On the right side of this website, I have posted another reader's poll. I am curious as to what folk's opinion would be to have one city as the destination city for the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship.
A few sports have a 'destination' or championship city that annually hosts their national championships. For Baseball it is Omaha, for Softball it is Oklahoma City and for many years Tennis had its championships in Athens, Georgia.
The argument for a destination city is that it provides an identity for the media, participants and fans associate with, is usually in a town that is extremely supportive of the sport, and would allow for a shorter or more effective management/marketing set up.
The argument against a destination city is that a stronger program located nearby would have a home court advantage (i.e. Nebraska a few years ago), it does not encourage the development of the volleyball as hosting the championship in growing participation area would, and NCAA Basketball does not have a destination city.
Men's Volleyball, per its geographic make-up, tends to rotate its championship between just a few host schools as dictated by facility size. This could be another option for Women's Volleyball - it would be less restrictive than a destination city and could be rotated among a few geographically diverse cities that are very supportive of women's volleyball while using a set schedule.
I am not sure how hosting the NCAA Championship is awarded and it seems to me that it does entail some type of geographic rotation now.
It is not an easy choice to make. I can see the benefit of having a supportive city host the championships to ensure a good crowd, like Omaha, even if it does mean a local team would have a nice home-court advantage. Many would say the home court is not fair, but let's be fair about how 'many' it would really affect. Are there more than 8 schools that have the talent to realistically say they are national champion contenders? That means that 7 schools are at a disadvantage and over 300 could benefit by a change.
But then again, if the home team does not advance, like what happened to the U. of Hawaii many years go, then the possible 'sold-out' crowd is not longer going to show up. Nebraska looks as strong as ever, but if they fall short of the Final Four, will the local fans still show up to a non-Nebraska Final Four? It is awfully cold, with not much to do in mid-December in Omaha so maybe they would.
What concerns me about our National Championship is that it rarely fills the stands. Even with the AVCA hosting its annual convention and a majority of NCAA Division I conferences holding meetings on site, the stands have plenty of empty chair backs. This cannot be viewed as a positive by anyone. Empty seats speak a lot louder than great volleyball to the new viewer that just tuned in. When we are on ESPN2 or 10, or U or Desportes, being shown at 2 a.m. on a tape delay, something is not right. At least we could fill the stands so it gives the impression that this is a big event and the networks have not yet caught on.
I just checked the AVCA site and it lists ticket prices as $54.00 for upper level and $64.00 for lower level - this includes on ticket for the semi's and one for the championship. I understand you get two tickets, but that is a rather steep price to pay for a family, especially when they are not selling out. I vaguely remember my college economics class and something about supply versus demand, but maybe I did not get a good enough grade to go into depth about prices.
I look forward to what the voters say - Of course I will forward this poll to the NCAA Volleyball Committee for immediate implementation!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Playing other sports after Signing the NLI?
A good question that I would think many families could ask:
My daughter is a high school senior, and has verballed to a college to play vb there next year. She will sign during the early signing period. My question is: she has played club vb in the past, should she play again this year? Not to showcase her talents (she already did that) but more to stay in shape and get ready for college ball by keeping her hands on the ball. She plays bb in the winter for her high school and runs track in the spring. Or is this a question we should ask the coach of the school she will sign with? I know some coaches worry about kids getting hurt. I was just wondering how most coaches would answer this question. Mary
This is a common question that college coaches receive after a player signs the National Letter of Intent (NLI). Remember that the NLI is the contractual agreement between the host institution and the player; this contract allows for both parties to have some measure of comfort about the future.
In reality, the incoming Prospective Student-Athlete (PSA) becomes part of the program when she signs the NLI. The school has said no to other PSA's and committed to the player. With this, the player is put into future consideration about her role with the college volleyball team. College coaches like to and try to plan a few years out to determine the recruiting pattern and team position make-up. We don't really like to have this pattern interrupted by things that are controllable.
So many things in college sports can be uncontrollable for college volleyball coaches - budgets, administrative policies and changes, conference affiliations, referee's, did football or basketball sneeze and need a $10,000.00 tissue?
But, the one thing that does have a measure of control for coaches, is what the players are doing. College athletes are very regimented in what they are allowed to do by college programs - You rarely find volleyball players on the ski slopes, gymnasts hanging out at the all you can eat buffet, basketball players on scuba diving trips, etc. I believe that part of the desire to micromanage players may be a reaction to so many critical things that college volleyball coaches have no control over.
In answering the questions:
1. Should she play club - YES, YES and YES. I would be beyond disturbed if one of my incoming scholarship players did not play club. The jump from high school age volleyball to college age volleyball is huge - by skipping your senior year of club, you will almost assuredly sit as a freshman; not as punishment, but you will be one year behind because you did not play club volleyball for one season.
2. Should she play Basketball or run Track? NO, NO and NO. Again, she has signed her NLI and should be preparing for college volleyball. For college volleyball coaches, the term 'Basketball Senior Year' is Latin for 'big knee injury about to happen'. The wonderful thing about volleyball is the net separating the teams - of course injuries will happen, but you don't have players actively jumping on top of each other's feet on every play like in basketball. Just think about the bodies flying around, players taking charges, kids throwing elbows and pounding to the ground after loose balls. This question just sends shivers down college volleyball coaches spines.
As for Track, most college coaches would be concerned about the time conflict with elite level club volleyball. Yes, we understand the value of the work-outs and the physical training, but club volleyball allows the incoming PSA to play the game and fine tune some skills that would be specific to a new playing role in college. Also, running track could mean high stress impactive training on a PSA's body - Just like gym floors, some track surfaces are soft and some are hard. College volleyball will have enough physical pounding to last a lifetime, so coming in a bit beat up as a freshman is not a good formula.
I suggest you view the spring-summer of your daughter's Senior year as college prep 101. The fun and casual athletic existence will end with the ending of her high school season. After the Holidays, it is time to start preparing for life as an elite level college volleyball player. Families and players may think they have lots of time, that college play is 4 to 5 years long and to just take it slowly - while this is partially true, this 4 or 5 year window goes very fast and will NEVER be repeated.
In preparing for college, to maximize her opportunity to have a tremendously successful athletic career, she needs to focus on being an elite level volleyball athlete - play the highest level of club possible against the best competition, take care of her physical self by working out and eating correctly, take care of her mental self by allowing for rest time and recover, etc.
I have been witness to a number of incoming freshman waste their first year in college by not preparing properly - I say 'waste' because this is what they told me as upper-class men; in hind sight, they understood that their freshman year was not good because they did not arrive ready to be NCAA Volleyball players.
Good luck and enjoy the ride!
My daughter is a high school senior, and has verballed to a college to play vb there next year. She will sign during the early signing period. My question is: she has played club vb in the past, should she play again this year? Not to showcase her talents (she already did that) but more to stay in shape and get ready for college ball by keeping her hands on the ball. She plays bb in the winter for her high school and runs track in the spring. Or is this a question we should ask the coach of the school she will sign with? I know some coaches worry about kids getting hurt. I was just wondering how most coaches would answer this question. Mary
This is a common question that college coaches receive after a player signs the National Letter of Intent (NLI). Remember that the NLI is the contractual agreement between the host institution and the player; this contract allows for both parties to have some measure of comfort about the future.
In reality, the incoming Prospective Student-Athlete (PSA) becomes part of the program when she signs the NLI. The school has said no to other PSA's and committed to the player. With this, the player is put into future consideration about her role with the college volleyball team. College coaches like to and try to plan a few years out to determine the recruiting pattern and team position make-up. We don't really like to have this pattern interrupted by things that are controllable.
So many things in college sports can be uncontrollable for college volleyball coaches - budgets, administrative policies and changes, conference affiliations, referee's, did football or basketball sneeze and need a $10,000.00 tissue?
But, the one thing that does have a measure of control for coaches, is what the players are doing. College athletes are very regimented in what they are allowed to do by college programs - You rarely find volleyball players on the ski slopes, gymnasts hanging out at the all you can eat buffet, basketball players on scuba diving trips, etc. I believe that part of the desire to micromanage players may be a reaction to so many critical things that college volleyball coaches have no control over.
In answering the questions:
1. Should she play club - YES, YES and YES. I would be beyond disturbed if one of my incoming scholarship players did not play club. The jump from high school age volleyball to college age volleyball is huge - by skipping your senior year of club, you will almost assuredly sit as a freshman; not as punishment, but you will be one year behind because you did not play club volleyball for one season.
2. Should she play Basketball or run Track? NO, NO and NO. Again, she has signed her NLI and should be preparing for college volleyball. For college volleyball coaches, the term 'Basketball Senior Year' is Latin for 'big knee injury about to happen'. The wonderful thing about volleyball is the net separating the teams - of course injuries will happen, but you don't have players actively jumping on top of each other's feet on every play like in basketball. Just think about the bodies flying around, players taking charges, kids throwing elbows and pounding to the ground after loose balls. This question just sends shivers down college volleyball coaches spines.
As for Track, most college coaches would be concerned about the time conflict with elite level club volleyball. Yes, we understand the value of the work-outs and the physical training, but club volleyball allows the incoming PSA to play the game and fine tune some skills that would be specific to a new playing role in college. Also, running track could mean high stress impactive training on a PSA's body - Just like gym floors, some track surfaces are soft and some are hard. College volleyball will have enough physical pounding to last a lifetime, so coming in a bit beat up as a freshman is not a good formula.
I suggest you view the spring-summer of your daughter's Senior year as college prep 101. The fun and casual athletic existence will end with the ending of her high school season. After the Holidays, it is time to start preparing for life as an elite level college volleyball player. Families and players may think they have lots of time, that college play is 4 to 5 years long and to just take it slowly - while this is partially true, this 4 or 5 year window goes very fast and will NEVER be repeated.
In preparing for college, to maximize her opportunity to have a tremendously successful athletic career, she needs to focus on being an elite level volleyball athlete - play the highest level of club possible against the best competition, take care of her physical self by working out and eating correctly, take care of her mental self by allowing for rest time and recover, etc.
I have been witness to a number of incoming freshman waste their first year in college by not preparing properly - I say 'waste' because this is what they told me as upper-class men; in hind sight, they understood that their freshman year was not good because they did not arrive ready to be NCAA Volleyball players.
Good luck and enjoy the ride!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Officially Apologize
We owe the volleyball referees an apology for all the recent rule changes. When I say 'we', I exclude myself, as I did not vote to support these rule changes and I also exempt the majority of NCAA coaches who also did not vote to support the new rules. But, somebody does owe the officials an apology.
We owe the referees an apology because we have rendered them near useless and dramatically increased the negative impact potential of any call. With the new interpretation of the ball handling rules, it would be better to have a Disney created automaton that uses an infrared eye to determine when the ball has hit the ground and thus implement the service whistle in t-minus 10 seconds. Line judges just need to have a clicker that sends information clarifying in/out/touch.
In the not too distant past, double hits were never allowed, lifts were never allowed, touching the net was never allowed and crossing the center line was never allowed. Three out of four of these key "never" components in playing the sport of volleyball have been eliminated. And one could argue, that lifts are seldom called because in setting situations, many times a lift occurs in conjunction with a double hit and since double hits are now essentially legal at all times, the double hit seems to negate the lift.
Instead of making the job of referees easier and reducing their impact upon the game, the new rules have done the opposite. Consider the old rule of double hits - the ball cannot be double contacted when setting - period! It was rather simple for the referee to call - was it a double or was it clean; just one decision for the official. Now on a setting double contact, the referee must determine was it a first contact touch, was the player making an athletic play during the contact, was it in the course of a long/exciting rally and was it in fact a double contact? What used to be a one decision call is now a multi-step process.
Because of this process, there is absolutely no consistency with ball handling calls and understandably so. An example illustrates the difficulty for the referees - In a recent NCAA match, the left back passer passed the ball up in the air and the setter called help; the ball was coming straight down on the middle back passer who did not have to take a step and attempted to set the ball to the front left attacker. The ball was grossly double hit and the opponent's players actually stopped play expecting a whistle and then hastily passed the ball over the net. When I questioned the referee about why no call, he indicated that it was a double hit and thus legal. I proceeded to argue the point that there was nothing athletic about the setting play (standing and setting), so it was illegal. He then acknowledged he was wrong, but the play cannot be re-done or negated. This shows what the referee's are trying to process and why what has occured with the rules is unfair.
A natural reaction to information overload is to shut down - to not call anything. This is becoming the all to common trend with match officiating - nothing is being called. All ball handling is being allowed, as to not make a wrong call. With regards to lifts or carries, this is plainly obvious. The stance seems to be that since a lift occurred along with a double hit, then the double hit negates the lift. The amount of 'chucks' flying around are amazing - Sometimes I feel as if I am watching bad beach volleyball setters just grab and throw the ball around. The skill of setting is quickly vanishing for the mass of college volleyball players.
The reason we have officials in sports and do not let players/coaches referee, is because the officials are supposed to be objective and learned in the rules and application of those rules. They have trained, gone to clinics, have a bunch of match experience and they get paid - honestly, they get paid a ton of money for what amounts to just over 2 hours work (including warm-up and the match); if you have a thick skin, refereeing is a great part time money maker.
The new rules have steered them into not making any calls in fear of making the wrong interpretive call. But, I would argue that human nature is to be involved. Just as a player wants to play, an referee wants to officiate, wants to blow the whistle on something other than to start serve. This has created an almost 'random' element to what is being called. Questionable contact after questionable contact is being let go, until the referee feels the need to be involved, and then something is called. This variable is very hard for players, coaches and fans to accept. It adds an element of uncertainty that nobody likes and places a significant amount of stress upon the officials.
Back in the wonderful past of volleyball, when we played sideout scoring, incorrect calls were manageable because half the time they did not result in a point. The call may not have allowed a point to be awarded, but half the time it was just a sideout. Now, every time the referee blows the whistle, a point is going to be awarded to a team. Magnify this impact in a 25 point game, versus 30 point game. As players, coaches and fans are realizing, there is a huge time difference with 5 less points. Too often, an official's call late in a game is the determining factor in winning or losing a game. This is a grossly unfair situation for all involved. Every call becomes critical and the pressure to make the correct call is huge - this is not a fair situation for the officiating crew.
I have visited with a few long time officials which I have known for years and they do not like the new rules. In effect, they feel useless. They acknowledge that they are not supposed to call anything and it is rather boring just blowing the whistle for serve and to award a point. I recently was at a Junior College tournament, and I don't know if it was these particular officials or that the NJCAA rules are different, but calls were actually made. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to see double hits and lifts called, to see players and coaches understand/support these calls and to watch good volleyball being played in which the outcome was clearly determined by the play of the participants.
NCAA Volleyball Referees - I am sorry that you have been devalued in your relationship to the game and did not vote for these changes.
We owe the referees an apology because we have rendered them near useless and dramatically increased the negative impact potential of any call. With the new interpretation of the ball handling rules, it would be better to have a Disney created automaton that uses an infrared eye to determine when the ball has hit the ground and thus implement the service whistle in t-minus 10 seconds. Line judges just need to have a clicker that sends information clarifying in/out/touch.
In the not too distant past, double hits were never allowed, lifts were never allowed, touching the net was never allowed and crossing the center line was never allowed. Three out of four of these key "never" components in playing the sport of volleyball have been eliminated. And one could argue, that lifts are seldom called because in setting situations, many times a lift occurs in conjunction with a double hit and since double hits are now essentially legal at all times, the double hit seems to negate the lift.
Instead of making the job of referees easier and reducing their impact upon the game, the new rules have done the opposite. Consider the old rule of double hits - the ball cannot be double contacted when setting - period! It was rather simple for the referee to call - was it a double or was it clean; just one decision for the official. Now on a setting double contact, the referee must determine was it a first contact touch, was the player making an athletic play during the contact, was it in the course of a long/exciting rally and was it in fact a double contact? What used to be a one decision call is now a multi-step process.
Because of this process, there is absolutely no consistency with ball handling calls and understandably so. An example illustrates the difficulty for the referees - In a recent NCAA match, the left back passer passed the ball up in the air and the setter called help; the ball was coming straight down on the middle back passer who did not have to take a step and attempted to set the ball to the front left attacker. The ball was grossly double hit and the opponent's players actually stopped play expecting a whistle and then hastily passed the ball over the net. When I questioned the referee about why no call, he indicated that it was a double hit and thus legal. I proceeded to argue the point that there was nothing athletic about the setting play (standing and setting), so it was illegal. He then acknowledged he was wrong, but the play cannot be re-done or negated. This shows what the referee's are trying to process and why what has occured with the rules is unfair.
A natural reaction to information overload is to shut down - to not call anything. This is becoming the all to common trend with match officiating - nothing is being called. All ball handling is being allowed, as to not make a wrong call. With regards to lifts or carries, this is plainly obvious. The stance seems to be that since a lift occurred along with a double hit, then the double hit negates the lift. The amount of 'chucks' flying around are amazing - Sometimes I feel as if I am watching bad beach volleyball setters just grab and throw the ball around. The skill of setting is quickly vanishing for the mass of college volleyball players.
The reason we have officials in sports and do not let players/coaches referee, is because the officials are supposed to be objective and learned in the rules and application of those rules. They have trained, gone to clinics, have a bunch of match experience and they get paid - honestly, they get paid a ton of money for what amounts to just over 2 hours work (including warm-up and the match); if you have a thick skin, refereeing is a great part time money maker.
The new rules have steered them into not making any calls in fear of making the wrong interpretive call. But, I would argue that human nature is to be involved. Just as a player wants to play, an referee wants to officiate, wants to blow the whistle on something other than to start serve. This has created an almost 'random' element to what is being called. Questionable contact after questionable contact is being let go, until the referee feels the need to be involved, and then something is called. This variable is very hard for players, coaches and fans to accept. It adds an element of uncertainty that nobody likes and places a significant amount of stress upon the officials.
Back in the wonderful past of volleyball, when we played sideout scoring, incorrect calls were manageable because half the time they did not result in a point. The call may not have allowed a point to be awarded, but half the time it was just a sideout. Now, every time the referee blows the whistle, a point is going to be awarded to a team. Magnify this impact in a 25 point game, versus 30 point game. As players, coaches and fans are realizing, there is a huge time difference with 5 less points. Too often, an official's call late in a game is the determining factor in winning or losing a game. This is a grossly unfair situation for all involved. Every call becomes critical and the pressure to make the correct call is huge - this is not a fair situation for the officiating crew.
I have visited with a few long time officials which I have known for years and they do not like the new rules. In effect, they feel useless. They acknowledge that they are not supposed to call anything and it is rather boring just blowing the whistle for serve and to award a point. I recently was at a Junior College tournament, and I don't know if it was these particular officials or that the NJCAA rules are different, but calls were actually made. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to see double hits and lifts called, to see players and coaches understand/support these calls and to watch good volleyball being played in which the outcome was clearly determined by the play of the participants.
NCAA Volleyball Referees - I am sorry that you have been devalued in your relationship to the game and did not vote for these changes.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Gold Medal Squared Volleyball Training Question
A good question about volleyball training philosophies:
Hello~ There are a hand full of top level (open/national competing in the top 10 of JO’s/Fest) clubs in our state. Two of the clubs train with the Gold Medal Squared program. How many top level (top 25) DI and DII schools train with the same methodology as GM2? Is this a new trend or one of the past?The reason I ask…the current club our DD has played on (and loves) uses GM2 training program…the other club does not use the same program, however, is the strongest club in our state. I know that being coachable is the key….She just had a visit to one of her schools of choice (an unofficial visit, of course) and the head coach (top 10 DI) really likes the GM2 and I’m wondering if this is ever a consideration when recruiting?
Let me preface my answer by acknowledging that I have never been to a Gold Medal Squared coaching clinic and have coached against one college team that was known to espouse the training philosophy. I have listened to a number of other coaches who either strongly support the GMS training or who completely disagree with the philosophy.
A general observation of volleyball training tends to lump the styles into two categories - Asian or Latin. The Asian style of training has been most visible as of late with the last two USA Women's National coaches being from the Orient and the continual success of the Chinese Women's National team. About a decade ago, the Latin style of training was all the rage as various coaches here in the USA sought to duplicate the style and success of the Brazilian, Cuban and Argentinian national teams.
These two styles of training have found secure homes - Asian with the female players and Latin with the male players; this is a broad statement but generally true.
It is my understanding that the Gold Medal Squared philosophy was an outgrowth of a business or camp enterprise started by certain individuals with USA National Team gold medal backgrounds - Doug Beal, Marv Dunphy, Carl McGowen, among others (please do not hold me absolutely true to these individuals as I have not been to a clinic nor received written information). Because of the experience and success of the directors of GMS, they have garnered quite a following of club and college coaches who support this training style.
My opinion of this training style is three fold - One, I think that it is good that an American style of training is being promoted. Two, this style was developed by men's volleyball coaches and thus tends to be a bit more applicable to the men's game (yet, it will continue to expand into the women's game as various techniques cross over with the physical development of female players). Three, this is a business enterprise that makes a lot of money because they market, promote and price this knowledge aggressively.
As for the number of college programs that train with the GMS ideas, I would hazard to say it is rather small. I believe a greater number of club programs would be using this philosophy than college. Gold Medal Squared is a newer philosophy that is on the higher end of skill development, so many of the current college coaches would not have played under this style. As current players become college coaches, one would expect the GMS system to gain a larger audience.
With regards to recruiting, I would not think it matters too much what philosophy a player was trained under, but rather what are the physical skills, personality traits, etc. that a player currently possesses. Sure, there are times that certain training may drop a player a bit on a ranking - For instance, I do not agree with the Asian style of passing as taught by USA Women's volleyball, but I do appreciate the footwork patterns used.
In terms of training for volleyball, two items come to play for me - One, it must be a safe training environment. I have seen some coaches doing really dumb drills where it is just a matter of time until someone gets hurt. Two, a coach should develop and adhere to a certain training philosophy. Players need consistency and if changes are made they should be small adjustments, not bouncing between styles based on the latest clinic the coach attended.
Hello~ There are a hand full of top level (open/national competing in the top 10 of JO’s/Fest) clubs in our state. Two of the clubs train with the Gold Medal Squared program. How many top level (top 25) DI and DII schools train with the same methodology as GM2? Is this a new trend or one of the past?The reason I ask…the current club our DD has played on (and loves) uses GM2 training program…the other club does not use the same program, however, is the strongest club in our state. I know that being coachable is the key….She just had a visit to one of her schools of choice (an unofficial visit, of course) and the head coach (top 10 DI) really likes the GM2 and I’m wondering if this is ever a consideration when recruiting?
Let me preface my answer by acknowledging that I have never been to a Gold Medal Squared coaching clinic and have coached against one college team that was known to espouse the training philosophy. I have listened to a number of other coaches who either strongly support the GMS training or who completely disagree with the philosophy.
A general observation of volleyball training tends to lump the styles into two categories - Asian or Latin. The Asian style of training has been most visible as of late with the last two USA Women's National coaches being from the Orient and the continual success of the Chinese Women's National team. About a decade ago, the Latin style of training was all the rage as various coaches here in the USA sought to duplicate the style and success of the Brazilian, Cuban and Argentinian national teams.
These two styles of training have found secure homes - Asian with the female players and Latin with the male players; this is a broad statement but generally true.
It is my understanding that the Gold Medal Squared philosophy was an outgrowth of a business or camp enterprise started by certain individuals with USA National Team gold medal backgrounds - Doug Beal, Marv Dunphy, Carl McGowen, among others (please do not hold me absolutely true to these individuals as I have not been to a clinic nor received written information). Because of the experience and success of the directors of GMS, they have garnered quite a following of club and college coaches who support this training style.
My opinion of this training style is three fold - One, I think that it is good that an American style of training is being promoted. Two, this style was developed by men's volleyball coaches and thus tends to be a bit more applicable to the men's game (yet, it will continue to expand into the women's game as various techniques cross over with the physical development of female players). Three, this is a business enterprise that makes a lot of money because they market, promote and price this knowledge aggressively.
As for the number of college programs that train with the GMS ideas, I would hazard to say it is rather small. I believe a greater number of club programs would be using this philosophy than college. Gold Medal Squared is a newer philosophy that is on the higher end of skill development, so many of the current college coaches would not have played under this style. As current players become college coaches, one would expect the GMS system to gain a larger audience.
With regards to recruiting, I would not think it matters too much what philosophy a player was trained under, but rather what are the physical skills, personality traits, etc. that a player currently possesses. Sure, there are times that certain training may drop a player a bit on a ranking - For instance, I do not agree with the Asian style of passing as taught by USA Women's volleyball, but I do appreciate the footwork patterns used.
In terms of training for volleyball, two items come to play for me - One, it must be a safe training environment. I have seen some coaches doing really dumb drills where it is just a matter of time until someone gets hurt. Two, a coach should develop and adhere to a certain training philosophy. Players need consistency and if changes are made they should be small adjustments, not bouncing between styles based on the latest clinic the coach attended.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Question about a Player's Attitude
Coach-I have a high school player who has some college coaches looking at her. The thing holding her back I fear is her attitude. She is not negative towards teammates, but herself. She becomes visibly frustrated. It’s very obvious and as a team leader affects the moral on the entire court. Any advice or help you could offer?? Concerned Parent
This is always a tough situation for college coaches to evaluate in Prospective Student-Athletes. As you indicate, the player (by the sound of your e-mail, it may not be your daughter) does not react negatively towards others, but her negativity towards herself is affecting the moral of her team mates.
The honest answer is that this negativism will only hurt her standing within the evaluation's of college coaches. It is not as detrimental as a PSA who is overtly negative towards team mates, but her self criticism does have a poor impact upon those she may be trying to lead.
The most important lesson I had to learn when I became a head coach was the importance of effective recruiting. I believe young coaches fall prey to their egos with regards to skill training and team development - we feel we can 'train' any player into being an all conference selection. When I matured beyond this mindset, I became more effective in evaluating physical talent and trying to determine what was ability and what was potential which statistically would not be reached.
Another mistake that I made, as many other young coaches make, is believing you can change players attitudes or demeanors. It was only with experience that I came to find that a coach cannot 'undo' 18 years of learned behavior. Some coaches may be able change attitudes, but it is usually because the system or program is so dominant that players have to change to survive - but even then, I have been aware of top flight teams that were hurt for a season or two because a couple of players had this type of negativity.
My recruiting process has evolved to the point where I stay away from potential - I had a coach in a sport other than volleyball tell me that when someone says you have potential, what they are really saying is that you are not working hard enough to be the best you can be. I would rather have a 5'9" outside hitter that is complete in her skill sets, than the 6'0" outside hitter who has tons of potential. I guess it is that old analogy that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
I may spend more time evaluating a PSA's personality, than physical talent. Physical talent is easier to quickly rate, but what is between a PSA's ears is the difference between a good volleyball team and a team that has issues. For instance, I would not recruit the player referenced above simple because it would take too much time to manage this situation and pull my attention away from other members of the program.
The teams that I have enjoyed coaching the most, were those that had compatible personalities, understood the importance of accepting each others little quirks and idiosyncrasies, and believed in the value of working hard to make a good season both in terms of wins and satisfaction.
With this player mentioned in the Question - I would suggest a few things.
1. Volleyball players must have severe short term memory. If you make a bad play, know why you made it, try not to make it again, then forget about that play. Holding on to bad plays has no place in sports, especially rally score volleyball games to 25.
2. Film her during practice or matches - Sometimes it takes the critical eye of the camera to show a player how they look to everyone else. Matches that have been on television, I will cringe because I can see vivid illustrations of my shortcomings as a coach while I portray myself to my team and officials. It can be very humbling to see what one actually appears like to others.
3. Directly tell her that every time she acts out about something, it just reduces her rating with regards to potential college programs. College coaches are paid to evaluate PSA's and a player who has a negative slant, will not be as attractive - she simply is hurting her future.
4. Ultimately, it is a very selfish act to beat yourself up about your play. It is focused only on yourself, it does not make you better and it distracts and disrupts the focus of the team. Volleyball is not a selfish sport, in fact, I feel it is the most intensive team sport because you can't catch the ball.
Unless this player has an epiphany, I don't see behaviors like this changing until a coach or program takes away what she most values - playing volleyball. It is much like a child - every time she throws a fit, take away volleyball. She acts out in a practice, then she should shag balls for the rest of the day. She goes off in a match, then she is done for the day. Tough love is tough, but it will be best for the team and for her as player.
Good luck and it is not an easy fix.
This is always a tough situation for college coaches to evaluate in Prospective Student-Athletes. As you indicate, the player (by the sound of your e-mail, it may not be your daughter) does not react negatively towards others, but her negativity towards herself is affecting the moral of her team mates.
The honest answer is that this negativism will only hurt her standing within the evaluation's of college coaches. It is not as detrimental as a PSA who is overtly negative towards team mates, but her self criticism does have a poor impact upon those she may be trying to lead.
The most important lesson I had to learn when I became a head coach was the importance of effective recruiting. I believe young coaches fall prey to their egos with regards to skill training and team development - we feel we can 'train' any player into being an all conference selection. When I matured beyond this mindset, I became more effective in evaluating physical talent and trying to determine what was ability and what was potential which statistically would not be reached.
Another mistake that I made, as many other young coaches make, is believing you can change players attitudes or demeanors. It was only with experience that I came to find that a coach cannot 'undo' 18 years of learned behavior. Some coaches may be able change attitudes, but it is usually because the system or program is so dominant that players have to change to survive - but even then, I have been aware of top flight teams that were hurt for a season or two because a couple of players had this type of negativity.
My recruiting process has evolved to the point where I stay away from potential - I had a coach in a sport other than volleyball tell me that when someone says you have potential, what they are really saying is that you are not working hard enough to be the best you can be. I would rather have a 5'9" outside hitter that is complete in her skill sets, than the 6'0" outside hitter who has tons of potential. I guess it is that old analogy that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
I may spend more time evaluating a PSA's personality, than physical talent. Physical talent is easier to quickly rate, but what is between a PSA's ears is the difference between a good volleyball team and a team that has issues. For instance, I would not recruit the player referenced above simple because it would take too much time to manage this situation and pull my attention away from other members of the program.
The teams that I have enjoyed coaching the most, were those that had compatible personalities, understood the importance of accepting each others little quirks and idiosyncrasies, and believed in the value of working hard to make a good season both in terms of wins and satisfaction.
With this player mentioned in the Question - I would suggest a few things.
1. Volleyball players must have severe short term memory. If you make a bad play, know why you made it, try not to make it again, then forget about that play. Holding on to bad plays has no place in sports, especially rally score volleyball games to 25.
2. Film her during practice or matches - Sometimes it takes the critical eye of the camera to show a player how they look to everyone else. Matches that have been on television, I will cringe because I can see vivid illustrations of my shortcomings as a coach while I portray myself to my team and officials. It can be very humbling to see what one actually appears like to others.
3. Directly tell her that every time she acts out about something, it just reduces her rating with regards to potential college programs. College coaches are paid to evaluate PSA's and a player who has a negative slant, will not be as attractive - she simply is hurting her future.
4. Ultimately, it is a very selfish act to beat yourself up about your play. It is focused only on yourself, it does not make you better and it distracts and disrupts the focus of the team. Volleyball is not a selfish sport, in fact, I feel it is the most intensive team sport because you can't catch the ball.
Unless this player has an epiphany, I don't see behaviors like this changing until a coach or program takes away what she most values - playing volleyball. It is much like a child - every time she throws a fit, take away volleyball. She acts out in a practice, then she should shag balls for the rest of the day. She goes off in a match, then she is done for the day. Tough love is tough, but it will be best for the team and for her as player.
Good luck and it is not an easy fix.
Friday, October 3, 2008
NCAA Rules Question
One of our readers has a good question with regards to contact at a match/tournament and the NCAA rules:
I just stumbled across your interesting website as I was looking for information due to an incident that occurred this past weekend. My daughter is a junior and her coach was approached by a college coach who observed her play at a local tournament. He said that he can't talk to her directly, but can keep in contact with her coach. He also inquired whether she was playing club in 2009 (yes, she will be) and inquired about her grades and overall attitude. My questions are: 1. why can't he speak with her (or us) directly; 2. does this mean she might be appealing to other coaches and 3. what do we do next? Ours is a relatively young program, and the only person who has gone on to play college volleyball is a student that graduated last year who is currently playing on a Division One team. Thank you, Ellen
The NCAA rules logic can sometimes can be difficult to understand, even for college coaches, but this is one rule that is a good one - Contact at a match or tournament.
To paraphrase, it is against NCAA rules for a college coach to have any verbal or written contact (no passing notes, this actually listed in the rule book) with a Prospective Student Athlete during the course of a tournament. Remember that the NCAA definition of a Prospective Student Athlete or PSA is any student-athlete that has started 9th grade. For parents of a high school Junior PSA, this rule extends to them also. For Parents of a Senior PSA, a coach may have contact with the parents, but it would count towards certain countable Contact limitations set for in the NCAA manual. The only occasion that a coach may verbally interact with a PSA at the conclusion of a tournament is after July 1st of the summer before and during the PSA's Senior year of high school
To specifically answer your questions:
1. He can't speak with you or your daughter directly because your daughter is a Junior in high school, so this is against the NCAA rules. The college coach can speak with your daughter's coach as many times as he wishes.
But, the college coach can have contact with your daughter via e-mail and letters. The NCAA rules say that written contact (letters, faxes and e-mails) can occur after September 1st of a PSA's Junior year in high school and they can be unlimited in number. This "unlimited in number" statement is why Text Messages are not allowed at any time between coach and PSA, simply because TM's can occur so frequently and a top flight PSA would get hundreds of Texts a day.
2. I would think that if a college coach has taken the time to approach the high school coach to inquire about your daughter, that other college coaches would also be interested. The key is to determine what level of program the college coach runs before trying extrapolate this interest upon other coaches. For example, it is a Junior College coach, then maybe Division I top 25 programs may not fall into the possibly interested category. But, if it was a mid-level Division I team, then this could be extended to a significant number of other schools.
3. What you do next, is what you should do if no college coach had approached your daughter's high school coach. This means you should ask your daughter is she would like to play college volleyball. If she says yes, then I suggest you read my Recruiting Plan posts where I have tried to list a year by year outline of taking an active role in the recruiting process.
Don't worry about how young or old or strong or weak the high school program is - college coaches look at individuals and try to project this PSA's ability to positively impact their own program.
The interest of a college coach, while it sounds like it has opened your family's eyes to a new future, should really be incidental. The focus, if your daughter wants to play volleyball in college, is to engage in a process that gets information about your daughter out to schools that she finds attractive from an academic, athletic, geographic, campus size, student population, etc. standpoint.
As I write about within the many recruiting labels, one of the most important things that a parent can do, is immediately try and get an honest evaluation about the skill level of your daughter with regards to college ability. If she is an elite level player with upper Division I potential, then this is the type of program she should be marketing herself towards. Conversely, if she is a mid-level Division II type of player, then do not expend energy contacting mid-major Division I programs and risk making the process an exercise in frustration.
I sincerely hope that your daughter feels great about the compliment of having a college volleyball coach interested in her volleyball abilities - there are many, many high school volleyball players that will never experience what your daughter just did.
Good luck and stay active within the process - Good things will come of it.
I just stumbled across your interesting website as I was looking for information due to an incident that occurred this past weekend. My daughter is a junior and her coach was approached by a college coach who observed her play at a local tournament. He said that he can't talk to her directly, but can keep in contact with her coach. He also inquired whether she was playing club in 2009 (yes, she will be) and inquired about her grades and overall attitude. My questions are: 1. why can't he speak with her (or us) directly; 2. does this mean she might be appealing to other coaches and 3. what do we do next? Ours is a relatively young program, and the only person who has gone on to play college volleyball is a student that graduated last year who is currently playing on a Division One team. Thank you, Ellen
The NCAA rules logic can sometimes can be difficult to understand, even for college coaches, but this is one rule that is a good one - Contact at a match or tournament.
To paraphrase, it is against NCAA rules for a college coach to have any verbal or written contact (no passing notes, this actually listed in the rule book) with a Prospective Student Athlete during the course of a tournament. Remember that the NCAA definition of a Prospective Student Athlete or PSA is any student-athlete that has started 9th grade. For parents of a high school Junior PSA, this rule extends to them also. For Parents of a Senior PSA, a coach may have contact with the parents, but it would count towards certain countable Contact limitations set for in the NCAA manual. The only occasion that a coach may verbally interact with a PSA at the conclusion of a tournament is after July 1st of the summer before and during the PSA's Senior year of high school
To specifically answer your questions:
1. He can't speak with you or your daughter directly because your daughter is a Junior in high school, so this is against the NCAA rules. The college coach can speak with your daughter's coach as many times as he wishes.
But, the college coach can have contact with your daughter via e-mail and letters. The NCAA rules say that written contact (letters, faxes and e-mails) can occur after September 1st of a PSA's Junior year in high school and they can be unlimited in number. This "unlimited in number" statement is why Text Messages are not allowed at any time between coach and PSA, simply because TM's can occur so frequently and a top flight PSA would get hundreds of Texts a day.
2. I would think that if a college coach has taken the time to approach the high school coach to inquire about your daughter, that other college coaches would also be interested. The key is to determine what level of program the college coach runs before trying extrapolate this interest upon other coaches. For example, it is a Junior College coach, then maybe Division I top 25 programs may not fall into the possibly interested category. But, if it was a mid-level Division I team, then this could be extended to a significant number of other schools.
3. What you do next, is what you should do if no college coach had approached your daughter's high school coach. This means you should ask your daughter is she would like to play college volleyball. If she says yes, then I suggest you read my Recruiting Plan posts where I have tried to list a year by year outline of taking an active role in the recruiting process.
Don't worry about how young or old or strong or weak the high school program is - college coaches look at individuals and try to project this PSA's ability to positively impact their own program.
The interest of a college coach, while it sounds like it has opened your family's eyes to a new future, should really be incidental. The focus, if your daughter wants to play volleyball in college, is to engage in a process that gets information about your daughter out to schools that she finds attractive from an academic, athletic, geographic, campus size, student population, etc. standpoint.
As I write about within the many recruiting labels, one of the most important things that a parent can do, is immediately try and get an honest evaluation about the skill level of your daughter with regards to college ability. If she is an elite level player with upper Division I potential, then this is the type of program she should be marketing herself towards. Conversely, if she is a mid-level Division II type of player, then do not expend energy contacting mid-major Division I programs and risk making the process an exercise in frustration.
I sincerely hope that your daughter feels great about the compliment of having a college volleyball coach interested in her volleyball abilities - there are many, many high school volleyball players that will never experience what your daughter just did.
Good luck and stay active within the process - Good things will come of it.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Invite Summer Volleyball Tournament Question
Here's an interesting question:
Hi Coach, my question is about this Club USA Championship in Hawaii my daughter has been invited to participate in. She has played volleyball for several years, and plays well, and has always been extremely competitive. She’s only 5’4” though, a libero, and believes because of that her volleyball career will end with high school. She has begun playing more for fun this year, although she’s still competitive, but had decided to play on a lower level Club team because her best friends don’t play Power. Then, today after practice she was given this invitation, which reads in part “Your high school coach nominated you…as a volleyball athlete with college volleyball potential” and that ”Your selection and participation in our program will be a great bonus for your portfolio”. One of her teammates attended this tournament last year and has been offered a full scholarship, but I don’t know if that is from this or her club performance or school performance, or if she sent out skills videos, but that girl is a powerful 6’ MH. I’m wondering if there is any value to attending this tournament (at a cost of $2780 plus travel) and even how much room there is in college for short players. I read somewhere on your site that if a player can pass and serve they will always have a place on the team, and my daughter can pass and serve as well as anyone I’ve seen play. I know I’m rambling here , but what I’m wondering, basically, is: Being only 5’4” is it a waste of time and money to put too much into trying to play in college, whether for scholarship or as a walk-on. Most of the college players seem to start at around 5’7” on the very short end. Do college coaches recruit from this National tournament? Or maybe the rosters lie? She is ok with playing strictly for fun and I love watching the games too, but if it’s over after high school I’d rather save the $3000, have her play club with the girls she loves and enjoy it like a 16 year old should. On the other hand, if there is a possibility of her continuing to play in college in spite of being short, or even getting scholarship $$ to play, I’d like to have that information too. Thanks, and have a great day! Jessie
I have heard of such 'invite' tournaments before, but have yet to meet an individual who went to such an event. My impression of these type of summer events, which are not affiliated with High School teams or Junior Club teams, are glorified volleyball vacations. What I find disappointing is that the organizers/promoters of such tournaments are using the lure of a college scholarship to entice participants.
A good thing to do would be to ask your high school coach if he/she actually nominated your daughter - Did they send in a nomination form, or just submit a roster of seniors? I have had a few high school coaches ask me about these summer events, because they would get a letter from the organizers asking for names of players that had college potential because this tournament they conduct would be attended by many college coaches. My answer to them is the same as to you; it is just a well thought out marketing ploy to obtain names of players, so they can 'invite' these players to such events. Honestly, I have never heard of a college volleyball coach attending these type of events - this does not mean coaches do not go watch, but I have not heard of any doing so.
You are looking at spending around $3,500.00 for your daughter to play volleyball in an exotic locale. That is a ton of money for one tournament, no matter if it was on Venus (well, maybe volleyball on another planet would be worth almost 4K!). If you have disposable funds and your daughter has never been to Hawaii, then this is something to consider. But, to view this tournament as an avenue to college support is the wrong perception.
The player you referenced, who also played in this tournament, had a number of other opportunities to be seen to garner a scholarship offer - a physical 6' middle, who played high school and club, and mailed out skills videos; these are the things that attract college coaches.
With regards to Liberos or Defensive Specialists, height is really not such a big deal - passing and defense is. When college coaches look at back row players, we want to see great passing, technically correct defensive skills and outstanding effort. I was completely serious when I wrote if you can pass and play defense, there will always be a spot.
Here is my suggestion - Your daughter needs to make a decision about playing in college or not playing in college. When you mentioned that she decided to play on a lower level club team, because her friends don't play "Power", this makes me think obtaining a spot with a college team and a possible college scholarship is not within her future goals. College coaches desire to see potential team members playing at the highest possible level, especially a back row specialist because the speed of the college game is non-replicable at the Club level and making the jump to that speed is easier if you are closer to the velocity as a player in Juniors.
If your daughter does not want to pursue college volleyball, then I encourage you to support her decision and keep volleyball fun because it will make your family dynamic more enjoyable for her remaining months in high school and Club volleyball. In addition, if she keeps volleyball in an enjoyable mental environment, this is a sport that she can play her whole life.
If your daughter wants to play college volleyball, then that $3,500.00 can be much better spent on promoting her abilities to potential programs. This could buy a bunch of skill DVD's, unofficial visits, mailing with academic and athletic information, etc. Not to mention, if your daughter finds a school and a program that she really likes and connects with, but they don't have a scholarship available (this easily happens with back row players), then $3,500 will a long ways towards funding a walk-on season to demonstrate her abilities and possibly earn a scholarship in the years to come.
Should your daughter choose to pursue college volleyball, please do read my various Recruiting Plan posts, along with the Walk-On posts. These are the game plans that I have seen work as a player and as a coach. Please remember and remind your daughter that sometimes to achieve the goal of a college roster spot and a scholarship, may require going to school a distance from home, choosing a school of a different size than she may have first wanted, exploring a different level of conference ability or division. Not everyone has the good fortune to play college volleyball within a 3 hour drive of home while being on a full scholarship and competing in a top flight conference.
Long story short - Save the money and ask your daughter what she wants and what is she prepared to do to obtain what she wants.
Good luck!
Hi Coach, my question is about this Club USA Championship in Hawaii my daughter has been invited to participate in. She has played volleyball for several years, and plays well, and has always been extremely competitive. She’s only 5’4” though, a libero, and believes because of that her volleyball career will end with high school. She has begun playing more for fun this year, although she’s still competitive, but had decided to play on a lower level Club team because her best friends don’t play Power. Then, today after practice she was given this invitation, which reads in part “Your high school coach nominated you…as a volleyball athlete with college volleyball potential” and that ”Your selection and participation in our program will be a great bonus for your portfolio”. One of her teammates attended this tournament last year and has been offered a full scholarship, but I don’t know if that is from this or her club performance or school performance, or if she sent out skills videos, but that girl is a powerful 6’ MH. I’m wondering if there is any value to attending this tournament (at a cost of $2780 plus travel) and even how much room there is in college for short players. I read somewhere on your site that if a player can pass and serve they will always have a place on the team, and my daughter can pass and serve as well as anyone I’ve seen play. I know I’m rambling here , but what I’m wondering, basically, is: Being only 5’4” is it a waste of time and money to put too much into trying to play in college, whether for scholarship or as a walk-on. Most of the college players seem to start at around 5’7” on the very short end. Do college coaches recruit from this National tournament? Or maybe the rosters lie? She is ok with playing strictly for fun and I love watching the games too, but if it’s over after high school I’d rather save the $3000, have her play club with the girls she loves and enjoy it like a 16 year old should. On the other hand, if there is a possibility of her continuing to play in college in spite of being short, or even getting scholarship $$ to play, I’d like to have that information too. Thanks, and have a great day! Jessie
I have heard of such 'invite' tournaments before, but have yet to meet an individual who went to such an event. My impression of these type of summer events, which are not affiliated with High School teams or Junior Club teams, are glorified volleyball vacations. What I find disappointing is that the organizers/promoters of such tournaments are using the lure of a college scholarship to entice participants.
A good thing to do would be to ask your high school coach if he/she actually nominated your daughter - Did they send in a nomination form, or just submit a roster of seniors? I have had a few high school coaches ask me about these summer events, because they would get a letter from the organizers asking for names of players that had college potential because this tournament they conduct would be attended by many college coaches. My answer to them is the same as to you; it is just a well thought out marketing ploy to obtain names of players, so they can 'invite' these players to such events. Honestly, I have never heard of a college volleyball coach attending these type of events - this does not mean coaches do not go watch, but I have not heard of any doing so.
You are looking at spending around $3,500.00 for your daughter to play volleyball in an exotic locale. That is a ton of money for one tournament, no matter if it was on Venus (well, maybe volleyball on another planet would be worth almost 4K!). If you have disposable funds and your daughter has never been to Hawaii, then this is something to consider. But, to view this tournament as an avenue to college support is the wrong perception.
The player you referenced, who also played in this tournament, had a number of other opportunities to be seen to garner a scholarship offer - a physical 6' middle, who played high school and club, and mailed out skills videos; these are the things that attract college coaches.
With regards to Liberos or Defensive Specialists, height is really not such a big deal - passing and defense is. When college coaches look at back row players, we want to see great passing, technically correct defensive skills and outstanding effort. I was completely serious when I wrote if you can pass and play defense, there will always be a spot.
Here is my suggestion - Your daughter needs to make a decision about playing in college or not playing in college. When you mentioned that she decided to play on a lower level club team, because her friends don't play "Power", this makes me think obtaining a spot with a college team and a possible college scholarship is not within her future goals. College coaches desire to see potential team members playing at the highest possible level, especially a back row specialist because the speed of the college game is non-replicable at the Club level and making the jump to that speed is easier if you are closer to the velocity as a player in Juniors.
If your daughter does not want to pursue college volleyball, then I encourage you to support her decision and keep volleyball fun because it will make your family dynamic more enjoyable for her remaining months in high school and Club volleyball. In addition, if she keeps volleyball in an enjoyable mental environment, this is a sport that she can play her whole life.
If your daughter wants to play college volleyball, then that $3,500.00 can be much better spent on promoting her abilities to potential programs. This could buy a bunch of skill DVD's, unofficial visits, mailing with academic and athletic information, etc. Not to mention, if your daughter finds a school and a program that she really likes and connects with, but they don't have a scholarship available (this easily happens with back row players), then $3,500 will a long ways towards funding a walk-on season to demonstrate her abilities and possibly earn a scholarship in the years to come.
Should your daughter choose to pursue college volleyball, please do read my various Recruiting Plan posts, along with the Walk-On posts. These are the game plans that I have seen work as a player and as a coach. Please remember and remind your daughter that sometimes to achieve the goal of a college roster spot and a scholarship, may require going to school a distance from home, choosing a school of a different size than she may have first wanted, exploring a different level of conference ability or division. Not everyone has the good fortune to play college volleyball within a 3 hour drive of home while being on a full scholarship and competing in a top flight conference.
Long story short - Save the money and ask your daughter what she wants and what is she prepared to do to obtain what she wants.
Good luck!
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