Why Athletes Learn Arm Speed Faster When They Can Feel the Movement

In the early stages of learning a high-speed movement like throwing or hitting in volleyball, how coaches cue athletes makes a huge difference in how fast they learn.

Most coaches naturally default to verbal instruction. They explain what the athlete should do with their arm, shoulders, or swing path. Others try to demonstrate the movement and expect athletes to copy it.

But when the goal is to develop arm speed and efficient rotational movement, the fastest way for athletes to learn is through kinesthetic cueing — helping them physically feel the movement.

When athletes feel the correct movement pattern inside their body, the nervous system learns it far faster than when athletes are simply told what to do.

Why Feeling the Movement Accelerates Learning

Arm speed in volleyball depends heavily on the body’s ability to open and close the shoulders and chest while the arm moves straight through the ball toward the target.

For many athletes, especially younger or less experienced players, these movements are difficult to understand from words alone.

When coaches rely only on verbal cues like:

• “Open your shoulders”

• “Close your chest”

• “Rotate faster”

the athlete has to interpret the instructions, guess how the movement should feel, and then attempt to recreate it.

That process takes time.

Instead, when a coach physically guides the athlete’s shoulders, the athlete can immediately feel:

• How the shoulders open

• How the chest rotates

• How the body closes through the swing

This removes the guesswork and allows the nervous system to map the movement pattern quickly and efficiently.

How Coaches Should Cue Athletes in the Early Sessions

In the first few sessions of the College Arm Speed Program, we encourage coaches to emphasize physical guidance over verbal instruction.

During band exercises, throwing drills, and ground hitting drills, coaches should:

1. Place their hands on the athlete’s shoulders

2. Guide the shoulders open and closed

3. Help the athlete feel the chest and shoulders moving toward the right and left sidelines

This allows the athlete to experience the rotational movement that drives arm speed.

Coaches should resist the natural tendency to explain the movement in detail.
The athlete’s body learns faster when it feels the movement rather than analyzes it.

Applying This During the Hitting Station

This approach becomes especially powerful during the final hitting station where athletes are jumping and attacking.

As athletes wait in the hitting line, coaches should:

1. Physically move the athlete’s shoulders

2. Help them feel the opening or closing movement

3. Do this right before they begin their approach

This ensures that the last thing the athlete feels before leaving the ground is the correct shoulder and chest movement.

After that cue, coaches should avoid giving additional instructions about the approach or swing mechanics.

Too many cues cause athletes to shift their focus away from the movement we are trying to build.

Building Movement Patterns Before Performance

During the first few training sessions, the goal is to engrave the correct movement patterns into the athlete’s nervous system.

Once athletes begin to naturally feel how their body should open and close during the swing, we can then shift coaching cues toward external outcomes, such as:

• The direction the ball travels

• The trajectory of the ball

• Where the ball should land on the court

This progression allows athletes to move from learning the movement to performing the skill at high speed.

The Key Coaching Principle

When teaching high-speed rotational movements like throwing and hitting, remember:

Feel first. Perform second.

Athletes who can feel the correct movement patterns early in training develop arm speed, power, and control much faster than athletes who rely only on verbal instruction.

By physically guiding the athlete’s shoulders and helping them experience the movement, coaches can dramatically accelerate the learning process and build more efficient hitters.