Tracking progress, II  September 5, 2009 6:00 AM Tips for stat takers from the NCAA.org If you only have one person to do your team's stats, have them sit next to the person doing the opposing team's stats – frequent checks are then possible to make sure that an attack is awarded a dig, an ace is awarded a reception error, etc. Sitting on your team bench may be more familiar, but the purpose in being there to stat the match is to do the job correctly. The box score must balance at the end of the match, and it's a lot harder to go back afterward and try to make corrections.
| |  | | | Leonard Xu/ESPN RISE | | | Lesli Akeo of Kamehameha (Honolulu, Hawai'i) controls the ball. | · One team's blocks will also be reflected in the opponent's hitting errors · Aces must equal the opponent's serve reception errors · Don't give two players a reception error on the same serve. It must go to one person or the team · Digs cannot be more than the total attacks that did not go down for kills or errors. Rarely do teams rank among the leaders in both blocks and digs. Either the team is blocking the ball down at the net for a point (and is awarded a block) or the team is digging up an attacked ball (for a dig). Be aware that often coaches count many more blocks for their player performance purposes than are actual statistical blocks. A block MUST be off an attacked ball and MUST go down for a point. Using bench stats is very often not an accurate way to maintain volleyball stats. To do a rough addition of how the box score will balance out, if Team A defeated Team B 25-21, 25-23, 25-20. Team A had 75 points, so you would add up Team A's kills, service aces, Team B's attack errors, service errors and ball handling errors and the numbers should be very close. Team B finished with 64 points, and you'd add up their kills, service aces and to that total add in Team A's attack errors, service errors and ball handling errors. There are often a few points that don't go down on the box score – bad sets, miscommunication errors in which a player is not awarded an attack error when no one is there to hit the set, etc. but you CANNOT end up with more statistical points than a team finishes with on the scoring. Become a member of ESPN RISE Volleyball, FREE and post a comment below.
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Tracking Progress September 4, 2009 3:28 PM By Christine Jinbo
Coaches sometimes urge athletes not to look at their game stats in order to promote the "team concept." If coaches and educators inform student athletes how to look at their stats, the focus can become "we" instead of "me". Does your team have some specific goals for improvement this season? it's important to track statistics to get a clear measure of improvment and areas for growth in practice. Where did the other team score the most points? If points were scored mostly on serve receive, then drills can be designed to improve that part of the team's game. If points were scored mostly on attacking errors, then hitting drills become the focus to improve. Accurate statistics help promote the team concept, if used as a learning tool. With the focus on improved individual and team performance, stats can be used to show efficiency, stamina and skill competency. Athletes can learn valuable lessons about their game and how to improve by accurately dissecting their stats.
Since accurate stats are at the center of this process, the first installment of "Tracking Progress" covers the statistical categories.(Read full post) Education, Girls Volleyball, Boys Volleyball
Golden Anniversary August 24, 2009 1:06 PM By Kirstin Olsen, Special to ESPN RISE A year ago today, marked a special event in volleyball history. The U.S. Men's National Team struck gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, USA Volleyball's first indoor gold medal in 20 years. ESPN RISE caught up with outside hitter Reid Priddy and peppered him with questions about his journey to the gold medal match and his life today. Reid Priddy and his friends from the National Team celebrate the anniversary of their gold medal victory. Catch it live tonight, on a Radio/Web Stream Podcast with video at The Volleyball Network from 5pm-7pm (PT). Q & A with Reid Priddy ESPN RISE: When did you get involved in volleyball?
Priddy: I was 15 years old and I was first introduced to Volleyball in PE class. The coach saw something and encouraged me to tryout for the team at school. I did, and fell in love with it.
Did you play other sports growing up?
Yes, soccer for like 11 years...baseball, basketball...
Where did you go to high school?
Freshman year I went to Lake Mary High School in Florida and then we moved to Phoenix, and I finished at Mountain Pointe High School (they just won their seventh state title this season!).(Read full post) Education, Boys Volleyball, Player Profiles, USA National Team, Reid Priddy
Watch and learn August 12, 2009 2:11 PM By Christine Jinbo
My older brother used say with a wry smile, "Watch and learn."
Each time he said this, I rolled my eyes as if to say, "What could I possibly learn from you?"
Turns out, I could learn plenty. By considering the amount of film dissected by coaches and players, one could deduce for oneself, that we can learn by watching and doing. It also turns out, scientific research proved the theory.
In an article titled, Motor Learning by Observing, in Neuron, Volume 46, Issue 1, A. Mattar, P. Gribble find, that learning complex motor behaviors like riding a bicycle or swinging a golf club is based on acquiring neural representations (visual images) of the mechanical requirements of movement (e.g., coordinating muscle forces to control the club).
They found that subjects who first observed a person learning performed better when tested in the same environment. Moreover, subjects who observed learning of a different environment performed worse.
When Anjinho Bacil and Jon Aharoni, USA Junior Beach Coaches gave advice to young players, Bacil said, "Watch a lot of volleyball; that is one of the best things." Aharoni added, "Get out and play. Play the best competition you can. Don't be satisfied with just playing and lifting weights though. Watch and study the old masters, go to their websites, learn. Be a student of the game." It turns out, my brother should have said, "Watch and do.” Education
Kessel on burnout July 30, 2009 2:43 PM By John Kessel
I just watched a very powerful ESPN Outside the Lines story on a very special athlete, Elena Della Donne. I strongly urge all Junior Olympic volleyball directors and coaches to watch it, as well as read the story. It has three important threads woven together – burn out, passion and being a teacher.
The short of it is that Elena was known as the female LeBron James. She signed with UConn and this past summer walked away from the program and the sport of basketball, as she was burned out. Donne is now playing volleyball for Bonnie Kenney at the University of Delaware and made the Patriot League all-rookie team.
The line that hit me most was this - "Now that I play volleyball, I know how it feels to have a passion for your sport," she says. "Before, I just thought, 'Maybe everyone's faking it because this is horrible.'"
Read more on USA Volleyball. Education
Summer fun July 30, 2009 2:01 PM Charleston, the place to be.
City officials in Charleston (W.Va.) coined the upcoming weekend "Summer Sizzles" because so many events are going on at once. This weekend, athletes and fans have the chance to see beach volleyball professionals play at the top of their game. Watching elite athletes play is a great way to learn the sport and have fun at a community event.
The Extreme Volleyball Professionals (EVP) begins the transformation of Magic Island in Charleston for this weekend's EVP "Rocks the River" Pro Beach Volleyball Festival today. The event will haul in more than 5,000 tons of sand to prepare the venue.
"What's more fun than being out in the sun and enjoying a great day at the beach?" asked Tournament Director Carlos Jimenez.
This year marks the first year the Pro Beach Volleyball Festival has been held in West Virginia.
The 2009 Toyota Governor's Cup National Jet Ski Races, featuring local racers, the 11th annual Ribfest and beach wrestling will also compete at the "Summer Sizzles” games.
Read more at the WCHS or at the Daily Mail
Education
Out of bounds July 27, 2009 6:55 PM By Christine Jinbo As I read John Kessel's blog, a long-time favorite volleyball writer from USA Volleyball, about "Street Soccer," the thought came to mind, "What is the equivalent of street soccer in the volleyball community?"
There are two similar arenas to "street soccer" in the volleyball community. The first, called various things in different regions, is most often called simply, "Open Gym.” The second, found most often in beach communities are doubles pick up games with a hierarchy set by holding court or moving courts based on level of play. I highly recommend finding a local high school, YMCA or beach court which hosts a volleyball night near you. Like street soccer, there are benefits to playing pick-up and a professional contract is not the point (referenced in the "Street Soccer” post). If one loves to play, that is reason enough.
The definition of "street soccer" as it relates to volleyball and kids, is mutli-layered. First, the "street" part of the definition describes something, which closely resembles "kick the can." Not the actual kicking of the can, but the freedom of playing in the neighborhood streets or yards with one's friends and neighbors. (Read full post) Education, Street Volleyball
Street volleyball? July 24, 2009 4:07 PM By Christine Jinbo John Kessel is a prolific writer and shares his enthusiasm and knowledge of the sport with the ESPN RISE Volleyball audience. Officially the Director of Membership Development & Disabled Programs for USA Volleyball, he serves as USA Volleyball's and the sport's number one ambassador. In 1995, Volleyball Magazine named him one of the 50 most important people in the sport of volleyball in the first 100 years. Kessel travels all over the world with USA Volleyball presenting at learning at conferences. A concept presented by Mark Williams on talent development struck a cord with him and with the development of the sport. In England, at the age of eight, thousands of kids are accepted into Soccer Academies. They go to school and learn one sport - football, the number-one sport in the world, which we call soccer. That we have to call the world's most popular sport something else in our nation says something all by itself, but I digress. These young athletes then train for nearly a decade, year-round and at the ripe, old age of 16, their "graduation" as it were take place. They find out if 1). They are signed to pro contracts or 2). "Released" and sent off to just play recreationally. So Mark set out to see if he could determine what might separate the players signed vs. those let go. After a long look, they found really only one key thing that they could measurably say was different. The kids who were released, played an average of a couple of hours of "street soccer" a week. This would be like sandlot games for us, games played without a coach; rules set by the players; scoring options determined by the players; field of play determined by those playing. Those who were signed to pro contracts? They averaged just under 10 hours a week of street soccer. Wow. Read John Kessell's whole blog post at USA Volleyball .Education
VIDEO: Ivy League Brains July 4, 2009 10:00 AM By Christine Jinbo
St. Louis High Performance Volleyball (St. Louis, Mo.) had the biggest brains in the gym at the Boys Classic in Anaheim, Calif. It has become, somewhat of a recent trend, for Ivy League schools that host mens' volleyball, to send their coaches recruiting in the same arena as UC Irvine, USC and other top NCAA Div. I programs.
Two Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.) High School graduates, Michael Dye and Sean Cotter will head to Princeton (N.J.) in the fall and three St. Louis (Mo.) area athletes, who all play on St. Louis High Performance, will head to MIT (Boston, Mass.) and Harvard (Cambridge, Mass.).
These three athletes Matt Hohenberger, Rob Lothman and, Patrick Vatterott spoke to ESPN RISE Volleyball about their choice to attend these academically rigorous schools. Check out their video below. Video Link
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VIDEO: Get Recruited July 3, 2009 10:00 AM By Christine Jinbo Many volleyball athletes, both boys and girls are competing at a national tournament at this very moment. These athletes play for many reasons, one of which is to get recruited to play in college. UC Irvine Mens Volleyball team recently bested USC in the NCAA Div. I National Championship in Provo, Utah. UCI Asst. Coach Mark Presho spoke with ESPN RISE Volleyball about building a national championship team and the type of athletes college coaches want to recruit. He answered many common questions athletes have about the recruiting process. Video Link
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Plan for summer June 10, 2009 5:54 PM By Christine Jinbo
As student athletes around the nation break free from the confinement of books and school-work, the first items on the summer agenda are friends, fun and sun. A sand volleyball court is a perfect place to find all three, a place to hang out while having fun in the sun.
| |  | | | Christine Jinbo/ESPN RISE | | | Summer beach season will find athletes like Brandon Fuimaono playing in the sand. | Playing beach volleyball is one of the best ways to improve your overall volleyball game. If beaches are scarce where you are, most local parks and recreation centers have a sand volleyball court or open-gym, where players can participate in pick up doubles games.
Taking it a step further, entering a beach volleyball tournament is a great way to test one's skills against other players the same age. Both the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and USA Volleyball offer beach tournaments for junior players in locations across the nation.
The AAU Junior Beach Volleyball Program began in 1994 through the original dedicated Southern Pacific Beach Volleyball committee of Gino Grajeda, Denny Lennon and Joe Tindall. The AAU Junior Beach Tour began with one tournament in California and now has over 20 tournaments nationwide.
The USA Volleyball launched its junior beach tour in 2006 developed by former AAU Beach coordinator Denny Lennon. In its fourth year of operation, with Rick Schanz now at the helm, the USA Beach program continues to provide opportunities for athletes ages ten to twenty.
The mission of the USA Beach Junior Program is to grow the sport at the grassroots level and identify the country's top athletes for elite competition. As part of this mission, Beach Director, Ali Wood Lamberson created a selection process, which helped to identify and train the elite beach athletes for international competition.(Read full post) Beach Volleyball, Girls Volleyball, Boys Volleyball, Education
Free Volleyball June 4, 2009 6:44 PM Courtesy USA Volleyball Southern California volleyball fans can get a free look at the 2009 U.S. Men's National Team on Friday, June 5, when players will participate in two Blue and Red scrimmages at 5 and 7 p.m. at The Gold Mine arena on the campus of Cal State Long Beach. The 5 p.m. match will feature players from the U.S. Men's A2 Team. Some of these athletes will represent the United States at the Pan American Cup tournament on June 15-21 in Chiapas, Mexico. "The scrimmage will be a great chance for fans to see some of our up and coming stars as well as our Olympians,” U.S. Men's Head Coach Alan Knipe (Huntington Beach, Calif.) said. The players from the World League roster will compete in the 7 p.m. scrimmage. Among them will be 2008 Olympic gold medalists Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawai'i), David Lee (Alpine, Calif.), Rich Lambourne (Tustin, Calif.), Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, Calif.), Sean Rooney (Wheaton, Ill.) and Scott Touzinsky (St. Louis, Mo.). Admission is free and players will be available for autographs following the matches. ... (Read full post) Education
Beach Volleyball approved by NCAA April 24, 2009 5:38 PM By Christine Jinbo The NCAA sanctioned the sport of "sand” volleyball as an emerging sport and put in motion events that will result in collegiate varsity competition in the 2010-2011 academic year. For high schools, many may "wait and see" what comes of this experiment and wait to follow suit.
The AAU conducted a comprehensive junior national beach program for over 16 years with steady growth, national and Junior Olympic competition. Many athletes who competed in AAU Beach tournaments are currently or have formerly played professional beach volleyball.(Read full post) Girls Volleyball, Girls High School, Education, Beach Volleyball
Join the ESPN RISE Volleyball group April 11, 2009 12:00 PM By Christine Jinbo Videos, pictures and conversation, can be found on the ESPNRISEVolleyball group page. Join the group and join the conversation. Follow the links below to navigate to the group site: 1) Register here it's FREE… so you can join the group and see all the latest on the group page!
2) Check out the group by clicking the tabs within the group or click the links below: a) Videos b) Photos c) Leave comments on all the latest volleyball. d) Create your own sting of comments on the Comment Wall Girls Volleyball, ESPN RISE FAB 50, Girls Player Lists, Girls FAB 50 Rankings, Girls Club, Girls High School, Boys Volleyball, Boys Player Lists, Boys FAB 50 Rankings, Boys Club, Boys High School, Player Profiles, Education, Beach Volleyball, Video, volleyball group
Mens National Team in Kansas March 4, 2009 8:09 PM Anaheim, Calif. – Tickets are now on sale to see the U.S. Men's National Team play Netherlands in FIVB World League matches on July 17-18 (7 p.m. both nights) at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.
Adult tickets are $25 for a reserved seat and $15 for general admission for one night. For both nights, it is $40 for a reserved seat and $25 for general admission. Discounts on general admission tickets for military service members and senior citizens are available.
The "Torch” as it is known in Russia continues to be on fire as the Russian team of Fakel Novy Urengoi, including U.S. setter Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, Calif.) and outside hitter Sean Rooney (Wheaton, Ill.), won its fifth match in a row on Feb. 28 as it beat Zenit Kazan, featuring U.S. setter Lloy Ball (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and opposite Clay Stanley (Honolulu), 3-2 (20-25, 28-26, 19-25, 25-16, 15-13).
Stanley led all scorers in the match with 28 points on 22 kills and six aces. Ball had five points for Kazan on four kills and one ace. Rooney scored two points on two kills for Fakel and Hansen, had one point on one block.
For more of the U.S. Men's Update, go to USAVolleyball.org. Boys Volleyball, Education, USA Volleyball
Defensive minded instruction February 5, 2009 12:00 PM OLYMPIC LIBEROS TO HOST CAMP
Stacy Sykora (Burleson, Texas) and Nicole Davis (Stockton, Calif.), who occupied the libero position for the last three Olympic Games for Team USA, will host a one-day clinic on ball control and defense for all positions on March 8, 2009. Sykora served as the U.S. libero at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, then earned a silver medal at her third Olympic Games in 2008 as a defensive specialist. Meanwhile, Davis was the 2008 Olympic Games libero. The clinic will be held at Grand Canyon University, located at 3300 W. Camelback Road in Phoenix. The session runs from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Cost for the clinic is $160 per athlete with a cap of 60 participants. Athletes will be broken down into two age groups; 12-14 and 15-18. For more information or to register, visit www.finerpotsvball.com.
Education, Girls Volleyball, Clinic, volleyball instruction, AZ
National girls and women in sports day February 4, 2009 12:00 PM National Girls and Women In Sports Day
National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) is a nationwide celebration with community-based events, award ceremonies and activities honoring the achievements and encouraging participation of girls and women in sports.(Read full post) Education, Girls Volleyball, girls and women in sports day
Open tryouts February 3, 2009 12:45 PM OPEN TRYOUTS FOR U.S. WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM
USA Volleyball will hold its annual open tryouts for the U.S. Women's National Team and Associated Training Programs Feb. 20-22, 2009, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. As part of the tryout, athletes will compete for spots on the USA Women's Volleyball National Team program, USA Women's World University Games Team or the USA Women's Senior A2 Teams. For the complete press release, visit the USA Volleyball website. Girls Volleyball, Education, USA Volleyball, National Team
My recruiting story January 24, 2009 3:00 PM By Christine Jinbo I was recruited late in the process, coaches did not want to take a chance on a 5-foot-7 setter, at least not any California NCAA D-I schools. I really limited my options early in the process when I decided I wanted to stay in California. By the time I realized my mistake, many schools had moved on. I had a few DII and DIII offers to play in California, but I was stubborn and knew I wanted to play at the highest level. ... (Read full post) Education, Christine Jinbo
Spirit of sport scholarships January 23, 2009 3:40 PM By Christine Jinbo The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) instituted a scholarship program aimed at student athletes who represent the best of high school athletes. The goal of the award program is to "recognize student athletes who are positive role models within California schools and in the community." Through the program, the CIF honors the principals of good sportsmanship, "integrity, fairness, character and respect." ... (Read full post) Girls Volleyball, Boys Volleyball, Education, CIF, Scholarships
Tournament nutrition January 13, 2009 2:11 PM By Christine Jinbo Proper food and beverage intake will help enhance and sustain athletic performance. Every athlete is different, so the following tips are simply suggestions to enhance the overall athletes' performance. Experimenting with what foods works best for each individual is a good way to get to know how your body responds. ... (Read full post) Volleyball nutrition, education, Training
History part one October 1, 2008 12:00 PM By Christine Jinbo
As I sat and watched the US Open of Beach Volleyball in Santa Barbara, Calif., this past weekend where great volleyball was on display and many legends of the sport were among the crowds and on the courts, I began to ponder the history of our sport. There are statistics and records that athletes held and surpassed, milestones of achievement celebrated and gone, yet many players today no nothing of what makes our sport great.(Read full post) Education, History of volleyball, US Open of Beach Volleyball, EDUC
A Parent Talks to a Child Before the First Game September 1, 2008 4:55 PM Excerpt from: Wooden: A lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court
By: Former UCLA Coach John Wooden
Published: 1997 This is your first game, my child. I hope you win. I hope you win for your sake, not mine. Because winning's nice. It's a good feeling. Like the whole world is yours. But, it passes, this feeling. And what lasts is what you've learned. And what you learn about is life. That's what sports is all about. Life. The whole thing is played out in an afternoon. The happiness of life. The miseries. The joys. The heartbreaks. ... (Read full post) Education, Coach Wooden, Parents, AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Top ten tips... August 27, 2008 6:31 PM By Christine Jinbo
...for players who want more playing time.
As the high school volleyball season takes shape, there are young athletes who want more time on the court, but for one reason or another their starting spot is left bench. If you want to take the steps necessary to get better, here are a few tips for you.
1) Be willing to play any position.(Read full post)
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