A few months ago one of my players asked me a question.
“Coach, if you could only buy one piece of training equipment, what would it be?”
He probably expected me to say a squat rack.
Or expensive weights.
Maybe a jump box.
Instead, I pointed at something hanging on the wall.
An elastic resistance band.
He looked disappointed.
“Seriously?”
Yes.
Seriously.
Because after more than twenty years in professional volleyball, I honestly believe a simple resistance band gives volleyball players more value than almost any other piece of equipment.
Not because it’s magical.
Because you’ll actually use it.
From My Career
When I first started playing professionally abroad, I expected every club to have secret training methods.
Instead, I kept seeing the same thing.
Before practice…
players grabbed an elastic band.
Before matches…
they grabbed an elastic band.
After the gym…
they grabbed an elastic band.
At first I didn’t pay much attention.
I thought,
“There must be something more important.”
Years later I realized there wasn’t.
The best players never stopped doing the simple things.
The Biggest Myth
Many young players think resistance bands are only for rehabilitation.
You hurt your shoulder.
You use a band.
The pain disappears.
You throw the band back into your bag.
That’s exactly backwards.
The band shouldn’t appear after the injury.
It should become part of your routine before the injury.
That’s how most professional players use it.
What I See Every Week
I coach a lot of teenage players.
Almost all of them want to hit harder.
Very few want to prepare their body to survive hitting harder.
That’s the difference.
Everybody wants a bigger spike.
Nobody gets excited about stronger rotator cuff muscles.
Until the shoulder starts hurting.
Then suddenly everybody wants elastic bands.
Resistance Bands Do More Than Protect Your Shoulder
This is another thing many players don’t realize.
A resistance band isn’t only about injury prevention.
You can use it to improve:
- shoulder stability
- arm speed
- posture
- core activation
- hip strength
- glute activation
- ankle stability
That’s why I always pack one when I travel.
It weighs almost nothing.
Yet you can train almost your entire body with it.
If You Were My Player…
I wouldn’t ask you to spend an extra hour in the gym.
I’d ask for five minutes.
Five minutes before practice.
Five minutes after practice.
Done.
The players who stay healthy the longest usually aren’t the ones doing spectacular workouts.
They’re the ones who repeat simple habits for years.
One Thing Changed My Mind
When I was younger, I thought training only counted if I finished exhausted.
Today I think completely differently.
Some of the most valuable exercises you’ll ever do don’t leave you sweating.
They simply prepare your body to perform better tomorrow.
Elastic band work falls into that category.
You probably won’t post it on Instagram.
But your shoulder will thank you in five years.
My Challenge for You
For the next two weeks, don’t change your volleyball training at all.
Just add five minutes of resistance band exercises before every practice.
Nothing more.
Then ask yourself one question.
“Does my shoulder feel different after training?”
I think you’ll be surprised.
Want the Routine I Recommend to My Players?
Over the years I’ve collected the resistance band exercises I use most often with young hitters and experienced players.
Not fifty exercises.
Just the ones I believe actually make a difference.
They’re simple.
They take only a few minutes.
And they’re the same type of routine I wish someone had given me much earlier in my career.
Watch my Elastic Band Course (it’s FREE) and give it a try.