Part 1 Scrimmage Saturday: Wisconsin Coaches Weigh In On Scrimmage Strategy
The time has come to see another team across the net. Teams all over Wisconsin will be participating in scrimmages over the weekend in preparation for competition starting next week. In talking with different coaches, there are similarities among all…
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Continue ReadingThe time has come to see another team across the net. Teams all over Wisconsin will be participating in scrimmages over the weekend in preparation for competition starting next week. In talking with different coaches, there are similarities among all in how they evaluate their team. The focus is on their own side of the net while seeing a different opponent. This is a great opportunity to see how their athletes respond and a low pressure situation to try various combinations. Here is part one of our scrimmage series which will feature more coaches in our next section.
Steve Scheuerell – Appleton North Head Coach
Scrimmage vs. River Falls
1-How do we look against somebody besides ourselves in the gym? Are we having fun?
2-I place a premium on how ours girls respond to adversity and success. Are we shutting down, do certain players step up, do we play consistent or are we all over the place?
3-I think scrimmages can help confirm players roles and help see battles in certain positions.
4-I also like to evaluate myself in this situation. How does my team react to me when I am on the sidelines? Are they worried about my reaction or a teammates reaction? Do I need to push them or can they figure them out on their own?
Nancee Bucheger – Oconto Head Coach
Scrimmage vs. Pulaski, Oconto Falls, and Southern Door
I love the opportunity for our girls to workout against other teams. It brings excitement and enthusiasm into another practice. It also allows coaches to play with different lineups as we fine tune where each player makes their biggest impact for our team. We play at the Pulaski Quad which includes Oconto Falls and Southern Door. These teams compete at a high level and are always prepared, so it’s a great jumpstart to our season.
Thiago Barbosa – Bay Port Head Coach
Scrimmage vs. Green Bay East, Appleton West, and NEW Lutheran.
A scrimmage is always a great opportunity to see the team playing together and assess their chemistry as a new team. It’s good to see emerging leaders (or if we need stronger leadership in the team), their mindset in a game situation, and if they are applying what they have been working since the tryouts. It is also a great opportunity to see how they are communicating since there are always some changes from the previous year.
This scrimmage is also a great opportunity to try different setups and test how the changes in the offensive and defensive systems are looking like in a game situation. It’s also helpful to see how the work on technical improvement is turning out.
They are enjoyable to be around. They make practice fun and I’m excited to see them playing together.
Amy Wagner – Germantown Head Coach
Scrimmage vs Cedarburg and Sheboygan South
Scrimmages are fantastic! Each coach might be looking for something different in scrimmages depending on personnel and returning players, but for me generally, I am looking for the weaknesses in our game and hopefully finding some strengths we didn’t anticipate. Examples of this would be players that struggle passing next to each other, locating where balls hit the floor on defense, and then maybe finding out someone is a great RH when you were not expecting it. I love scrimmages because it gives me the freedom to play everyone and many different combinations until you find what your looking for, chemistry and flow.
Scott Spiess – Brookfield Central Head Coach
Our first competition outside of our own team will be at the Joust. However, as we compete in practice we like to keep things fast paced/intense as much as possible. We often play mini games to 5-7 pts or award bonus points for a focus area (ex: setting the middle in transition). We typically will look at as many different rotations/lineups as possible in attempt to determine where our strengths are and how to best hide our weaknesses. Our biggest goal in the pre-season is to establish our team culture with being good teammates, trusting each other, and working hard to get better everyday.
Megan Wierschke – Ashwaubenon Head Coach
Waupaca Scrimmage
Scrimmages are incredibly important in the first weekend due to tournaments being right around the corner. We need to see our top line-up against a viable opponent and identify our strengths and weakness for the season. Scrimmages can be very telling of options and possibilities for the season. It’s also a way to through together handfuls of line-ups and really get the girls focused on adversity on the court.
Taylor Klinzing – Hartford Union Head Coach
Waunakee Scrimmage
I use scrimmages as a time to just get our feet wet. I really promote a growth mindset on scrimmage days in that I want my athletes to get comfortable playing as a team and start to build confidence in themselves. I play around with lineups in order to see what flows and what doesn’t. It’s exciting to go up against other teams for the first time – the energy in the gym is always fantastic.
Megan Awe – Westosha Central Head Coach
Scrimmage vs. DSHA, CMH, Pewaukee, Sussex Hamilton, Wisconsin Lutheran
Scrimmages for me especially this year will be looking for which combinations will be the most successful for us in the front row and trying to lock down who will be our core in serve receive. It is also going to be used as a way to just get players experience with the varsity level. Regardless, so many players are coming off club and everyone needs to adjust to the level of play. The southeast corner is a powerhouse for good volleyball and this scrimmage will have many strong programs present to represent the level of play we will see in season.
With us being so young this year we are going to be mixing up lineups and looking for who all works well together on the court but also finding who is really hungry for the opportunity to be on the court.