Freeing up some space in my mental hard drive:
Bands - Ever notice that at EVERY football, basketball and women's basketball game there is a school band? A simple as this sounds, it illustrates a very clear example of a sport having support versus a sport being nothing but an afterthought. The AD's decide if a band will play at an event, not the band director (even though this is what AD's hide behind when you ask about it). Where I played college volleyball, we had the band and it was nice - good energy, families could listen to it, reflected school spirit and pride. Now, in almost all the gyms we just listen to canned music and music that if the lyrics were printed, instead of sung, families would be heading for the parking lot ASAP. I have yet to coach at a school where the band comes to play at home matches and I have coached at probably way too many schools! Maybe one day the band will come, maybe.
New NCAA Rules - One new rule has come to pass and another is being chewed on. The new rule is that the NCAA seasons of competition clock starts after one year has elapsed from high school graduation in women's volleyball. Many folks within the biz call this the tennis rule, because this one year freebie has been in effect with tennis awhile. This is a restrictive effort by those schools which do not recruit international players to hamstring those schools that do. My concern with this rule is that it does not apply to all sports. The NCAA is creating a number of future lawsuits by having different rules for different sports - How come the basketball player is allowed time and the tennis player is not?. The reason it does not apply to all sports is because the college football and college basketball communities do not want to limit themselves in this way. Basketball recruits international, more and more each year, but they don't have this rule. How many football players take some time to figure out post high school life and use more than a year to get themselves together? It is not a high percentage, but if you were to run down the rosters of DI football programs, I believe you might find a number of players that took some time. Life does not proceed in the late teenage years along a predictable curve for many Prospective Student Athletes, but now women's volleyball players don't have the luxury of time.
The proposed rule is an adjustment in the definition of being professional. The current rule states that if you competed with other professionals, you were professional, even if you did not get paid. For example, if you are from Belgium and are a very good young female volleyball player, you might get the opportunity to suit up with the professional team of the volleyball organization for which you are playing - Suiting up and getting paid are two different things but in the current eyes of the NCAA, you are now a professional. I think that this rule adjustment is an acknowledgement that the NCAA cannot determine if an International PSA did actually receive compensation or just played. This is a tough situation that I don't envy the NCAA amateurism folks because it is hard to figure out. I know when I played on professional teams, some of the players were receiving a great salary while others were just getting gas money (all based on talent and club resources). Usually the younger players did not get paid because the club traded the experience of playing with the best players for a salary - The young players did not mind because they were usually just finishing out high school and still living with parents. The downside of this new rules interpretation (if it passes) is that any current professional player just will need to say that they did not get paid or sign a contract - And, how on earth is the NCAA going to investigate getting paid or not in the Russian professional leagues? Finally, the NCAA almost has to allow this because in one of the glaring hypocritical football/basketball orientated amateurism rules, athletes can be professional in one sport but amateur in another! You see it often in football where a player was signed to a contract, received salary and played minor league baseball for a few years, then started college and plays football (and the seasons of competition clock does not start because they have no one year rule, and since they were not playing football, they did not trigger the clock start by team competition - that is how you have 24 year old sophomores playing football).
Proposed Basketball Rules - I absolutely love the blatant and obvious efforts by the college men's basketball to just not have any oversight within their sports. I was reading something on the NCAA website (here) about NCAA Basketball proposals - Some of the highlights; 1) Mandatory Summer School for all incoming players, 2) Practice with a Coach during this mandatory summer school time, 3) Team practice to start on October 1st instead of October 15th, 4) School will pay for Official Visit Travel costs for parents, 5) Players can remain on scholarship at a school, not play, and not count towards the NCAA sport limit, if a coach leaves for another school.
So, let me rewrite the above proposals in terms of how I see them; 1) Basketball coaches get all their kids on campus to put them into summer conditioning programs and they can take a couple of throw away classes so they don't have to worry too much during the season about school, and now summer school resources will be pulled away from Olympic sports (women's volleyball) because it is now an NCAA rule that basketball players must be on summer school financial aid (not the AD's choice, it is the rule!), 2) Basketball coaches now get hands on coaching time with the players in the gym in the summer, so that there will be ZERO open gym space for volleyball because the basketball teams are practicing since it is an NCAA rule. 3) Volleyball teams will get kicked out of the gym earlier or forced to practice late night or early morning because basketball now starts on 10/1, 4) Free vacation for parents to come to the school, which means that more money will be allocated for men's basketball and since our economy is garbage, this money will be taken from Olympic Sports (women's volleyball), 5) This is the really amazing one - A new hoops coach can now force off any number of players to free up scholarships to build their version of the program. What a great proposal! Everyone wins - The coach gets the scholarships right now with no penalty, the players who got the boot stay on full scholarships and just coast through their remaining years (who cares if they wanted to keep playing basketball) and the AD's erase any guilt of being accountable and responsible towards student-athletes.
I don't know what is more amazing, that this basketball group actually proposed these things or that the NCAA is actually considering them - The way it works for football and basketball is you ask for everything and get something; basketball will get something out of these embarrassingly hypocritical proposals and women's volleyball will lose something (funding, court time, etc.)
Skills - Pass to play, pass to win. No matter how many variations of approach or offensive systems or swing blocking or forward J dig sprawl you may teach, if you don't pass, you don't win. It amazes me the amount of tape that college volleyball coaches request and break down because our sport is not complicated and is more often determined by who passes better. You can have the greatest game play to take advantage of a weakness in your opponent, but if you can't pass the ball to your setter consistently, then odds are you are going to lose.
Economy - Remember in the summer how everyone was having a meltdown about the economy and how it was going to really affect college sports? Well, now that we have made it through into the fall, I think the economic fears only fleeced the Olympic sports and took nothing, nada, zero, zilch away from the Big 3. I know our football team is still chartering everywhere and taking buses to go to the bathroom; hoops is buying enough clothing to put on fashion week in Milan and they have enough staff to ensure that each player has their personal coach. Yet, the other volleyball coaches I speak with talk about not having funding to go to conference volleyball meetings or the National Championship (by the way, EVERY basketball coach goes to their championship, every single one while volleyball is lucky to afford to send the head coach), taking 5 hour bus rides to airline hubs to save a $150.00 a ticket, gutting the spring season tourneys to have recruiting money, etc. The sky is falling mentality was a great tool for administrators to take from those which could not afford to ensure that those who have too much continue along the same path.
International Players - There usually is some type of concern, outcry, proposal about international volleyball players every few years. The reason that international volleyball players are recruited by USA schools is because they are good and they will come play for a school. I believe our elite players are as good or better than any other country's elite players, but because softball, soccer and basketball are not supported internationally like they are here in the USA, there is a larger talent pool available. Just imagine if volleyball was the only viable athletic option for females in the USA? Can you imagine the sheer number of really good volleyball players - It would be huge! That is what Brazil has, and Puerto Rico has, and France has, and the Czech Republic has, and Serbia has, etc. The reality is that if obtainable USA players were better than obtainable International players, then there would be limited international volleyball players in the NCAA.
Well, enough of me.
October 29, 2009
October 28, 2009
Volleyball Recruiting Video
Hi Coach,
I have a 5'11" junior in high school that is interested in playing in college. She has film on line available for coaches to view at their convenience, the question is how much film should be available and what specifically are the coaches looking for in regard to film? At this time we have 4 game films that can be viewed, but I am sure the coaches time is limited and to sit through any of these would be too much, especially when you have other players to review as well. Please provide guidance on what would be the best way to market her skills to the coaches.
Thank you, Angie
Any film is good, but skills videos are the best of the film.
When college coaches look at film of Prospective Student-Athletes (PSA), we are looking for very specific skill sets. With game footage, it can take quite a long time for us to see what we are looking for and there may not be enough examples of specific skill sets to provide an accurate evaluation.
I tend to discount game footage, especially high school game footage. Many times the camera angle is not good, the competition is not very strong, the team mates may not have the abilities to support the PSA correctly, how high is the net, is the setter spraying balls that day, etc.
Consider a college coach trying to evaluate a PSA's approach and armswing - If the camera is strange, it is hard to see the exact direction of the approach - if the camera distance is too far way, the picture may not be crisp enough to give an accurate impression of how fast a PSA loads her armswing. Also, there may be only 3 really good examples in an entire game film of blocking footwork or transition attack segments.
With a skills video, the PSA is in a controlled environment and able to focus completely upon the skills she is trying to show case. This focus upon each appropriate skill segment allows the college coach the opportunity to get an honest look at a player's strengths and areas which can be developed.
I believe I wrote a post on making a skills video or recruiting video - You should be able to find it in the links on the left side bar of the site. In summary, the videos I like are about 10 minutes long and are dominated by skills footage.
Volleyfolks need to remember that the video is just the lure to get a college coach to bite. You just want to entice the college recruiting mullet to come by Court #87 at the Cost to Much National Qualifier and see your daughter play. Very seldom will any coach, at any level, recruit a player just from tape (discounting desperate measures, which often can occur in the recruiting world). This means that you should not look at the video tape genre as a make or break experience; no, it is just something to say, "come watch me play at a tournament".
I would also refer you to the Recruiting Plan link on the left side bar - I feel I have provided a solid yearly game plan to get the information out to college coaches. The reality is there are many, many good volleyball players which will develop into many, many good Division I college volleyball players. If your daughter is not one of the great ones (don't worry if she is not, because there are only a few each year), then your emphasis in this stressful game of recruiting should be advertising - many good players equals many good choices for coaches and you are looking to stand out. Get her information out to college coaches.
The last thing which I must emphasize is to present your daughter to the appropriate level of college play. All too often, parents get the correct information about the accurate level of their daughter with regards to college volleyball late in the process. This is not to say that college opportunities will be gone, but it is to say the the number of opportunities may well be reduced.
For example, if a PSA is realistically suited for playing at a DI school with an RPI between 125 and 175, but the family/PSA has spent all their time contacting college programs ranked 25 to 75, by the time they come to the conclusion that it would be better to advertise to the correct range of schools, a number of these schools could not have opportunities left.
There are a couple of ways to accurately get feedback about a PSA's appropriate level; 1) If you are writing the top 75 schools and there is precious little response, even after including video, then this is an indication you need to re-set your target schools, 2) Ask for honest feedback from people who would know; club director with experience having club players receive volleyball scholarships, club coaches which may have college coaching experience, ask the college coaches where the PSA may attend camp, ask recent former players, etc.
To wrap this up into one neat UPS package - Promote to the appropriate level of college program, have skills video available on line or quickly mailed, keep an open mind to the various college options (location, size, reputation, conference, academic merits, etc.).
Good luck!
October 25, 2009
Volleyball Strength Training Question
Hello-
My daughter is currently in the 7th grade and has taken an obsession with volleyball. She started playing with an organized team less than a year ago (coached by the local varsity coach) and just finished her 7th grade season. She is currently 5'10" and is expected to grow further. (I am 6'7''; her mother 5'10")
What can I do to help her with 'off' season strength training? She has committed herself to the sport of volleyball, and her work ethic an leadership abilities should take her quite far in the sport. Any advice you could give would be most appreciated.
Excited in Missouri...........
One of the major differences in American volleyball versus international volleyball is the emphasis we place upon strength training. I know when I played internationally, our strength routines were a joke compared to what we were doing in college. I routinely augmented the team's workouts with my own strength training sessions to just stay at a certain physical level which I was accustomed to.
When international players have come into my program, they are noticeably weaker than their USA counterparts - many of them have never lifted before and if they have been exposed to the concept of strength training, it was at a basic level. Yet, these same international players tended to hit harder, be just as quick and jump just as high.
My feeling is that American football in the high schools and colleges has placed the concept of strength training for all USA athletics in the forefront of too many parent's minds at the high school level. While there are any number of high schools which enjoy first class lifting facilities, and any number of membership lifting gyms, the college athletic programs will tend to be superior to anything else. Division I volleyball programs (I know I am being a bit too selective/specific here) enjoy strength training facilities which are cavernous, filled to the rim with any type of weight lifting device/machine imaginable and then staffed with multiple strength coaches who tailor lifting routines to the sport and individual.
I provide this illustration about college lifting, because I don't agree with lifting in high school/club, especially for growing athletes. Developing general core strength through body weight lifts/exercises is good, but to start throwing plates on the rack for heavy routines is not my choice. Let the college programs build bigger strength gains after the player arrives on campus. Let the player finish growing, let her body have a recovery time from the never ending club season, let the bones and ligaments rest, let her just be a 14 year old kid without having to go lift. Believe me, when she is in college getting up at 6 a.m. to lift in the off-season, she will look back fondly at high school.
OK - Now that I have finished my rant against any type of heavy or intense lifting program until your daughter rolls through the rosy door of college athletics, let's move on to your question.
Instead of focusing on strength training for your rapidly growing 7th grader, I suggest you focus on coordination. Very seldom do college coaches look at a young player and say, "she is weak and I don't know if we should recruit her...", but we routinely say, "she is not coordinated and I don't know if we should recruit her..." Why? Again, in college athletics we have the facilities to make Governor Arnold proud, but we can't 'train' coordination when you are 18. If you are concerned about your daughter's physical strength, encourage a routine of push-ups, sit-ups, wall squats, pull ups, etc.
I must stress the importance of keeping your daughter's coordination in line with her height - she may top out at 6 foot and many inches, but if she trips over herself on slide footwork, this is wasted height. Encourage a variety of activities to help her muscles, reflexes, hand eye coordination, etc. always to be challenged.
Just playing volleyball 24/7 will help, but will also lend itself towards burnout, no matter how much volleyball Kool Aid she has consumed. There are any number of activities she can do which will help with coordination; jumping rope, cone or ladder footwork drills, playing soccer, dance class, tennis, golf, swimming, ping pong, surfing, racquet ball, etc. Just about anything you can think of which is non-contact (that is why i did not list basketball; don't want impact injuries) and physical or mental will help her. Dancing is good for the footwork patterns of playing volleyball, golf will help with mental focus and performing a key play at a key time, ping pong is all rapid hand eye coordination, swimming is good for shoulder strength, etc.
At the 7th grade level, the last thing I would suggest is to flood her world with volleyball and lifting. Keep volleyball fresh by encouraging a myriad (first time ever using this word!) of activities and over all core fitness; volleyball burnout is not a fun thing to go through as a player.
Hope my opinion helps.
Coach
If you are a strength training professional and completely and utterly disagree with what I have written, please do not e-mail me. I am not saying lifting is wrong or there are not age specific routines which can and will help any number of athletes improve their performance, I am just saying I am not comfortable with strength training at the pre-college age. Just like I am not comfortable with Habanero peppers - does not mean I don't see the value of Habanero peppers for other folks, I just am not comfortable with them!
My daughter is currently in the 7th grade and has taken an obsession with volleyball. She started playing with an organized team less than a year ago (coached by the local varsity coach) and just finished her 7th grade season. She is currently 5'10" and is expected to grow further. (I am 6'7''; her mother 5'10")
What can I do to help her with 'off' season strength training? She has committed herself to the sport of volleyball, and her work ethic an leadership abilities should take her quite far in the sport. Any advice you could give would be most appreciated.
Excited in Missouri...........
One of the major differences in American volleyball versus international volleyball is the emphasis we place upon strength training. I know when I played internationally, our strength routines were a joke compared to what we were doing in college. I routinely augmented the team's workouts with my own strength training sessions to just stay at a certain physical level which I was accustomed to.
When international players have come into my program, they are noticeably weaker than their USA counterparts - many of them have never lifted before and if they have been exposed to the concept of strength training, it was at a basic level. Yet, these same international players tended to hit harder, be just as quick and jump just as high.
My feeling is that American football in the high schools and colleges has placed the concept of strength training for all USA athletics in the forefront of too many parent's minds at the high school level. While there are any number of high schools which enjoy first class lifting facilities, and any number of membership lifting gyms, the college athletic programs will tend to be superior to anything else. Division I volleyball programs (I know I am being a bit too selective/specific here) enjoy strength training facilities which are cavernous, filled to the rim with any type of weight lifting device/machine imaginable and then staffed with multiple strength coaches who tailor lifting routines to the sport and individual.
I provide this illustration about college lifting, because I don't agree with lifting in high school/club, especially for growing athletes. Developing general core strength through body weight lifts/exercises is good, but to start throwing plates on the rack for heavy routines is not my choice. Let the college programs build bigger strength gains after the player arrives on campus. Let the player finish growing, let her body have a recovery time from the never ending club season, let the bones and ligaments rest, let her just be a 14 year old kid without having to go lift. Believe me, when she is in college getting up at 6 a.m. to lift in the off-season, she will look back fondly at high school.
OK - Now that I have finished my rant against any type of heavy or intense lifting program until your daughter rolls through the rosy door of college athletics, let's move on to your question.
Instead of focusing on strength training for your rapidly growing 7th grader, I suggest you focus on coordination. Very seldom do college coaches look at a young player and say, "she is weak and I don't know if we should recruit her...", but we routinely say, "she is not coordinated and I don't know if we should recruit her..." Why? Again, in college athletics we have the facilities to make Governor Arnold proud, but we can't 'train' coordination when you are 18. If you are concerned about your daughter's physical strength, encourage a routine of push-ups, sit-ups, wall squats, pull ups, etc.
I must stress the importance of keeping your daughter's coordination in line with her height - she may top out at 6 foot and many inches, but if she trips over herself on slide footwork, this is wasted height. Encourage a variety of activities to help her muscles, reflexes, hand eye coordination, etc. always to be challenged.
Just playing volleyball 24/7 will help, but will also lend itself towards burnout, no matter how much volleyball Kool Aid she has consumed. There are any number of activities she can do which will help with coordination; jumping rope, cone or ladder footwork drills, playing soccer, dance class, tennis, golf, swimming, ping pong, surfing, racquet ball, etc. Just about anything you can think of which is non-contact (that is why i did not list basketball; don't want impact injuries) and physical or mental will help her. Dancing is good for the footwork patterns of playing volleyball, golf will help with mental focus and performing a key play at a key time, ping pong is all rapid hand eye coordination, swimming is good for shoulder strength, etc.
At the 7th grade level, the last thing I would suggest is to flood her world with volleyball and lifting. Keep volleyball fresh by encouraging a myriad (first time ever using this word!) of activities and over all core fitness; volleyball burnout is not a fun thing to go through as a player.
Hope my opinion helps.
Coach
If you are a strength training professional and completely and utterly disagree with what I have written, please do not e-mail me. I am not saying lifting is wrong or there are not age specific routines which can and will help any number of athletes improve their performance, I am just saying I am not comfortable with strength training at the pre-college age. Just like I am not comfortable with Habanero peppers - does not mean I don't see the value of Habanero peppers for other folks, I just am not comfortable with them!
October 22, 2009
Stuck in Ojai Again!
My 2 oldest daughters are involved in club (and school) volleyball. One is a Junior in HS, the other in 8th grade. We are struggling a bit with the quality of VB Clubs in our area. The closest club to have qualified for Jr Nationals is a 2 hour drive away which makes it an unlikely choice for the upcoming season. In addition, we live in a rural area of Central California so the pool of available players is relatively small. We do play in the SCVA region of USA volleyball, but not in the top divisions. We will most likely be at the Las Vegas tournament and the SCVA Qualifier this year in addition to the region tournaments. What advice do you have for being seen by College Coaches? We are working on the skills tape and should have it done by the end of the month. We have been communicating with a handful of coaches by email as well, just not my daughter's top choice schools who have not responded to our letters and emails.
Thanks for your help - Kirsten
The situation which Kirsten described has to be somewhat common; trying to gain recruiting exposure when the family is located in an area which does not lend itself to such ready recognition by college coaches. Not everyone can live in the suburbs having quality clubs within a easy driving difference.
My first suggestion would be to review the Recruiting Plan I have on the website - I think you can find a link to the Recruiting Plan on the lower left side bar of the opening page. When I broke down the year by year suggestions, it was with an eye towards the player who does not have the college coaches knocking down their door.
Also, I suggest you view club volleyball in another light; skill development. As important as recruiting exposure is with a club volleyball program, one should also remember that club volleyball is an avenue to greatly (hopefully) improve one's playing abilities versus just competing in high school volleyball. So, even though a player's club may not be in a Power League or going off to compete in the Open division of five National Qualifiers, the club can provide very important skill improvement benefits. It is this skill improvement which will yield great benefits for a player's collegiate experience, in addition to presenting a quality image during evaluation by college coaches.
Below are some quick hit suggestions:
1. Make sure you have a video link to your skills tape from now on when contacting coaches (via e-mail); a picture is worth a thousand words. If you mail out a letter, include a DVD - all coaches will look at a DVD. More and more, we are receiving Youtube attached videos, which work just fine with an e-mail.
2. Keep shooting out e-mails to your daughter's top schools, with the video link; recruiting needs change over the course of a season. Many times a program will save a scholarship until after the season is over or it is not until the completion of the season that a coach might understand exactly what they need for next fall.
3. Contact schools out of your region which may fit your daughter's academic and athletic desires - keep an open mind to traveling out side of the comfort zone to open up possibilities. One of the critiques of California players is they are not open (on average) to exploring volleyball in the middle of the USA; on average, the California players tend to stay on the west coast, with a few jumping to the east coast.
4. Don't stress to hard - the big spring is coming up; junior year of Club volleyball. If you are in the SCVA and will be at Las Vegas, there will be many, many programs (from everywhere) looking for players - You just need to keep getting out information about your daughter so these programs will (hopefully) make the effort to see her live.
I encourage players/families to understand that college coaches work very hard to find talent. It does not matter if a player is from Super Duper City Club or Tumbleweed Plains Club - We will find the talented players.
Our jobs have been made so much easier by the advent of video camcorders and the ability to display video via the internet. Simply by sending out e-mails with a video link, families can be assured that their daughter is getting a look (sometimes a very brief look) by college coaches. The video is just the 'bait' or invite to have a college coach come watch the player in person.
Since your daughter does play in the SCVA region, even if not the elite division, she is in a location to be seen by college coaches, especially if you are able to create interest via the e-mails. There are families in worse positions because their USAVolleyball region is not well attended by recruiters.
You cannot make too much of an effort to advertise yourself. My only caution is to make this effort at the appropriate level. If you are e-mailing the top 20 teams constantly, but your talent level is for teams 125 to 175, then this is a wasted effort by you. Try to get a honest evaluation of your daughter's college ability level from folks which have experience with Division I volleyball as a player or coach.
I get contacted by high school coaches who are saying their player is at the Division I level, but the video is not even close to a Division I skill level. Too many times, the high school coach did not play high level volleyball, has not coached club or even been to a Division I volleyball match.
Experience has shown me that the talent level of the player matches the ranking of the college program. As long as the family is targeting the appropriate level of college team, then they will have positive feedback from their recruiting exposure efforts.
Families who do not live in the bigger suburban cities and don't have nationally recognized clubs, may need to promote themselves to a greater degree, but talent is beyond location.
Good luck!
Thanks for your help - Kirsten
The situation which Kirsten described has to be somewhat common; trying to gain recruiting exposure when the family is located in an area which does not lend itself to such ready recognition by college coaches. Not everyone can live in the suburbs having quality clubs within a easy driving difference.
My first suggestion would be to review the Recruiting Plan I have on the website - I think you can find a link to the Recruiting Plan on the lower left side bar of the opening page. When I broke down the year by year suggestions, it was with an eye towards the player who does not have the college coaches knocking down their door.
Also, I suggest you view club volleyball in another light; skill development. As important as recruiting exposure is with a club volleyball program, one should also remember that club volleyball is an avenue to greatly (hopefully) improve one's playing abilities versus just competing in high school volleyball. So, even though a player's club may not be in a Power League or going off to compete in the Open division of five National Qualifiers, the club can provide very important skill improvement benefits. It is this skill improvement which will yield great benefits for a player's collegiate experience, in addition to presenting a quality image during evaluation by college coaches.
Below are some quick hit suggestions:
1. Make sure you have a video link to your skills tape from now on when contacting coaches (via e-mail); a picture is worth a thousand words. If you mail out a letter, include a DVD - all coaches will look at a DVD. More and more, we are receiving Youtube attached videos, which work just fine with an e-mail.
2. Keep shooting out e-mails to your daughter's top schools, with the video link; recruiting needs change over the course of a season. Many times a program will save a scholarship until after the season is over or it is not until the completion of the season that a coach might understand exactly what they need for next fall.
3. Contact schools out of your region which may fit your daughter's academic and athletic desires - keep an open mind to traveling out side of the comfort zone to open up possibilities. One of the critiques of California players is they are not open (on average) to exploring volleyball in the middle of the USA; on average, the California players tend to stay on the west coast, with a few jumping to the east coast.
4. Don't stress to hard - the big spring is coming up; junior year of Club volleyball. If you are in the SCVA and will be at Las Vegas, there will be many, many programs (from everywhere) looking for players - You just need to keep getting out information about your daughter so these programs will (hopefully) make the effort to see her live.
I encourage players/families to understand that college coaches work very hard to find talent. It does not matter if a player is from Super Duper City Club or Tumbleweed Plains Club - We will find the talented players.
Our jobs have been made so much easier by the advent of video camcorders and the ability to display video via the internet. Simply by sending out e-mails with a video link, families can be assured that their daughter is getting a look (sometimes a very brief look) by college coaches. The video is just the 'bait' or invite to have a college coach come watch the player in person.
Since your daughter does play in the SCVA region, even if not the elite division, she is in a location to be seen by college coaches, especially if you are able to create interest via the e-mails. There are families in worse positions because their USAVolleyball region is not well attended by recruiters.
You cannot make too much of an effort to advertise yourself. My only caution is to make this effort at the appropriate level. If you are e-mailing the top 20 teams constantly, but your talent level is for teams 125 to 175, then this is a wasted effort by you. Try to get a honest evaluation of your daughter's college ability level from folks which have experience with Division I volleyball as a player or coach.
I get contacted by high school coaches who are saying their player is at the Division I level, but the video is not even close to a Division I skill level. Too many times, the high school coach did not play high level volleyball, has not coached club or even been to a Division I volleyball match.
Experience has shown me that the talent level of the player matches the ranking of the college program. As long as the family is targeting the appropriate level of college team, then they will have positive feedback from their recruiting exposure efforts.
Families who do not live in the bigger suburban cities and don't have nationally recognized clubs, may need to promote themselves to a greater degree, but talent is beyond location.
Good luck!
October 15, 2009
Volleyball Coaching for a Graduate degree!
I have recently come across your site and wanted to thank you for the valuable information and opinions. I have more of a personal question and was wondering if you could share any thoughts or advice.
I have been coaching volleyball for about 4 years now. This will be my fourth year coaching club (my first as a head coach, with a club in the Sacramento, CA area). During school season I coached as a JV head coach and varsity assistant two years ago, and this year and last I have been an assistant at an area Junior College.
My question: I would like to become a graduate assistant for a, preferably, DI school with good - very good academic standing and I was wondering what I should go about doing to try to enact this? I have spent the last few years meeting coaches and doing my best to learn and get better as a coach, but I still need some help. I know it helps who you know, and timing, and many other factors, but do you have any suggestions? Maybe there aren't many programs that budget for a graduate assistant.
Let me also say that, as of now, I'm not too interested in becoming an assistant coach in terms of career. I just really enjoy coaching and consider myself pretty intelligent and adept, and thought I could use that to my advantage and go to graduate school. Of course I want to help out a program as well, and when I'm there do whatever they needed me to do, so I'm not so selfish to think that I should be the only one gaining anything. But this should be a mutually beneficial experience. I'd love to hear back from you. Thanks again, and good work with the blog! TT
Thanks for the question and you are among a group of coaches which view a college coaching position as an avenue for educational enhancement via graduate school.
On the surface, obtaining a Graduate Assistant position seems the logical route towards getting your graduate degree by working with a college volleyball program. Yet, there are any number of 2nd Assistant and 1st Assistant positions which support graduate school efforts.
With many Division I programs, the 2nd Assistant position is a de facto Graduate Assistant position. Some schools, because of administrative protocol or funding issues, have determined it is better to have the third coaching member of a volleyball team labeled as a 2nd assistant coach. This gives the illusion that the volleyball program is supported in a better fashion, rather than just labeling the third coach as a Graduate Assistant. You can usually see the level of support granted to such a 2nd Assistant coach position by reading the job description or making inquiries of the hiring administrator. If the 2nd position is 10 months, with a tuition and fees waiver, then this is really just a Graduate Assistant.
Also, there quite a few 1st Assistant positions that trade off a lower salary for tuition waivers. In such a case, the number of classes you could take per semester may be lower because of all your volleyball duties; individuals pursuing their masters may need an extra year or two to graduate, versus a Graduate Assistant slot.
With Division II and III volleyball, there is usually just one assistant coach (on average) and the support for this one position can range from full time/full benefits to just a stipend position for 3 months of help. My belief is that a large number of DII/III assistant positions are geared towards taking graduate school classes while assisting the program. With the smaller budgets of DII/III, versus DI, many athletic departments attract assistant coaches by providing educational enticements to offset the lower salaries.
Because athletic departments are one unit of a university, graduate school opportunities are plentiful, but my not be along the traditional lines of a titled Graduate Assistant.
To answer your question - You should apply for any and all positions which look attractive per the educational merits of the institution. By your own description, you are intelligent and are focused on graduate school, as opposed to a coaching career, with your interest in assistant positions. By suggesting you apply for those positions which are advertised by institutions with quality academic reputations, I am recognizing that getting your masters from East Rutherford Tech may not fit your academic desires, so do not apply for it even though it is an entree into NCAA coaching.
By applying for all attractive positions, you are not limiting yourself before you even know the complete job description. Even if the position does not clearly spell out tuition waivers, you can visit the human resources page of a school to determine what the school policy is - This varies widely from institution to institution. Many schools will grant immediate tuition waivers to employees, while others mandate a two year employment history before a waiver. Should you be able to secure an interview, this is a topic which must be broached with the head coach. I would guess that most Head coaches would be open to assistants taking graduate school classes. Yet, unless it is a traditional Graduate Assistant position, they may wish to delay such classes until at least the first volleyball season is under your belt.
The selection process for college volleyball coaching positions, whether for a head or any level of assistant, can be hard to understand. You simply do not know what factors are in play within the athletic department or school. Do they want a certain gender? Do they not want a certain gender? Are they fully funded? Is the position shared with another unit on campus or within the Athletic Department? Are there ethnic status concerns per Human Resources? Are there regional biases in play? Is the Administration desirous of a certain conference affiliation being contained within the resume? Will an Alumni status come into play? Those of us that have been in this career for a number of years, have simply learned to shrug our shoulders when a position hire is announced which does not make sense.
I have applied for positions which I was just stunned that I did not even get a phone interview, while at other times I was stunned that I even was selected for an in-person interview. I remember one institution sending me a reject letter saying I was not qualified, when I had just accepted a job with another institution which was better rated academically and athletically!
Honestly, you just never know how things are going to play out once you shoot off the application. Other than possibly making a follow-up call to the hiring administrator or coach to determine if your application was received and/or the time frame the hiring process, it is pretty much a 'fire and forget' process.
For assistant volleyball coach listings, the main source is www.ncaa.org. All Divisions of the NCAA post opening on this site, along with any number of non-NCAA schools. Another listing source of volleyball coaching positions within four year institutions is www.naia.org, but they typically do not have a large number of spots advertised.
Because the process can be illogical, you have to be patient in your quest. You could get lucky and secure a position within a month or it may take you a few years. In the mean time, you should continue along the coaching path which you illustrated - Keep coaching club volleyball at the highest age group (makes you more attractive as an assitant coach candidate because of the recruiting ramifications) and stay with the Junior College position because this is a college coaching position which should provide some experience separation versus those candidates that do not have college coaching experience.
Good luck!
Thanks for the question and you are among a group of coaches which view a college coaching position as an avenue for educational enhancement via graduate school.
On the surface, obtaining a Graduate Assistant position seems the logical route towards getting your graduate degree by working with a college volleyball program. Yet, there are any number of 2nd Assistant and 1st Assistant positions which support graduate school efforts.
With many Division I programs, the 2nd Assistant position is a de facto Graduate Assistant position. Some schools, because of administrative protocol or funding issues, have determined it is better to have the third coaching member of a volleyball team labeled as a 2nd assistant coach. This gives the illusion that the volleyball program is supported in a better fashion, rather than just labeling the third coach as a Graduate Assistant. You can usually see the level of support granted to such a 2nd Assistant coach position by reading the job description or making inquiries of the hiring administrator. If the 2nd position is 10 months, with a tuition and fees waiver, then this is really just a Graduate Assistant.
Also, there quite a few 1st Assistant positions that trade off a lower salary for tuition waivers. In such a case, the number of classes you could take per semester may be lower because of all your volleyball duties; individuals pursuing their masters may need an extra year or two to graduate, versus a Graduate Assistant slot.
With Division II and III volleyball, there is usually just one assistant coach (on average) and the support for this one position can range from full time/full benefits to just a stipend position for 3 months of help. My belief is that a large number of DII/III assistant positions are geared towards taking graduate school classes while assisting the program. With the smaller budgets of DII/III, versus DI, many athletic departments attract assistant coaches by providing educational enticements to offset the lower salaries.
Because athletic departments are one unit of a university, graduate school opportunities are plentiful, but my not be along the traditional lines of a titled Graduate Assistant.
To answer your question - You should apply for any and all positions which look attractive per the educational merits of the institution. By your own description, you are intelligent and are focused on graduate school, as opposed to a coaching career, with your interest in assistant positions. By suggesting you apply for those positions which are advertised by institutions with quality academic reputations, I am recognizing that getting your masters from East Rutherford Tech may not fit your academic desires, so do not apply for it even though it is an entree into NCAA coaching.
By applying for all attractive positions, you are not limiting yourself before you even know the complete job description. Even if the position does not clearly spell out tuition waivers, you can visit the human resources page of a school to determine what the school policy is - This varies widely from institution to institution. Many schools will grant immediate tuition waivers to employees, while others mandate a two year employment history before a waiver. Should you be able to secure an interview, this is a topic which must be broached with the head coach. I would guess that most Head coaches would be open to assistants taking graduate school classes. Yet, unless it is a traditional Graduate Assistant position, they may wish to delay such classes until at least the first volleyball season is under your belt.
The selection process for college volleyball coaching positions, whether for a head or any level of assistant, can be hard to understand. You simply do not know what factors are in play within the athletic department or school. Do they want a certain gender? Do they not want a certain gender? Are they fully funded? Is the position shared with another unit on campus or within the Athletic Department? Are there ethnic status concerns per Human Resources? Are there regional biases in play? Is the Administration desirous of a certain conference affiliation being contained within the resume? Will an Alumni status come into play? Those of us that have been in this career for a number of years, have simply learned to shrug our shoulders when a position hire is announced which does not make sense.
I have applied for positions which I was just stunned that I did not even get a phone interview, while at other times I was stunned that I even was selected for an in-person interview. I remember one institution sending me a reject letter saying I was not qualified, when I had just accepted a job with another institution which was better rated academically and athletically!
Honestly, you just never know how things are going to play out once you shoot off the application. Other than possibly making a follow-up call to the hiring administrator or coach to determine if your application was received and/or the time frame the hiring process, it is pretty much a 'fire and forget' process.
For assistant volleyball coach listings, the main source is www.ncaa.org. All Divisions of the NCAA post opening on this site, along with any number of non-NCAA schools. Another listing source of volleyball coaching positions within four year institutions is www.naia.org, but they typically do not have a large number of spots advertised.
Because the process can be illogical, you have to be patient in your quest. You could get lucky and secure a position within a month or it may take you a few years. In the mean time, you should continue along the coaching path which you illustrated - Keep coaching club volleyball at the highest age group (makes you more attractive as an assitant coach candidate because of the recruiting ramifications) and stay with the Junior College position because this is a college coaching position which should provide some experience separation versus those candidates that do not have college coaching experience.
Good luck!
October 12, 2009
So Many Questions - So Much Time!!!
Ok, I want to make sure I don't break any rules so I will just give you a little bit of personal info. I have 2 daughters...One in 8th grade, one in 6th grade. They have taken quite a passion for VB and I had a couple of questions while they are still young. What would be your best advice to develop my daughters for potential college play? We have the opportunity to play Club VB but with the price X2 (I don't want to leave out the younger one if she enjoys it too) it's quite expensive. Do colleges look more at high school play or Club play? Also, we live in a small town w/the smallest division in Idaho. We have decided to drive them 30 mins to a charter school (Boise area) then next year to a bigger school for 1. More academic options, and 2. possibly better recruitment. (The school district we live in has no CP classes and to take one you'd have to pay $100+ for an on-line course, per semester!) They are both 3.8 or higher GPA. I should mention that both still have plenty of growing, I myself am 5'9 and husband is 6'1 so I think they will both at least be as tall as me. My 8th grader now is 5'5 w/ mostly arms and legs...lol. I've also heard that Idaho girls don't get recruited as much as California or other states regardless of the division?
So, with them being so young what should my approach be as a parent to better prepare them for their future?
Thanks! LT
LT - Thank you for your e-mail and I am still trying to digest the staccato pace of the questions. I congratulate you on taking a proactive approach to the athletic and academic future of your daughters and I strongly encourage you to not get too far ahead of the process.
I am going to break down your e-mail into a number of parts, as to be able to answer and hopefully provide some direction.
Well, I hope that helped some and I more than anything hope you can enjoy this wonderful time in your daughter's lives while they play the greatest sport invented with a ball.
LT - Thank you for your e-mail and I am still trying to digest the staccato pace of the questions. I congratulate you on taking a proactive approach to the athletic and academic future of your daughters and I strongly encourage you to not get too far ahead of the process.
I am going to break down your e-mail into a number of parts, as to be able to answer and hopefully provide some direction.
- What would be your best advice to develop my daughters for potential college play? Encourage an environment which emphases correct techniques, yet allows for learning play. A rather not simple answer I have provided! OK, I will be more specific. Since your daughters are 6th and 8th grade, they are young in the great scheme of volleyball. Because of all the camps I do, along with the recruiting tournaments I attend, you can always see the high school players which have great athleticism, a positive attitude and the ability to physically work hard, but they look to not have received good skill instruction at a young age - Their footwork is backward, they are not comfortable playing defense, they cannot manage their passing platform as well as one would like. There is a tremendous amount of motor memory or muscle memory with regards to volleyball and having those patterns correctly established at a young age can create a higher level of play in later years. Yet, we want to make sure that young players also have the opportunity to participate in a more organic or free environment by just playing volleyball. There are any number of situations or nuances that can only be learned and experienced in actually just playing the game of volleyball (either full team or 2 on 2, 3 on 3, etc.). Next step? Combination of school and club volleyball. By and large, club volleyball is a higher level play/training and may offer more choices for picking the type and quality of volleyball teaching. Take time to go visit practices of potential clubs and schools; your eyes will tell you the truth. Is is skill oriented or just play? Does the coach teach passing or just tell them to pass? Lastly, I would encourage you to keep your daughters active in other sports because there are definite benefits to playing other sports. For instance, swimmers tend to have strong shoulder muscles, dancers and soccer players seem to adapt to the footwork demands of volleyball easier, softball players can develop good off-shoulder/foot movement which translates to a powerful attack, etc.
- We have the opportunity to play Club VB but with the price X2 (I don't want to leave out the younger one if she enjoys it too) it's quite expensive. That is one of the negatives to the club volleyball model for skill improvement - cost. Many families could potentially pay for their child's college education by investing that club money into a bank account or stock market account (well, given the financial meltdown of last year, maybe in the cookie jar is a better spot to stash the cash!). To ease the pain a bit, many clubs will offer a second child discount and a few of the clubs have 'scholarship' or need based opportunities to offset the costs.
- Do colleges look more at high school play or Club play? Club by an overwhelmingly huge margin. As I had written about in a recent post, the majority of college programs just don't have the fall season time and staffing to recruit the high school arena. On the occasion when a college coach is at a high school event, it is because the player is well established with regards that college's recruiting efforts.
- Also, we live in a small town w/the smallest division in Idaho. We have decided to drive them 30 mins to a charter school (Boise area) then next year to a bigger school for 1. More academic options, and 2. possibly better recruitment. (The school district we live in has no CP classes and to take one you'd have to pay $100+ for an on-line course, per semester!) They are both 3.8 or higher GPA. I wanted to make a comment on how this may or may not relate to the volleyball future of your daughters (I will purposefully ignore the obvious benefits of putting your daughters into a better learning environment for their academic interests and intellect). NCAA Division I athletics has a sliding scale of qualification which lends itself to ensuring admittance of a broad range of academic abilities. The last thing the NCAA wants is for some star football running back or the next Micheal Jordan of basketball not to get into NCAA Division I athletics because they did not score well on their SAT/ACT. Regardless of all the NCAA propaganda which is annually disseminated, Division I football and men's basketball is all about generating revenue for the association, conferences and member schools. How this affects Division I volleyball is that there really is no direct admissions benefit for achieving a 1200 instead of a 1000 on the SAT or grinding out a 3.8 versus 3.3 gpa. For Division II and III, there is a significant benefit to those additional academic achievements because of the awarding of scholarship monies based on academic performance. I mention this because as your daughters mature, you may wish to revisit the emphasis you place on academics based upon what level of NCAA play best suits them.
- I should mention that both still have plenty of growing, I myself am 5'9 and husband is 6'1 so I think they will both at least be as tall as me. My 8th grader now is 5'5 w/ mostly arms and legs...lol. But, how tall are Grandpa and Grandma? Height can be a tough thing to calculate, yet you would think that 5'10'ish is achievable. With that being said, volleyball is moving up the height charts at such a rapid pace that 5'10 is not that tall for Division I volleyball now, much less 5 years from now. Again, these things can affect what NCAA level is the best fit for your daughter. In general, the less "I's" after the NCAA, the taller the player must be.
- I've also heard that Idaho girls don't get recruited as much as California or other states regardless of the division? Well, California girls get recruited more than just about any other state's girls (maybe the Beach Boys song was actually written by club volleyball parents from another state?). On average, there are three dominant recruiting areas in the USA - California, the Great Lakes region and Texas. Again, this is on average because there are other states (Utah, Florida, Arizona, etc.) which produce tremendous volleyball players, but California holds a certain reputation for having high quality volleyball recruits. This is one of the reasons that Long Beach State, Cal Poly, San Diego, Pepperdine, etc. enjoy great success year in and year out - Lots of good volleyball players to recruit in the state. But, college coaches are paid to find good volleyball players and they/we do a good job of finding talent in whatever state a player may call home. I encourage parents/players to help us (help us help you!) by getting out information and video, especially if you happen to be from a state which is not synonymous for high school or club volleyball.
- So, with them being so young what should my approach be as a parent to better prepare them for their future? Lots of leafy greens and stay away from reality television. With regards to volleyball? Try to find the volleyball environment which combines technique, with play. If the idea of playing in college is broached by your daughters, please keep it positive and light; no kid ever needs the parental pressure of college volleyball expectations placed upon them. Encourage them to play other sports. Take them to college volleyball matches - This is a great chance for them to see what college volleyball looks like, for them to mentally take college volleyball out for a ride to see how it feels, to see what tall athletic female volleyball players look like, etc. I would also encourage you to read my Recruiting Plan once they get into high school, but you are not allowed to click that link until your daughter is at Christmas of her Freshman year - think of it as my present to you (and before anyone asks my identity, I am not Santa Claus).
Well, I hope that helped some and I more than anything hope you can enjoy this wonderful time in your daughter's lives while they play the greatest sport invented with a ball.
October 8, 2009
Here I Am!!!
I'm trying to find the best way for my daughter to be seen by recruiters.
She is a rising junior and plays high school in Los Angeles.
She is only 5'8 and plays outside and has been playing for only 3 years.
She would like to play in college. I would say her talent level in DII or
lower DI. This year the varsity coach says she had ready improved but she
would hardly play if she was on the varsity so she he started the season on
JV and told she will be going between both team. I don't like it but what
can I do. M has a real passion for volleyball and is a hard worker.
She also is very athletic. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks
Mark
When I read your e-mail, a few things immediately came to mind:
1. Don't stress out about being on Varsity or not being on Varsity with regards to the recruiting arena. Remember that this time of year is also the college volleyball season. We are so busy with our season business, that getting out to watch high school matches is tough (relatively few programs have full staffs and a director of operations, which would lend itself to seeing high school teams play on a regular basis).
2. California high schools, especially southern California (I deleted the high school name for privacy reasons in the e-mail from Mark) high schools, enjoy a very high level volleyball ability. I believe this is a result of volleyball being supported by the general sports community, the coaches tend to be former players with a solid base of experience in techniques and systems, and so many of the players also participate in Junior Club volleyball. This all translates into a good volleyball learning environment for your daughter to improve her skills.
3. By your e-mail, there is no mention of Junior Club volleyball. Junior Club volleyball is the dominant avenue towards obtaining a college playing opportunity. Club tournaments are the venue at which college coaches find Prospective Student Athletes (PSA's) and then evaluate the PSA's with a view towards the future. In addition to Junior Club volleyball being the venue for exposure for college coaches, Junior Clubs are the next level up of playing ability from high school; it is here that you will find the better athletes, possibly more experienced coaches, dedicated facilities, higher percentage of players at an elevated ability level (when compared to high school teams) and fashionable head bands.
OK - With that out of the way, some advice to get your daughter in front of those oh so attractive
1. Join a Junior Club volleyball team - RIGHT NOW is when you should be contacting club programs with inquiries about openings. The timeline has really changed from year's past - Now "try-outs" are invites and they happen exactly 8 hours after the USA Junior National Championship (exaggeration, but not by much) are done. The reality is you are probably late on getting in with any number of club teams, but that does not mean there are not opportunities, you just need to get on it.
2. Read the Recruiting Plan posts on the site - They are located on the link list on the left side of the page. On the Recruiting Plan, I have broken it down into each year of high school. I won't promise you it is the yellow brick road to college, but rather what I have experienced as a coach over the years of recruiting. Basically, it is a plan to get your daughter's information out to as many applicable colleges as possible, in a format we can digest.
Overall, I think you have some positives being in southern California and your daughter's athleticism combined with her ability upside since she has only 3 year's experience. The biggest challenge is the apparent lack of Junior Club volleyball participation.
Good luck!
She is a rising junior and plays high school in Los Angeles.
She is only 5'8 and plays outside and has been playing for only 3 years.
She would like to play in college. I would say her talent level in DII or
lower DI. This year the varsity coach says she had ready improved but she
would hardly play if she was on the varsity so she he started the season on
JV and told she will be going between both team. I don't like it but what
can I do. M has a real passion for volleyball and is a hard worker.
She also is very athletic. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks
Mark
When I read your e-mail, a few things immediately came to mind:
1. Don't stress out about being on Varsity or not being on Varsity with regards to the recruiting arena. Remember that this time of year is also the college volleyball season. We are so busy with our season business, that getting out to watch high school matches is tough (relatively few programs have full staffs and a director of operations, which would lend itself to seeing high school teams play on a regular basis).
2. California high schools, especially southern California (I deleted the high school name for privacy reasons in the e-mail from Mark) high schools, enjoy a very high level volleyball ability. I believe this is a result of volleyball being supported by the general sports community, the coaches tend to be former players with a solid base of experience in techniques and systems, and so many of the players also participate in Junior Club volleyball. This all translates into a good volleyball learning environment for your daughter to improve her skills.
3. By your e-mail, there is no mention of Junior Club volleyball. Junior Club volleyball is the dominant avenue towards obtaining a college playing opportunity. Club tournaments are the venue at which college coaches find Prospective Student Athletes (PSA's) and then evaluate the PSA's with a view towards the future. In addition to Junior Club volleyball being the venue for exposure for college coaches, Junior Clubs are the next level up of playing ability from high school; it is here that you will find the better athletes, possibly more experienced coaches, dedicated facilities, higher percentage of players at an elevated ability level (when compared to high school teams) and fashionable head bands.
OK - With that out of the way, some advice to get your daughter in front of those oh so attractive
1. Join a Junior Club volleyball team - RIGHT NOW is when you should be contacting club programs with inquiries about openings. The timeline has really changed from year's past - Now "try-outs" are invites and they happen exactly 8 hours after the USA Junior National Championship (exaggeration, but not by much) are done. The reality is you are probably late on getting in with any number of club teams, but that does not mean there are not opportunities, you just need to get on it.
2. Read the Recruiting Plan posts on the site - They are located on the link list on the left side of the page. On the Recruiting Plan, I have broken it down into each year of high school. I won't promise you it is the yellow brick road to college, but rather what I have experienced as a coach over the years of recruiting. Basically, it is a plan to get your daughter's information out to as many applicable colleges as possible, in a format we can digest.
Overall, I think you have some positives being in southern California and your daughter's athleticism combined with her ability upside since she has only 3 year's experience. The biggest challenge is the apparent lack of Junior Club volleyball participation.
Good luck!
October 5, 2009
Smile - It's Volleyball!
Some reader e-mails about Volleyball moments which make them smile.
When the very young Junior Club Volleyball player's knee pads are wider than their knees - The Coach
A young lady had gone to a volleyball match to watch her friend play. It was quite a spirited match with great defensive saves on each side of the net. After the match the young lady, who was not well versed in volleyball terminology, said "Wow, that girl in the different colored jersey, she is a great libido." - Richard
In a junior high game, a front row player on my daughter's team was bopped on the head by the set ball. It flew over the net and hit the floor for a point. The crowd (about 20 people) went wild. It was hysterical and we still talk about it five years later - Ellen
The thing that makes me smile the most about volleyball is that my 16 year old daughter loves playing so much that she is always smiling when she is playing (and always has since starting 4 years ago)! In fact she wants to play in college (like so many), but not to earn a scholarship or to satisfy a parental expectation, or to pay back our club investment. She wants to play in college because she wants to play, period! - Layne
Watching the quietest, smallest, and nearly shyest girl on our U12 team play for her first season. The first month, she's trying hard, but just can't move her feet, and jumps away when she gets close to someone else. By mid-season she's setting and so aggressive to help her team that she just about took out the score table chasing a bad pass--she still put up a great set to middle for a point. Everyone was screaming! (Yes, we were right beside her yelling to stop, but she was too focused to care.) She still went shy sometimes, and stopped in a panic if someone yells "table" or "wall"; but the change when she goes all out in game mode is amazing. - Nathan
When my daughter comes running off the court after the match---to give me a big hug. It doesn’t happen all that often these days, but it did the other day and I smiled the rest of the day. It reminds me---even though she’s 6’1 and weighs more than I---she’s still a little girl and wants/needs my love and support. - Stacy
To me "The Smile" is when you've been working so hard to get a player to understand or correct a problem she is having....and after such a long and sometimes frustrating struggle she finally "gets it" and gives you "The Smile". After that you've earned her trust and respect. Now you can really coach her. These moments can be better than any big win. - Adrian
A player is standing on the end line for serve receive. The player's main job is to tell the teammates if the ball is "in" or "out". The serve is looking way out, the player screams "OUT" and the ball hits them in the chest. Makes me smile every time. - James
When the very young Junior Club Volleyball player's knee pads are wider than their knees - The Coach
A young lady had gone to a volleyball match to watch her friend play. It was quite a spirited match with great defensive saves on each side of the net. After the match the young lady, who was not well versed in volleyball terminology, said "Wow, that girl in the different colored jersey, she is a great libido." - Richard
In a junior high game, a front row player on my daughter's team was bopped on the head by the set ball. It flew over the net and hit the floor for a point. The crowd (about 20 people) went wild. It was hysterical and we still talk about it five years later - Ellen
The thing that makes me smile the most about volleyball is that my 16 year old daughter loves playing so much that she is always smiling when she is playing (and always has since starting 4 years ago)! In fact she wants to play in college (like so many), but not to earn a scholarship or to satisfy a parental expectation, or to pay back our club investment. She wants to play in college because she wants to play, period! - Layne
Watching the quietest, smallest, and nearly shyest girl on our U12 team play for her first season. The first month, she's trying hard, but just can't move her feet, and jumps away when she gets close to someone else. By mid-season she's setting and so aggressive to help her team that she just about took out the score table chasing a bad pass--she still put up a great set to middle for a point. Everyone was screaming! (Yes, we were right beside her yelling to stop, but she was too focused to care.) She still went shy sometimes, and stopped in a panic if someone yells "table" or "wall"; but the change when she goes all out in game mode is amazing. - Nathan
When my daughter comes running off the court after the match---to give me a big hug. It doesn’t happen all that often these days, but it did the other day and I smiled the rest of the day. It reminds me---even though she’s 6’1 and weighs more than I---she’s still a little girl and wants/needs my love and support. - Stacy
To me "The Smile" is when you've been working so hard to get a player to understand or correct a problem she is having....and after such a long and sometimes frustrating struggle she finally "gets it" and gives you "The Smile". After that you've earned her trust and respect. Now you can really coach her. These moments can be better than any big win. - Adrian
A player is standing on the end line for serve receive. The player's main job is to tell the teammates if the ball is "in" or "out". The serve is looking way out, the player screams "OUT" and the ball hits them in the chest. Makes me smile every time. - James
October 2, 2009
Send some Sunshine!
Readers - Thought I would provide a forum for volleyfolks to submit something that makes you smile about college volleyball or volleyball for that matter. One of the things which I tend to get caught up in my job is the politics and/or reality of collegiate athletics (which rarely makes me smile) - almost a situation where you can't see the forest for all the trees.
One of the ways I try to get my positive perspective back is to remember things from my playing days or funny situations with my teams as a coach. In the end, it is a wonderful game to play and coach; and, as a way to earn a living, it is much better than so many other options!
For instance, I always smile when I see the very young junior volleyball club players whose knee pads are wider than their legs! How do they stay up?
So, to this end, I encourage you to e-mail me with things that make you smile about volleyball - your submission can be two words or twenty paragraphs! I will compile any e-mails and post them in a few days!
Smiling is a good thing.
One of the ways I try to get my positive perspective back is to remember things from my playing days or funny situations with my teams as a coach. In the end, it is a wonderful game to play and coach; and, as a way to earn a living, it is much better than so many other options!
For instance, I always smile when I see the very young junior volleyball club players whose knee pads are wider than their legs! How do they stay up?
So, to this end, I encourage you to e-mail me with things that make you smile about volleyball - your submission can be two words or twenty paragraphs! I will compile any e-mails and post them in a few days!
Smiling is a good thing.
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