103. Practice videos: Tom Black - University of Georgia
What is happening in the training gyms around the world? Today, we have Tom Black reviewing one of his practice sessions.
🔍 Intro
We've already featured 22 practice video articles with pro and college coaches, and today it's time for our 23th Practice session article here on volleybrains.com.
At VolleyBrains, we bring you inside practice gyms worldwide to see how top coaches develop their teams.
👊 The coach who's guiding us today
In this practice video session, we feature Tom Black, head coach of the University of Georgia Bulldogs and former U.S. Women’s National Team assistant coach.
Known for blending detail-oriented training with a deep understanding of motor learning, Coach Black has helped guide teams to success at the highest collegiate and international levels.
Before joining Georgia in 2016, he led programs at UC San Diego and Loyola Marymount University, taking both to multiple NCAA tournament appearances.
On the world stage, he played a role in the U.S. Women’s National Team’s 2014 World Championship title and Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medal, later serving as head coach of Team Canada’s women’s national team, where he led them to a Nations League qualification.
Coach Black’s background as both a collegiate player and an elite-level coach shapes his holistic approach — one that connects motor learning, transfer, and competitive pressure into purposeful, high-repetition environments where athletes truly learn the game.
For more on Tom’s philosophy and journey, take a look at our previous article.
VolleyBrains
At Volleybrains, we love bringing back the coaches from our Masterclass articles to these practice videos articles — connecting their ideas, philosophies, and frameworks to the real way they shape practice.
⚡ What's inside the practice videos?
Tom shared a full training session, and we broke it down in detail together.
The session you're about to watch was recorded on the 1st of September 2025, approximately one month into the season.
Inside the session Tom goes into detail on:
- Letting players self-organize before practice to set the energy and rhythm
- Purposeful warm-up progression: setters first early in the season, then adding passers with live serves for better transfer
- Using short, focused “mental model” drills (2 minutes max) to build understanding before randomness
- Competitive doubles tournament with a fun “Play of the Day” concept to spark creativity and all-around volleyball skills
- Tutor blocks dedicated to serving and offensive systems — always initiated off a live serve for realism
- Smart integration of video feedback (iPad + TV delay) to accelerate learning while keeping players self-reliant
- Daily focus on Rotation 1 — aligning setter–middle timing and attack options
- One-way rotation competitions to maximize offensive rhythm and feedback
- Transition drills entered through “trans toss” — mirroring true game reads and movement sequences
- Finishing with high-pressure serve-and-pass challenges to simulate match tension and close practice with focus
Enjoy!
And a big thanks to Tom for breaking down his session and sharing the purpose behind every detail.
Practice clips preview
- Real life transition - why, how.
- Feedback and engagement
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52 minutes of narrated practice sessions
