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Volleyball Focus Focus Point Capture Coaching

3 Tips for Maximizing Video and Data Analysis for High School Volleyball Teams

Jul 12, 2024
2 Min Read
Photo of Tyler Schuster

By Tyler Schuster

Hear from a trio of premier high school volleyball coaches on their approach to getting the best out of their video and data.

At times, high school volleyball feels as much like chess as it does sport.

Players act as pieces on the board. Coaches are tasked with the strategy and setup of their team. Every pass, spike, serve and block matters. It’s as much a mental battle as it is physical.

So how do coaches, players and teams find an edge? Video and data.

Ten years ago, video was considered a luxury. Data was just pen and pad stats. The game has truly changed.

But just being able to access video data isn’t enough - what matters is what you do with it. We sat down with three highly successful volleyball coaches and asked them for their advice on how other coaches can get the most out of video and data in high school volleyball.

Here are three tips for maximizing your video and data analysis efforts before next season.


1. Embrace Video and Data

No amount of practice time or gut feelings can replace the insights from video and data.

- The first step in getting the most out of video and data is being open and receptive to what it tells you.

- “Coaches have great eyes. A lot of them do,” three-time Team USA volleyball member and head volleyball coach at Dana Hills High School (California) Tom Hoff explained. “...So I just think using (video and data) to balance out your intuition and what your guts and eyes are telling you really helps.”

    2. Approach Your In-Season and Off-Season Prep Differently

    How you utilize video and data should look different, depending on the time of year.
    Uses during the season:

    - Review box scores after matches.

    - Determine what stats matter most and how they correlate to winning/losing.

    - Use video and data for short-term scouting, like building a gameplan to beat your next opponent

    - We try to keep things simple,” head volleyball coach at South Salem High School (Oregon) Matt Leichty said. “I don’t want to overload them with a ton.”

      - “With all my teams, but especially the younger teams, you’re so much more worried about ‘are we doing the things we need to be doing’. And I’m way less concerned about what they (the opponent) do,” he said. “...It’s a lot more important that we take care of business on our side of the net.”

      Uses in the off-season:

      - Use the off-season time to deep-dive on the previous season.

      - Build in-depth scouting reports on future opponents.

      - Plan for the upcoming season.


      3. Know What to Look For

      Every sport has a few key stats that make all the difference in winning and losing. Volleyball is no different.

      - “The box score (provided by Hudl Assist) just does everything for you,” said Michael Ma, volleyball coach and recruiting coordinator at Seal Beach Volleyball Club and assistant AD and volleyball coach at St. Joseph High School (California). “It makes my life way easier.”

      - Ma and his staff use a three-point pass scale to grade how successful each pass was throughout the match.
      - Access to video and data makes the process much easier.


      - “The big thing is the efficiency of Hudl. How can you get things done, the breakdowns of the film and stats, it just makes your life a lot easier as a coach,” Ma said. “You get the opportunity as a high school or club coach to operate at a collegiate or professional level. That’s what you’re able to do with Hudl."