APPLYING "HARD SKILL, SOFT SKILL" CONCEPTS TO VOLLEYBALL

AVOIDING OVERTRAINING


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APPLYING "HARD SKILL, SOFT SKILL" CONCEPTS TO VOLLEYBALL

In the real world, skill is often categorized into two types...

1) Hard Skills

and

2) Soft Skills

Hard skills are the skills that are easier to define. These skills are also more easily repeated. In sports, they are the skills easiest to coach.

When a coach talks about using the same technique every time, this technique would be considered a hard skill.

The techniques for passing, setting, hitting, serving, digging, and blocking are some examples of hard skills in volleyball.

Soft skills involve recognizing patterns and making quick decisions.

Think of a libero that can get a touch on every ball. You might think it’s quickness and speed that allows them to keep every ball from hitting the floor.

It’s not necessarily quickness. And not necessarily great technique.

It's the soft skills that make athletes look fast, dynamic, and athletic.

It's the soft skills that allow volleyball players to make athletic plays.

All plays in volleyball involve a combination of both hard and soft skill.

Think about the situation where a hitter reads the ball is set tight to the net. The hitter will use different footwork to get in position to make the play.

On a tight ball, the approach will need to be different to keep from flying into the net. The player may decide to joust or block instead of hit. Soft skills are critical for making last second decisions.

In this situation, the footwork could be considered “hard” while recognizing the ball being set tight could be considered “soft”.

Hitters that have both great hard and soft skills will often make this play look effortless and routine.

Follow the link for more on training hard skills and soft skills for volleyball.

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AVOIDING OVERTRAINING

Athletes who repeatedly overload their bodies without allowing adequate recovery time will eventually reach a point where they have to rest.

The length of that required rest period is the main difference between overtraining and overreaching.

Overreaching is simply defined as…

1. An accumulation of training (also non-training related stress) that results in a short-term decrement in performance.

2. Restoration of performance may take several days to several weeks.

Overtraining is simply defined as…

1. An accumulation of training (also non-training related stress) that results in a long-term decrement in performance.

2. Restoration of performance may take several weeks to several months.

Severe and persistent overreaching can lead to overtraining syndrome.

Many training methods for building strength and power for volleyball involve strategies for overreaching.

Optimizing recovery is the key to successful overreaching.

Follow the link for more on workout recovery and how to recover faster from workouts.