In volleyball, you need to run a lot. Therefore jogging is good for volleyball players because it builds up endurance and helps them to run faster. You can switch between jogging and sprinting to make it more intense and get used to using short bursts of energy. Overall, jogging is good for volleyball players but you need to train with the ball as well. Therefore you shouldn’t go overboard with jogging as a volleyball player as you have to work on other drills as well. It can affect your jumping as well if you run too much. Therefore you can do it but don’t exaggerate as you need to train other skills as well. Some people argue strongly against jogging, whilst others are strongly in favor. As a volleyball trainer, I can share my experiences of the past few decades.
Why jogging is a great exercise for volleyball players
Jogging is great to warm up. You have to warm up your body before the training or match starts. This can be done by running around. You can do this in the sports arena or outside. Just make sure that you have other shoes if you run outdoors as you don’t want to make the floor in the sports arena dirty.
It is also a great activity to do with the team. Everyone can run together and you can talk while you are running. This can create a bond between the players are you are doing something together.
Jogging is mainly done at the beginning of the season as the players still need to get used to the intensity of playing volleyball. It can make your body used to have to move a lot. You can start slowly and build it up to more intense running exercises with interval sprints in between. Jogging once or twice a week for thirty minutes should do.
Professional volleyball players jog from time to time as well. This shows the usefulness of doing so. When you defend or attack, you have to be quick. If you can move your feet faster than your opponent, you have a big advantage. Jogging can help you with foot balance and see how you can improve this.
Jogging can also be fun and from time to time it is great to sport outdoors. Especially during summer, it can be quite hot in a sports arena and jogging can be something to switch things up.
Why volleyball players shouldn’t jog.
Jogging might be quite boring for players that thrive on competition. You can make a game out of it where one player has to catch another player. This can make it more engaging as jogging gets boring after a while. This could mean that players will start skipping training sessions if they have to run a lot.
It is important that the floor is not too slippery as this could lead to slips and slides and players that have to end the training. Therefore you have to check if the floor is clean before the players start to jog.
If you run too much, it could affect your jump. Therefore you can jog but you shouldn’t run too much as a volleyball player as it affects other pieces of your body that you need during a match. As with a lot of things in life, it is good in moderation. This is one of the reasons why some players say that you shouldn’t jog. This is not true, jogging can help a volleyball player. You just shouldn’t do it too much.
You are already training two times a week and playing a match as a volleyball player. There is no need to train that much more. You won’t be rested to perform at your best if you spend a lot of time practicing other sports. Your body has to be able to regain its strength and you shouldn’t push it too hard.
At the end of the season, your endurance might be very good and jogging might not add that much value anymore as you are used to running around. You might focus on more strategy.
Volleyball trainers often have training schedules and these indicate what you have to focus on every week. He or she is probably following these as they contain exercises that have specifically been developed for volleyball players. Jogging might be part of this but it is not going to the majority of the training.
To conclude, we can state that jogging is a good exercise for volleyball players, especially if it is mixed with sprinting. It can increase the endurance of the player and also build team spirit. You need the right shoes to be able to do this outdoors but other than that it is straightforward. Jogging is also part of a lot of training sessions, especially at the beginning of the season. You shouldn’t spend too much time on it as you also have to practice other volleyball skills but it can be a great way to start a training session.
