USA

87. Practice videos: Kevin Burch - Ohio State University

What is happening in the training gyms around the world? Today we have Kevin Burch reviewing 2 of his practice sessions.

🔍 Intro

We've already featured 17 practice video articles with pro and college coaches, and today it's time for our 18th Practice session article here on volleybrains.com.

At VolleyBrains, we bring you inside practice gyms worldwide to see how top coaches develop their teams.

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Navigate to our practice videos page for an overview of all the featured practice videos. Be sure to leverage this unique resource.

👊 The coach who's guiding us today

In this practice video session, we feature Kevin Burch, the head coach of Ohio State University's men's volleyball team. Appointed in May 2019, coach Burch has led the Buckeyes to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024, securing both the MIVA Tournament titles and the 2023 MIVA regular-season championship.

Before his current role, coach Burch served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Ohio State, contributing to national titles in 2016 and 2017. His prior experience includes positions at Penn State, UC Irvine, and Springfield College, where he was part of multiple championship-winning staffs.

Coach Burch has been involved with USA Volleyball since 2011, serving as an assistant coach and technical coordinator for the Boys U19 team, and contributing to the development of young athletes on the national stage.

⚡ What's inside the practice video clips?

In this article, we dive into 2 separate Ohio State volleyball practices during their fall season, offering a unique glimpse into how Coach Burch and his staff structure their training sessions.

We'll also walk through how Ohio State goes about their weekly practice scheduling and the various responsibilities of the coaching staff.

With 19 players on the roster and a great example of limited court space usage (in practice 1), we'll see how they maximize efficiency and player development while adapting to various challenges.

Inside of the videos Coach Burch will go into detail on:

The use of comprehensive weekly outlines that enhance staff coordination and have player development at it's core
The critical role of clear, concise coaching feedback and how the staff positions themselves around the court to provide optimal instruction
Strategic use of competition and energy management, including how specific drills are designed to get players mentally and physically engaged from the start
Their focus on critical skills like non setter setting, three-man blocking mechanics, and medium-pass offense adaptations
The integration of modern performance tracking through Catapult technology to monitor player loads and optimize training intensity
Creative solutions for maximizing repetitions and court space, drawing inspiration from international coaching techniques
Implementation of specialized drills like "Earned, Not Given" that develop both competitiveness and tactical decision-making

Enjoy!

And a big thanks to coach Burch and his staff for cooperating and creating this together.