French Reception Technique – Part 2 Scott Touzinsky

I had the (mostly 😉 ) pleasure of coaching Scott Touzinsky for the best part of seven seasons in three different clubs and countries.  Scott’s best volleyball skill was his mastery of the backcourt, encompassing both reception and defence.  His preparation, positioning and control in both phases were exceptional.  For the last season we were together, I knew that it would be his last season and I promised myself that before the season finished I would take some close up video during practice that I could use.  Sadly, injury meant that Scott didn’t finish the season and I hadn’t got around to taking the video that I had planned to.

For Webinars on Demand, on practice, blocking, communication, click here.

But… going through my old folders, I did happen to find a bit of footage that I could edit into about one minute of Scott Touzinsky reception.  The key points for me are:

1. Very early preparation
2. Minimal movement before contact
3. Great platform control
4. Balanced at the point of contact, with any movements after contact instead of before, including a cross step

This last point is a very interesting point.  I wrote a while ago about the reception technique espoused by French National Team coach Laurent Tillie.  When I originally posted his description there was a lot of consternation on the VCT Facebook page, as there was during the clinic when Tillie made his explanation.  A particular point of debate / discussion / anger was the cross step taken by the receiver after contact.  The only thing I can say to add to the conversation is that Scott Touzinsky is the best receiver I have worked with, and copying his technique would seem to be an excellent place to start being a great receiver.

Read about the great new Vyacheslav Platonov coaching book here.