Team Unity On Court – In The Huddle

Phill DeSalvo, Volleyball Team Australia Men’s (VTAM) Libero & professional volleyball player in the Czech Republic. He discus’s on his website an issue about team-huddles to celebrate a point won. Its nothing new to come together to celebrate, but its something not really discussed either. He would be the first to admit its something you don’t necessarily think about, but he has video footage that shows how the Volleyball Team Australia Men come together. Frank Solomona Reports.

What do you think it takes to play good Volleyball? Good Skills, Fitness, Agility, Understanding the Game and much more … All those make sense, but how about Team Unity? No one-player goes out onto the court to win the game all by themselves (besides excellent servers). Apart from serving, the only skill in volleyball where you can change the outcome of the game, all by yourself, with no help from any team-mate. I believe from my experience in watching secondary school volleyball, that the young kids struggle in this part of the game, which is celebrating a point won. I’ve taken excerpts from Phill DeSalvo’s post about huddling in Volleyball to reinforce how it effects players in a very positive way. And who better to illustrate the concept then a player that is an elite athlete living & breathing “Volleyball”.

“Enjoying each point as a team – I think that it’s important to come in as a team and enjoy each point together. I find that when you are in the huddle … Some of the things that are said sometimes can really fire everyone up.”
- Phill DeSalvo

To believe that one player in a volleyball team makes the team is a bit of a stretch. Without your team mates, you won’t be getting very far, volleyball is truly the ultimate team-sport. To find a good bond (on & off the court) also being able to create as a unit the intensity that is needed to play good volleyball can easily be created, by coming into a huddle to celebrate & encourage.
In New Zealand there is many teams that create team chants with foot-stomps or just hand clap-sequences, or a combination of the two. Some Asian teams would run around in figure-eight circles. Its virtually trying to synchronise everyone on court to pay attention and hype each other up when things are going well & drop the morale of the opposition. Works for some teams, but not for all, some go about their business quietly, but they can suffer from a lack of unification during the match and lose momentum as a team.

Communication – I find that when you are in the huddle you can quickly discuss something with another player. I just had a quick look at the videos that I have put up and sometimes you can see someone talking to someone else. I know that I use the huddle to talk about something tactical that is going on in the game such as if someone had a good blocking position in front of me, maybe the middles will tell the setter that the opposition is jumping with them every time, hitters can give feedback to the setter about the set … – Phill DeSalvo

But what about the team huddle? Here is a situation where you are giving no emotion to your opponents to feed off from & at the same time you draw energy from your team mates & you can get as emotional as you want in the huddle.

Phill DeSalvo has made time in his busy career to help younger volleyball players understand that you can make a living out of playing volleyball. He created his on website and explains he and many others from this side of the world are living proof. On his website he makes analysis of the game of Volleyball from his point of view as an International & Professional Volleyball Player.

Quick Bio
- Name: Phillip Daniel DeSalvo
- Hometown: Melbourne
- Club: CZU Praha Volleyball
- Position: Libero
- Height: 182cm
Australian International

“I really feel that if in both the teams that I play in, if we didn’t have the huddle that we would lose some of the intensity within the team.”
- Phill DeSalvo

You can read more of Phill DeSalvo’s answer to the huddle aswell as some tips about the game by clicking on his name.
You can also watch a video from Phill DeSalvo below which illustrates the celebration of a point by using the huddle.

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