Defense First

It's funny in junior athlete sports... there is usually one, high-profile position that almost every athlete wants to be, no matter their size, stature, or skill level. In baseball/softball it is pitcher; in football it is quarterback; in volleyball it is outside hitter or just hitter.

It makes sense that young athletes would gravitate towards the position that feels like it has the most impact, gets the most touches, wins the most glory. In volleyball the hitters certainly do get the most glory, no matter what the level of play. It is rare for a defensive specialist or libero to gain national recognition. It does happen, but it is very, very rare.

What is interesting though is that if you look across the top performing volleyball teams at every level, the one defining characteristic is the quality of their defensive play. And this extends beyond just the defensive play of the libero or other defensive specialists.... it includes the defensive play of the hitters in the front and back row as well as the setter.

The statistic in volleyball that is most predictive of wins versus losses is actually a team's serve receive capability. This makes good sense, because if a team cannot pass the serve well, they cannot defend against a good serving team. I witnessed this first-hand when one of my daughter's club teams was losing 24 points to 0, because they just could not pass off the serve. I also saw it as a coach when we played against a lower ranked college team that had prioritized serve and serve-receive for their entire season. They beat us on service alone - one of the most demoralizing defeats I have witnessed a team have.

The thing is, we should be working towards helping our young athletes prioritize and glorify defense first. Even hitters in the front row need to block and pass the ball. If they fail to do this well, they won't be able to get a good set and subsequently a good hit. I have watched many hitters who were more focused on transitioning off the net for their hit, or moving to their hitting position outside of the court while missing the opportunity for a block or a good pass prior to their shift to focus on the upcoming offensive play.

We also need to celebrate the pass more. I have one notable experience of a team that really understood this well. I played one semester my senior year at Gordon College. Prior to that, I was a defensive specialist at Wheaton College. As an indicator of how old I am, the libero position was introduced to US collegiate play my junior year of college - so that position didn't exist when I was first playing at Wheaton. While I played for Wheaton I really honed my defensive skills, but I still missed hitting and getting to play the full six rotations on the court. At Gordon, they needed me to play as an outside hitter, which brought me back to my preferred role for my team. Interestingly, I was probably the fifth best hitter on the team (so basically the least strong hitter of all starting hitters). Despite this, I started in the preferred outside hitter position, the one next to the setter. This is preferred because when you are in the front row with the setter for two rotations, you get the opportunity for more sets. I also played somewhat opposite of the team's strongest middle - one of the strongest players in the entire region. This was preferred because when she was in the front row, she basically received all the sets - when a good ball was set to her it was almost assuredly going to result in a kill.

Naturally, the other outside hitter, who was indeed a stronger hitter than I was, felt confused about why I was put in the preferred outside hitter position. And here is where things get really interesting.... I knew why I was positioned there - it was clear as day to me. I was one of the strongest defensive players on the team. Now why would my strong defense capability matter for my rotation placement as a hitter? It mattered because the coach wanted to prioritize the best passes for our strongest middle. When I was in the back row and our strong middle was in the front row, we were a very competitive team.

Another special feature of this remarkable team was our setter: Sara-Britt Johnson. Sara-Britt had played as a defensive specialist when she was in high school, but transitioned to the setter role in college. She understood the assignment of leading our team on defense first and she celebrated a good pass like no other athlete I have ever seen. It's difficult to remember the pass - who even did it? Our attention quickly goes to the setter and the hitter when a dynamic play is accomplished. A really good pass doesn't come with a lot of pizzazz or excitement - if anything a really good pass typically looks like just another day in the volleyball office. But a really good pass is the foundation of what allows the setter to have multiple hitter options, provide the best possible ball to the hitters, and run the offense at its most effective capability. Sara-Britt understood this and integrated it into her court leadership. She always tracked down who had made the pass when the offense completed a kill for a point, and she always celebrated a good pass with more intensity than a good kill.

You can't set well and you can't hit well without good passing. Passing serves as the foundation of effective play in any team sport, particularly in volleyball, where the sequence of touches can dictate the flow of the game. A well-executed pass not only ensures that the ball reaches the setter in an optimal position but also allows for a variety of offensive options to be explored. Without quality passing, even the most skilled hitters may struggle to perform at their best, as they rely on accurate and timely sets to execute their attacks effectively. And it's difficult to cover the whole court for the pass when you don't have good defensive blocking.

So defense should always come first, and we should look for ways to communicate about that with our kids. As parents we can start by making efforts to celebrate the pass. Simple actions, such as acknowledging a well-executed pass during a game or practice, can have a profound impact on a child's confidence and motivation. We can create a culture of recognition where players feel appreciated not just for scoring points but for their hard work in setting up those scoring opportunities. This approach encourages athletes to take pride in their skills and understand the importance of teamwork. It also moves young athletes away from relying entirely on the outcome of a play (win/loss of a point) for their celebrations and team connectedness. We can guide our kids towards taking pride in their defensive prowess and support them in recognizing their teammates for good defensive contributions. By nurturing an environment that values defense and communication, we prepare our young athletes to excel not only in their individual roles but also as cohesive members of their teams.