Triple Block Heads
Welcome to Triple Block Heads; the podcast for all things volleyball. Each episode, the trio of Block Heads will discuss topics that will hit home for a variety of volleyball enthusiasts, from beginners to collegiate athletes and volley nerds in between. The Block Heads bring a combined 50 years of coaching experience ranging from club to the highest levels of Division 1.
Triple Block Heads
TBH Episode 42: Coaching Littles 13 and under
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In this Triple Block Heads episode, Makani, Marc, and Frank discuss Frank’s first season coaching a 12U team while also coaching 17s, including the challenge of balancing eight straight weekends of tournaments. Frank describes how beginners grew socially and structurally, from not knowing gym routines to creating their own games and playing queens, and how his team progressed from basic blocking principles to running slides and a 5-1 with kid-friendly rotation names like “banana split.” They focus on managing 12-year-olds’ emotions, using private check-ins, validating feelings, and offering options to restore autonomy, while reinforcing aggressive mindsets and distinguishing aggressive vs passive mistakes. Frank highlights staffing choices—organized assistants with parenting/youth experience—and emphasizes tournaments as teaching opportunities, keeping drills familiar with small modifications, and preserving the pure joy that younger players bring.
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