Top 5 Volleyball Books

Books can be a great way to learn different aspects of volleyball. Certain books have different teaching tools such as fundamentals of the game or coaching strategies. No matter the subject, volleyball books can be a great read for anyone interested in the sport of volleyball. Let’s take a look at some of the best volleyball books.

What Are the Most Popular Volleyball Books?

1. Thinking Volleyball
2. Insights and Strategies for Winning Volleyball
3. Misty: Digging Deep in Volleyball and Life
4. The Volleyball Handbook
5. Aggressive Volleyball

1. Thinking Volleyball

Thinking Volleyball is a book meant for volleyball coaches looking to do more than just teach basic skills and execute a plan for a game or season. This book helps you to do one of the most difficult things in volleyball: outthink and outsmart your opponents. Mike Hebert, the author and a Hall of Fame coach, provides tips and tricks on how to go beyond perfecting physical skills to use strategies to read your opponent’s offensive moves and defensive approach. He stresses the importance of having a trusting playing environment to be successful on and off the court. This is a great choice for those coaches looking to improve their styles and their players.

2. Insights and Strategies for Winning Volleyball

Insights and Strategies for Winning Volleyball is another incredible book written by Hall of Fame coach Mike Hebert. This book covers how he was able to develop a winning volleyball program at the University of Illinois. Included are detailed offensive tactics with history of how the modern hitting system came to be, important areas  of focus when developing a defensive strategy and defensive training, and how to use different ideas to structure a successful program. Hebert also stresses the importance of setting goals for yourself and your team to execute a specific game plan.

3. Misty: Digging Deep in Volleyball and Life

Misty: Digging Deep in Volleyball and Life is a novel about the journey of legendary two-time Olympic gold medalist for beach volleyball, Misty May-Treanor. After the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Misty’s passion for the game and glorious success led to her becoming one of the biggest names in beach volleyball worldwide. This book covers the story of her life, the personal and professional struggles she has encountered, and the lessons she's learned through her many experiences. Related to the game, she talks about the eight grueling years it took for her to reach the top, her career-threatening injuries, her television appearances, and her Olympic successes. This book will certainly empower and motivate you to reach your goals.

4. The Volleyball Handbook

The Volleyball Handbook is a guide to coaching volleyball written by a  successful veteran coach named Bob Miller. This book helps show what it takes to be a great team rather than just a good one by providing expert knowledge and teachings that only years of experience can unveil. Miller lays out many specific coaching and training programs to help improve the team and the individual players. He believes that improving the nuts and bolts of the team will help the group become a more cohesive unit and be successful together. This is a top book to read for coaches looking to continue making their team break barriers.

5. Aggressive Volleyball

Aggressive Volleyball is a book about how to compete in a fast-paced game with extreme intensity and focus to come out on top. The author of this book, Pete Waite, is a renowned volleyball coach that stresses the importance of challenging every play and being the controller of your game. This book explains the best ways to capitalize on your team’s strengths, recognize the opposing team’s weaknesses, and make necessary adjustments during the game to challenge the other team. It teaches you how to be aggressive and execute a plan whether you are playing balls on offense, on defense, during out-of-system balls, or during transitional plays.

Honorable Mentions

The Miracle Season

The Miracle Season by Kathy Bresnahan tells the tragic yet inspiring story of 17-year-old volleyball player Caroline Found. Bresnahan was the coach of the Iowa City West girls volleyball team when an unthinkable accident befell one of her players. In this riveting and lucid tale that was turned into a film with the same name, Bresnahan describes how a team and a community rallied together, united by volleyball. Anyone who is a fan of volleyball or looking for an emotional story of perseverance should give this book a read.

We Were Kings

We Were Kings, which is subtitled A Deep Dive Inside the Lives of Professional Beach Volleyball Players, is a book by Travis Mewhirter which chronicles the accounts of around 100 professional beach volleyball players, including many who have played in the Olympic Games. The book aims to highlight the unseen struggles in the life of a professional beach volleyball player, which Olympic viewers might often miss. While many might watch the games and think that professional volleyball players have a great life, We Were Kings discusses the less-glamorous aspects of the sport, including the struggles athletes undergo to make money and survive in the four years between Olympiads. This book is a remarkable look into the difficulties of being a volleyball player, and will undoubtedly surprise readers with its honesty.

Spike!

Spike! provides a vivid depiction of the 1984 USA men’s Olympic volleyball team, as told by its head coach, Doug Beal. In this wide-ranging book, Beal covers the intricacies of being a player and a coach at the highest level of volleyball. Beal gives some insightful history on the USA Volleyball program, as he was a player himself before he became a coach. He also paints entertaining portraits of some of the team’s biggest stars, such as Tim Hovland, Sinjin Smith, and Karch Kiraly. This book is a great read for anyone interested in coaching volleyball or getting an inside view of life on an Olympic volleyball team.

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