Capital City Articles
The Importance of Year-round Training | By Steve George
As you know from the tournaments we attend, there are literally hundreds of quality players who are all looking for the same “prize” as you: a college scholarship, making their high school varsity team, or maybe the #1 team in their club.
So the question is, what are you willing to do to put yourself in the best position possible to achieve your personal goals? Simply put, how will you reach the prize you seek over so many other young players who want exactly the same reward?
There is no secret to success in volleyball or life. It takes desire, determination, and dedication. With that in mind, I would suggest developing a training program that will enhance your ability to reach your personal goals. That plan should include a year-round training component that will enable you to maximize your athletic and volleyball skill abilities.
There is no replacement for experience. The more often you touch the ball through individual training time and/or by participating in volleyball games, the more proficient you will become. Obviously, you already commit a great deal of time to volleyball through club and high school participation. But, so do all the other players who have the same goals as you.
If you wanted to achieve a higher level of success in the classroom, what would you do: ask for extra credit assignments and/or additional homework, or maybe take a college study course? The same should be true of your commitment to your athletic endeavors. There are several ways you can enhance your playing skills during non-practice time, including participating in summer clinics/camps being offered by the club (www.silverstatevolleyballacademy.com) or by college coaches, and by playing as often as possible throughout the year. Again, there is no replacement for experience. By maximizing the number of times you play and touch the ball, you will gain confidence in your skill and ultimately your playing ability.
When you practice during the summer months and at other non-organized times, keep in mind the story I have related about the basketball player who is a great 3-point shooter, but plays poor defense. When you play, don’t focus on the skills at which you are already somewhat proficient; rather, focus on eliminating weaknesses in your game.
You have heard from college and club coaches that jumping—vertical reach—is very important to college coaches. Division I college coaches are looking for athletes that touch a minimum of 9’8. Obviously, not everyone can achieve this—even with the aid of those gravity shoes, etc.!—and not all programs are Division I. But, it stands to reason that you greatly increase your chances of being a varsity level athlete and college recruit by developing your jump to the highest degree possible. Another aspect of jumping that is often overlooked is the ability to maintain your maximum reach throughout a match. In other words, can you still touch your max reach on the second/third day of a tournament or in the fourth/fifth game of a high school match? A dedicated jump training regimen serves both purposes: increases your jump to your maximum potential, and better ensures your ability to maintain your max reach throughout competition (Our Jump Training Document (in Adobe PDF) has jump training ideas).
A widely underutilized training method that will increase your skills and playing ability while at the same time help you to maximize your jump potential is beach/sand volleyball. Because it is much more difficult to move in sand, ball control skills must improve or you will not be able to compete. And, obviously, jumping in sand makes your legs and body work much more rigorously. This type of training regimen has played a key role in the success of many California players, who train on the beach all summer.
One of the most wasted opportunities for personal skill improvement is during the high school season. Most of you play on top level high school teams which rarely are faced with any real competition. I would suggest this presents very good opportunity for you to focus on individual skills that would enhance/improve your game. As examples: (1) If you already hit the line well, work on hitting cross court more effectively or concentrate on tooling the block (Please don’t hit the ball in the middle of court just because the other team cannot dig the ball!). (2) If you are a middle hitter, focus on hitting sets that you may not be as proficient in attacking; e.g., slides, 3s. (3) Focus on serving more aggressively—corners, short, jump serving. (4) Concentrate on improving your defensive abilities by learning how to read the hitter better and by focusing on being more aggressive in your pursuit and control of the ball. In essence, do NOT waste three months of training time by simply playing well enough to defeat opponents who cannot compete against your team!
In closing, again using the education model, if you were attempting to attain a college academic scholarship based on your grades, SAT score, and extra-curricular activities, would you simply go to class (practice) and see where the chips fall? If you want to earn a college athletic scholarship, it certainly makes sense to be in the best shape of your life and to maximize your athletic and playing ability during this short window of opportunity. After all, it’s not like you can go back and try it again when you are 25+ years old.
