What To Do With My Hair When I'm Playing Volleyball?

Anyone who doesn't have long hair doesn't understand the frustration and aggravation that go hand in hand with trying to keep those sticky strands out of their face when they're out on the court. As fun as long hair is the rest of the time, when you're in the middle of a game and it's either falling in your face or sticking to the back of your neck (or any other body part it can reach) it feels more like a hassle than anything else.

The question is, what can you do about it?

There are plenty of options available! Multi-functional pre-wrap wraps around ponytails and braids very efficiently, keeping strands from escaping and finding a home where they're not really wanted. For those hard to control front and side hairs (you know, the short ones that just won't grow-no matter how hard you try?) simple snap barrettes (you know, the ones that remind you of the snap bracelets you used to have when you were little before they made it illegal to have them in school?), heavy duty hair gel and, if you're going to be out on the beach, baseball caps are a great solution.

Try to avoid the hair gel and hairspray if you're going to be outside though. Bugs love it, and nothing kills your concentration faster than a mosquito going in for the kill.

Ponytails, braids and messy buns are the preferred styles for play, since they hold in well (even when they're being bounced around) and they can be safely secured with those neat hair bands that don't have the metal clips on them, holding your hair tightly without having to worry about it splitting or being damaged along the way. And if you just can't take it anymore, cut it off. Short's the new black this spring when it comes to hair, letting you combine game time practicality with a short and sassy, stylish practicality that you're guaranteed to enjoy.

Come check out our hair accessories at http://www.volleyballproshop.com/.

USA Volleyball Already Setting Up for the Next Olympic Games

The 2012 London Olympics sounds like it's a long way away for most of us, but for the U.S. Men's National Team it's all too close-and they're making preparations already!

USA Volleyball announced on April 1st that Long Beach State Men's Head Coach Alan Knipe will be coaching the U.S. National Team for the 2009-2012 Olympic quadrennial, taking over for Coach Hugh McCutcheon who has moved on to coach the U.S. Women's team.

Knipe, who has coached at Long Beach State for the past nine years, will be taking an extended leave of absence to fill his coaching duties, following in the footsteps of his former players, David Lee and Scott Touzinsky (both of whom were part of the team during the men's victory in Beijing) and team captain Tom Hoff (who played at Long Beach during Knipe's assistant coaching days).

“Anyone who gets involved with volleyball sets their sights on being involved with the Olympic team,” Knipe is quoted as saying. “I don’t think that changes from your playing days to your coaching days.I would not have been able to take this position if I did not work at Long Beach State. They were great to work with in making this happen and giving me a leave of absence.”

“I am very excited to have Alan join the USA Volleyball staff and lead our men’s team toward London in 2012. This is a very big hire,” USA Volleyball CEO Doug Beal said. “His experience and success with USAV’s national and high performance programs have been outstanding. I look for him to continue the momentum the U.S. men built in 2008.”
Knipe's first game at the oars of the U.S. Men's National Team will take place at the Pan American Cup on June 1-7 in Colima, Mexico.

Come check out our huge assortment of volleyball gear and novelties at http://www.volleyballproshop.com/.

Training with the Nintendo Wii Fit

The concept of training with a video game system isn't a new one; after all, we've been working out with electronics for years! The Nintendo Wii is finally making it happen, however, with the release of the Wii Fit.

If you've already got a Wii Fit you know that as a personal training tool it's almost unbeatable (if you're working out in your living room rather than a $200 a month gym). It embraces all of the vital tools of training:

1) Flexibility. The Wii Fit's built in Yoga program is designed to improve both balance and flexibility, building muscle tone and your ability to dive for the ball without hurting yourself!

2) Strength Training. Leg lifts. Push ups. Lunges. And a host of other basic strength exercises that we tend to slack on unless we have a trainer looking over our shoulder making us do them! Let's face it, strength training isn't nearly as entertaining as smashing a ball over a net-or even jogging around town! The Wii Fit is a great way to slip strength training into your training regimen without getting bored too quickly to see any appreciable results.

3) Aerobics. Jog with your friends around the Wii Fit Island. Hop into a bouncy step aerobics program or work out your frustrations with rhythm boxing. The aerobic training you get at practice is important, but you can shake it up a little by taking advantage of the aerobics options in the Wii Fit.

4) Balance. How's your balance-can you stand on one leg? In fact, how good is your balance when you're standing on two? Walk a tightrope, roll on your own personal table tilt and guide a bubble down a raging river to perfect your posture and balance and improve your form out on the court.

The best part is the Wii Fit gives you points to judge your performance, so you can launch a (friendly) competition with your friends and teammates to see who can get the highest scores to keep training interesting and keep yourself motivated to do it!

Come check out our collection of (non-virtual) training tools at http://www.volleyballproshop.com/.

USA Volleyball Fires Up the Men's Junior National Team

It's hard to believe that summer's almost on us, but the evidence is everywhere-from the high schools and colleges enjoying their spring break to the overwhelming marketing for Easter and Mother's Day and, of course, the official selection of the 2009 U.S. Men's Junior National Team.

The Men's Junior National Team will be competing in the 2009 FIVB World Championship July 31-August 9 in Pune, India. While the official training schedule and other logistical plans haven't been announced yet (one can only assume that they're still working on hammering out the details) USA Volleyball has announced that the team will be coached by BYU Men's Volleyball Team coach Shawn Patchell, with Long Beach State Assistant Coach John Hawks coming in on the assist.

This isn't Patchell's first ride on the USA Volleyball merry-go-round. He was the one who coached the team to a bronze in El Salvador in 2008, coming in behind Cuba and Canada.

Here's the official line-up for this year's team (as found at http://www.usavolleyball.org/):

2009 USA Men's Junior National Training Team

Thomas Amberg (Middle Blocker/Opposite, El Cajon, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)Jim Baughman (MB, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State, So Cal)Michael Bunting (Outside Hitter, Wyomissing, Pa., Loyola, Chicago, Keystone)Kyle Caldwell (Opp., Newport Beach, Calif., UCLA, So Cal)Tony Ciarelli (OH, Huntington Beach, Calif., USC, So Cal)Kasey Crider (Setter, Granite Bay, Calif., Pepperdine, Northern California)Austin D'Amore (MB, Lake Elsinore, Calif., UC Irvine, So Cal)Kyle Friend (OH Boca Raton, Fla., Long Beach State, Florida)Tyler Jaynes (MB, Granite Bay, Calif., Pepperdine, No Cal)Joseph Kauliakamoa (Setter, Las Vegas, Nev., BYU, No Cal)Rusty Lavaja (MB, St. Charles, Ill., BYU, Great Lakes)Brad Lawson (OH, Honolulu, Hawai’i, Stanford, Aloha)Steven Shandrick (MB, Lake Forest, Calif., USC, So Cal)Erik Shoji (Libero, Honolulu, Hawai’i, Stanford, Aloha)Mike Stefani (OH, Hamburg, N.Y., Orchard Park HS, Western Empire)Matthew Stork (Setter, Topanga, Calif., Cal State Northridge, So Cal)Joseph Sunder (Opp., Greensburg, Pa., Penn State, Keystone)Murphy Troy (OH, St. Louis, Mo., USC, Gateway)Nick Vogel (MB, El Cajon, Calif., UCLA, So Cal)

Alternates to 2009 USA MJNTT

Tri Bourne (OH, Honolulu, Hawai’i, USC, Aloha)Austin Ellis (MB, Corona del Mar, Calif., Stanford, So Cal)Jay Petty (Opp., Downers Grove, Ill., Lewis, Great Lakes)

Staff

Head Coach - Shawn Patchell, BYUAsst. Coach - John Hawks, Long Beach State

Come check out our huge collection of volleyball training gear for the 2009 season at http://www.volleyballproshop.com/.

Great Volleyball Drills for Beginners

One of the most important aspect of volleyball is proper execution of the moves and techniques involved, and in order to master that you're going to have to master the skills right from the very beginning-form and all. That's why volleyball drills for beginners are among the most important drills and skills you're ever going to master. They are the foundation. What you learn when you're just getting started is going to be what paves the road to your success for the remainder of your career-so it's important to make sure you're getting it right!

The first skill you as a player are going to need to learn is how to properly pass the ball using a simple bump technique. We touched on this briefly when we were discussing the need for wrist protection, because proper bumping form is essential-not only to make sure that your hits are getting the distance and direction they need but also to ensure that you don't hurt yourself!

Most volleyball drills for beginners dealing with bumping focus on working with a partner to hit the ball back and forth. This gets you used to a) aiming the ball, and b) hitting the ball when it's coming at you from some other position than straight up in the air! Be sure you're hitting the ball with your forearms rather than your wrists or hands.

**You're probably going to have some red marks and/or bruising for a while, but that should pass quickly as your arms get used to the impact.**

Another important technique you're going to need to master is the serve. Your ability to serve is going to strongly impact your team's performance out on the court, so it's important to make sure you know what you're doing! Practice both types of serves regularly, either with a partner or facing a wall where you can pick your target and practice direction as well as power and speed.

Volleyball drills for beginners are the foundation that you're going to use to build the rest of your game, so don't fall into the trap of dismissing them as unimportant. Come check out our huge selection of training tools at http://www.volleyballproshop.com/.