PRIVATE LESSONS [1]

Are they necessary for your child’s development as a volleyball player?

Introduction

 As recent as the first couple of years of this century, very few volleyball players were taking private lessons.  Private lessons (“privates”) were considered the te...

Yesterday, I had the privilege of witnessing an act of courage seldom seen in today’s sports. It not only was an example of good sportsmanship but of courage of standing up for what is right and for doing the right thing, no matter the cost.

This story starts last year...

“There are only two powers in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit” (Napoleon, cited in Carron, 1984, p. 2)

“Motivation must come from the belief that ultimate success lies in giving your personal best.”...

It’s been a long time since those days when the coach told you that drinking during workouts was for sissies. Remember how they used to chastise you if you complained of thirst after only 2 hours of practice? And, oh those salt cubes. I made a feeble attempt at wrestli...

We are now to that part of the volleyball season when tryouts begin. In many cases, THE TRYOUT is harder on the parents than the player. If it seems that the clubs all have their tryouts at the same time, well, they do and it’s on purpose. The thinking of these clubs i...

Club tryouts are just around the corner. It is amazing how the preseason events are mushrooming in number. In the old days (e.g. 2000) and before, clubs didn’t have pre-tryouts or even open gyms. Though some parents would say that this is too much….well, whether or not...

MY CHILD WILL BE FOREVER SCARRED IF SHE DOESN’T MAKE THE “A” TEAM!!!!!!

I know that this time of the season is very disconcerting to parents who are new to the tryout process. Most all the schools have had their tryouts and are now into their volleyball seasons. I fin...

This past Friday night, we had our first “Team Get Together” (“TGT”) at our house. It was a lot of fun and everyone seemed to enjoy the food and the company.

Toward the end of our meeting, I asked the players to write down what their goals were for the team and/or them...

Two weeks ago, my wife and I had the pleasure to travel to the beautiful campus of Berry College located in Rome, Georgia to watch one of our daughters play in the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament.  It was the first time that we had attended the end-of-th...

Have you ever heard a parent say that, “Coach X is a good coach. She gets in the player’s face and yells at them if they make a mistake.”? Why do people believe that yelling is the answer or that it is the trademark of a good coach? I am aware of one coach who has told...