I know volleyball folks are rather intelligent and a question to prove it:
As I’m sitting watching the credit crisis and the DOW slipping over 500pts and pondering how deeply this will affect our country and our children. Clearly, sports are not my first concern however; it will be one of MANY areas affected in my opinion. This has to vastly affect the college programs as the private funding will begin to dramatically slow down. How will this potentially impact the college scholarships and sports programs in general (aside from the obvious football programs)? I imagine this will directly impact many National Club teams as many families will no longer be able to afford such a luxury. Does this mean that the ‘supply and demand’ of players will diminish and there fore the level of play will decrease? What are your thoughts on this topic? Stacy
The state of our economy sure has been a hot topic these last few months. Between crazy energy prices, the mortgage meltdown and more than a few banks verging on the economic edge, it has a number of folks a bit uneasy. Without getting into politics or high finance, I hope this is a short term stress upon us all and not a long term burden.
With regards to the potential impact upon volleyball, it will take time to see how it all shakes out. I am old enough to have been aware of and played/coached through other times of economic chaos - the 1987 stock market crash, the Internet stock bubble burst and 9/11. At the time, each of these examples were thought to be a huge negative for sports and funding.
Below are my thoughts as they relate to your various questions:
1. Private funding for college programs - It certainly won't help the total funding, but I feel the overall impact will be determined by where colleges are located. For instance, those individuals that are part of the energy industry or invested in energy stocks have been making boatloads of money and the prices of these commodities are holding (relative to a year ago). The oil and natural gas industry has a strong base in the mid south, so schools located in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, etc., may be seeing an increase in their donations because those big boosters are making big bucks!
Folks which may donate a couple of hundred dollars a year is where I would expect the biggest negative impact to occur. These people will have higher cost of living realities to deal with and cutting donations is a common reaction. Additionally, those investors that have lost big time in the stock market (banking stocks, mortgage stocks, etc.) will not be too motivated to contribute immediately.
We also must keep in mind that the government has already come up with a mortgage bail out and will do the same with a bank bail out. This will reduce the risk for the big companies that may have overextended their portfolios and also protect those individuals that have larger deposits in various banks. These two actions make me think this economic panic will be short lived, and we must remember that as some lose money, others will surely make money. A school having one T. Boone Pickens will make up for losing a thousand you and me for fundraising.
My biggest concern is the long term stress upon the financial equation - Between the war/occupation/rebuild of Afghanistan-Iraq, the mortgage bail out and the bank bailout, there is literally hundreds upon hundreds of millions going out the door. These monies will have to paid for somehow and the usual way to do it is by financing debt - you finance debt with higher interest rates. I am not an economic expert, but I have not heard many folks excited about higher interest rates because it raises the cost of living for all of us. This could have a double whammy of making the running of a college program more expensive, while significantly shrinking the pool of small donors to athletic departments. Again, only time will tell.
2. How will it affect scholarships and sports programs? Well, football and the basketballs will not be impacted. Even if they take token cuts on their paper budget, they will be provided the first line of fund raised monies to draw upon. Now the ironic thing is that all the Olympic Sport coaches will be told that because the economy is so tight, it is important for Football and Basketball to stay funded because they can make money for the athletic department. Yes, they can make money, but studies have routinely shown that the "theys" of collegiate athletics are really very rare - it is the golden goose fairy tale of universities.
Scholarships won't be cut, this is a huge positive about Title IX and how it can protect female athletes. The men's sports won't cut scholarships, because of football, so the women's sports will be protected by equality. Now, funding for women's sports would be cut, but then again, the men's Olympic sports will also be cut. The biggest cuts would occur in non-league travel, recruiting and equipment - the three largest line items in any sport's budget. The mid-majors would only take bus trips for non-league and would need to cut the number of recruiting opportunities taken. Salaries would be frozen, unless you are a football or basketball coach, but not cut.
3. Club teams - Club Volleyball is viewed as absolutely necessary to high school players receiving scholarships, and because of this skewed view, I think the biggest impact will be a reduction in the number of tournaments attended. The parents won't pull children out of Club by and large, but rather will not support attending 3 National Qualifiers or one/two of the big early season tourneys. Just by skipping one NQ, a parent can save up to 1,000 dollars. Maybe in the long run this is a good thing because I feel Junior players are competing in too many matches right now - better to train more, play less but play better with improved focus and skill development.
4. Supply and Demand - The demand will stay constant for players because the number of scholarships and schools sponsoring the sport will remain constant. I can't see the supply of players being reduced because the sport is still popular and will continue to be played by high schools and clubs. Some could argue that players will not be as developed because playing opportunities will be reduced as illustrated above, but others (such as me) think it may work out well because players won't be burnt out or so ingrained with possible poor volleyball habits. With the increase in international student athletes in college volleyball, if coaches don't find what they are looking for in Kansas City, then they will go to Prague to find it.
Sports have always weathered bad times and have acted as an outlet. I agree that the current economic state is not good and won't help volleyball, but I don't believe it will be a huge impact. It may put many things in a freeze - salaries, travel and recruiting, the newest DVD underwater MP3 player for technique refinement - for college programs. With high school players, it will just reduce the number of tournaments for the majority of players and allow for some balance with the kid's life.
My concern would be for those players that have collegiate potential and could significantly benefit from the most basic Club Volleyball experience, but the state of the economy can't allow parents to fund this experience.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Volleyball Clothing and Equipment
Taking a break from recruiting and team training, how about some thoughts about volleyball clothing and equipment? My team/school does not have a contract with any manufacturer of shoes or clothing (i.e. Nike, Adidas, etc.), but we do have a ball contract. Because of the contract we enjoy, I am not going to review/put forth my opinion about volleyballs, for simple conflict of interest reasons. As for clothes, shoes and bags, we are paying for the merchandise and my schools have always paid for the merchandise, so I feel comfortable sharing my opinion.
Arguable the most recognizable volleyball product line is Mizuno. Every volleyball player knows them, as they are worn by some of the top flight college teams along with sponsoring our Olympic teams. I like the Mizuno uniforms and the company does a good job of presenting new styles that are fit to a woman's build. I am slightly less impressed with the game sweat suit options, as the quality of the material has broken down easily. The most negative item of Mizuno is the shoes - We purchased the most expensive court shoe they offered this season and we have had a number of players comment on how little cushion there is for the foot. To remedy this situation, we had to purchase cushioned inserts. One major drawback of Mizuno has always been price, they are usually the most expensive volleyball supplier in the industry.
A few teams in our conference wear Nike product. I like the minimalist cut of the uniforms and think they fit well. The Nike brand tends to be a mix with regards to women's volleyball. I believe the uniforms are good, but I have been less impressed with the shoes and sweats. For many years, Nike farmed out their volleyball product to Nike Robinson (I don't know if this is still the case), which put together the volleyball line. This association was frustrating, because the discounted prices available for college teams were only for the Nike Robinson items; you could not jump into another part of Nike to obtain desired clothes or shoes. The sweats tended to be unisex, which may work for other female athletes or sports, but they looked rather sloppy on the volleyball players - to get the length right, the sweats where huge or to get the fit right, they were short on length. Like Mizuno, I have not been impressed the Nike volleyball shoes, which is rather ironic knowing that Nike is a top flight shoe company. I find the volleyball court shoes bland and very stiff, and a number of other coaches must feel the same way because most of the teams that I see in Nike clothes are wearing Nike running shoes, not court shoes.
For a number of years, Asics and Mizuno were the volleyball companies. My teams have not had the opportunity to wear Asics, which is a result of the Asics representative(s) never returning my call. I know it sounds selfish, but while I may not be at at top 10 school, my program's budget spends just the same as another. I know a few coaches that outfit thier teams consistently in Asics product and have done so for many years. I like the look and options of the match sweats, and the shoes seem to be good, but the uniforms look a bit boring to me (I may only see what others can afford to purchase). I would like to explore Asics in the future, so if anyone knows a company representative, encourage them to return calls!
Adidas is a world wide company, but its volleyball line was emphasized in the USA not too long ago. For many years, they have supplied just about every European volleyball team and finally jumped the Atlantic to make a big American push. The great thing about Adidas was the price - you could get solid product at a discount compared to Mizuno or Nike. The styling tended, and still tends, to be a bit bland and the fabric used not high quality, but for a one and done season using it, it was hard to beat. The volleyball shoes have acceptable support and offer a few different options, plus you could always explore other shoes in the various sports - they let you cross over sports to obtain product at the same price structure. Unfortunately, this great price structure ended - recent price quotes have been similar to Mizuno and Nike. I was told by a sporting goods wholesaler that when Adidas sponsored MLS professional soccer, they had to raise prices on all product to cover their investment. Unfortunately, the quality of the product did not also rise like the prices.
UnderArmour is a new player in the sports clothing industry and has taken an aggressive slant with its product and advertising. The company was selling so much clothing to volleyball teams, which where just screening the shirts and using the tights, that they decided to start a volleyball specific line. I actually like the training apparel screened to make a jersey better than I like the volleyball specific apparel. The volleyball specific product is a bit spendy for what I feel you are getting, while using training product is a better deal. They don't have shoes at this time, which makes it tough to deal with two separate manufactures to outfit your team. The tough thing about UnderArmour is as the name suggests - it is a base level product made to be worn tight to the skin. Yes, they do have a number of looser fit cuts, but because of the material used, they can look flimsy and cheap. Putting players in ultra snug fitting product on game day (or practice) brings a whole self esteem and body image situation that can be very negative.
Some trends that I am noticing with the product being used -
1. More and more teams/players are using running shoes with a solid heel area for volleyball, as my team's have done in the past and will do next year. These shoes tend to have superior heel impact cushioning and even have more cushion in the ball of the foot (which I don't understand), but feel lighter than a basketball shoe. Volleyball has limited lateral movement (even middle blockers moving along the net are taught to point their toe and go), so catching the sharper edge of a running shoe is not applicable.
2. Baggy uniforms are not coming back, but the snug/sleeveless uniform is not catching on. It seems like the players like the cap sleeve best and something form fitting, but comfortable. This goes for the game sweats - feminine cut and quality. Practice sweats will always be baggy until the end of sports.
3. Because gyms are trying to bring on a second ice age, many college teams are providing a match day warm-up top to use during pre-game and if you are not on the court. It is just too easy to catch a chill, but lugging a giant sweat top around is not too cool!
4. Tall volleyball carts are awesome and expensive, and more teams need to buy them; especially the programs that we go on the road to play at!
Just some random thoughts on volleyball product. Each season, this selection, bidding and ordering of product can take up a bunch of time. Because programs can easily spend upwards of 20 thousand dollars on their teams, it is interesting to see what they are ordering and also, what they are not ordering (i.e. Nike volleyball court shoes).
As a coach, my most important product decision is shoes. My focus is to provide cushion for my players simple to reduce the occurrence of repetitive stress related injuries - shin splints, stress fractures, sore backs, etc. I have learned the hard way to do whatever it takes to make sure the athletes have maximum support in their shoes. After shoes, it is uniforms because this is the image that we present to our fans and school. I like to allow the upperclassmen input with this selection, but price also plays a large part!
Arguable the most recognizable volleyball product line is Mizuno. Every volleyball player knows them, as they are worn by some of the top flight college teams along with sponsoring our Olympic teams. I like the Mizuno uniforms and the company does a good job of presenting new styles that are fit to a woman's build. I am slightly less impressed with the game sweat suit options, as the quality of the material has broken down easily. The most negative item of Mizuno is the shoes - We purchased the most expensive court shoe they offered this season and we have had a number of players comment on how little cushion there is for the foot. To remedy this situation, we had to purchase cushioned inserts. One major drawback of Mizuno has always been price, they are usually the most expensive volleyball supplier in the industry.
A few teams in our conference wear Nike product. I like the minimalist cut of the uniforms and think they fit well. The Nike brand tends to be a mix with regards to women's volleyball. I believe the uniforms are good, but I have been less impressed with the shoes and sweats. For many years, Nike farmed out their volleyball product to Nike Robinson (I don't know if this is still the case), which put together the volleyball line. This association was frustrating, because the discounted prices available for college teams were only for the Nike Robinson items; you could not jump into another part of Nike to obtain desired clothes or shoes. The sweats tended to be unisex, which may work for other female athletes or sports, but they looked rather sloppy on the volleyball players - to get the length right, the sweats where huge or to get the fit right, they were short on length. Like Mizuno, I have not been impressed the Nike volleyball shoes, which is rather ironic knowing that Nike is a top flight shoe company. I find the volleyball court shoes bland and very stiff, and a number of other coaches must feel the same way because most of the teams that I see in Nike clothes are wearing Nike running shoes, not court shoes.
For a number of years, Asics and Mizuno were the volleyball companies. My teams have not had the opportunity to wear Asics, which is a result of the Asics representative(s) never returning my call. I know it sounds selfish, but while I may not be at at top 10 school, my program's budget spends just the same as another. I know a few coaches that outfit thier teams consistently in Asics product and have done so for many years. I like the look and options of the match sweats, and the shoes seem to be good, but the uniforms look a bit boring to me (I may only see what others can afford to purchase). I would like to explore Asics in the future, so if anyone knows a company representative, encourage them to return calls!
Adidas is a world wide company, but its volleyball line was emphasized in the USA not too long ago. For many years, they have supplied just about every European volleyball team and finally jumped the Atlantic to make a big American push. The great thing about Adidas was the price - you could get solid product at a discount compared to Mizuno or Nike. The styling tended, and still tends, to be a bit bland and the fabric used not high quality, but for a one and done season using it, it was hard to beat. The volleyball shoes have acceptable support and offer a few different options, plus you could always explore other shoes in the various sports - they let you cross over sports to obtain product at the same price structure. Unfortunately, this great price structure ended - recent price quotes have been similar to Mizuno and Nike. I was told by a sporting goods wholesaler that when Adidas sponsored MLS professional soccer, they had to raise prices on all product to cover their investment. Unfortunately, the quality of the product did not also rise like the prices.
UnderArmour is a new player in the sports clothing industry and has taken an aggressive slant with its product and advertising. The company was selling so much clothing to volleyball teams, which where just screening the shirts and using the tights, that they decided to start a volleyball specific line. I actually like the training apparel screened to make a jersey better than I like the volleyball specific apparel. The volleyball specific product is a bit spendy for what I feel you are getting, while using training product is a better deal. They don't have shoes at this time, which makes it tough to deal with two separate manufactures to outfit your team. The tough thing about UnderArmour is as the name suggests - it is a base level product made to be worn tight to the skin. Yes, they do have a number of looser fit cuts, but because of the material used, they can look flimsy and cheap. Putting players in ultra snug fitting product on game day (or practice) brings a whole self esteem and body image situation that can be very negative.
Some trends that I am noticing with the product being used -
1. More and more teams/players are using running shoes with a solid heel area for volleyball, as my team's have done in the past and will do next year. These shoes tend to have superior heel impact cushioning and even have more cushion in the ball of the foot (which I don't understand), but feel lighter than a basketball shoe. Volleyball has limited lateral movement (even middle blockers moving along the net are taught to point their toe and go), so catching the sharper edge of a running shoe is not applicable.
2. Baggy uniforms are not coming back, but the snug/sleeveless uniform is not catching on. It seems like the players like the cap sleeve best and something form fitting, but comfortable. This goes for the game sweats - feminine cut and quality. Practice sweats will always be baggy until the end of sports.
3. Because gyms are trying to bring on a second ice age, many college teams are providing a match day warm-up top to use during pre-game and if you are not on the court. It is just too easy to catch a chill, but lugging a giant sweat top around is not too cool!
4. Tall volleyball carts are awesome and expensive, and more teams need to buy them; especially the programs that we go on the road to play at!
Just some random thoughts on volleyball product. Each season, this selection, bidding and ordering of product can take up a bunch of time. Because programs can easily spend upwards of 20 thousand dollars on their teams, it is interesting to see what they are ordering and also, what they are not ordering (i.e. Nike volleyball court shoes).
As a coach, my most important product decision is shoes. My focus is to provide cushion for my players simple to reduce the occurrence of repetitive stress related injuries - shin splints, stress fractures, sore backs, etc. I have learned the hard way to do whatever it takes to make sure the athletes have maximum support in their shoes. After shoes, it is uniforms because this is the image that we present to our fans and school. I like to allow the upperclassmen input with this selection, but price also plays a large part!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Volleyball Recruiting Verbal Commitment Question
The hard part is done - A good question from a reader:
Coach, Let me begin by saying your website has been a life saver over the last year of our family's life! I have referenced it several times, as well as recommended it to other families. I have a junior daughter who has made her verbal commitment. I am concerned about what areas we can now expect to be advised on. We have clarified she will remain with her current JO program for next season and will move to "their" chosen feeder system after her senior high school season, but what about winter/spring high school athletics? Is it common practice for programs to request a verbal SA not participate in other athletics? I expect she will be required to attend camp again next summer but what about an "assigned" weightlifting/work out summer program? Will she be expected to still follow the admission deadlines or does she bypass and work on a new timeline? We do have a meeting set in the next few weeks with her future coaches, but I wondered what is common or your experience. Thank You, Celebrating, but Concerned Parent
Congratulations to your daughter and your family. The hard part is over - the filtering of information, the feeling through the first impressions, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each school, program and coach. I am still amazed and a bit worried, when Juniors commit before Halloween, but when you know, you know.
I say the hard part is over because us college coaches go into 'recruit cruise control' after the commitment - there is really not too much to do after a Junior makes a verbal commitment. What needs to be done is a straightforward process that we have accomplished many times before.
Let's get to your questions:
- You should be advised on all areas by a member of the coaching staff, most likely an experienced assistant. He/she will let you know the time tables of application, admission, class selection, enrollment, housing application, etc.
- Winter or Spring athletics are generally frowned upon after making a verbal commitment; especially basketball. The coach and school has just made a huge commitment to you (not only financially but eliminating the entire remainder of their recruiting class), so the thought of their future player pounding up and down the basketball court is unnerving.
- A lifting or conditioning program may soon arrive in the mail. Some programs will wait until the senior year to implement this program, while others jump on it right away. Usually the strength coaches are cognizant that high school or club facilities may not be as complete as NCAA programs, so they make adjustments to the type and intensity of lifts.
- Depending on the academic reputation of the school, admission timelines are not important. There are a few schools that demand the NCAA student athletes achieve higher admission guidelines that what the NCAA minimum requires and that materials be submitted upon a much more stringent guideline, but this is the exception. If you daughter was awarded a scholarship in August of her Senior summer, then that awarding institution would get her in and registered for classes. As illustrated above, the staff will provide this information.
One thing to remember about applications and the probably the most important is the Housing Application. Many schools have athletic housing (even though this is against NCAA rules), but they do it by reserving a certain number of prime on-campus apartments for each sport. Also, the returning players and staff know the 'best' residence hall on campus.
But, the Housing Office or Residential Life Office is not an Athletic Department subsidiary. Usually housing is assigned in the order of receiving the Housing Application and Deposit. This housing deposit can range from 20 dollars to over 200 and is not waived - many schools will not even put you into the Que until the deposit is in.
If you want a good residence hall or campus apartment, get your housing application in ASAP.
I really encourage you to not get caught up in the details - one of the nice things about being a incoming student-athlete is many of the deadlines and details just fall away. The biggest point of emphasis now is the NCAA Clearinghouse.
Make sure your daughter is registered (that means paying a fee), is submitting current transcripts, will submit a final graduation transcript immediately upon graduation, that a copy of your ACT and/or SAT has been sent directly from the testing agency to the NCAA and that your daughter has completed the NCAA Amateurism questionnaire. This NCAA Clearinghouse is a head ache waiting to happen if things are not taken care of when appropriate.
Tell your daughter and your family (and yourself) to just relax and enjoy the next year and a half. Have a great Junior year of Club Volleyball - you will see that this is the separation year in volleyball abilities; have a great last summer of no real responsibilities because you are still one summer away from reporting to college and by all means, have a great Senior year of high school and by that, I mean that everyone should just savor your daughter's last year of being a kid!
Congratulations once again!
Coach
Coach, Let me begin by saying your website has been a life saver over the last year of our family's life! I have referenced it several times, as well as recommended it to other families. I have a junior daughter who has made her verbal commitment. I am concerned about what areas we can now expect to be advised on. We have clarified she will remain with her current JO program for next season and will move to "their" chosen feeder system after her senior high school season, but what about winter/spring high school athletics? Is it common practice for programs to request a verbal SA not participate in other athletics? I expect she will be required to attend camp again next summer but what about an "assigned" weightlifting/work out summer program? Will she be expected to still follow the admission deadlines or does she bypass and work on a new timeline? We do have a meeting set in the next few weeks with her future coaches, but I wondered what is common or your experience. Thank You, Celebrating, but Concerned Parent
Congratulations to your daughter and your family. The hard part is over - the filtering of information, the feeling through the first impressions, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each school, program and coach. I am still amazed and a bit worried, when Juniors commit before Halloween, but when you know, you know.
I say the hard part is over because us college coaches go into 'recruit cruise control' after the commitment - there is really not too much to do after a Junior makes a verbal commitment. What needs to be done is a straightforward process that we have accomplished many times before.
Let's get to your questions:
- You should be advised on all areas by a member of the coaching staff, most likely an experienced assistant. He/she will let you know the time tables of application, admission, class selection, enrollment, housing application, etc.
- Winter or Spring athletics are generally frowned upon after making a verbal commitment; especially basketball. The coach and school has just made a huge commitment to you (not only financially but eliminating the entire remainder of their recruiting class), so the thought of their future player pounding up and down the basketball court is unnerving.
- A lifting or conditioning program may soon arrive in the mail. Some programs will wait until the senior year to implement this program, while others jump on it right away. Usually the strength coaches are cognizant that high school or club facilities may not be as complete as NCAA programs, so they make adjustments to the type and intensity of lifts.
- Depending on the academic reputation of the school, admission timelines are not important. There are a few schools that demand the NCAA student athletes achieve higher admission guidelines that what the NCAA minimum requires and that materials be submitted upon a much more stringent guideline, but this is the exception. If you daughter was awarded a scholarship in August of her Senior summer, then that awarding institution would get her in and registered for classes. As illustrated above, the staff will provide this information.
One thing to remember about applications and the probably the most important is the Housing Application. Many schools have athletic housing (even though this is against NCAA rules), but they do it by reserving a certain number of prime on-campus apartments for each sport. Also, the returning players and staff know the 'best' residence hall on campus.
But, the Housing Office or Residential Life Office is not an Athletic Department subsidiary. Usually housing is assigned in the order of receiving the Housing Application and Deposit. This housing deposit can range from 20 dollars to over 200 and is not waived - many schools will not even put you into the Que until the deposit is in.
If you want a good residence hall or campus apartment, get your housing application in ASAP.
I really encourage you to not get caught up in the details - one of the nice things about being a incoming student-athlete is many of the deadlines and details just fall away. The biggest point of emphasis now is the NCAA Clearinghouse.
Make sure your daughter is registered (that means paying a fee), is submitting current transcripts, will submit a final graduation transcript immediately upon graduation, that a copy of your ACT and/or SAT has been sent directly from the testing agency to the NCAA and that your daughter has completed the NCAA Amateurism questionnaire. This NCAA Clearinghouse is a head ache waiting to happen if things are not taken care of when appropriate.
Tell your daughter and your family (and yourself) to just relax and enjoy the next year and a half. Have a great Junior year of Club Volleyball - you will see that this is the separation year in volleyball abilities; have a great last summer of no real responsibilities because you are still one summer away from reporting to college and by all means, have a great Senior year of high school and by that, I mean that everyone should just savor your daughter's last year of being a kid!
Congratulations once again!
Coach
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Club Volleyball Age Group Question
This is a very good question about Club Volleyball age groups and recruiting.
Hi Coach, In your article called Club Volleyball Championship Play you said that the 16's are where the recruiters focus. You said, "How does this relate to a current club player? Well, for simplicity's sake, we will skip over the 18's level and those 17's age that have accepted an offer or have a few offers on the table." I am a female Junior in high school who will be 16 this fall. Last year I played on the top 15's squad. Our club director has told me to try out for 17's and 18's this year, so I am skipping 16's. I think I will end up on the upper 17's team, but it is possible they could put me on the 2nd 18's team. My question is: Will a 16 year old high school junior be looked at by recruiters if they are playing at the 17's (or maybe even 18's) level, skipping playing at the 16's level where recruitment is focused on by college coaches? What are your recommendations for a player to get noticed and stay noticed in this situation? Thanks coach, SY
Sy, you are in an interesting situation - your high school class is older than your age. So, even though you are by age in the 2011 recruiting class, your year in school puts you in the 2010 recruiting class (Juniors).
Because of your recruiting class, I would not suggest competeing in your age group for club (16's) - even though the majority of the initial recruiting effort (discovery and 1st impressions) are at this age group. You want to play 'up' to your graduation year simply because it allows you to complete at a more developed level and the college recruiters can directly compare you with other players in your graduation year. Of course, if you are talented, then college coaches will look to determine your age/graduation year and discover that you are playing 'down' because of your age - talent will be seen, so don't panic if you have to play 16's; just make sure all the information about you (roster, flyers, club web page, letters, e-mails, etc.) clearly illustrate you are in the 2010 graduation class.
So, what age level to play up to? I suggest the top 17's team. Again, the 16's are grabbing much of initial interest from college coaches, but many, many programs are still active in the recruiting process for the 2010 class come the spring, especially the early spring tournaments. Many times us coaches are not exactly sure what we need in the next recruiting class until the college volleyball season has come to an end. The reality is some kids don't recover from injuries and are forced to take medical waiver, some players transfer because of various reasons and some players get cut. These situations have tended to make many programs slow down the past early rush to secure the incoming classes quickly and to maybe relook at the 2010 class come the spring.
The top 17's teams from each club will still see lots of attention. Many scholarship offers could still be on the table with Prospective Student-Athletes trying to come to a decision. While the PSA's are deciding, you can be sure that the schools that have extended offers are going to be sitting on the courts and showing face time. Remember that a player may have received a number of scholarship offers, so when she makes a decision, one school is done and the remaining are re-evaluating their prospects. You could easily be in this next group of scholarship candidates because you are playing next to PSA's that are making decisions.
I would hesitate from going up to the 18's 2 team - this age group does see attention, but it is very late in the process and tends to be in emergency recruiting situations - a new coach is hired at a school and must fill a spot, a last minute situation happened where a key position went down, etc. You want to be seen early in the process and with your graduation class for proper evaluation. Again, if you get put into the 18's 2 team, don't panic - just make sure that all the information pertaining to you is correct!
Hope this helps and good luck!
Coach
Hi Coach, In your article called Club Volleyball Championship Play you said that the 16's are where the recruiters focus. You said, "How does this relate to a current club player? Well, for simplicity's sake, we will skip over the 18's level and those 17's age that have accepted an offer or have a few offers on the table." I am a female Junior in high school who will be 16 this fall. Last year I played on the top 15's squad. Our club director has told me to try out for 17's and 18's this year, so I am skipping 16's. I think I will end up on the upper 17's team, but it is possible they could put me on the 2nd 18's team. My question is: Will a 16 year old high school junior be looked at by recruiters if they are playing at the 17's (or maybe even 18's) level, skipping playing at the 16's level where recruitment is focused on by college coaches? What are your recommendations for a player to get noticed and stay noticed in this situation? Thanks coach, SY
Sy, you are in an interesting situation - your high school class is older than your age. So, even though you are by age in the 2011 recruiting class, your year in school puts you in the 2010 recruiting class (Juniors).
Because of your recruiting class, I would not suggest competeing in your age group for club (16's) - even though the majority of the initial recruiting effort (discovery and 1st impressions) are at this age group. You want to play 'up' to your graduation year simply because it allows you to complete at a more developed level and the college recruiters can directly compare you with other players in your graduation year. Of course, if you are talented, then college coaches will look to determine your age/graduation year and discover that you are playing 'down' because of your age - talent will be seen, so don't panic if you have to play 16's; just make sure all the information about you (roster, flyers, club web page, letters, e-mails, etc.) clearly illustrate you are in the 2010 graduation class.
So, what age level to play up to? I suggest the top 17's team. Again, the 16's are grabbing much of initial interest from college coaches, but many, many programs are still active in the recruiting process for the 2010 class come the spring, especially the early spring tournaments. Many times us coaches are not exactly sure what we need in the next recruiting class until the college volleyball season has come to an end. The reality is some kids don't recover from injuries and are forced to take medical waiver, some players transfer because of various reasons and some players get cut. These situations have tended to make many programs slow down the past early rush to secure the incoming classes quickly and to maybe relook at the 2010 class come the spring.
The top 17's teams from each club will still see lots of attention. Many scholarship offers could still be on the table with Prospective Student-Athletes trying to come to a decision. While the PSA's are deciding, you can be sure that the schools that have extended offers are going to be sitting on the courts and showing face time. Remember that a player may have received a number of scholarship offers, so when she makes a decision, one school is done and the remaining are re-evaluating their prospects. You could easily be in this next group of scholarship candidates because you are playing next to PSA's that are making decisions.
I would hesitate from going up to the 18's 2 team - this age group does see attention, but it is very late in the process and tends to be in emergency recruiting situations - a new coach is hired at a school and must fill a spot, a last minute situation happened where a key position went down, etc. You want to be seen early in the process and with your graduation class for proper evaluation. Again, if you get put into the 18's 2 team, don't panic - just make sure that all the information pertaining to you is correct!
Hope this helps and good luck!
Coach
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Volleyball Campus Visit and Meeting Question
A good question(s) about what to ask during campus visit meetings:
My daughter has been talking to a DII college and after seeing her video they are very interested. They have asked if she can come to the school for a visit, and to go ahead and apply to the school, which she has. We have arranged a weekend to go to the school. The coach has indicated that beside the usual visit activities, talking with admissions, tour of the school, etc., they will be sitting down with her one on one. Our daughter is concerned that she doesn't know what kind of questions the coach will ask her and in turn what kind of questions she should ask the coach. Do you have some insight on what the coach may ask her, and what would be some good questions to ask the coach. I am assuming the coach will also speak with us, and I am not sure how to approach the subject of scholarship and financial aid. She is also in contact with another college that is in the same conference. Do we let each college know we are talking to the other one? She has already visited the other school and applied for admission. They have indicated they would like to make a decision for early signing. She is in weekly contact with them via email but no activity for recruitment other than that. June
Since there are a few questions, please let me reply to each one and make observations;
1. Questions the coach may ask - When I first read your questions, I had a few red flags go up that the coach(s) has asked to meet with your daughter alone but has not finalized a meeting time with you. I understand coaches want to spend some time with Prospective Student-Athletes (PSA's) during visits, but to specifically exclude the parents seems suspect. I would think the coach would be asking some direct questions - How close are you to making a decision, what other schools are you interested in, what other scholarship offers have been extended and what amount. In addition, one would hope the coach would ask some questions to encourage your daughter to interact - How did you like the campus, what did you think of the academic meetings, what are your goals in volleyball and school, how are you liking your Senior year, etc.
2. What questions to ask the coach - Anything your daughter wants to know. For instance, is there an athlete study hall, is there a dedicated trainer for the volleyball team, what are the travel policies (freshman, walk-ons, etc), do volleyball players live with other volleyball players, can she get a job during the school year to earn some extra money, how many players per room on road trips, does a scholarship cover an extra semester or year if it is needed to graduate, what product does the team use (Nike, Adidas, etc.), does the coach have a contract, etc.
3. How to approach the subject of financial aid - Just ask. As simple as this seems, the coach would be expecting this question. Don't worry about being inappropriate by talking about finances - this scholarship is not coming out of the coach's pocket, it is part of the budget. If the coach does not offer, ask to have some time to meet with her/him before you depart campus. The easiest way to handle it is to ask in a straightforward way, "Is there scholarship support available for our daughter?" Remember that DII schools can draw from a few different sources to package a scholarship, so this may be a bit confusing to you. The bottom line is the bottom line and make sure the bottom line is spelled out. For instance, if the coach says your daughter would be awarded X amount of dollars for athletics and X amount of dollars for academics, make sure the academics is illustrated. For many schools, this is academic amount is written down and is based on test scores and gpa.
4. Do we let the coach know about other schools - Only if asked. I would not throw that out there; but if asked, don't hesitate to illustrate the other options that your daughter has. One of the drawbacks of Division II volleyball is that scholarship offers can become bidding events. I guess this is good for the PSA to receive a larger amount, bit the back and forth can get a bit unnerving for parents and players.
5. The other school - Even though you did not ask a question, I am unclear about their status. Your daughter has applied and has been/is going to be asked for an early decision, but has there been a scholarship offer? I would not worry if the 'recruitment' is just weekly e-mails; if they are consistent and sincere, then they are legit. It sounds like you have taken a visit to the other school and liked the experience, so take it at face value.
I applaud you for being interactive in the recruiting process and congratulate your daughter on being able to have a choice. Please tell her not to stress over what questions she may be asked; it is not a test, just a way for a coach to get a better feel for a future player. It should also be the avenue for your daughter to get a better feel for the coach - some coaches seem fantastic via e-mail and telephone, but are a different image in person!
I hope everyone enjoys the visits - when visits are done right, they can be a lot of fun!
My daughter has been talking to a DII college and after seeing her video they are very interested. They have asked if she can come to the school for a visit, and to go ahead and apply to the school, which she has. We have arranged a weekend to go to the school. The coach has indicated that beside the usual visit activities, talking with admissions, tour of the school, etc., they will be sitting down with her one on one. Our daughter is concerned that she doesn't know what kind of questions the coach will ask her and in turn what kind of questions she should ask the coach. Do you have some insight on what the coach may ask her, and what would be some good questions to ask the coach. I am assuming the coach will also speak with us, and I am not sure how to approach the subject of scholarship and financial aid. She is also in contact with another college that is in the same conference. Do we let each college know we are talking to the other one? She has already visited the other school and applied for admission. They have indicated they would like to make a decision for early signing. She is in weekly contact with them via email but no activity for recruitment other than that. June
Since there are a few questions, please let me reply to each one and make observations;
1. Questions the coach may ask - When I first read your questions, I had a few red flags go up that the coach(s) has asked to meet with your daughter alone but has not finalized a meeting time with you. I understand coaches want to spend some time with Prospective Student-Athletes (PSA's) during visits, but to specifically exclude the parents seems suspect. I would think the coach would be asking some direct questions - How close are you to making a decision, what other schools are you interested in, what other scholarship offers have been extended and what amount. In addition, one would hope the coach would ask some questions to encourage your daughter to interact - How did you like the campus, what did you think of the academic meetings, what are your goals in volleyball and school, how are you liking your Senior year, etc.
2. What questions to ask the coach - Anything your daughter wants to know. For instance, is there an athlete study hall, is there a dedicated trainer for the volleyball team, what are the travel policies (freshman, walk-ons, etc), do volleyball players live with other volleyball players, can she get a job during the school year to earn some extra money, how many players per room on road trips, does a scholarship cover an extra semester or year if it is needed to graduate, what product does the team use (Nike, Adidas, etc.), does the coach have a contract, etc.
3. How to approach the subject of financial aid - Just ask. As simple as this seems, the coach would be expecting this question. Don't worry about being inappropriate by talking about finances - this scholarship is not coming out of the coach's pocket, it is part of the budget. If the coach does not offer, ask to have some time to meet with her/him before you depart campus. The easiest way to handle it is to ask in a straightforward way, "Is there scholarship support available for our daughter?" Remember that DII schools can draw from a few different sources to package a scholarship, so this may be a bit confusing to you. The bottom line is the bottom line and make sure the bottom line is spelled out. For instance, if the coach says your daughter would be awarded X amount of dollars for athletics and X amount of dollars for academics, make sure the academics is illustrated. For many schools, this is academic amount is written down and is based on test scores and gpa.
4. Do we let the coach know about other schools - Only if asked. I would not throw that out there; but if asked, don't hesitate to illustrate the other options that your daughter has. One of the drawbacks of Division II volleyball is that scholarship offers can become bidding events. I guess this is good for the PSA to receive a larger amount, bit the back and forth can get a bit unnerving for parents and players.
5. The other school - Even though you did not ask a question, I am unclear about their status. Your daughter has applied and has been/is going to be asked for an early decision, but has there been a scholarship offer? I would not worry if the 'recruitment' is just weekly e-mails; if they are consistent and sincere, then they are legit. It sounds like you have taken a visit to the other school and liked the experience, so take it at face value.
I applaud you for being interactive in the recruiting process and congratulate your daughter on being able to have a choice. Please tell her not to stress over what questions she may be asked; it is not a test, just a way for a coach to get a better feel for a future player. It should also be the avenue for your daughter to get a better feel for the coach - some coaches seem fantastic via e-mail and telephone, but are a different image in person!
I hope everyone enjoys the visits - when visits are done right, they can be a lot of fun!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Volleyball Rules Question from a Reader
A nice simple question about the rules:
My friends and I have played volleyball every Sunday for about 3 months, lately we are arguing over rules, and nobody really knows the rules so it makes for interesting argumentation. One of our arguments involve my underhand returns. Most people put their hands together to return the ball in an upward hit. I like to keep my hands apart and give a under pat with both hands. they call it holding and while I understand their feelings I really don't hold the ball I basically pat it up underhanded. They say that such a move is illegal I say as long as I hit it and don't hold it is legal. therefore we need a definitive answer to this quandary. Am I right in my assumption or should I start eating crow?????? Thank You for your forum BJ
BJ, you can put down the knife and fork because you will not be eating crow anytime soon!
Per the NCAA Volleyball 2008 Women's Rules and Interpretations (we will use the the women's rules since this is the book I have and I really am unaware of any rule differences between men and women in the playing of the ball), on page 71, 14.2 Characteristics of the Hit defines the rules of playing the volleyball. To summarize, the ball cannot come to rest, can be double hit on the first contact and can be contacted by any part of the body. If you visit the NCAA website and link to women's volleyball, you should be able to purchase the rule book.
While your technique may be nontraditional, it is not illegal.
The two hands together to recieve serve or play the ball is the evolution of the sport, not the original playing style. My father learned to play volleyball when serve receive and defense was done overhand - they set everything. If it was a low serve or spike, the defenders just squatted lower to play the ball - if it was near the ground, they just speared it with their arms.
As I understand it, the Japanese teams were the first to use the serve receive platform at the 1968 Olympics that is common today. My father can remember being taught this 'new and radical' technique, along with diving on defense, after playing for a number of years the old way.
The overhead serve receive is making a bit of a comeback and you see it most often in the Latin players. The Brazilians, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, etc. seem much more comfortable taking the serve with a setting motion than American players. On easy to medium difficulty serves, I believe a player does have more control with the setting serve than using the platform - Just more nerves and control potential in the fingers than the fore arms.
BJ, just tell your friends you are 'Old School' - the bottom line is that if you can pass well, then keep doing what you are doing. If you don't pass well, then maybe you should introduce your right hand to your left hand on serve receive.
My friends and I have played volleyball every Sunday for about 3 months, lately we are arguing over rules, and nobody really knows the rules so it makes for interesting argumentation. One of our arguments involve my underhand returns. Most people put their hands together to return the ball in an upward hit. I like to keep my hands apart and give a under pat with both hands. they call it holding and while I understand their feelings I really don't hold the ball I basically pat it up underhanded. They say that such a move is illegal I say as long as I hit it and don't hold it is legal. therefore we need a definitive answer to this quandary. Am I right in my assumption or should I start eating crow?????? Thank You for your forum BJ
BJ, you can put down the knife and fork because you will not be eating crow anytime soon!
Per the NCAA Volleyball 2008 Women's Rules and Interpretations (we will use the the women's rules since this is the book I have and I really am unaware of any rule differences between men and women in the playing of the ball), on page 71, 14.2 Characteristics of the Hit defines the rules of playing the volleyball. To summarize, the ball cannot come to rest, can be double hit on the first contact and can be contacted by any part of the body. If you visit the NCAA website and link to women's volleyball, you should be able to purchase the rule book.
While your technique may be nontraditional, it is not illegal.
The two hands together to recieve serve or play the ball is the evolution of the sport, not the original playing style. My father learned to play volleyball when serve receive and defense was done overhand - they set everything. If it was a low serve or spike, the defenders just squatted lower to play the ball - if it was near the ground, they just speared it with their arms.
As I understand it, the Japanese teams were the first to use the serve receive platform at the 1968 Olympics that is common today. My father can remember being taught this 'new and radical' technique, along with diving on defense, after playing for a number of years the old way.
The overhead serve receive is making a bit of a comeback and you see it most often in the Latin players. The Brazilians, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, etc. seem much more comfortable taking the serve with a setting motion than American players. On easy to medium difficulty serves, I believe a player does have more control with the setting serve than using the platform - Just more nerves and control potential in the fingers than the fore arms.
BJ, just tell your friends you are 'Old School' - the bottom line is that if you can pass well, then keep doing what you are doing. If you don't pass well, then maybe you should introduce your right hand to your left hand on serve receive.
Monday, September 15, 2008
High School Volleyball Recruiting - Videos
The Fall time period may well be the slowest time for off-campus recruiting for college volleyball coaches. We are so busy with our season and all it entails, that getting out to see players can be tough. On campus recruiting is very busy - Official Visits with the 09 class, Unofficial Visits with the '10 class, mass mailings, e-mails, calling the 09 class, etc.
Unless a college is located in a city that enjoys abundant talent and/or has a full compliment of coaching staff and a secretary, it just takes too much time to go off-campus to recruit. This post topic was brought to mind because I was trying to figure out a date when I could get out to see a couple of our top recruits. Since they are not located just around the corner, it will take a full day to watch them play. In reviewing my schedule, I don't want to skip a practice because it is not fair to my current players and we have a bunch of areas we need to improve upon. The days that are good in my schedule are not good with the recruits schedule. The days that could work for both of us, I don't like because they represent an off day for me that I really want to spend with my family (just getting back from a long road trip).
My example is not unique - there are a whole lot more of 'me' type programs than U. of Texas type programs (large staff, well funded, good locale, etc.) . As a recruit, how does this affect you? If you are a top flight recruit that currently gets enough emails to fill up your In Box and enough letters to fill up your mail box, then you really don't need to be concerned - odds are the top programs are sending out assistant coaches to show face time at your matches and practices anyways.
If you are not among the elite level recruits, I strongly suggest you 'go' to the college coaches this time of year. Of course, your schedule is every bit as crazy as ours, so how can you get to me? You can do it by using technology - Video yourself playing or practicing and e-mail it to me. With YouTube and the other Internet hosting sites, up loading video from a digital camcorder and providing a link via e-mail is rather simple.
E-mail videos are great because the play back software, many times, is carried on another server, hence we don't run into compatibility issues that pop up with DVDs. A click and play e-mail link will get watched by me every single time. I don't care how fancy the video is and I actually prefer to watch practice video over game video. Don't over think the video, just film it and send it out to coaches.
I am seeing more and more of these type of videos, as opposed to DVDs. Remember, this is not the evaluation material that college coaches will use to make scholarship offers, but rather this is a tool to market your abilities. If I see a video that I like, I will contact the recruit to express my interest and put that recruit into our database to see in person.
This is the key; using the Internet videos to interest the college coaches into seeing you play live. The in-person scouting may not happen until after the holidays, but the video will get you on the 'must see' list that all college programs generate before Junior Tournaments.
Remember that a picture is worth a thousand words, so a video must be worth a whole bunch more!
Unless a college is located in a city that enjoys abundant talent and/or has a full compliment of coaching staff and a secretary, it just takes too much time to go off-campus to recruit. This post topic was brought to mind because I was trying to figure out a date when I could get out to see a couple of our top recruits. Since they are not located just around the corner, it will take a full day to watch them play. In reviewing my schedule, I don't want to skip a practice because it is not fair to my current players and we have a bunch of areas we need to improve upon. The days that are good in my schedule are not good with the recruits schedule. The days that could work for both of us, I don't like because they represent an off day for me that I really want to spend with my family (just getting back from a long road trip).
My example is not unique - there are a whole lot more of 'me' type programs than U. of Texas type programs (large staff, well funded, good locale, etc.) . As a recruit, how does this affect you? If you are a top flight recruit that currently gets enough emails to fill up your In Box and enough letters to fill up your mail box, then you really don't need to be concerned - odds are the top programs are sending out assistant coaches to show face time at your matches and practices anyways.
If you are not among the elite level recruits, I strongly suggest you 'go' to the college coaches this time of year. Of course, your schedule is every bit as crazy as ours, so how can you get to me? You can do it by using technology - Video yourself playing or practicing and e-mail it to me. With YouTube and the other Internet hosting sites, up loading video from a digital camcorder and providing a link via e-mail is rather simple.
E-mail videos are great because the play back software, many times, is carried on another server, hence we don't run into compatibility issues that pop up with DVDs. A click and play e-mail link will get watched by me every single time. I don't care how fancy the video is and I actually prefer to watch practice video over game video. Don't over think the video, just film it and send it out to coaches.
I am seeing more and more of these type of videos, as opposed to DVDs. Remember, this is not the evaluation material that college coaches will use to make scholarship offers, but rather this is a tool to market your abilities. If I see a video that I like, I will contact the recruit to express my interest and put that recruit into our database to see in person.
This is the key; using the Internet videos to interest the college coaches into seeing you play live. The in-person scouting may not happen until after the holidays, but the video will get you on the 'must see' list that all college programs generate before Junior Tournaments.
Remember that a picture is worth a thousand words, so a video must be worth a whole bunch more!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
It is Just a Game
I received a compliment from one of our readers about this site, and in her e-mail, Stacy mentioned a choice she made that I believe is important to share:
"....while I’m a gym rat and can eat/breath/sleep volleyball (my husband tolerates it) after researching/obsessing/educating myself…………I’ve come to realize this is going to be a looooooong road, if she (Stacy's daughter) stays in the game?! So, I’ve decided to just enjoy the ‘ride’. Now, instead of interrogating my daughter after games/practices….I simply say “I LOVED watching you play and am so proud of you’. It’s making my life and my daughter’s life much more pleasant. As a former player…I have to say they’re hard habits to break…but, this is NOT about me it’s about her. The reason I’m sharing this with you is because after reading so many posts on your website…you often end with something along the lines of ‘enjoy this time’. And, I’m taking your advise!"
Anything that creates passion within us is something that should be taken seriously, but volleyball is still just a game. I think this philosophy should be most applied at the high school and club level. Too many times I have witnessed parents that are so far gone in the emotional investment (maybe because of the financial investment), that they don't seem like they are enjoying the experience. In the end, when their children are as old as the parents are now, what they will remember is being there - the wins and the losses will and should fade into a blur, but the experience will stick. Parents have such power to make it a positive or negative experience.
I am blessed to have a child and when I take time to express how proud I am, I can just see the joy swell up inside my little one. It really is no different for any age - even as an adult, I feel pride when my father tells me I did good and my mother says she loves me.
Coaches are not exempt from the admonishment to keep it a game - something that I have to remind myself of often. College Volleyball is still a game that is not pressurized - we don't earn million dollar packages, we don't have deep pocket alumni in our shadows, we don't have to answer to university presidents, we don't have sports commentators calling for our jobs or critiquing our team every day - I know all of us would like the perks that go with these "don'ts", but with these perks go lots of pressure and sacrificed family time.
College Football and Basketball are professional sports. Professional sport teams get special treatment, top flight facilities, extremely well paid coaching staffs and lots of pressure. This same explanation is easily applied to college football and basketball coaches. Don't get me wrong, I don't feel sorry for them because even if they lose, the money they have earned while losing and having an agent negotiate the correct contract, they should never have to work again (if they lived like volleyball coaches) - but they deal with professional pressure and it is much more than a game.
I believe the best coaches are those, at any level of volleyball, that keep things in perspective. They have passion, they have intelligence, but they also have perspective and balance. You can always tell when a coach is starting to burn out just a bit because they seem 'out of balance'. I know this sounds a bit new wave, but I know it is true because I have seen it a few times in volleyball and other college sports.
As a parent, it is such a positive thing to do what Stacy has done with her daughter - bring support and ultimately, balance. She has created a 'safe zone' for her daughter emotionally. Stacy may well know volleyball better than anyone who is coaching her child, but parents cannot be secondary coaches. Us coaches can be zany, obsessive, illogical, etc., etc., so having a parent who provides stability, balance and support could well mean the difference in a young player burning out or possibly taking her game to the collegiate arena.
Volleyball is an awesome game, but there are only two volleyball coaches in the United States that are professional and they both wear the USA flag on their polo's. The rest of us; players, parents and coaches of all levels, should revel in the sport we love, but still keep it just a game.
"....while I’m a gym rat and can eat/breath/sleep volleyball (my husband tolerates it) after researching/obsessing/educating myself…………I’ve come to realize this is going to be a looooooong road, if she (Stacy's daughter) stays in the game?! So, I’ve decided to just enjoy the ‘ride’. Now, instead of interrogating my daughter after games/practices….I simply say “I LOVED watching you play and am so proud of you’. It’s making my life and my daughter’s life much more pleasant. As a former player…I have to say they’re hard habits to break…but, this is NOT about me it’s about her. The reason I’m sharing this with you is because after reading so many posts on your website…you often end with something along the lines of ‘enjoy this time’. And, I’m taking your advise!"
Anything that creates passion within us is something that should be taken seriously, but volleyball is still just a game. I think this philosophy should be most applied at the high school and club level. Too many times I have witnessed parents that are so far gone in the emotional investment (maybe because of the financial investment), that they don't seem like they are enjoying the experience. In the end, when their children are as old as the parents are now, what they will remember is being there - the wins and the losses will and should fade into a blur, but the experience will stick. Parents have such power to make it a positive or negative experience.
I am blessed to have a child and when I take time to express how proud I am, I can just see the joy swell up inside my little one. It really is no different for any age - even as an adult, I feel pride when my father tells me I did good and my mother says she loves me.
Coaches are not exempt from the admonishment to keep it a game - something that I have to remind myself of often. College Volleyball is still a game that is not pressurized - we don't earn million dollar packages, we don't have deep pocket alumni in our shadows, we don't have to answer to university presidents, we don't have sports commentators calling for our jobs or critiquing our team every day - I know all of us would like the perks that go with these "don'ts", but with these perks go lots of pressure and sacrificed family time.
College Football and Basketball are professional sports. Professional sport teams get special treatment, top flight facilities, extremely well paid coaching staffs and lots of pressure. This same explanation is easily applied to college football and basketball coaches. Don't get me wrong, I don't feel sorry for them because even if they lose, the money they have earned while losing and having an agent negotiate the correct contract, they should never have to work again (if they lived like volleyball coaches) - but they deal with professional pressure and it is much more than a game.
I believe the best coaches are those, at any level of volleyball, that keep things in perspective. They have passion, they have intelligence, but they also have perspective and balance. You can always tell when a coach is starting to burn out just a bit because they seem 'out of balance'. I know this sounds a bit new wave, but I know it is true because I have seen it a few times in volleyball and other college sports.
As a parent, it is such a positive thing to do what Stacy has done with her daughter - bring support and ultimately, balance. She has created a 'safe zone' for her daughter emotionally. Stacy may well know volleyball better than anyone who is coaching her child, but parents cannot be secondary coaches. Us coaches can be zany, obsessive, illogical, etc., etc., so having a parent who provides stability, balance and support could well mean the difference in a young player burning out or possibly taking her game to the collegiate arena.
Volleyball is an awesome game, but there are only two volleyball coaches in the United States that are professional and they both wear the USA flag on their polo's. The rest of us; players, parents and coaches of all levels, should revel in the sport we love, but still keep it just a game.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Re-Value your Middle Attacker
One of the unforeseen results of the switch to rally score has been the de-valuation of the middle blocker/attacker position. Back in the distant past of side out scoring, the middle blocker played a central role in the success of a college volleyball team. Offensive and defensive systems were based upon how talented your middles were; if you had very good middles, they were the first option on any side out or scoring situation. Conversely, if they were of limited abilities, then offense and transition focused more on the outsides and used the middle attackers to keep the opposing defense 'honest'.
While this post may not be read by many, if any, college volleyball coaches, I feel that the following discourse may provide useful to those high school and club programs that are able to use the middle attack position consistently.
With college coaches coming to the realization that rally score has changed the dynamics of how each position affects success, we are seeing more and more emphasis placed on the outside hitter with recruiting and team training. I remember visiting with a well known coach a number of seasons ago, who made the comment after getting bounced out in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament, that he had very good side out scoring team, but not a good rally score team - translation was that his team was weak on the outside and strong in the middle. This same program rapidly changed its recruiting emphasis and now enjoys possibly the dominant outside attacker in the country.
Yet with all this focus on the outside position, we have to be able to keep the middles as a viable option on serve receive and transition. In my casual observation of the USA Women's Volleyball team at the Olympics, they utilized the middles more than I had remembered in past tournaments. With the middles being the first attack option, it allowed more opportunities for the outside hitting positions to exploit seams and single blocks on their attacks.
While we all know that the ability to maximize the middle attack depends on quality passing and talented setters, yet by using the various attack routes and tempos, teams can still value this position. I believe the middle position allows for many more attack options than the outside position.
There are 4 standard attack routes for middle attackers - the front quick, the back quick, the shoot quick and the slide. In my offensive system, we designate these as an A, a B, a C and a Slide. Each of these attacks can be run fast or slow, so we can easily determine 10 attack options for the middles. Within each of the 4 standard routes, there are variations of each route - a few that I have seen are the A step out (standard A approach but hop step to the left just before jumping), the B step out (two footed B approach, then step out to the right with your left foot to attack the set), the C step in (standard C approach but when you plant your feet to jump, pivot and step in with your left foot to hit the ball), along with the inside or outside slide (set is either quick to the antennae or a few ball lengths inside the antennae). Granted these are high level attack options, but not difficult to practice and possibly use in competition.
Poor passing will not allow any team to do much other than hit high outside sets and way too many down ball/free balls. Yet even with average passes that are nearer to the 3 meter line than the net, a setter can still set the middles who are running a C or a Slide. Remember the geometry of such an attack - since the middle is physically away from the setter there is 'room' for the attack to occur. An A set from off the net is difficult because of the spacing (setter, middle and net) and a B is almost impossible because of the angle in which the ball must travel from setter to attacker. Yet, the C and the Slide can be relatively easy to run by simply lobbing the set or adding a bit more height, than when the pass is near the net.
If your team does not enjoy a top flight setter, you can still run the traditionally quicker A and B sets by making them higher and have the middle approach a bit later than normal. I have seen a number of college teams run this 'second tempo' quick attack or a slow A/B with great success. These slower quick sets really throw off the timing of the opposing middle blocker and disrupt the normal defensive positioning of the opponents (the back row has a tendency to creep or move out of position in anticipation of an attack, rather than the actual hit).
By and large, the poorer your passing or the less talented your setter, the slower your middle attack tempo should be (and that is at just about every level) - but, you still can have a valid middle attack option. Don't try and force players beyond what their gifts are - yes, do train them to become better and push the envelope of their skills, but don't force a system upon a team that can't handle it. I am sure that each of us would like our attack speed to look like the Japanese National team, but Cuba and Brazil run a much slower middle attack and are among the top 3 in the world.
While this post may not be read by many, if any, college volleyball coaches, I feel that the following discourse may provide useful to those high school and club programs that are able to use the middle attack position consistently.
With college coaches coming to the realization that rally score has changed the dynamics of how each position affects success, we are seeing more and more emphasis placed on the outside hitter with recruiting and team training. I remember visiting with a well known coach a number of seasons ago, who made the comment after getting bounced out in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament, that he had very good side out scoring team, but not a good rally score team - translation was that his team was weak on the outside and strong in the middle. This same program rapidly changed its recruiting emphasis and now enjoys possibly the dominant outside attacker in the country.
Yet with all this focus on the outside position, we have to be able to keep the middles as a viable option on serve receive and transition. In my casual observation of the USA Women's Volleyball team at the Olympics, they utilized the middles more than I had remembered in past tournaments. With the middles being the first attack option, it allowed more opportunities for the outside hitting positions to exploit seams and single blocks on their attacks.
While we all know that the ability to maximize the middle attack depends on quality passing and talented setters, yet by using the various attack routes and tempos, teams can still value this position. I believe the middle position allows for many more attack options than the outside position.
There are 4 standard attack routes for middle attackers - the front quick, the back quick, the shoot quick and the slide. In my offensive system, we designate these as an A, a B, a C and a Slide. Each of these attacks can be run fast or slow, so we can easily determine 10 attack options for the middles. Within each of the 4 standard routes, there are variations of each route - a few that I have seen are the A step out (standard A approach but hop step to the left just before jumping), the B step out (two footed B approach, then step out to the right with your left foot to attack the set), the C step in (standard C approach but when you plant your feet to jump, pivot and step in with your left foot to hit the ball), along with the inside or outside slide (set is either quick to the antennae or a few ball lengths inside the antennae). Granted these are high level attack options, but not difficult to practice and possibly use in competition.
Poor passing will not allow any team to do much other than hit high outside sets and way too many down ball/free balls. Yet even with average passes that are nearer to the 3 meter line than the net, a setter can still set the middles who are running a C or a Slide. Remember the geometry of such an attack - since the middle is physically away from the setter there is 'room' for the attack to occur. An A set from off the net is difficult because of the spacing (setter, middle and net) and a B is almost impossible because of the angle in which the ball must travel from setter to attacker. Yet, the C and the Slide can be relatively easy to run by simply lobbing the set or adding a bit more height, than when the pass is near the net.
If your team does not enjoy a top flight setter, you can still run the traditionally quicker A and B sets by making them higher and have the middle approach a bit later than normal. I have seen a number of college teams run this 'second tempo' quick attack or a slow A/B with great success. These slower quick sets really throw off the timing of the opposing middle blocker and disrupt the normal defensive positioning of the opponents (the back row has a tendency to creep or move out of position in anticipation of an attack, rather than the actual hit).
By and large, the poorer your passing or the less talented your setter, the slower your middle attack tempo should be (and that is at just about every level) - but, you still can have a valid middle attack option. Don't try and force players beyond what their gifts are - yes, do train them to become better and push the envelope of their skills, but don't force a system upon a team that can't handle it. I am sure that each of us would like our attack speed to look like the Japanese National team, but Cuba and Brazil run a much slower middle attack and are among the top 3 in the world.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
The Reason for this Site - Recruiting Question
A question from a reader that illustrates why I started this website:
Hello. I am Rosa and I am a junior attending a Christian high school in Illinois. For English I am to write a term paper on volleyball coaching. The information you provided is very helpful. Thank you. There is a volleyball team I participate in and I love it! We have a very limited amount of players though. One question... Is it possible for me to get onto a good team for college volleyball even though I am from a small Christian school and not well known? The sport is just so much fun for me and all of the techniques and skills I want to get to my maximum performance while in high school. If you can get me some good resources or tell me something that will help, please do! Again thank you for what you already have said in the articles on the website.
Sincerely In Christ,
Rosa
Rosa is the reason that I started this website. With the large number of summer camps that I do for high schools, I constantly came across solid volleyball players that would have loved to try and play volleyball at the next level, but they really had no idea how to go about achieving this goal. Not everyone has the financial resources or geographic location to participate upon a club program, but that does not disqualify them from having the motivation to wish to maximize their volleyball abilities. I sincerely want my website to provide some direction and encouragement to those players who want to play volleyball in college.
To answer Rosa's question, YES it is absolutely possible for you to get onto a good team for college. By the information within your question, I would guess that you are not participating upon a top flight high school program nor a big time club program. The key is to get your name out to college volleyball programs, but before you do that, you must take an honest look at your abilities and determine what level of college volleyball is best for you.
If you are a 5'7" outside hitter with solid ball control skills and an approach touch of 9'2", then contacting Big 10 schools is not the best use of your time. If you are not able to play club volleyball and are still rapidly developing your overall skill sets, then a league such as the Missouri Valley will probably be out of your abilities at this time. Something along the lines of a Junior College or Division II or III program may be the best fit.
There are a couple of ways to gain a 'honest' evaluation of your abilities; 1) Ask an adult who has experience within volleyball - this may be your current coach, a coach of a rival team, a parent who has a daughter(s) playing college volleyball; someone who has an understanding of the athletic nature needed to play at the next level. 2) Go to college volleyball matches. As simple as this sounds, go to a Big 10 match, go watch a couple of mid-major volleyball teams play, find a Division II and Division III school in your area and see what those players look like when they play volleyball.
It was not until I actually watched a Division I volleyball match that I gained a true evaluation of my skills. I was not able to play Club Volleyball and my development was accomplished while playing in adult leagues. It was not until I saw a college volleyball match that I was able to see 12 players on the court who were near to my age; this allowed me to realize that I did have the ability to play at a certain level. Please do the same - If you walk into a gym and are just blown away by the athleticism of the teams, then this level may be a bit above you. Conversely, if you watch a match and think you could be out on the court now playing with them, this should should be your base level of ability.
Once you determine, as best you can, your ability level, promote yourself aggressively to that level. By aggressively, I don't mean to 'stalk' the coaches and programs, but rather to contact as many applicable programs as possible - it is much like fishing, put as many lines in the water as you can.
As a Junior, I would encourage you to read one of my previous posts, Recruiting Plan - Junior Year. This should provide some direction about how to pursue your goals. The Reader's Digest version is that you need to contact as many programs as applicable and get video out to them quickly. This is one of those situations where the old saying 'A picture is worth a thousands words' is correct. With this charge of marketing yourself, you have two choices - Do it yourself or pay a service to do it for you.
There are a bunch of recruiting services, and again, I have a previous post about them that I would strongly encourage you to read - some are good and some are a waste of trees.
If you do it your self, please review my post on marketing yourself to colleges - it is not hard, but takes some perseverance and time. College volleyball program e-mail/postal address contact information is readily available online - sometimes the easiest way is to start by visiting the NCAA web page and link to Women's Volleyball; at this area there should be links to each Division (I, II, III) along with conferences within each division. Don't forget about Junior College programs or non-NCAA Volleyball programs like the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics - these are great options for when NCAA volleyball teams may not be the best fit for your future.
To close, my best guess is well over over 1,500 colleges and universities offer volleyball programs - If you are willing to work for it and willing to have an open mind about type and location of school, then there is one out there for you.
Hello. I am Rosa and I am a junior attending a Christian high school in Illinois. For English I am to write a term paper on volleyball coaching. The information you provided is very helpful. Thank you. There is a volleyball team I participate in and I love it! We have a very limited amount of players though. One question... Is it possible for me to get onto a good team for college volleyball even though I am from a small Christian school and not well known? The sport is just so much fun for me and all of the techniques and skills I want to get to my maximum performance while in high school. If you can get me some good resources or tell me something that will help, please do! Again thank you for what you already have said in the articles on the website.
Sincerely In Christ,
Rosa
Rosa is the reason that I started this website. With the large number of summer camps that I do for high schools, I constantly came across solid volleyball players that would have loved to try and play volleyball at the next level, but they really had no idea how to go about achieving this goal. Not everyone has the financial resources or geographic location to participate upon a club program, but that does not disqualify them from having the motivation to wish to maximize their volleyball abilities. I sincerely want my website to provide some direction and encouragement to those players who want to play volleyball in college.
To answer Rosa's question, YES it is absolutely possible for you to get onto a good team for college. By the information within your question, I would guess that you are not participating upon a top flight high school program nor a big time club program. The key is to get your name out to college volleyball programs, but before you do that, you must take an honest look at your abilities and determine what level of college volleyball is best for you.
If you are a 5'7" outside hitter with solid ball control skills and an approach touch of 9'2", then contacting Big 10 schools is not the best use of your time. If you are not able to play club volleyball and are still rapidly developing your overall skill sets, then a league such as the Missouri Valley will probably be out of your abilities at this time. Something along the lines of a Junior College or Division II or III program may be the best fit.
There are a couple of ways to gain a 'honest' evaluation of your abilities; 1) Ask an adult who has experience within volleyball - this may be your current coach, a coach of a rival team, a parent who has a daughter(s) playing college volleyball; someone who has an understanding of the athletic nature needed to play at the next level. 2) Go to college volleyball matches. As simple as this sounds, go to a Big 10 match, go watch a couple of mid-major volleyball teams play, find a Division II and Division III school in your area and see what those players look like when they play volleyball.
It was not until I actually watched a Division I volleyball match that I gained a true evaluation of my skills. I was not able to play Club Volleyball and my development was accomplished while playing in adult leagues. It was not until I saw a college volleyball match that I was able to see 12 players on the court who were near to my age; this allowed me to realize that I did have the ability to play at a certain level. Please do the same - If you walk into a gym and are just blown away by the athleticism of the teams, then this level may be a bit above you. Conversely, if you watch a match and think you could be out on the court now playing with them, this should should be your base level of ability.
Once you determine, as best you can, your ability level, promote yourself aggressively to that level. By aggressively, I don't mean to 'stalk' the coaches and programs, but rather to contact as many applicable programs as possible - it is much like fishing, put as many lines in the water as you can.
As a Junior, I would encourage you to read one of my previous posts, Recruiting Plan - Junior Year. This should provide some direction about how to pursue your goals. The Reader's Digest version is that you need to contact as many programs as applicable and get video out to them quickly. This is one of those situations where the old saying 'A picture is worth a thousands words' is correct. With this charge of marketing yourself, you have two choices - Do it yourself or pay a service to do it for you.
There are a bunch of recruiting services, and again, I have a previous post about them that I would strongly encourage you to read - some are good and some are a waste of trees.
If you do it your self, please review my post on marketing yourself to colleges - it is not hard, but takes some perseverance and time. College volleyball program e-mail/postal address contact information is readily available online - sometimes the easiest way is to start by visiting the NCAA web page and link to Women's Volleyball; at this area there should be links to each Division (I, II, III) along with conferences within each division. Don't forget about Junior College programs or non-NCAA Volleyball programs like the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics - these are great options for when NCAA volleyball teams may not be the best fit for your future.
To close, my best guess is well over over 1,500 colleges and universities offer volleyball programs - If you are willing to work for it and willing to have an open mind about type and location of school, then there is one out there for you.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Recruiting Question
Coach,
I had sent this question to you a few weeks ago and your reply was you couldn't respond until after 9/1. Here is the original question:
Our daughter is a Junior. She played club for a 16 national team that qualified for JO's in Dallas. We are aware of the NCAA recruiting guidelines about communication between college coaches and PSA's prior to Sept 1 of the junior year. There have been a number of D1 coaches that have watched her team play at qualifiers, the PrepVolley.com Classic and at JO's. The question is how can we get an idea of who is interested in her and who is not? We know of a few coaches that have inquired about her. Can a coach still be interested if they have not made an effort to contact someone about her? She has written letters to her top 10- 12 colleges and has received a reply from about half of them. There seems to be a ton of great programs that offer top notch academics and we are just trying to get as much info as possible in the beginning stages of this process.
Thanks again,
Randy
I would like to thank Randy for writing back later and understanding that I could not answer his question when originally sent to me. Even with my anonymity and specific efforts not to recruit, the NCAA rules state that interaction via e-mails/letters can only occur after September 1st of a Prospective Student Athlete's (PSA) Junior year.
In terms of your questions, let's take them one at a time.
1. The question is how can we get an idea of who is interested in her and who is not? Review the letters/e-mails that you received before September 1st of this year. NCAA rules allow for an introduction letter and a questionnaire to be sent to PSA's before September 1st. With your daughter having played in some top flight tournaments, she may well have received numerous such mailings.
We need to keep in mind the date - it is only September 2nd. NCAA rules have only opened up for e-mail/letter interaction within the last 24 hours. A letter or number of letters may be in the mail right now. E-mails are quicker to shoot out, but remember that each college program is also in its most important time of the year. Many programs don't have access to a secretary, much less a director of operations, so while recruiting is hugely important, there are so many other things that have to be done this time of the year.
2. Can a coach still be interested if they have not made an effort to contact someone about her? Absolutely Yes! I am one group of coaches that really don't make a lot of courtesy calls to club or high school coaches. Some coaches are constantly working the phones to establish interaction with other coaches. I will call a fellow coach if there is some question I may have about academics, attitude, etc., but I feel okay following my own evaluation of a PSA's talents.
At this early juncture in the '10 recruiting class, the only contact I would be concerned about is what programs/coaches are contacting your daughter via e-mail or letter.
3. She has written letters to her top 10- 12 colleges and has received a reply from about half of them. Even though this is not a question, it merits comment. A 50% percent response rate is interesting - from my experience, combined with the top flight tournaments you said were attended, your daughter is probably contacting schools at the upper end of her playing ability.
For example, if a Fab 50 volleyball player writes 10 schools ranked 15o to 200 in the RPI index, odds are that she will receive 10 responses back. The reverse is also true of a mid-level rated player contacting top 50 programs. With a 50% response rate, I would encourage your daughter to contact another 20 programs that are athletically (volleyball ranking) below the first 12 she wrote. Contacting programs is exactly the correct thing to do and do not hesitate to contact as many as you wish!
I commend you on taking a proactive approach in the recruiting process. You are correct, there are many good academic institutions that enjoy successful volleyball programs. College Volleyball is still a sport that allows for academic/athletic balance while enjoying budget funding that can create a rewarding experience for the player.
Two things that I will caution you about; 1) College Volleyball coaches are extremely busy this time of the year and as much as we hate it, recruiting can take a back seat to team travel (and all the paperwork), team training, managing new players, controlling parents, confirming flights, weather delays/cancellations and on and on and on.
2) Many college programs are slowing down the recruiting process a bit lately. My impression is that while a large handful of top flight athletes are receiving verbal offers and making commitments, many more coaches are being a bit more deliberate in their evaluation of talent - Part of this is we may not know exactly what we need in the next class until see our current team perform. Also, we have all seen some programs lock up good players early and the players never got better; in fact, they may not have turned out to be the best in thier position at the end of 18's club.
Enjoy the high school season and being a Junior - it is a cool time. Come next spring, then it is time to get more serious about this recruiting animal!!
Coach
I had sent this question to you a few weeks ago and your reply was you couldn't respond until after 9/1. Here is the original question:
Our daughter is a Junior. She played club for a 16 national team that qualified for JO's in Dallas. We are aware of the NCAA recruiting guidelines about communication between college coaches and PSA's prior to Sept 1 of the junior year. There have been a number of D1 coaches that have watched her team play at qualifiers, the PrepVolley.com Classic and at JO's. The question is how can we get an idea of who is interested in her and who is not? We know of a few coaches that have inquired about her. Can a coach still be interested if they have not made an effort to contact someone about her? She has written letters to her top 10- 12 colleges and has received a reply from about half of them. There seems to be a ton of great programs that offer top notch academics and we are just trying to get as much info as possible in the beginning stages of this process.
Thanks again,
Randy
I would like to thank Randy for writing back later and understanding that I could not answer his question when originally sent to me. Even with my anonymity and specific efforts not to recruit, the NCAA rules state that interaction via e-mails/letters can only occur after September 1st of a Prospective Student Athlete's (PSA) Junior year.
In terms of your questions, let's take them one at a time.
1. The question is how can we get an idea of who is interested in her and who is not? Review the letters/e-mails that you received before September 1st of this year. NCAA rules allow for an introduction letter and a questionnaire to be sent to PSA's before September 1st. With your daughter having played in some top flight tournaments, she may well have received numerous such mailings.
We need to keep in mind the date - it is only September 2nd. NCAA rules have only opened up for e-mail/letter interaction within the last 24 hours. A letter or number of letters may be in the mail right now. E-mails are quicker to shoot out, but remember that each college program is also in its most important time of the year. Many programs don't have access to a secretary, much less a director of operations, so while recruiting is hugely important, there are so many other things that have to be done this time of the year.
2. Can a coach still be interested if they have not made an effort to contact someone about her? Absolutely Yes! I am one group of coaches that really don't make a lot of courtesy calls to club or high school coaches. Some coaches are constantly working the phones to establish interaction with other coaches. I will call a fellow coach if there is some question I may have about academics, attitude, etc., but I feel okay following my own evaluation of a PSA's talents.
At this early juncture in the '10 recruiting class, the only contact I would be concerned about is what programs/coaches are contacting your daughter via e-mail or letter.
3. She has written letters to her top 10- 12 colleges and has received a reply from about half of them. Even though this is not a question, it merits comment. A 50% percent response rate is interesting - from my experience, combined with the top flight tournaments you said were attended, your daughter is probably contacting schools at the upper end of her playing ability.
For example, if a Fab 50 volleyball player writes 10 schools ranked 15o to 200 in the RPI index, odds are that she will receive 10 responses back. The reverse is also true of a mid-level rated player contacting top 50 programs. With a 50% response rate, I would encourage your daughter to contact another 20 programs that are athletically (volleyball ranking) below the first 12 she wrote. Contacting programs is exactly the correct thing to do and do not hesitate to contact as many as you wish!
I commend you on taking a proactive approach in the recruiting process. You are correct, there are many good academic institutions that enjoy successful volleyball programs. College Volleyball is still a sport that allows for academic/athletic balance while enjoying budget funding that can create a rewarding experience for the player.
Two things that I will caution you about; 1) College Volleyball coaches are extremely busy this time of the year and as much as we hate it, recruiting can take a back seat to team travel (and all the paperwork), team training, managing new players, controlling parents, confirming flights, weather delays/cancellations and on and on and on.
2) Many college programs are slowing down the recruiting process a bit lately. My impression is that while a large handful of top flight athletes are receiving verbal offers and making commitments, many more coaches are being a bit more deliberate in their evaluation of talent - Part of this is we may not know exactly what we need in the next class until see our current team perform. Also, we have all seen some programs lock up good players early and the players never got better; in fact, they may not have turned out to be the best in thier position at the end of 18's club.
Enjoy the high school season and being a Junior - it is a cool time. Come next spring, then it is time to get more serious about this recruiting animal!!
Coach
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