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In this episode of Triple Block Heads, Makani, Frank, and Marc go back to the podcast's roots. They look at the volleyball skills that are undervalued or under-trained at each stage of player development, from first development through early club to the prospect level. They cover both tangible skills, like blocking and attacking imperfect balls, and intangibles, like game flow, vision, communication, and preparing for college.

What we cover:
- First development (12s/13s): Teaching the "flow" of the game instead of fixed spots, eye work, watching film to understand the game, learning how to score points, and training blocking footwork even when kids can't yet block.
- Early club (15s): Blocking fundamentals and avoiding bad habits that stick, learning to "speak volleyball" on the bench, using bench points to keep players engaged, treating serving as a first offensive attempt, and the value of covering hitters.
- Prospect/high-level club: Preparing for college through body care and weight-room familiarity, attacking non-perfect balls with arm control, building up the underloved middle and libero positions, efficiency and speed, and explaining the "why" behind decisions.
- Coaching development: Introducing scouting reports and film sessions, and giving in-match scenario feedback so players make their own decisions.

Have thoughts on an underutilized skill or training idea, or a topic you'd like us to cover? Send us a message. We'd love to hear from you.

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In this episode of the Triple Block Heads volleyball podcast, Makani, Frank, and Marc discuss their personal preferences for building an effective gym/court culture across different settings (club, college, camps). They debate when music helps (warmups, skill reps) versus hurts (six-on-six communication, feedback, video review), emphasizing volume control and team-made playlists. They cover whistle use for serve initiation to simulate match routines, preferring electronic whistles or mics in multi-court gyms, and also using scoreboard horns for timed station rotations. They discuss open versus closed practices, generally favoring openness with clear parent behavior expectations, noting college programs vary and timing matters near competition, plus Iowa high school coaching restrictions. They address volleyball selection and consistency with game balls, preferred ball-cart counts (about 25), ball-management rules, and crisp net setup. Finally, they explore effort/accountability systems, avoiding extreme “punishments,” using brief sit-outs, winner-chosen consequences, and emphasizing celebrating winning, with a broader call for intentional, consistent coaching environments.

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Hosts Makani, Marc, and Frank explain NCAA volleyball’s Rating Percentage Index (RPI) and how it drives scheduling, tournament selection, and recruiting. They define RPI as 25% team winning percentage, 50% opponents’ winning percentage, and 25% opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage, noting that 75% is largely outside a team’s control once the season starts, making scheduling crucial. They discuss non-conference preseason tournaments, return obligations, guarantees/pay games, conference initiatives that tier scheduling expectations, and how the transfer portal adds uncertainty after contracts are signed. They compare RPI to the AVCA coaches poll and note key RPI movement typically occurs in the 30–70 range. They also touch on bracket geography, expanded seeding, NAIA pool play, and potential club-volleyball ranking improvements using weighted tournament strength and AI tools.

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