Concepts like “Tactical Periodization,” “Game Model,” and “Playing Principles” may sound confusing and unfamiliar, especially for those in the world of volleyball.
I first encountered them in a soccer magazine. While my knowledge of soccer is limited, the articles, featuring top-tier coaches and players, were incredibly thought-provoking and full of ideas that can be applied to volleyball.
This article proposes that we use these concepts—the Game Model, Playing Principles, and Playing Movement Principles—as a compass for volleyball coaching.
Understanding the Core Concepts
These three concepts are all connected and can serve as guiding principles for coaches and players.
- Game Model: A team’s blueprint for how they want to play. It’s the shared vision—a map every player must have in their head—that guides the team’s actions on the court.
- Playing Principles: The behavioral guidelines for a team in each phase of the game, based on the Game Model.
- Playing Movement Principles: The underlying biomechanical mechanisms required for a player to perform a specific action (e.g., passing, setting, spiking, blocking) in the most efficient way. This is not about a single, rigid “form.” Since every body is different, the visual appearance of a movement may vary. The key is to understand the underlying principles of motion, not to get fixated on the visible form.
These three concepts are logically connected: a team’s vision (Game Model) is executed through a set of rules (Playing Principles), which are then performed using individual technical tools (Playing Movement Principles).
A Cohesive Approach for Volleyball Development
Imagine if the entire Japanese volleyball community, from professional clubs to grassroots programs, shared a common and gradual Game Model, Playing Principles, and Playing Movement Principles. This shared language would provide a consistent framework for daily coaching, allowing individual coaches to maintain their unique style while ensuring players grow in a unified system.
While there may not be a single, universal solution, learning from other sports and adapting these ideas to volleyball has immense value. My hope is that this kind of open discussion about the future of volleyball development will continue to gain momentum.
