunges: This little employed exercise develops both the thigh adductors and abductors while simultaneously stimulating the postural muscles of the torso.

½ Squats: Half squats specifically work the quadriceps, hamstrings, hip extensors and torso stabilizers involved in jumping movements and more closely mimic the jumping movement than the full squat.

Abdominal exercises: A variety of abdominal crunches and leg raises were employed to develop a stable torso for all off-balance hitting postures employed in volleyball movements.

Additional considerations:

All of the athletes had been previously trained in correct performance of the exercises during the preceding season or during special technical sessions held in the spring semester prior to the summer conditioning program.

The weights employed were scrutinized by myself to make sure that they were effective for achieving the goals of the conditioning program.

All training sessions were supervised by either myself or Dave Bessler. Dave went to the trouble of learning the movements and trained alongside his athletes to understand the effects the training had on athletic performance.

Relevant Statistics

The average highest vertical jump height measured during the season on three occasions was 25.8 inches or 65.53 cm. This singular statistic is probably of some interest to volleyball aficionados who are fixated on this single statistic, but it is of less importance to those who understand the concept of reification.

Dave was more impressed with the improvement of team statistics over the season. A key one was attacking percentage which is calculated by subtracting kill errors from kill shots and then dividing the difference by total kill attempts. After the first three practice matches when the team had completed its preparation cycle, the kill percentage stood at .171. The overall season ending quotient was .300, and the figure for the conference and league season was .365. This type of figure was more reflective of the total development of physical characteristics of the players.

Of course the most important team statistic was the conference/league win-loss record which was a stellar 12 and one.

The Training Program:

Week 1

Day 1—Monday, 1 July

1)Hang Power Clean & Press: (X/1+4)4
2)Hang Power Snatch: (X/4)5
3)Hang Power Clean & Push Jerk: (X/4+2)5
4)Back Squat: (X/4)5
5)Squat Jump: (0/5)4
6)Single leg Jumps: (X/5+5)4

Day 3—Wednesday, 3 July

1)Hang Power Snatch: (X/3)4
2)Front Squat: (X/3)4
3)Press: (X/4)4
4)Abdominals: (0/25)3

Day 5—Friday, 5 July

1)Hang Power Clean & Push Jerk: (X/3+3)5
2)Back Squat: (X/3)4
3)Lunge: (X/4+4)4
4)Overhead Dumbell Side Lunge: (X/4+4)4
5)Plate Pass: (X/6+6)4

Week 2

Day 1—Tuesday, 9 July

1)Hang Split Snatch (X/4+4)5
2)Hang Split Clean (X/4+4)5
3)Behind Neck Push Jerk: (X/4)5
4)Front Squat: (X/4)5
5)Plate Pass (X/6+6)4
6)Abdominals: (0/30)3

Day 3—Thursday, 11 July

1)Hang Power Snatch & Overhead Squat: (X/3+3)5
2)Hang Power Clean & Push Jerk: (X/2+3)5
3)Lunge: (X/5+5)4
4)Good Morning: (X/10)4
5)Abdominals: (0/25)3

Day 5—Friday, 12 July

1)Hang Power Clean & Press: (X/1+4)4
2)Back Squat & Vertical Jump: (X/5,0/5)4
3)Overhead Dumbell Side Lunge: (X/5+5)4
4)Dumbell Swing and Jump: (X/6)5
5)Abdominals: (X/30)4

Week 3

Day 2—Tuesday, 16 July

1)Hang Power Snatch: (X/4)6
2)Hang Power Clean: (X/4)6
3)Press: (X/5)4
4)Back Squat: (X/5)6
5)Abdominals: (X/30)4

Day 4—Thursday, 18 July

1)Hang Split Snatch: (X/4+4)6
2)Hang Split Clean: (X/4+4)6
3)Front Squat: (X/4)5
4)Press: (X/4)4
5)Abdominals: (X/20)4

Day 5—Friday, 19 July

1)Hang Power Clean & Press: (X/1+3)3
2)Lunge: (X/4+4)4
3)Overhead Dumbell Side Lunge: (X/4+4)4
4)Abdominals: (X/25)3

Week 4

Day 2—Tuesday, 22 July

1)Hang Power Snatch & Overhead Squat: (X/2+2)4
2)Hang Power Clean & Front Squat: (X/2+2)4
3)Push Jerk: (X/3)4
4)Good Morning: (X/8)4
5)Abdominals: (X/30)2

Day 4—Thursday, 25 July

1)Hang Split Snatch: (X/2+2)4
2)Hang Split Clean: (X/2+2)4
3)Press: (X/3)4
4)Back Squat: (X/3)4
5)Abdominals: (X/25)3

Day 5—Friday, 26 July

1)Lunge (X/4+4)4
2)Overhead Dumbell Side Lunges: (X/4+4)4
3)Plate Pass: (X/4+4)4
4)Abdominals; (X/30)3

Week 5

Day 2—Tuesday, 30 July

1)Hang Power Snatch: (X/3)5
2)Hang Power Clean & Jerk: (X/3+1)5
3)Back Squat/Vertical Jump: (X/4,04)4
4)Good Morning: (X/6)4
5)Abdominals: (X/30)3

Day 4—Thursday, 1 August

1)Hang Power Clean & Press: (X/1+4)4
2)Front Squat: (X/4)5
3)Hang Split Snatch: (X/2+2)4
4)Hang Split Clean: (X/2+2)4
5)Abdominals: (X/25)4

Day 5—Friday, 2 August

1)Hang Power Snatch: (X/2)4
2)Hang Power Clean (X/2)4
3)Back Squat: (X/3)5
4)1/2 Squat: (X/4)4
5)Abdominals: (X/20)4

Week 6

Day 2—Tuesday, 6 August

1)Hang Power Snatch & Overhead Squat: (X/1+3)4
2)Hang Power Clean & Jerk: (X/3+2)4
3)Back Squat: (X/4)5
4)Jumping Lunge With Dumbells: (X/4+4)4
5)Abdominals; (X/25)3

Day 4—Thursday, 8 August

1)Hang Split Snatch; (X/2+2)5
2)Hang Split Clean: (X/2+2)5
3)Front Squat: (X/3)5
4)Press; (X/4)4
5)Abdominals: (X/25)3

Day 5—Friday, 9 August

1)Hang Power Clean & Push Press: (X/1+3)4
2)Back Squat: (X/3)4
3)Good Morning: (X/6)4
4)Abdominals: (X/20)4

Week 7

Day 2—Tuesday, 13 August

1)Back Squat: (X/3)5
2)Hang Power Snatch: (X/2)4
3)Hang Power Clean: (X/3)4
4)Press: (X/4)4
5)1/2 Squat: (X/5)4

Day 4—Thursday, 15 August

1)Front Squat: (X/3)5
2)Hang Power Clean & Push Jerk: (X/2+2)4
3)Overhead Squat: (X/4)4
4)Good Morning: (X/8)4
5)Abdominals: (X/30)4

Day 5—Friday, 16 August

1)Hang Split Snatch: (X/3)5
2)Hang Split Clean (X/3)5
3)Overhead Dumbell Side Lunge: (X/4+4)4
4)Abdominals; (X/20)4

Week 8 (Volleyball Practice is intensified)

Day 2—Tuesday, 20 August

1)Back Squat: (X/3)6
2)Hang Power Snatch: (X/3)5
3)Hang Power Clean & Jerk: (X/3+2)5
4)Press: (X/4)5
5)Abdominals: (X/25)4

Day 4—Thursday, 22 August

1)Front Squat: (X/4)4
2)Hang Split Snatch: (X/2+2)4
3)Hang Split Clean & Jerk: (X/3+3+1)4
4)Good Morning: (X/8)4
5)Abdominals: (X/20)3

Week 9

Day 1—Monday, 26 August

1)Hang Power Snatch; (X/3)4
2)Hang Power Clean & Jerk: (X/2+1)4
3)Back Squat; (X/3)4
4)Abdominals: (X/15)4

Day 4—Thursday, 29 August

1)Hang Split Snatch: (X/2+2)4
2)Hang Split Clean & Jerk: (X/2+2+1)4
3)Front Squat: (X/3)4
4)Abdominals: (X/15)2

Week 10 (School Starts)

Day 3—Wednesday, 4 September

1)Back Squat: (X/4)5
2)Hang Power Snatch: (X/2)5
3)Hang Power Clean & Jerk: (X/2+1)4
4)Press: (X/4)4
5)1/2 Squat: (X/3)4

Day 5—Friday, 6 September

1)Hang Power Snatch: (X/2)4
2)Hang Power Clean & Jerk: (X/2+1)3
3)Abdominals: (X/15)3

Week 11

Day 1—Monday, 9 September

1)Hang Power Snatch & Overhead Squat: (X/3+3)5
2)Hang Power Clean & Front Squat: (X/3+3)5
3)Press: (X/4)4
4)Lunge: (X/5+5)4
5)Abdominals: (X/20)4

Day 4—Thursday, 12 September

1)Hang Split Snatch: (X/3+3)5
2)Hang Split Clean: (X/3+3)5
3)Back Squat: (X/5)5
4)1/2 Squat: (X/6)4
5)Abdominals: (X/20)4

Week 12 (Practice Games Start)

Day 1—Monday, 16 September

1)Back Squat: (X/3)6
2)Hang Power Snatch: (X/2)5
3)Hang Power Clean & Jerk: (X/2+1)5
4)Press: (X/4)4
5)Abdominals; (X/20)4

Day 4—Thursday, 19 September

1)Hang Split Snatch: (X/2+2)5
2)Hang Split Clean (X/2+2)5
3)Push Jerk: (X/3)4
4)Front Squat: (X/3)4
Abdominals: (X/15)3

Week 13

Day 2—Tuesday, 24 September

1)Back Squat: (X/4)5
2)Hang Power Snatch: (X/2)4
3)hang Power Clean: (X/2)4
4)Push Jerk; (X/3)4
5)1/2 Squat: (X/3)4

Day 3—Wednesday, 25 September

1)Hang Split Snatch: (X/2+2)4
2)Hang Split Clean: (X/2+2)4
3)Abdominals: (X/15)3

Week 14

Day 1—Monday, 30 September

1)Hang Power Snatch: (X/2)4
2)Hang Power Clean & Jerk: (X/2+2)4
3)Back Squat: (X/2)4

Day 5—Friday, 4 October

1)Front Squat: (X/4)5
2)Hang Split Snatch: (X/3+3)5
3)Hang Split Clean: (X/3+3)5
4)Press: (X/5)4
5)Abdominals: (X/15)4

Week 15

Day 2—Tuesday, 8 October

1)Hang Power Snatch: (X/3)4
2)Hang Power Clean & Jerk: (X/3+2)4
3)Back Squat: (X/3)4
4)Good Morning: (X/5)3
5)Abdominals: (X/15)3

Day 5—Friday, 11 October

1)Hang Split Snatch: (X/2+2)4
2)Hang Split Clean: (X/2+2)4
3)Push Jerk: (X/3)4
4)Front Squat: (X/3)5
5)Abdominals; (X/20)2

Week 16 (Conference/League Games Begin)

Day 2—Tuesday 15 October

1)Hang Power Snatch: (X/3)5
2)Hang Power Clean & Push Jerk; (X/1+3)5
3)Hang Power Clean: (X/3)4
4)Front Squat: (X/4)5
5)Abdominals: (X/20)3

Day 4—Thursday, 17 October

1)Hang Split Snatch: (X/3+3)5
2)Hang Split Clean: (X/3+3)5
3)Lunge: (X/3+3)4
4)Back Squat: (X/4)4
5)Good Morning: (X/6)3

Week 17

Day 2—Tuesday, 22 October

1)Hang Power Snatch: (X/2)4
2)Hang Power Clean & Push Jerk: (X/1+2)4\
3)Back Squat: (X/3)4
4)Abdominals: (X/20)3

Day 5—Friday, 25 October

1)Hang Split Snatch: (X/2+2)4
2)Hang Split Clean: (X/2+2)4
3)Press; (X/3)4
4)Lunge: (X/3+3)3

Week 18

Day 2—Tuesday, 29 October

1)Hang Power Snatch & Overhead Squat: (X/3+3)5
2)Hang Power Clean & Front Squat & Jerk: (X/3+3+1)4
3)Back Squat: (X/4)5
4)Lunge: (X/3+3)4
5)Abdominals: (X/25)3

Day 5—Friday, 1 November

1)Hang Split Snatch: (X/3+3)5
2)Hang Split Clean: (X/2+2)4
3)Press: (X/4)4
4)Good Morning: (X/5)4
5)Abdominals: (X/20)4

Week 19

Day 2—Tuesday, 5 November

1)Hang Power Snatch: (X/2)3
2)Hang Power Clean & Jerk: (X/2+1)3
3)Back Squat: (X/2)3
4)1/2 Squat: (X/3)3
5)Abdominals: (X/20)3

Day 5—Friday, 8 November

1)Hang Split Snatch: (X/2+2)3
2)Hang Split Clean: (X/2+2)3
3)Power Jerk: (X/3)3
4)Back Squat: (X/2)4
5)Abdominals: (X/10)2
End of Regular Season.