When Do Private Lessons Matter?
It's a good question, and a harder one than it sounds. A private lesson can build skill and understanding faster than almost anything else in a young athlete's development. But a private lesson also happens in a vacuum. It isn't the game. It isn't teammates who don't play the way you want them to. It isn't the pressure of a game going the wrong direction in front of a packed gym. Private lessons are a classroom for one specific piece of the sport at a time, and that makes them both powerful and limited. So before a parent or [...]
Club Volleyball Tryouts are When?!
Club Volleyball Tryouts are When?! Every year, club volleyball tryouts sneak up on us. It felt like just last week when there was snow on the ground, and we were dreaming about spring break. Then bang! Here comes the rush of end-of-school-year-summer-vacation-planning-what-are-the-kids-going-to-do-while-we-are-at-work?-wait-you-just-got-asked-to-prom?-you-can't-even-drive-yet!-how-much-is-driving-school?!?-first-day-of-school-team-tryouts-good-lord-these-kneepads-need-to-be-washed-we-need-to-stop-and-get-stuff-for-dinner-before-homework-? Wait, what season is it again? Why are swimsuits on closeout? IT’S STILL JUNE FOR PETE’S SAKE. That reminds me…. Oh my gosh! Club volleyball tryouts! When does that start? Am I too late?! Where is the info? Who are the clubs? Where are tryouts? How much does it cost? Did we miss it? Cue the panicked [...]
The Importance (and Unimportance) of Club Volleyball
The club volleyball question In 20+ years of coaching, I’ve been asked many questions about volleyball. Some technical, some position-specific, and some really challenging. But the most common ones asked are about joining a Club Volleyball program. “What is club volleyball?" "When should my athlete start?" "Who is the best coach?" "Which is the best club?” I feel I never give a good answer to these questions. Not because there are no good answers, but because the answers are so dependent upon situation, Usually, there is just not enough information to give the best advice. In short, I don’t [...]
