Trying Out for the U.S. Women's National Team

Coming off of their recent silver medal in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the U.S. Women's National Indoor Volleyball Team gears up for another spectacular season-starting with try-outs on February 20-22. As per the teams official website, over 64 colleges were represented in the competition for the team's 33 open roster spots. "USA women's volleyball has such depth and talent, it is wonderful to see this many outstanding young athletes attending this National Team tryout," said head coach Hugh McCutcheon. "I believe playing for the National Team is the highest achievement possible for our indoor players. In that regard, our goal is to create the best environment for these players to train and compete at the international level."

So what does it take to be able to play for the U.S. Women's National Team? Or any national team, for that matter? (Guys, I'm not trying to leave you out here!) When most of these players first stepped out onto the court as high schoolers their biggest concern probably wasn't how they were going to rise to national stardom. For many volleyball was still a new experience, something fun to do with their friends.

As they aged, so did their ambition. College ball is tough, and there's a lot of competition for spots on the team. You don't play at the college level unless you've got what it takes to keep up with some of the best players in the world. At that point you have to make a choice-is volleyball just a hobby, or do you have what it takes to go all the way?

Is there a point to this? Absolutely! This past week young women from 64 colleges across the country gathered together to make their dreams come true, knowing that most of them would be walking away at the end of their three day try out. They took the chance anyway. You don't have to be a big name on the volleyball circuit to play national ball. You just have to be willing to try.

(Photo taken by Bill Kaufman. Located at http://usavolleyball.org/news/article/10001)

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Dancing on the Volleyball Court

Did you ever take a second to think about how many dance steps professional athletes use when they're out on the courts? The dips, twists, spins and steps that athletes use to work their way around the court without taking their eyes off the ball are necessary skills for success on the court, but off the court most of them could star in a Broadway musical! The object lesson here? Grace and coordination, as much as skill and speed, are the keys to success when you're sending a ball flying across a net at high impact speeds.

Sure, you're probably laughing right now. But did you know that professional football players often learn basic ballet moves? And that ballet and dance are required for high level gymnastics competitors along with their regular training-both men and women? There's a lesson here. You don't have to be able to boogie on the dance floor to boogie on the court, but a little coordination and rhythm will go a long way toward giving your playing performance the extra boost it needs to be extraordinary rather than ordinary.

To pinpoint a specific example, take a look at your basic perimeter defense. Regardless of what type of game you're playing, there is one key rule that every player has to follow-keep your eye on the ball. It's impossible to do that if you have to look where you're going. That's why the cross step, also known as a partial grapevine, is an essential part of your perimeter defense. It affords you an almost unlimited range of motion without ever having to take your eyes off your opponent or the ball.

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Guidelines to Buying a Practice Volleyball

I like to spend a little bit of time each week flipping around the question and answer forums on the web to see what issues are on the minds of today's volleyball players, and I found one the other day that surprised me. A young woman new to the game was asking about the best brand of volleyball to buy to guarantee the best training experience possible.

Now, I'm not saying it's not a valid question, because it is. The quality of your equipment is going to affect the quality of your practice and, by default, the quality of your game, so it's an important issue to take into consideration. I was just surprised to hear a new player asking about it. Most players who are new to the game assume that one volleyball is the same as another, and that as long as they can hit it over the net and it's not falling to pieces there's nothing else they need to know.

A good volleyball has two basic characteristics:

1) It's regulation sized. Most sports shops sell regulation sized balls, and any carrier that specializes in volleyball equipment is probably only going to stock competition balls, but if you walk down to your neighborhood Wal-Mart all bets are off. The official size of a volleyball is 25.6 and 26.4 inches in circumference and weighs between 9.1 and 9.8 ounces. If your volleyball doesn't fall in this range your ball control could be seriously affected when you hit the court.


2) It's in good shape. Many people prefer to get second hand balls from friends and neighbors for practice when they're first starting out rather than spending the money to purchase a new one; however, volleyballs that are in poor shape, are not properly inflated and are not considered suitable for competition aren't going to provide a competitive practice experience. Again, your ball control is going to suffer when you get out on the court.

Mikasa and Tachikara make most of the balls used in professional games, so they make great practice balls for novice players.

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Practice with Pizzazz

Over the past couple of months I've written a couple of times about the fun, funky and (in some cases) psychedelic volleyball gear that's out there, but it wasn't until I was scouting around online the other night that I realized how far the trend to leave boring solids behind and add some personality and pizzazz to their game. Along with the expected trends in psychedelic spandex, the trend to be something other than ordinary has branched out to cover just about every branch of volleyball.

Gem Sports is now making a pair of zebra print volleyball shorts. Baden makes a tie dyed volleyball. Mizuno is adding lightening streaks to their official game balls. Red Lion and Asics are making funky patterned volleyball socks that are fun to wear on the court. Compression shorts are now available in a huge variety of colors and patterns, including camouflage, floral prints, giraffe prints, faux denim and (my personal favorite) tie dye with a printed peace pattern.

You would think that the desire to be funky would stop with socks and shorts, but some teams are actually carrying that trend over to their team jerseys, opting to leave behind traditional blue, red, white and black in favor of hot pinks and greens, tie dye and fantastic polka dots. It seems that today, taking your personality out on the court doesn't just mean thinking of new ways to slam the ball down your opponents' throats. It also means looking like someone who likes to have fun!

Come check out our selection of fun, funky volleyball gear at www.volleyballproshop.com.

Beach Volleyball vs. Courtside: How Much Equipment Do You Need?

If you've ever sat and watched a beach volleyball game and an indoor volleyball competition you've undoubtedly noted a few differences-starting with the uniforms and going from there! The differences between beach volleyball and indoor volleyball are vast and don't just center around whether you have to wear spandex or a bikini to play. They encompass different playing styles (which I'll probably get into at some point), different skills and (dunh dunh daa!) different equipment.

Chances are, before you start shopping around for equipment you already know whether you're going to be a beach player or an indoor competitor. (No insult to beach competition intended, ladies and gentlemen-I just didn't want to repeat myself by saying "competitor" over and over. We all know every time that ball's in sight the competition is fierce. It doesn't matter whether you're playing by the surf or a set of gymnasium bleachers.) Most people develop a preference fairly quickly, which makes your job easy when it's time to hit the stores.

Believe it or not, you may actually end up buying more equipment to play beach ball than to play inside. Why? Because when you train all year round you get the chance to enjoy the best of both worlds. You're going to need the usual knee pads, practice gear, net access and ball that indoor competitors wear as well as comfortable outdoor gear (usually swimwear style), a sunscreen with a high SPF and a hat or athletic sunglasses to keep the glare out of your eyes while you're on the sand.

The bottom line? There really isn't a difference between the equipment you need to play indoor or outdoor ball. Why not enjoy them both?

To check out our collection of indoor and outdoor gear, visit http://www.volleyballproshop.com/.

The Benefits of Spandex on the Court

The eighties left many of us with a nasty taste in our mouths when it comes to spandex, but when you're talking about sportswear there are many, many benefits to wearing this clingy material. Not only does it show off those well toned muscles, it also provides you with more freedom, flexibility and unhindered movement than the average gym short.

Ordinary cotton gym shorts make nice practice apparel because they're loose and comfortable; however, when you need the flexibility to move quickly and with a greater range of movement the fabric's own natural form actually slows you down. It doesn't matter how comfortable your gym shorts are, there is only so far they're going to stretch. Spandex stretches and moves with your body, and unless you're wearing spandex shorts that are two sizes too small (which is a story for another day) your shorts are going to move with your legs wherever they want to go.

Spandex also has the added benefit of holding in heat while at the same time allowing your legs to breathe, which is why so many runners love spandex and spandex/lycra blends for running in the wintertime. Spandex shorts and "sweat"pants will keep your legs warm during chilly practices (especially if you're a beach player) without halting your range of movement, making them the perfect choice for a practice where perfection is the only acceptable goal.

Not all spandex has to be the hot pink, striped abominations we loved to hate twenty years ago! (Although if you're interested there are some fun, funkadelic designs out there that really add personality to your practice clothes!) Today's athletic spandex is available in a wide variety of colors designed to conform to your uniform and your personal taste, making spandex the ideal choice for serious athletes.



Come check out our collection of spandex at http://www.volleyballproshop.com/.

The Many Uses of Pre-Wrap

If you've ever had the fun of trying to pick your hair out of a hair tie when it's managed to knot itself around it or had to peel sports tape off of your skin (and half of your hair with it!) you're going to love this; someone has finally come up with a non-stick product that's meant to go underneath all these things and makes putting up hair, taping up body parts, protecting your skin from the freeze of an ice pack (or holding them in place) and just about anything you have to do that involves bringing products in direct contact with your skin.

It's called pre-wrap.

Aside from its huge collection of really cool colors, there are plenty of reasons to love pre-wrap. Pre-wrap doesn't get stuck in hair, and it doesn't stick to hair on your body either. It's the perfect choice to wrap hair with before putting it up in a ponytail or to wrap weak joints with before applying tape and/or braces. It's also a great choice for things like breaking in new shoes (can you say "blister proof"?), putting underneath bandages so the clips and tags don't dig into your skin and for preventing sensitive skin from chafing.

All in all, pre-wrap is your skin's best friend on and off the court when it comes to protecting skin and hair from irritants that would scratch, pinch, rub, freeze or pull until you couldn't stand it anymore…and since you have a virtually limitless number of options when it comes to choosing the color of your pre-wrap you can be fashion conscious and health conscious at the same time!

Check out our selection of pre-wrap in a rainbow of colors at http://www.volleyballproshop.com/.

Settling Conflicts on Your Volleyball Team

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." - Andrew Carnegie

It's inconceivable that a group of people who spends as much time working together toward a common goal as a volleyball team does would get along all the time, but conflict among the members of your team not only destroys teamwork, it sets the stage for conflict out on the court. The ability of coaches, captains and teammates to work together to effectively solve conflicts before they have the opportunity to erode the quality of a team is vitally important.

Effective teamwork requires the input and effort of every member of a team, not just a select few; therefore, the most effective way to manage conflicts is head them off before they evolve. Involve the entire team in major team decisions, offering them the chance to participate when possible and offer their input and suggestions for making it work when it's not. We all know that sometimes decisions come down from on high and no one has a choice in the matter, but by offering your team the opportunity to feel as though they are helping to shape the form of those changes you're setting the stage open communication and, consequently, minimized conflict.

Encourage your team to keep their personal lives off the court, and address the issue quickly when personal problems pop up. I've noticed over the years that it's personal issues between individual players that often rips a team apart, because members end up either choosing sides or stepping away from the conflict in an effort to "stay out of it". Coaches should immediately step in to provide mediation and help players keep their minds on the game when they are on the court, and players should bring the problem to the coach's attention as soon as it begins to cause friction during play time.

Open communication and addressing problems before they have the opportunity to fester is the most effective way to eliminate conflict between members of a volleyball team and set the stage for success out on the court.

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Put the Punch in Your Volleyball Top Spin Serve

You probably already know this, but I'm going to say it because it bears repeating-as many times as possible! If you've got a power server on your side you've got one of the most vital ingredients you need to walk away from that volleyball court a winner. The server influences the outcome of the game with every move they make. A single strong volleyball serve can annihilate the competition before they ever have the chance to give you a run for your money.

How do you put that maximum impact into your volleyball serve? Everyone has a style that works for them, and it's going to be up to you to discover ways to influence your preferred style of serve. That said, there are some basics to cleaning up on the court. If you're electing to do a basic top-spin serve, gather momentum by first stepping forward with the right foot, then the left. When your left foot hits the ground the ball should be directly over your head and your left arm extended to square off your shoulders. When it impacts the ball your hand should be open with fingers slightly extended, and in order to get a good top spin your wrist should pull forward and down.

Most importantly, keep your eyes on the ball! Volleyball is just like baseball in that respect-if you take your eyes off the ball, even for a moment, you're setting yourself up for failure. Yes, you'll probably still be able to get the ball over the net, but it's not going to have the impetus it needs to really make a difference.

Remember, your serve is one of the most valuable ingredients in your game-especially if you're playing with a partner rather than a team. Get enough punch behind your serve and you're setting your opponent up for defeat from the very beginning. Not enough, however, and you've already lost your advantage.

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