The Setter's Journey: Part 1
I hope you're having a great start to the new year!
Today we're going to take a quick peek at what makes setting such a fun and unique position.
As we've talked about before, there are so many different ways to set the ball...
Most setters will quickly develop their own unique setting style, but they'll also be soon categorized as either a technical or a flashy setter.
But what does this mean for our training?
If you look at a several of the top international setters in the game today, you'll often see a blend of precision and deception as they run their offense throughout the match.
So we must always be mindful about how we prioritize our training!
We actually had one of our current members inside The Setter Academy go through a similar situation...
Consistency is always the top priority, but as we progress through higher levels of volleyball, we must also learn to mix in more deception that will help create better matchups for all of our attackers.
So when our current member, Aly Saydam said he wanted to BE ALL IN and that he wanted to work on becoming more deceptive to both pins, we went to work...
Already a super physical setter, Aly already had excellent tempo to both pins when the pass was on the net, but he sometimes would struggle with that same consistency when he was off the net, and when he was actively working to confuse the blockers to create those better matchups for his attackers.
So what did we focus on?
It's all about having a consistent and neutral position with your body so you can always keep all of your options open!
I see so many younger setters force themselves into tough situations simply because they cannot maintain this neutral position as they prepare to set the ball.
But even more than that, Aly also needed to focus on where his hands were contacting the ball...
If you're always setting with your hands directly "behind" the ball, you will never be able to create a consistent tempo or angle on your back sets!
To keep every option open and also maintain a neutral position on passes on and off the net, you want your hands to be slightly "under" the ball.
This is what also is going to help make every set look the same...
If you're able to create just a little bit more consistency with your hand position and your body position before every set, you'll quickly start becoming more deceptive and harder to read across the net.
It's been so awesome to watch Aly this season because he's unlocked a new level of confidence after making a few adjustments, and now his game has reached a whole new level.
But this didn't just happen overnight...
Aly has been grinding inside The Setter Academy, interacting with me when he has questions, and then applying all of the drills and concepts he's learned right into his own training sessions.
You can even send me your film directly and I'll always respond with feedback within 24 hours!
Aly is one of our current Setter Academy members who is currently killing it for his college team in Canada, and he's now starting to get noticed by some of the best setters in the world!
Have you ever attempted a set like that?
As you can see, Aly is super physical, dynamic, and able to make some creative plays for his team.
But what you didn't see was the hours of grinding in the gym, the relentless pursuit to get better, and the consistent back and forth we had inside The Setter Academy.
He even sent me his film several times throughout the season for review and some technical feedback.
And we aren't the only ones who are starting to notice that Aly's work and commitment are paying off...
Portuguese national team setter and recent Polish League Champion, Miguel Tavares was also fired up after watching this awesome clip of Aly that he reached out to me directly to hear more about what his plans are for after college.
So we had a quick chat, talked about his game, and then Miguel mentioned he would be happy to help Aly out on his journey.
The setting world is very small...
Our network inside The Setter Academy could be exactly what you need to get your foot in the door.
Aly has been an awesome member of our community and I can't wait to watch him play at the next level.
And as you can imagine, he was super pumped to hear about what Miguel said!
Now with this connection to Miguel, Aly has a resource he can use as he pursues the next step in his journey.
Are you ready to start building a framework to push yourself to reach the next level?
You deserve to dominate 2025 and beyond...