Great Setters Are Made In The Off-Season
If there’s one thing I wish more volleyball players truly understood, especially setters, it’s this: the off-season isn’t just a break — it’s the opportunity. It's where good becomes great, where vision expands, and where confidence is built.
We all love the thrill of the season — the matches, the competition, the adrenaline of a third-set win. But what separates the best from the rest isn’t what happens under the lights. It’s what’s done when nobody is watching. That’s the off-season.
The Myth of “Time Off”
Let’s clear something up: off-season doesn’t mean “do nothing.” It doesn’t mean logging off and coasting until training camp opens again.
Rest? Absolutely. Recovery? 100%.
But if you’re serious about leveling up your game, especially in a role as demanding as a setter, the off-season is where your foundation is built.
This is the time to zoom out. Look at your game honestly.
- What are your strengths?
- Where do you hesitate?
- What moments from last season still bug you at night?
- What skills made the best setters you watched stand out?
Now’s the time to answer those questions — and then do something about it.
Setters: We Are The Architects
As a setter, your role is more than technique. You're the orchestrator. The offense runs through you. You're managing tempo, vision, pressure, personalities, and execution — all in real time, at speed.
You can't fake that. And you can’t prepare for it only in practice. The off-season gives you time to dissect the details. To rewire patterns. To become smarter, faster, and more in control —mentally and physically.
Ask yourself:
- Do I make reads early, or do I get caught reacting late?
- How’s my footwork when I’m out of system?
- Do I use my voice to lead? How do I lead? What does leadership mean to me?
- Do I feel comfortable committing to the set in a big moment?
These aren’t things you fix in the middle of a game. You build these habits when there’s no scoreboard. You reinforce them when no one’s cheering. That's the off-season.
Vision + Volume
Great setting is about vision — seeing the game one or two steps ahead.
I want to be clear, this isn’t just physically ‘seeing’, it is a combination of central vision, peripheral vision, and attuning to your surroundings. That is built through three things: intentional reps, competition, and film. Removing one of those (competition) gives us the opportunity to emphasize the others.
Watch volleyball. I mean, really watch it. Analyze high-level setters. Watch how they make decisions. Notice how they manipulate blockers, how they vary tempo, and how they stay composed when the pass is off.
Then, get your hands on a ball. A lot. Get into a gym. Reps, reps, reps. But don’t just “get touches” — chase quality touches.
Set to a target. Get feedback. Set on the move. Get uncomfortable. Resent your mind when things get bad (which they will – that’s good). Hold your finish. Challenge yourself.
In the off-season, you have time to slow things down and correct patterns that don’t serve you. It's not about being perfect — it's about being aware and deliberate. Being intentional. The game will speed up again soon — this is your time to slow it down and master the craft.
The Physical Piece
Setters aren’t always the ones people think about when it comes to athleticism. But we know the truth: setting is brutally physical.
You’re squatting, sprinting, diving, resetting, and still expected to make the perfect touch every single time. The best setters are incredible athletes — explosive, balanced, quick on their feet, and strong through their core.
The off-season is where that base gets built.
This is the time to:
- Get in the weight room (with a trusted professional – let me know if you need to be pointed in the right direction).
- Work on your mobility.
- Build a body that can handle volume and stay healthy when the season wears you down.
- Get ‘connected’ with your body, get curious about how you move and why.
You don’t need to be the strongest player on the court, but you do need to move like an athlete. That’s how you stay consistent — and available —when your team needs you.
The Mental Reset
One of the most under appreciated parts of the off-season is the mental reset.
Season is a grind — emotionally, physically, and mentally. Setters carry a ton of that weight. You’re expected to know every play, make every read, and keep the team together. That takes a toll.
So, take some real time to decompress. Reconnect with yourself outside of volleyball. Journal. Reflect. Let your mind breathe. But then — build back up with purpose.
Set goals. Real ones. Not just “be a better setter.” Be specific. Maybe it’s:
- Improve your release.
- Become ‘neutral’ while setting.
- Become confident setting the pipe.
- Master one-handed sets.
- Build your leadership voice.
*note: Journal course launching soon inside the Setter Academy (www.setteracademy.org)*
Then structure your off-season around those goals. When you’re intentional, progress comes faster. And confidence? It grows. Not from what people say, but from the work you know you’ve put in.
Commitment vs Hesitation
The off-season is not only where you refine your skill, but where you begin to build a resilient approach to making big time plays.
If you have been following me for a while, you have heard me speak about the relationship between ‘committing’ to your set and ‘hesitating’. The demand put on us makes it very easy to become trapped in the cycle of hesitating when we set.
Then we overthink and feel fearful with every decision we make.
This time, the off-season is where we build our ability to repeatedly commit. To lean into it. To make things happen.
Your Season Starts Now
You don’t need to wait for the team to be back in the gym or for the schedule to drop. Your season starts now. Every rep you take this off-season, every film breakdown, every decision to stay an extra 15 minutes —it’s all part of the climb.
When I played overseas, the difference between the players who grew and the ones who stayed the same was never about talent.
It was always ownership.
Who took their off-season seriously? Who worked in silence? Who showed up ready, not rusty?
It matters. Every bit of it.
Final Thoughts
Setters — We’re in a unique role.
We don’t get to take plays off. We don’t get to hide. And that means we must prepare like no one else.
Want help with that?
Recently, I have been getting A LOT of athletes across North America reaching out about what they can do over the off-season.
- Setter Academy Online Courses: this is where we can start building your foundation and you can start learning the high level concepts that you will use throughout your career. You can learn at your own pace and you'll get to learn from some of the best professionals in the world.
- Setter Academy Clinics: this is all about high quality reps and direction. Get in the gym in a small group and start making big strides. To stay up to date with the latest sessions, click this link!
Use this off-season!
Take stock of where you’re currently at. Build your craft. Train your eyes. Move with intention.
And become the version of yourself that can truly lead your team when it counts.
Don’t just hope to improve — go and take it.
ALL IN,
TJ