Who is SoloCoach for?

Any volleyball coach who plans practices — youth and rec, club and travel, and high school. SoloCoach helps you organize drills, build sessions quickly, and run practice live from the court with a built-in timer.

What does SoloCoach do differently from a notes app?

SoloCoach keeps your drill library organized by skill pillar, builds plans with automatic total duration, and runs live in the gym — current drill on screen, countdown timer, next drill queued. When practice ends, you get a recap card to share with parents and players.

SoloCoach is free to download on the App Store. Core practice planning and the live run screen are included. Pro features like templates and advanced library tools are available with a subscription.

How many drills are included?

SoloCoach ships with 149 platform drills organized across five skill pillars — passing, serving, attacking, blocking, and defense. Rate drills after practice and SoloCoach builds a personalized library over time.

Is SoloCoach available on Android?

SoloCoach is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. An Android version is coming soon.

What are the four phases of a volleyball practice?

Warm-up (max touches and movement), focus (one or two skill areas with layered drills), gameplay that scores the focus, and a cool-down that checks whether players can name and discuss the focus.

How long should each practice phase be?

Focus is often about 30–45 minutes with three drill angles. Competing gameplay is often about 35–45 minutes in one or two sections. Warm-up and cool-down stay shorter so limited gym time goes to the skill you care about.

What do most coaches get wrong in Phase 3?

They scrimmage without tying the scoring to the focus from Phase 2. Build a game where the focus skill earns points — for example, perfect passes worth two points — so players chase the same thing you just trained.

How many focus areas should a volleyball practice have?

One, maybe two. A single clear focus makes it easier to layer drills and design Phase 3 scoring. Too many priorities dilute both the skill block and the scrimmage.

How do you know if the practice focus stuck?

In the cool-down, ask the team what the focus was and let players do most of the talking. If they cannot tell you, it did not stick. If they can, talk through details and what to carry into the next practice.

Coach clip · July 27, 2026

What is the best structure for a volleyball practice? Use four phases that build on each other: a high-touch warm-up, a focused skill block (one or two areas, often three layered drills), gameplay that scores the same focus, and a cool-down where players talk through what stuck. Phase 3 is where most coaches go wrong — they scrimmage without tying points to what they just trained.

The 4-Phase Volleyball Practice Structure (And Why Phase 3 Matters Most)

Most volleyball coaches do not start with a clear practice structure. They grab drills they like and hope it comes together. It usually does not.

Think of practice like a restaurant meal. Nobody brings the steak the second you sit down, and nobody rushes dessert. Each course sets up the next. The same idea applies on the court: warm-up into focus into scored gameplay into cool-down — with the focus getting louder the further you go.

From the makers of SoloStats

Build your next practice in seconds with SoloCoach

Turn a clear focus into a full plan — warm-up through cool-down — without starting from a blank whiteboard every night.

Download free on the App Store

Phase 1: Warm-up — max touches, max movement

Gym time is limited. This is not college volleyball with six hours a day. Warm-ups should get players into volleyball movement fast — maximum touches and maximum movement, not long inactive stretches while half the team waits.

Split this block into two parts when you can: warm up with the ball first, then a short drill or game that uses real volleyball motion. A simple example: partner ball control, then straight into a team game so Phase 2 starts with players already sharp.

Phase 2: Focus — one or two areas, three drill angles

Pick one, maybe two areas you are trying to improve. This is your skill block — often about 30–45 minutes depending on the skill — with roughly three drill slots.

Those three drills should attack the same focus from different angles. If the focus is passing: footwork first, then platform or hand contact, then live reps off player serves. Each drill raises the demand while keeping the same skill front and center.

This is where you earn Phase 3. If the focus block is vague, the scrimmage will be vague too.

Phase 3: Gameplay that scores your focus

Phase 3 is the part most coaches get wrong. Yes, it is gameplay — but do not just scrimmage. Plan about 35–45 minutes with one or two competing sections, and score whatever you play so players chase the key skill.

If passing was the focus, make perfect passes worth two points (or whatever scoring rule matches the skill). Now the team is chasing the exact thing from Phase 2 during live play. The energy stays on the key area instead of dissolving into a random 25-point game.

That is the doubling-down principle: the further you get into the plan, the more the focus should show up in how you score and coach.

Phase 4: Cool-down — players do the talking

Keep this short and sweet. Ask the team what the focus was. If they cannot tell you, it did not stick. If they can, let them discuss what you worked on and why — details, mistakes, and what to carry into the next practice.

A short cool-down turns a good session into lasting learning. It also tells you whether your Phase 2 and Phase 3 design actually worked.

How the four phases work together

Warm-up prepares bodies and ball control. Focus builds the skill. Scored gameplay proves the skill under pressure. Cool-down locks in the lesson. Each phase is a block that builds on the one skill you are worried about — not four disconnected activities.

Use this structure when you plan any session, then swap in the drills and scoring rules that match today's focus area.