Saturday, April 16, 2016
Example Profile (385)
After you have sent an introduction letter to a college coach they might want to know a little bit more about you, and learn what experiences you have had with volleyball in your past and any cool awards you have been given. It is very helpful to make a "Profile" of yourself just to keep all of your successes organized and so you can get back to the coaches that are interested quickly. This shows a college coach a little more about you that is easily accessible to them. This will help the coaches get a quick look at you so they can see if they are interested by things like your academic achievements, athletic achievements, height, reach, video, etc.
Here is what an example profile might look like:
First Last name
Height:
Weight:
Approach:
Standing reach:
Position
High school name
class of _____
Academic achievements:
GPA:
ACT or SAT Scores:
Hudl Link: (Insert link to Hudl)
YouTube Link: (Insert link to YouTube)
Junior Year accomplishments:
EX:
Metro Sports Highlight Player of the Week
Summer before junior year
EX:
Selected to play in the High Performance Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma with the Iowa Girls Youth National team
Selected through USAV HP to go to the A3 training camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Earned a bid in the Great Plains Open in Omaha to the USAV Junior Beach Tour Championships in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Earned a silver medal in the High Performance in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Sophomore Year accomplishments:
EX:
Selected to play in the High Performance Championships in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with the Iowa Girls Youth National team
5-1 setter for Club Iowa (CIA) 16 Black
5-1 setter on varsity for Kennedy high school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
1st team all Mississippi Valley conference
1st team all-metro
Varsity lettered
High Honorable Mention - Soph 79
Summary of season and athletic accomplishments. Can add quotes from coaches.
Freshman Year accomplishments:
EX:
Selected to play in the High performance Championships in Des Moines, Iowa with the Iowa Girls Select National team
Named offensive player of the year on Kennedy’s sophomore team
Competed in the GJNC in Dallas, Texas with Iowa Rockets 15-1
(Include here your contact info., your coaches contact info, and a current picture of yourself
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Fav Drills (485)
Coming up with drills to do in practices is sometimes hard because they have to involve all positions, be productive, and be fun at the same time. Some of my favorite drills are Pra-ja, Columbia, George, Baseball, WIN, and Split Court. All of these drills are fun, productive, and everyone gets a lot of touches.
Pra-ja is a game I learned at HP this year. It is definitely my favorite drill because it involves a lot of quick thinking and communication between you and your partner. Pra-ja is a 2 on 2 game with 2 balls being played at the same time. You and your partner are allowed 3 touches on each ball like normal but you can let the ball bounce in between each contact. In order to get each ball in play one partner from each side will serve one ball to the player on the other side who is not serving. After each ball is in play you play normally but you can let the ball bounce once in between each contact. If one team wins both points they stay and the other team waves through, but if both teams win one point they are both off and two new teams come on. I like this drill because it tests how well you can communicate with your teammate and it trains you to look across the net to tell your partner where he/she should attack the ball to. A hint for this drill is to never tip short. Tipping in the drill is an easy pass for the other team because the short tip will bounce up directly to a player on the other side.
Columbia is another awesome drill. Columbia is run with 4-6 players on each side of the net. The scoring and rules of a normal game apply, the only thing that is different is that every player rotates when your team attacks the ball over the net. I like this drill because you get to experience playing every position. George is similar to Columbia with 4-6 players and regular rules/scoring applies, but if you make a mistake you are out and the next person in line on your team replaces you. I like this drill because it puts pressure on you to not make a mistake. Volleyball is a game of mistakes, every point is caused by a mistake. So everyone is going to make mistakes at some point in a game but it is the team who makes the least mistakes that will come out on top. When you are playing the game George it really makes you focus on the position you are playing because if you want to stay on the court you can’t make a mistake.
These are just some of my favorite drills I have played. I hope this helps if you are looking for fun drills for a practice :)
Pra-ja is a game I learned at HP this year. It is definitely my favorite drill because it involves a lot of quick thinking and communication between you and your partner. Pra-ja is a 2 on 2 game with 2 balls being played at the same time. You and your partner are allowed 3 touches on each ball like normal but you can let the ball bounce in between each contact. In order to get each ball in play one partner from each side will serve one ball to the player on the other side who is not serving. After each ball is in play you play normally but you can let the ball bounce once in between each contact. If one team wins both points they stay and the other team waves through, but if both teams win one point they are both off and two new teams come on. I like this drill because it tests how well you can communicate with your teammate and it trains you to look across the net to tell your partner where he/she should attack the ball to. A hint for this drill is to never tip short. Tipping in the drill is an easy pass for the other team because the short tip will bounce up directly to a player on the other side.
Columbia is another awesome drill. Columbia is run with 4-6 players on each side of the net. The scoring and rules of a normal game apply, the only thing that is different is that every player rotates when your team attacks the ball over the net. I like this drill because you get to experience playing every position. George is similar to Columbia with 4-6 players and regular rules/scoring applies, but if you make a mistake you are out and the next person in line on your team replaces you. I like this drill because it puts pressure on you to not make a mistake. Volleyball is a game of mistakes, every point is caused by a mistake. So everyone is going to make mistakes at some point in a game but it is the team who makes the least mistakes that will come out on top. When you are playing the game George it really makes you focus on the position you are playing because if you want to stay on the court you can’t make a mistake.
These are just some of my favorite drills I have played. I hope this helps if you are looking for fun drills for a practice :)
Things to know (355)
Here are some things to know that apply to volleyball and I'm sure other sports as well:
Always play your hardest, you never know who is watching.
You are going to lose 5th (or 3rd) sets and it sucks. Learn from it, remember what it feels like, and move on. There will be other matches.
Be thankful for your parents who pay for everything, are supportive, and drive you all over the country so you can play the sport that you love.
NEVER give up.
Always thank your coaches, because without them you would not be the player or person that you are today.
If you want to play in college, you should start the recruiting process early. Email and call coaches at schools you are interested in and fill out recruiting questionnaires.
Pressing the call button will be the hardest thing to do when you call a college coach, but trust me it is not bad at all once you start talking to them.
Follow your dreams, no matter how big they are. If you work hard and have the confidence in yourself you can do it. Do not limit yourself.
Enjoy the moment you are in right now. You can't play volleyball forever so do not take the opportunity to play for granted.
If you make it to state or nationals be proud because you worked hard for it. So many girls dream of getting a qualifying banner or a bid, but never get that opportunity.
If you get to watch your idol play (mine is Micha Hancock) ask for a picture with them… you will regret it if you don’t.
You WILL have days where you feel like giving up or where nothing is going right. It WILL get better I promise. Every one has bad practice or game days every now and then.
Your teammates will pretty much become your family and it is awesome.
Find a friend group that is supportive of you. You will be gone a lot for tournaments and finding people that care how your team is doing and come to your games to support is awesome.
Always play your hardest, you never know who is watching.
You are going to lose 5th (or 3rd) sets and it sucks. Learn from it, remember what it feels like, and move on. There will be other matches.
Be thankful for your parents who pay for everything, are supportive, and drive you all over the country so you can play the sport that you love.
NEVER give up.
Always thank your coaches, because without them you would not be the player or person that you are today.
If you want to play in college, you should start the recruiting process early. Email and call coaches at schools you are interested in and fill out recruiting questionnaires.
Pressing the call button will be the hardest thing to do when you call a college coach, but trust me it is not bad at all once you start talking to them.
Follow your dreams, no matter how big they are. If you work hard and have the confidence in yourself you can do it. Do not limit yourself.
Enjoy the moment you are in right now. You can't play volleyball forever so do not take the opportunity to play for granted.
If you make it to state or nationals be proud because you worked hard for it. So many girls dream of getting a qualifying banner or a bid, but never get that opportunity.
If you get to watch your idol play (mine is Micha Hancock) ask for a picture with them… you will regret it if you don’t.
You WILL have days where you feel like giving up or where nothing is going right. It WILL get better I promise. Every one has bad practice or game days every now and then.
Your teammates will pretty much become your family and it is awesome.
Find a friend group that is supportive of you. You will be gone a lot for tournaments and finding people that care how your team is doing and come to your games to support is awesome.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Commitment (381)
In sports, commitment is huge. Not only are you making a serious pledge to yourself, but you’re making a promise to the team. By joining a sports team, each player and their family commit to each of the other players and their families. Not only does commitment mean caring about your work, but as part of a team, it means caring about the team’s work, as well. As explained in any tryout, it’s the expectation that each player, and their parents, maintain their commitment to their sports program. By committing to the team, you as a player are setting the team up for success. We can only be successful and each player may only succeed if we can rely upon one another to keep the commitment everyone has made.
Commitment means you knowingly and willingly give up things you want in the short-term to potentially gain something of greater value in the long-term. Sometimes we’d rather take it easy all night, but we have practice. A weekend away with friends at a water park sounds like a great time, but we have a tournament. There are many times when athletes have to give up those times with their friends and family to stay committed to the sport they love. Ultimately, committing to a team involves sacrificing fun non-school activities for what is best for the team.
Success starts with commitment. We give ourselves an opportunity to succeed if each and every player devotes themselves to the greater good of the team. Traits like hustling and a good attitude are essential to achieving your goals on and off the court or field, but without a solid base of commitment, without being fully dedicated to the team, we will not succeed.
When the season is over, you’ll look back at all of your achievements and the sacrifices you’ve made. You’ll remember the good times and the bad and all of the times you could have been doing something else, and realize it was definitely worth it. At that point, you’ll experience a distinct feeling. That feeling is called pride, and you’ll feel that because you sacrificed, you cared and most of all, you committed.
In the long run, you commit to being part of a team and became a better person for it.
Commitment means you knowingly and willingly give up things you want in the short-term to potentially gain something of greater value in the long-term. Sometimes we’d rather take it easy all night, but we have practice. A weekend away with friends at a water park sounds like a great time, but we have a tournament. There are many times when athletes have to give up those times with their friends and family to stay committed to the sport they love. Ultimately, committing to a team involves sacrificing fun non-school activities for what is best for the team.
Success starts with commitment. We give ourselves an opportunity to succeed if each and every player devotes themselves to the greater good of the team. Traits like hustling and a good attitude are essential to achieving your goals on and off the court or field, but without a solid base of commitment, without being fully dedicated to the team, we will not succeed.
When the season is over, you’ll look back at all of your achievements and the sacrifices you’ve made. You’ll remember the good times and the bad and all of the times you could have been doing something else, and realize it was definitely worth it. At that point, you’ll experience a distinct feeling. That feeling is called pride, and you’ll feel that because you sacrificed, you cared and most of all, you committed.
In the long run, you commit to being part of a team and became a better person for it.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Beach Volleyball (472)
Beach volleyball is totally different than indoor. Different rules, different strategies, and different skills to learn. Although there are different rules you have to have the same mindset to compete in either sport. In order to be successful in beach volleyball you need to know the important rules and learn some of the strategies.
The rules involved in beach are very different from indoor. The main difference is the rule about setting. In beach you are not allowed to set the ball unless it has absolutely no spin (which is pretty much impossible). You also can not open hand tip the ball like you can in indoor. The other main rule is that if you are blocking and you touch the ball you and your partner only have 2 contacts to get it back over the net, where in indoor you would have 3 contacts.
Obviously in beach volleyball you are playing in the sand and usually you are playing doubles with a partner. This leads to some strategies that can help you succeed in this awesome sport. The first tip is to either serve/ hit to the player that can’t pass or the player that is the least offensive threat. This will give you a better opportunity to score that rally. Serving and attacking to the person who is not as good at passing will most likely make their side become out of system, giving you a free ball. Serving and hitting to the person who is the least offensive threat will give you a better chance at digging their attack. If you are playing a team where both players can attack and pass decently then you can try serving in between them and that will usually get them out of system. Other strategies include blocking, going over on the second ball, and using smart shots. In beach blocking can be a little tricky and it takes a lot of practice to get used to it, but it is really fun when you stuff block someone in beach J If you and your partner decide to block, the person blocking tells the defender what part of the court he/ she is going to be blocking. The defender is then responsible for the other part of the court. For example if I was blocking the cross court shots for both hitters I would hold up 2 fingers on each hand (1 finger on each hand means I am blocking the line shots) and my partner would defend the line shots. Some smart shots in beach are a short pokey (tipping it with your knuckles) or a high roll shot to the deep corners. These shots will cause the other team to scramble for the ball and give you an easy ball back over.
Remember to stay hydrated when playing in the heat!
The rules involved in beach are very different from indoor. The main difference is the rule about setting. In beach you are not allowed to set the ball unless it has absolutely no spin (which is pretty much impossible). You also can not open hand tip the ball like you can in indoor. The other main rule is that if you are blocking and you touch the ball you and your partner only have 2 contacts to get it back over the net, where in indoor you would have 3 contacts.
Obviously in beach volleyball you are playing in the sand and usually you are playing doubles with a partner. This leads to some strategies that can help you succeed in this awesome sport. The first tip is to either serve/ hit to the player that can’t pass or the player that is the least offensive threat. This will give you a better opportunity to score that rally. Serving and attacking to the person who is not as good at passing will most likely make their side become out of system, giving you a free ball. Serving and hitting to the person who is the least offensive threat will give you a better chance at digging their attack. If you are playing a team where both players can attack and pass decently then you can try serving in between them and that will usually get them out of system. Other strategies include blocking, going over on the second ball, and using smart shots. In beach blocking can be a little tricky and it takes a lot of practice to get used to it, but it is really fun when you stuff block someone in beach J If you and your partner decide to block, the person blocking tells the defender what part of the court he/ she is going to be blocking. The defender is then responsible for the other part of the court. For example if I was blocking the cross court shots for both hitters I would hold up 2 fingers on each hand (1 finger on each hand means I am blocking the line shots) and my partner would defend the line shots. Some smart shots in beach are a short pokey (tipping it with your knuckles) or a high roll shot to the deep corners. These shots will cause the other team to scramble for the ball and give you an easy ball back over.
Remember to stay hydrated when playing in the heat!
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Importance of the ACT(428)
Most athletes that want to play sports in college seem to always focus on their skill level and if they are good enough to make a team. They worry about the facilities, coaches, teammates, ranking, and their playing time. Athletes seem to be blind to the fact, sometimes, that their grades actually matter too. In order to get into college there are some requirements you must meet, no matter how good you are at sports. One of the things that might be necessary is a high ACT score.
There are many opportunities students have to take the ACT throughout junior and senior year. There is a test date almost every month, or every other month. A student can take the ACT up to as many times as they want, but of course it is going to cost you a lot of money. This is why it is better to just do well on your first or second time taking it.
As it is important to do well on this test, because it will ultimately affect the college you choose, there are many ways you can prepare yourself. The people in charge of the ACT provide students with the option to order a book, or take online practice tests. This will help students see what they need help on and give them an idea of what the test will be like.
Preparing for the ACT can be extremely stressful, and athletes might not always have the time to prepare. This is why many students, like myself, study lightly for the first test to see what they need to work on. If my scores for the math section are low, while the science scores are high, I then know that I need to work on math a lot more than science. This will take some stress of you for the first time, but later on you will really need to dig in if you don't do well the first time.
Always remember that it is not always about if you are physically fit for the sports team at your college, but your grades need to be in tact as well. Some people even have to commit to other places simply because their grades weren't good enough for the college's criteria. School is very important and most athletes in college aren’t going to become professionals. You are going to college to get an education and it just so happens you get to play the sport you love as well. Unless you are seriously focused on going pro, focus on the academics.
There are many opportunities students have to take the ACT throughout junior and senior year. There is a test date almost every month, or every other month. A student can take the ACT up to as many times as they want, but of course it is going to cost you a lot of money. This is why it is better to just do well on your first or second time taking it.
As it is important to do well on this test, because it will ultimately affect the college you choose, there are many ways you can prepare yourself. The people in charge of the ACT provide students with the option to order a book, or take online practice tests. This will help students see what they need help on and give them an idea of what the test will be like.
Preparing for the ACT can be extremely stressful, and athletes might not always have the time to prepare. This is why many students, like myself, study lightly for the first test to see what they need to work on. If my scores for the math section are low, while the science scores are high, I then know that I need to work on math a lot more than science. This will take some stress of you for the first time, but later on you will really need to dig in if you don't do well the first time.
Always remember that it is not always about if you are physically fit for the sports team at your college, but your grades need to be in tact as well. Some people even have to commit to other places simply because their grades weren't good enough for the college's criteria. School is very important and most athletes in college aren’t going to become professionals. You are going to college to get an education and it just so happens you get to play the sport you love as well. Unless you are seriously focused on going pro, focus on the academics.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Systems and Strategies (531)
In volleyball there are many different options for an offensive system. Whichever team adjusts quicker to the other teams system usually has a better chance of winning the match. An offense is chosen based on how many setters your team has, who is in the front row, match ups on the other side of the net and what defense your opponent is in.
The number of setters that play on a team determines if you will run a 5-1 or a 6-2 offense. A 5-1 means that there is 1 setter and he/ she will play all the way around, setting in the front row and the back row. In order to run a 5-1 your setter has to be able to block, play defense, serve, be an attack option in the front row, and be a leader. A 6-2 means that there are 2 setters and they will both set from the back row only. This will allow your team to have 3 hitters in the front row all the time.
What players are in the front row on your side of the net determines what plays the setter decides to run on offense. The sets an outside hitter can call for are a 5: the highest set and slowest tempo out to the pin, a 4: a quicker antenna height set, a shoot: pretty self-explanatory but it’s the fastest tempo set for an outside and is just above the height of the net. The sets a middle can call are a 1: quick in the middle right in front of the setter, a 2: a higher set about 2 feet in front of the setter, a 31: a fast tempo set 3 feet in front of the setter, a 32: same location as a 31 just a slower tempo and a higher set, a gap: like a 1 but the setter should push the ball away from them to create a “gap” in the other sides block, a 6: same as a 1 but behind the setter, a 7: same as a gap but behind the setter, an a slide: behind the setter, all the way to the pin, slides can vary in height and speed. The sets a right side can call for are a 6, a 7, an 8 which is usually the same as a slide, or a 9: which is the same tempo as a 5 but just behind the setter. These are what I use as a setter for my play sets but some teams could differ in what they call each set.
What offense the other team is running should also influence the offense your team is going to run. For example if the other team is running a 5-1 and their setter is short and can’t block, your setter should realize that and utilize his/ her outside when the short setter is in the front row. Another example is if the setter is not a strong passer your team should attack to him/ her when he/ she is in the back row, to get there team out of system.
I hope these explanations helped you clear up any offensive questions you had!
The number of setters that play on a team determines if you will run a 5-1 or a 6-2 offense. A 5-1 means that there is 1 setter and he/ she will play all the way around, setting in the front row and the back row. In order to run a 5-1 your setter has to be able to block, play defense, serve, be an attack option in the front row, and be a leader. A 6-2 means that there are 2 setters and they will both set from the back row only. This will allow your team to have 3 hitters in the front row all the time.
What players are in the front row on your side of the net determines what plays the setter decides to run on offense. The sets an outside hitter can call for are a 5: the highest set and slowest tempo out to the pin, a 4: a quicker antenna height set, a shoot: pretty self-explanatory but it’s the fastest tempo set for an outside and is just above the height of the net. The sets a middle can call are a 1: quick in the middle right in front of the setter, a 2: a higher set about 2 feet in front of the setter, a 31: a fast tempo set 3 feet in front of the setter, a 32: same location as a 31 just a slower tempo and a higher set, a gap: like a 1 but the setter should push the ball away from them to create a “gap” in the other sides block, a 6: same as a 1 but behind the setter, a 7: same as a gap but behind the setter, an a slide: behind the setter, all the way to the pin, slides can vary in height and speed. The sets a right side can call for are a 6, a 7, an 8 which is usually the same as a slide, or a 9: which is the same tempo as a 5 but just behind the setter. These are what I use as a setter for my play sets but some teams could differ in what they call each set.
What offense the other team is running should also influence the offense your team is going to run. For example if the other team is running a 5-1 and their setter is short and can’t block, your setter should realize that and utilize his/ her outside when the short setter is in the front row. Another example is if the setter is not a strong passer your team should attack to him/ her when he/ she is in the back row, to get there team out of system.
I hope these explanations helped you clear up any offensive questions you had!
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