Coaching Management 12.5

Coaching Management VOL. XII, NO. 5

V O L L E Y B A L L

P R E S E A S O N

E D I T I O N

LIFE WITH LIBERO

Making the most of your defensive leader

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How to Prevent ACL Injuries

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Working with your AD

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Coaching Management Volleyball Edition Preseason 2004

CONTENTS

Vol. XII, No. 5

p. 2

p. 27

p. 33

LOCKER ROOM

COVER STORY

Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Life With Libero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

NCAA to allow libero to serve in 2004 … Statewide studies in Calif. and Mass. reveal Title IX noncompliance … Otis High (Colo.) “adopts” a new fund-raising scheme … Division III schools to shorten their playing season … Northern Iowa’s Molly O’Brien makes a quiet comeback … NFHS rules changes announced.

Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Kim Cherniss talks about how she’s moved Cal State-San Bernardino into the upper echelon of NCAA Division II volleyball.

After just two years in the NCAA rule book, the libero is making a dramatic impact on the college game—but only for those coaches who know how to choose, train, and utilize this player.

OFF THE COURT

Good Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 No matter your communications system, your athletic director is a person you want to hook up with. Here’s how to partner with this busy, behind-the-scenes boss.

INJURY PREVENTION

An ACL Defense

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Advertiser Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

How do you block ACL injuries from infiltrating your team? New studies reveal the most effective prevention programs.

On the cover: The University of Minnesota’s Paula Gentil is considered the top libero in college play.

Story starts on page 20. Photo courtesy of University of Minnesota Athletics.

Volleyball Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Web News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Team Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Catalog Showcase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Publisher Mark Goldberg Circulation Director Mark Shea Art Director Pamela Crawford Art Assistant Dina Stander Business Manager Pennie Small

Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Frankel Associate Editors Guillermo Metz Dennis Read Assistant Editors R.J. Anderson Kenny Berkowitz David Hill Laura Smith Editorial Assistant Greg Scholand

Production Manager Kristin Ayers Asst. Production Manager Kristi Kempf Prepress Manager Adam Berenstain Prepress Assistant Steve Rokitka Ad Materials Coordinator Mike Townsend

IT Manager Mark Nye Production Assistants Jonni Campbell Hildi Gerhart Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter Administrative Assistants Sharon Barbell Daniela Reis Amy Walton

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Uniforms & Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Performance Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 More Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Advertising Sales Associates Diedra Harkenrider, (607) 257-6970, ext. 24 Sheryl Shaffer, (607) 257-6970, ext. 21 Business and Editorial Offices 2488 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 257-6970, Fax (607) 257-7328 info@MomentumMedia.com Mailing lists for Coaching Management Volleyball are provided by the Clell Wade Coaches Directory.

The Coaching Management volleyball edition is published in April and December by MAG, Inc. and is distributed free to college and high school coaches in the United States and Canada. Copyright © 2004 by MAG, Inc. All rights reserved. Text may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

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bulletin board Libero to Serve Leads NCAA Rules Changes She’s not just for defense any more. At least that’s what the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Rules Committee said by endorsing a proposal to allow the libero player to serve during one rotation. The proposal, which was endorsed at the Rules Committee’s January meeting, was approved along with other rules changes by a new committee called the Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP) to become effective for the 2004 season.

coach raises a question, the down, or second, referee must address it. Some coaches periodically use this tactic to slow the game down when the opposing team is on a roll.

The new rules put more defined procedures in place for coaches to speak with referees.

“While referees will still interact with coaches on unusual or difficult non-judgement deci-

ultimately benefit the game.

“If we can keep the time between the ball hitting the ground and the next serve more efficient,” he says, “that’s better for the fans.”

Other changes passed by the Volleyball Rules Committee and PROP include a clarification on hair, so that if the ball contacts only a player’s hair, it is not considered to have been

Thirty years after the passage of Title IX, how well are high schools and colleges complying with the law? The answer, according to two studies released this spring, is that they could be doing better.

Groups in both California and Massachusetts researched Title IX compliance in their states, and both investigations found cause for concern.

“It seemed to work out and it was fun,” says Kim Kelly, Head Coach at Gettysburg College, which used the experimental rule last spring. “I have a libero right now who’s an amazing server. But even if I didn’t have her, I would think it’s a good rule. For one thing, it will separate us from the international game.”

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University of North Alabama setter Ashley Moffitt delivers a serve during the team’s 2003 NCAA Division II championship run. Next season, the libero will also be allowed to serve during one rotation. sions, discussions on common judgement issues will be curtailed in an effort to maintain flow,” Marcia Alterman, Secretary-Rules Editor for the committee, told The NCAA News.

Although he admits to using the stalling tactic at times, Flora says the new rule will

touched. In addition, rules were passed to: prevent players wearing illegal uniforms from entering the game, thus removing the onus from an opposing team’s coach to enforce uniform infractions; to allow players to wear insulin pumps; and giving more responsibility for the pre-match countdown

In California, the state’s Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) hired RMC Research Corporation to gauge Title IX compliance at public institutions. Researchers sent surveys to 286 high schools and all of California’s community colleges and state universities, and used data from Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) reports, the California Department of Education, and the CPEC. They also conducted a series of site visits to schools.

“We found that we have some real success stories in California—schools that have achieved equity,” says Murray Haberman, Project Manager at the CPEC, “and we have some institutions that haven’t.

The inequities seem most pronounced in the areas of participation and coaching.”

Community colleges fared the worst when researchers

SCOTT QUINTARD/NCAA PHOTOS

The Women’s Volleyball Rules Committee also made several recommendations intended to limit disputes between coaches, players, and officials.

Under current rules, if one

For the 2004 season, PROP has been given the final word on playing rules. That process is being reviewed and may change for 2005, at which point PROP may become a step on the way to the Management Council or the Executive Committee.

Two New Studies Reveal Gender Inequities

No sanctioning body currently allows the libero to serve.

But several NCAA teams tried the libero-as-server model as an experimental rule during the 2003 nontraditional season, with favorable results.

Don Flora, former Head Coach at the University of La Verne and new Assistant Coach at the University of Washington, also sees it as a positive move.

“Often, the libero is also a great server, so not allowing that player to serve takes away some offensive excitement,” he says. “I think letting them serve in one rotation will be good because it will put more pressure on the defense, make the rallies longer, and give coaches more options.”

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bulletin board measured participation. Only eight percent were able to meet Title IX’s proportionality test (where the gender ratio of student-athletes comes within five percent of the gender ratio of the entire student body), and 84 percent

in coaching. Community colleges reported that 63 percent of coaches of men’s teams are full-time, compared to 45 percent of women’s team coaches, and on average, coaches of men’s teams were far more experienced than coaches of women’s teams, Haberman says.

At the college and university level, head coaches of men’s teams were paid significantly more than head coaches of women’s teams.

Researchers also found that men’s teams received more funding overall and per athlete for operating expenditures and recruiting.

Massachusetts is one of two states to undergo a thorough Title IX review in the last six months. Above, Turners Falls plays Millis in the 2003 Division 3 Massachusetts state championship game. were “considerably outside the range of acceptability,” according to Haberman.

The participation picture at the state’s high schools was only slightly better, as 26 percent were able to meet the proportionality test. The participation results were best at the college level. EADA reports revealed that 57 percent of California’s public universities are able to show proportionality.

At all three levels of education, researchers found inequities

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Later this spring, the CPEC will forward its report to the California legislature, along with a set of recommendations.

The group will advise lawmakers to allocate funds for educating school administrators about Title IX compliance at all three levels, particularly in the areas of participation, coaching, and evaluating student interests.

“People are out of compliance, but they don’t realize it,” Haberman says. “If technical assistance is provided to schools in an effective way, a lot of the problems will be alleviated. The legislature already has bills in the works based on preliminary discussions about these findings.”

On the opposite coast, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the National Women’s Law Center evaluated Title IX compliance at Massachusetts high schools, releasing a report in February. Researchers found large disparities between boys and girls. Statewide, 50 percent of girls and 58 percent of boys participate in school sports. In Boston schools, 36 percent of girls and 55 percent of boys participate in school sports.

To determine whether female student-athletes are treated fairly when they do participate, researchers examined Title IX complaints filed over the past five years with the OCR and interviewed female studentathletes, parents, coaches, and administrators. The report cited inequities in facilities, equipment, scheduling, coaching, and officiating, among other areas.

The Massachusetts study also revealed large participation gaps between white and nonwhite girls. In Boston, 33 percent of African American girls and 32 percent of Hispanic girls participate in school sports, compared to 49 percent of white girls. Across the state, 37 percent of African American girls and 28 percent of Hispanic girls participate in school sports, compared to 54 percent of white girls.

Dr. Jean Weicha, a researcher on the project with the Harvard School of Public Health, says more research is needed to determine why girls of color are not participating. “Sometimes the opportunities are there, but there are barriers to girls using them,” she says. “Other times, there are no opportunities. It’s important to figure

The text of Senate Bill S282 is available at thomas.loc.gov/.

For the complete results of the Massachusetts study, go to www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/sports/ keepingscorereport.pdf.

out which is happening so that you can address it.”

The Massachusetts report recommends education for athletes and their parents on Title IX, technical assistance for schools to help them comply, and additional study of the issue. Weicha would also like to see mandatory annual data gathering and reporting by high schools. “It only makes sense to require reporting,” she says. “We have a law against discrimination at the high school level, but no system to monitor whether the law is effective or not.”

A bill currently under consideration in the United States Senate would do just that.

Introduced in 2002 and currently under review by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the law would require schools to report numbers of participants in each sport by gender, race, and ethnicity to the United States Department of Education each year.

Division III Reform Package Passes At the NCAA Convention in January, Division III institutions passed the majority of a widesweeping reform package that has been in the works for over a year. Highlights include reducing the number of weeks of play in the combined traditional and non-traditional seasons and a measure to ease restrictions on players wanting to transfer. Most of the rules become effective Aug. 1, 2004.

Probably the most significant rule for volleyball coaches and players is one that will limit the combined spring and fall playing seasons for all fall sports to 18 weeks. Another proposal to cut practice and competition during the nontraditional season in certain sports, including women’s volleyball, also passed. More

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bulletin board aggressive legislation to decrease contest limits by 10 percent across all sports was defeated, however.

The reform package is seen as a move to set tighter guidelines on the amount of time studentathletes spend practicing, preparing for, and participating in their sport. The intent is to make sure the focus of a Division III student-athlete remains firmly on the student side of the equation.

Both the traditional fall season and the non-traditional spring season will count toward the 18-week cap. Coaches who used the full 21-week allotment in the past can cut weeks from either the traditional or non-traditional season. These coaches may choose to play fewer games, play more games per week, or maintain their previous fall schedule and shorten the spring season.

The non-traditional season retains its previous five-week limit, but teams are now limited to a total of 16 practices, with a new four-practice cap per week. Only one of those practice dates may be used for outside competition. These numbers compare to 30 possible practice dates and five competition dates under the previous rules.

“For our conference, this will mean a significant reduction in the number of games we’ll be allowed to play in the spring,” says Chad Schreiber, Head Coach at Lakeland College. And because the nontraditional spring season is when experimental rules are tried out, it will limit the ability of Division III teams to give those rules a trial run before they’re implemented.

If teams choose to play fewer games in the fall, a rift may develop between top-level schools and mid-level schools, according to Paco Labrador, Head Coach at Wittenberg

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University. “I think it’s going to make elite teams just play each other as much as possible, to the exclusion of nonelite teams,” he says.

While some non-elite teams may benefit by picking up more victories and landing a surprise bid to the NCAA tournament, Labrador sees harm to such squads as the more likely outcome. Playing fewer games against top-level teams means they won’t have as much chance to pick up quality wins and strength-ofschedule points.

of playing there. The other school, however, cannot proceed until the athlete’s current school is informed.

“Say a player on my team wants to go to your school,” explains Schreiber. “Before you could have a conversation with her, you would have to say, ‘Thank you for contacting me. I’m going to have to contact Lakeland College for your release.’ And you would have to let me know that she’s contacted you and you’re

“I think it’s a terrible rule because it encourages bad relationships between players and coaches,” Schreiber says.

“But new coaches will be affected the most because they haven’t had the chance to establish relationships with players yet. I think a veteran coach who has a good relationship with his or her players will probably be affected very little.

“It might make it easier for some athletes, but it’s going

“Right now in Division III, the top 20 teams try to play each other at least once or twice throughout the season,” Labrador says. “Until now, you could do that and not have to use every one of your out-ofconference matches against top-20 teams. I think the change is going to push the top Division III teams to seek each other out more often in non-conference matches.

“I would be surprised if second-tier teams will find games with first-tier teams,” he adds. “It’s going to be tougher for them.”

Limiting the non-traditional season will only add to the disparity, according to Labrador. “We’re limited as coaches in what we can do with the players,” he says. “We leave it up to them to organize their own workouts, practice sessions, and lifting sessions in the off-season. Now, there is going to be more time where they’re doing things on their own. And the elite teams are elite teams because they have players who are self-motivated to do the work.”

The other major new Division III rule that volleyball coaches will watch closely is one allowing student-athletes to selfrelease. Under current rules, an athlete can contact another school about the possibility

Outside hitter Monica McDonald connects for NCAA Division III Wittenberg University last season. New rules in Division III will shorten the number of weeks that teams will be able to compete. speaking with her. The selfrelease rule allows her to go online [to a Web site hosted by the NCAA] and release herself. All she has to do is provide the coach at the new school with the form she completed saying she has released herself.

to be a big problem for the coach who doesn’t know one of her players is thinking of leaving until the day she leaves,” Labrador says. “I didn’t feel it was a big detriment to have the coach give that release so that he or she is made aware of a player’s desire to transfer.”

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bulletin board Labrador adds that if he is contacted by a player at another school, he will still talk with that player’s coach, whether that coach has been informed of her intentions or not. “When the new rule goes into effect, if a player contacts me saying she hasn’t spoken to her coach about transferring, I’d probably tell her she needs to talk with her coach first,” he says. “I don’t think I’d feel comfortable doing something when the other coach doesn’t know about it.”

When players at Otis (Colo.)

Jr.-Sr. High School take the court, they’re likely to have two sets of parents cheering them on: their real families and their temporary adoptive parents.

The program has increased attendance at volleyball matches, says Head Coach and Athletic Director Bonnie Wallin-Kuntz. The money raised, meanwhile, helps

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At Otis (Colo.) High School, an innovative fund-raiser helped send players to summer camps and tournaments. Above, Autumn Malone celebrates the team’s 2002 state championship.

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OTIS HIGH SCHOOL

Adopt-a-Bulldog Raises New Funds

The tiny school in rural northcentral Colorado has built interest in its athletic program through the Adopt-a-Bulldog plan, in which community members pay $10 to “adopt” a player on a team. They receive a button with their player’s photo, a carnation, and recognition at home games. In return, they send small tokens of encouragement to players before games, such as candy bars, balloons, or cards, and have designated players to cheer for. This past fall was the first season of the program, starting with volleyball and football and expanding to other sports later in the year.

send student-athletes to summer camps and tournaments.

“Because we are a rural school in a farming community, the kids can’t afford to attend on their own,” Wallin-Kuntz says.

“If we don’t do fund-raisers, they aren’t able to go.”

The program began with a local businessman and backer of high school sports, who takes photos of the studentathletes and runs them through a button-making machine. The school advertises the program in the community’s local newspaper, and supporters pick players on a first-come, firstserved basis.

A Quiet Comeback It’s not every day an All-American volleyball player is told that a rare circulatory condition could end her career. But on Jan. 7, 2003, three weeks after leading her team to the Sweet 16 in the 2002 NCAA Division I tournament, the University of Northern Iowa’s

ond straight year, O’Brien, then a junior, was not ready for her career to end. But, bucking the odds, O’Brien weathered the surgery and grueling rehab to return to her middle blocker spot for her senior season.

The casual fan may not have noticed any difference in O’Brien’s game in 2003. She led the team in kills with 475,

Parents can’t adopt their own children, but many adopt their kids’ best friends, and grandparents can adopt their own grandchildren, Wallin-Kuntz says. Some get adopted more than once, but only after each player has an adopted “parent.”

“I’d say any time you can get the community involved with what the kids are doing in your athletic department, it’s only a positive thing,” she continues.

“I would encourage anybody to try it, because it’s a win-win situation. You’re going to win with some fund-raising money, and you’re going to win with getting some people involved with what kids are doing.”

“She’s a major role model for our program,” says Bobbi Petersen, Head Coach at Northern Iowa. “There were a lot of goose bumps after seeing Molly hit that first ball after rehab. Knowing where she had come from to get to that point was very inspiring.”

O’Brien’s future was up in the air until the very eve of the season. She did not receive final clearance to play until Aug. 14, just two weeks before the season-opener. The February surgery to correct O’Brien’s condition left her missing a rib and required her to relearn most movements of her right arm.

“We usually try to do it before the first game. They choose their kids, get their button, and then wear the buttons throughout the season,” Wallin-Kuntz says.

Adoptive parents are recognized at the start of each home game. “It’s increased attendance because they want to come watch their kids,” she says. “We have only so many people to draw from because Otis’ population is a little more than 500 people. But it’s gotten more people involved.

teammates, family, friends, and medical advisors knew that the season held a far greater meaning than any statistics or postseason laurels.

O’Brien’s story begins shortly after the end of the 2002 season, in which she led the Panthers to a 34-3 record. Home in Parnell, Iowa, on her winter break, O’Brien had just completed a weight training session when she noticed her right arm was swollen and turning purple. After an ultrasound, O’Brien was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) as well as a blood clot in her shoulder.

Northern Iowa’s Molly O’Brien was a winner both on and off the court last year, making a comeback from surgery that removed two shoulder muscles and a rib.

Molly O’Brien was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and told by doctors that her playing career was in jeopardy.

Having just completed a season in which she earned Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors for a sec-

broke the school record for career kills with 1,779, and set a conference career block record with 771. She was named the MVC Player of the Year for the third time and earned all-region and honorable mention All-America honors. But O’Brien’s

Although doctors cannot pinpoint a definitive cause of TOS, many see weight lifting as a common thread among athletes with the condition.

Muscles and tendons swell, compressing the arteries, nerves, and veins in the neck and shoulder. The condition often results in arm pain, numb fingers, swelling, bruising and, in the worst cases, blood clots. Although TOS usually builds up over months or years, its symptoms may come on suddenly.

O’Brien was referred to Dr. Robert Thompson, a Professor

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bulletin board of Vascular Surgery at Washington University Medical School and an attending surgeon at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Thompson, who sees at least one case of TOS each month and has treated several professional athletes for the condition, told O’Brien there was a 50 percent chance she could get back on the court for her senior season—but he couldn’t guarantee she would return to All-America form.

The procedure, which Thompson performed in early February, involved removing O’Brien’s top right rib and two shoulder muscles to create space for a vein running between the shoulder and neck muscles. Removing the muscle and the rib would reduce the likelihood of the vein becoming constricted

again and keep the blood clot from re-forming. There was however, a major downside: Once the muscles were removed, O’Brien would have to relearn movements as simple as raising her arm above her head. “It felt like a freight train had hit me,” says O’Brien describing her postsurgery pain. “I couldn’t move for the first couple of days.”

After a week of rehabilitation at home, O’Brien returned to UNI to join her classmates in the spring semester, which had begun a month earlier.

While her teammates lifted weights and worked on their conditioning in preparation for spring workouts, O’Brien went to the athletic training room and began the long road back, with the help of Matt Gage, Assistant Athletic

Trainer at UNI who handles the women’s volleyball team.

Because of the missing muscles on her right side, O’Brien’s head tilted slightly to the right. Gage worked with O’Brien to strengthen her neck and encouraged her to become more conscious of standing up straight with her shoulders back and chin up.

They also trained O’Brien’s other shoulder muscles to pick up the slack.

Along with two to three hours a day working with Gage, O’Brien had two weeks of schoolwork to catch up on.

That caused a great deal of stress for the 2002 first-team MVC Scholar Athlete. She dropped a class, but found her remaining instructors very accommodating.

“I talked to lots of different motivational speakers, from professors to athletic trainers,” continues O’Brien.

“They advised me to make a list of short-term and longterm goals. So I sat down with Matt and we talked it over and made some goals that we both thought were realistic.”

On April 14, nearly 70 days after her surgery, O’Brien was cleared to begin a limited upper-body weight training program and some volleyballspecific activities. “The idea was to slowly take what we were trying to educate her muscles to do in the athletic training room and apply that to the court,” says Gage.

In the beginning, that included having O’Brien set the ball to herself for 30 seconds and

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bulletin board hit 10 serves over the net from the 10-foot line. She started with lightweight balls and worked up to officialsized balls.

By the middle of June, O’Brien was cleared to practice but not to play. That came Aug. 14, six months post-surgery.

The real moment of truth came during the team’s first preseason practice in August.

“I was very excited, but still scared because I didn’t know how my shoulder was going to feel after two-a-day practices,” says O’Brien. “Then during the first day of practice it felt great and I could do everything that everybody else could do, which gave me a lot of confidence. After preseason was over I thought, ‘Okay, I did that, there is nothing in my

way now. I can definitely make it through the season.’”

Her rehab efforts lasted well beyond the start of the season, however. “At the very beginning of the season we worked out every single day before practice for 45 minutes to an hour, and at some point during the season, as she got stronger, I only had her come in three days a week,” says Gage.

O’Brien is very thankful for the hard work and long hours put in by UNI’s sports medicine staff, and gives them a lot of credit for her return.

She says she is not ready to give up playing competitively and may go to the USA volleyball training facility this summer to train for a week, or possibly go overseas to play.

NFHS RULE CHANGES Rule changes approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations Volleyball Rules Committee for the 2004-05 season include: ■

Allowing a player to play a ball that crosses into a non-playable area if that player has a body part in contact with a playable area when making a play on the ball. A player may also enter a non-playable area while completing the follow-through.

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During timeouts, line judges will stand at the intersection of the attack line and the sideline on their respective side of the court nearest the referee. The line judge on the serving team’s side shall hold the ball during the timeout. The purpose of the change is to give the referee opportunities to communicate with line judges during timeouts.

Coaching is another option down the road, says O’Brien, whose older sister Katie is the Head Coach at Piedmont College, a Division III school

in Georgia. “One thing is for sure,” O’Brien adds, “I definitely see myself being involved with volleyball for a long time.”

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Kim Cherniss California State University-San Bernardino

During her 13 years at Cal State-San Bernardino, Head Coach Kim Cherniss has turned a program that previously struggled to reach the .500 mark into a consistent NCAA Division II powerhouse. The Coyotes finished the 2003 season by advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight, with a record of 29-5 overall and 20-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association— good enough for a third consecutive CCAA championship.

Cherniss’s athletes have excelled individually as well. Three of her players were named AVCA All-Americans last year, and senior middle blocker Kim Morohunfola, a four-time All-American, was selected as the Division II National Player of the Year. Cherniss herself has twice been named Coach of the Year by the CCAA, and she was the 2003 AVCA Pacific Region Coach of the Year.

Cherniss’s impressive resume includes winning a national championship as a player at UC-Riverside in 1982 and playing professionally in the U.S. and France, where she was a player-coach. In this interview, Cherniss talks about how she moved her San Bernardino team into the upper echelon of Division II volleyball, how she keeps it there, and how she sets her priorities on and off the court.

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really feel a sense of pride in being here.

So I focus on recruiting in the Inland Empire, and then beyond that in Southern California. There is some position specificity involved, but in general I want the very best athletes I can find, and once we have them, we’ll fit them into the positions we need.

Not long after that, the CCAA added the Northern California Conference teams to our league. At the time, being 3-7 in conference was a huge accomplishment because the teams we were losing to were all national-caliber teams. But when the league added more teams that we could compete against, it allowed us to get more conference wins, which boosted our overall record and made us more attractive to recruits. Once we started getting blue-chip recruits in, we made our rise towards the top.

After all the success you’ve had, how do you keep your players hungry at the start of a new season?

The tone of our program is that we are never going to be satisfied until we win a national championship. Beyond that, we won’t be satisfied until we win a second one, then a third, and so on. The CCAA is without a doubt the toughest Division II conference in the country, so you have to be up to play every game. We play a nationally-ranked team almost every weekend, and sometimes two back-toback, so that on its own keeps us going.

How do you approach recruiting for your team?

I believe strongly in recruiting the very best athletes from my area—it allows our kids to be followed by the community more voraciously, and for our athletes to

Beyond that, I try to assess a potential recruit’s attitude and her competitiveness.

Competitiveness is hard to determine, because you only get a few opportunities to evaluate players. But I want to know if a kid is a hard worker. Does she display a good work ethic? Is she enjoying herself out on the floor and dying to win?

I never take for granted that what we have is going to be good enough for next year. We go out and recruit the very best kids that we can, regardless of whether or not we had an All-American at their

ROBERT WHITEHEAD/CSUSB

Senior middle blocker Kim Morohunfola, the 2003 Division II National Player of the Year, celebrates a point during a game against BYU-Hawai’i. When recruiting, Coach Cherniss looks for players who are “enjoying themselves on the floor and dying to win.”

CM: After losing seasons in each of your first six years at San Bernardino, how did you begin to turn the program around?

Cherniss: When I first got here, we had very little scholarship money, we played in an old gym, and I was a part-time coach. After three years, we built a new facility, my position went full-time, and a referendum for scholarship money passed, so our funding started to increase. Those three things affected us on all levels—the facility made recruiting quite a bit easier, the scholarship money allowed me to pursue better athletes, and being full-time gave me a lot more time to work.

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position the year before. It’s not about being disloyal, it’s about keeping that competitive atmosphere in the gym. So in practice, kids are going at it—you can never slow down or somebody will take your spot. If the kids respect each other and trust the process by which players are given court time, then it becomes a good competitive atmosphere, and it pushes them to learn what their limits are.

conference and regional tournaments, we salivate all year thinking, “I can’t wait to play those guys.”

Our next tier of goals changes each year.

Four years ago, it was to get to the regional tournament. These last two years, it has been to win the regional tournament. And we’ve always felt that we had an excellent opportunity to compete for a national championship, so that’s our final goal.

“Our theme this year was ‘losing stinks.’

Everything that we did had negative consequences for losing … And that brought out a different kind of dynamic.”

What goals do you set for your team when you start a new season?

For us, it’s about tiers of goals. Our first goal is to continue stringing together as many conference championships as we can—that is a great source of pride and excitement because of the rivalries. In the

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What do you do to keep practices interesting for your players?

Two years ago, we had something we called the competitive cauldron.

Everything that we did had a point value associated with it. So if you were part of a group that won a drill, or if you won an individual drill, it was worth a certain number of points. Every time somebody got to 30, they got a little something, like an extra pair of socks, some knee pads, or a new travel bag. The rewards themselves weren’t

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important—we were trying to foster a competitive atmosphere, and the dynamic in practice was interesting. It really brought out some different things in people. It was fun and I think it kept the girls on their toes. The whole focus that year was “want to win, want to win.”

Then, for the third year in a row, we lost in the regional finals in five games, so our theme this year was “losing stinks.”

Everything that we did had negative consequences for losing. It wasn’t overly negative, but if your group lost, you would run a little bit, or the other team got to go for a drink while you did extra pushups—nothing big, just subtly reinforcing the message all year long. And that brought out a different kind of dynamic.

It’s a matter of tweaking things and seeing if you can help your players to grow and mature competitively and cooperatively with their teammates. I like experimenting with that.

How do you divide responsibilities between yourself and your assistant coach?

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Danny [Scott] has been with me for five years, and he and I work very well together. We have a great rapport, and we enjoy tossing ideas back and forth with each other, but we also approach the game differently. Danny has a tendency to work with our players from a technical standpoint—what do they need to do differently with their footwork or arm speed, or with their approach or posture? And my approach is more mentally-based. Where he’ll say, “You need to raise your elbow

at a different degree,” I’ll say, “Hey, you just need to hit higher.” So I think between the two of us, we do a great job addressing our players’ development.

Also, since his degree is in kinesiology and he’s pursuing a master’s in exercise physiology, he is primarily responsible for all of our strength training and conditioning, which we emphasize year-round.

How has your coaching style evolved in your 13 seasons at San Bernardino?

I think I’ve grown more confident in the athletes’ ability to execute whatever I think they need to do to win. When I was a young coach, I would sometimes say to myself, “This might be too difficult” or “I don’t want them to feel like too much is being demanded of them.” But I’ve realized over the course of my career that female athletes want to be challenged and they want to be respected for their ability to rise to a challenge. I really believe that if we do the work in the gym, there is so much that we can accomplish. So, over the course of my career, I’ve developed a great respect for the work process and the training process.

Do you like being at a school with a small number of sports, where you’re not competing with large programs like football?

I think there are positives and negatives to that. What I really cherish about our athletic department is how close everyone is. I’m very good friends with all the other coaches in our program, and the athletic director’s office is open to me any time. I don’t think you’re going to find that in a lot of the bigger programs. I love being in a smaller, more intimate setting.

What was it like for your team to host the NCAA Division II Championships this past year?

It was outstanding. First of all, I can’t express how great our staff was. To be able to have this tournament in front of our home crowd was very important and a big source of pride. And the community was really into it—the paper ran stories all the time, and overall it was just a very neat experience.

What qualities do you think make a great coach?

I think you have to be driven, because good, successful athletes are not going to respond to you unless they feel that you are truly determined to be successful.

I also think you need to have the patience to do things the right way. It’s easy to cut corners and be unethical and have success in the short run, but being successful in the long run takes time and lots of hard work.

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Last, and probably most importantly, you really have to love the particular arena that you’re in, which for me is college volleyball. It’s not pro volleyball, it’s not club volleyball, it’s not high school—it’s completely different. I love everything that plays into college volleyball and makes it what it is.

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After just two years in the NCAA rule book, the libero is making a dramatic impact on the college game—but only for those coaches who know how to choose, train, and utilize this player.

M University of Minnesota libero Paula Gentil was named a Second Team All-American this past season and helped the Gophers reach the semifinals of the NCAA Division I national championships.

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COVER STORY

LIFE WITH LIBERO

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BY KENNY BERKOWITZ

ike Hebert, Head Coach at the University of Minnesota, remembers the first time he saw his future libero in action.

Paula Gentil was listed as an outside hitter at the Orlando Volleyball Academy, but the moment she joined the back row, Hebert knew Gentil had exactly what makes a great libero: awareness of the game, fearlessness, and incredible technical ability.

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ATHLETICS

“I was completely blown away,” says Hebert, “and she’s been even better than we expected. She’s a great allaround player, with tremendous hitting skills—but she knows that her greatest contribution is her play in the back row.

She doesn’t just love the position, she appreciates the impact that a great libero can have on the whole team.”

After designing an offense around opposite hitter Cassie Busse and a defense around Gentil, Hebert led the Golden Gophers to their first trip to the NCAA Division I Final Four this fall. And a large part of that success, says Hebert, came from understanding the libero position.

“Defense is the key to winning volleyball, and the libero is the key to your defense,” says Hebert. “In the past, most defensive specialists were walk-ons. But with the libero rule, coaches need to make sure they’re bringing in liberos who can play the position at a very high level. The libero is your anchor, and her performance will have a tremendous impact on the rest of your team.”

Making the Change Hebert isn’t the only winning coach to notice the difference. In the two years since the NCAA adopted the libero, Rich Luenemann, Head Coach at Divi-

sion III national champion Washington University (St. Louis), has also seen the effect that the position can have. “At the beginning, I didn’t realize how beneficial it would be,” says Luenemann. “But now that I’ve seen how tremendously positive it’s been, I feel much more strongly about its impact. In fact, we already have three potential liberos for our team next year, and we may add a fourth.

“The position has evolved to the point where the libero is as important as anybody else on the floor,” continues Luenemann. “You can maximize her at serve receive. Defensively, you can use your blocks to funnel all the free balls to her. Or you can position her behind the block to act like a center fielder, picking up deflections and covering the seams.

To be able to keep your best defensive player in the back court for six rotations is an enormously positive change.”

“The libero rule allows us to introduce another dominant player into the game,” adds Larry Bock, Head Coach at Juniata College. “With the libero controlling most of the first contacts and the setter controlling most of the second contacts, you’ve got two people who control twothirds of the contacts, and greatly affect the outcome of a match.”

Coaches see a growing gap between programs that are making the most out of the position and those that aren’t.

“The teams that have done well nationally since the rule came in all have great liberos,” says Chris Beerman, Head Coach at the University of Pittsburgh.

“Coaches who aren’t putting an emphasis on the libero position are really missing the boat. When I watch other colleges and see the libero tucked in the corner, out of serve receive, I know they’ve got a problem. They’re defeating the whole purpose of the position.”

Selecting a Libero In elementary school, Gentil was a soccer goalie. In high school, she was an outside hitter. Like a lot of liberos playing in the college game, she needed to be retrained for her new position—and for Hebert, Gentil’s athletic talent was much more important than the position he’d seen her play.

“When you’re choosing a libero, the number one thing you need to see is an athlete who absolutely loves to play defense,” advises Hebert. “Number two, she has to be fearless. Number three, she has to be technically very sound, and know how to use her body and her platform to always keep the ball in play.

And number four, she’s got to have great communication skills.”

Peggy Martin, Head Coach at Central Missouri State University, also values a libero’s innate abilities above all else.

Kenny Berkowitz is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management.

COACHIING MANAGEMENT

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“When I’m recruiting a libero, I’m looking for athleticism,” she says. “I’m looking for someone who has that relentless pursuit, the kind of defensive player who’s going to go for every ball. I’m looking for quality every time she touches the ball, whether it’s a dig or a serve receive. And I’m looking for an attitude

are totally different roles,” he says. “We still have defensive specialists coming in for spot duty at certain points in the game, but the libero’s energy and focus have to be different than someone who’s coming in off the bench. It’s about confidence—you need a libero you can count on to dig every single ball and pass it directly to the target.

“If I’m out recruiting, trying to find an athlete who’s going to “THE DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST become a great libero, I’m going to AND THE LIBERO ARE look for that libero mentality,” continues Beerman. “Does she love TOTALLY DIFFERENT ROLES playing defense, and understand the intensity of the position? What … THE LIBERO’S ENERGY kind of focus does she have? Does AND FOCUS HAVE TO BE she ever miss a play because she’s DIFFERENT THAN SOMEONE not ready? I want someone with a whole different level of mental WHO’S COMING IN OFF toughness.”

THE BENCH. IT’S ABOUT CONFIDENCE—YOU NEED A LIBERO YOU CAN COUNT ON TO DIG EVERY SINGLE BALL AND PASS IT DIRECTLY TO THE TARGET.” that brings positive energy to the floor, because the libero is going to be out there all the time.”

“After the setter, the libero should be the best athlete on the team,” agrees Bock. “You want to put your best athlete at libero, even if it means taking her away from a hitting position.”

Carin Avery, Head Coach at Valparaiso University, wants a libero who can lead. “Because she’s in the back row the whole time and can see all of the action unfold in front of her, the libero becomes the person who tells the rest of the team what’s going on, what kind of defense they need to play, and where they need to go,” Avery says. “You want someone who has good leadership qualities and can set a good example for the rest of the team.”

“When you need to bring order out of chaos,” adds Hebert, “you need a libero who has the gift of understanding the action on the court and communicating directions to the rest of the team.”

Beerman also looks for someone with an ultra-competitive mentality.

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Setting Up a System Once you’ve found that great athlete-leader with mental toughness, you’ll need to spend some time figuring out how to best utilize her skills. The key to creating a winning strategy, says Beerman, is to ask yourself some questions with regard to the libero’s role. “What’s your philosophy on offense and defense?” offers Beerman. “How much of an impact do you want your libero to have? How many serve receivers do you have? How much court do you give your pass? You have to decide all those things before you decide your strategy.”

Luenemann sees two options for designing an effective defense, depending on your libero’s mobility. “Because of how they’re built, or how quickly they can react, some liberos are best used as static diggers,” he says. “So if you’ve got a static digger, you want to funnel the ball directly to her with your blocking.

“Other liberos are much better at reading the offense, adjusting their position, and covering a large part of the court,” continues Luenemann. “That’s the way we play our libero here, Nicole Hodgman, who’s got great movement skills. We use a rover defense. We put her in the middle, behind the block, and tell her, ‘Get back there and read. If

you see a seam, take it. If not, take the shot we’re giving away and watch for deflections.’”

At Pittsburgh, Beerman positions his libero back left and has his blockers direct every free ball to 2003 Big East Libero of the Year Megan McGrane.

“She can handle the whole left side of the court by herself, and that’s allowed us to set up our blocks to funnel everything over to her,” says Beerman. “On the left side, we stay inside the right-side hitter to make her hit the ball down the line. On the right side, we put our blocker on the pin to funnel her shots to left back, basically taking the line away from the outside hitter. In both situations, we funnel everything to McGrane, knowing she’ll be able to handle the ball.”

The most common way for coaches to use the libero, says Hebert, is to select

SAVING SUBS

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T THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, Head Coach Mike Hebert has a pair of left-side hitters who are much better at serving and attacking than they are at passing and defending.

He also has an All-American libero and a pair of defensive specialists who are available to substitute in the back row. Hebert’s solution was to make his libero the center of a strategy he calls “Save a Sub,” and it’s allowed him to strengthen his defense without running out of substitutions before the end of a game.

“We have our libero in the back row for our left side player, and rotate her from the right back to the middle back,” says Hebert. “Then our middle comes in to serve and play defense for one rotation, and we take our libero out and put our left-side player back in. After that, we have to let one play go by before we can put the libero back in, and then we put our libero back in for our middle.

“That way, at least once or twice every game, we avoid having to use a defensive specialist,” continues Hebert. “The personnel is a little bit different from what we ideally want, but we minimize the risk by getting our middle blocker out of the back row. And we get to use those subs somewhere else.”

The idea, says Hebert, is to always design a solution that suits your strengths, no matter how unconventional. “Be creative,” says Hebert, “and make the libero fit the needs of your team.”

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COVER STORY

one position, often the middle blocker, and substitute the libero for the taller, less agile athletes as they go through the back row. “But at Minnesota, we’ve done something very different, which is to substitute our libero for our left side hitters,” he says, “and I recommend that other coaches do what we did: Look at the talent on your team, think creatively, and let the varying abilities of your starting players dictate the best way to use your libero.” (See “Saving Subs,” on page 22.)

Whatever system you create, an important part of maximizing the libero is explaining your plan to all of your players—especially those who find themselves playing with a libero for the first time. “In the beginning, other people on the team were asking, ‘Why is she cutting in front of me to take that ball?’” says Hebert. “And I had to sit down with them and say, ‘Listen, Paula has the green light to get every ball. I want her to touch every ball she can, because she’s that good.’ We had to work out the

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dynamics of giving our libero the goahead every time she sees a chance to dig or pass the ball, and the others came to accept that.

“If Paula weren’t making the plays, then we’d have an issue,” continues Hebert. “But when she cuts in front of somebody, or goes into someone else’s territory for a long ball, she winds up making these impossible plays. At this point, everyone has adjusted to letting Paula play her style, and they’re just glad she’s on our team, not somebody else’s.”

The Physical Game Training a libero for the demands of the position is another new area for coaches. Some have chosen to not alter their practices much for the sake of this player, while others are changing their workouts quite a bit.

At Pepperdine University, Head Coach Nina Matthies trains her libero in all aspects of offense and defense, includes her in the same drills as all her teammates, and uses practice time to emphasize teamwork. “Everybody on our team does everything, including the libero,” says Matthies. “The whole team works together on passing and defense, spending an hour and a half every day, and our libero is right there with them.

She needs to have a lot of touches of the ball, a lot of footwork drills, arm strength drills, and tons of defense.

“But she also hits, blocks, and serves, especially from January through August,” continues Matthies. “She needs to learn the whole game, and she’ll leave here a better athlete and a better volleyball player, not just a specialist.”

At Washington, Luenemann assigns an assistant coach to work one-on-one with his libero and defensive specialists during the 40-minute team drills that begin every practice. “While the rest of the team is hitting and blocking, our assistant coach hits balls at the libero, putting her at serve receive and letting her dig and pass balls, just like she’ll have to do in a game. If we just ran our hitting drill and said, ‘Go back there and dig,’ she might only get six contacts in seven minutes. Instead, we’re maximizing the number of contacts that she receives in practice.”

When the libero and defensive specialists rejoin their teammates, the warmups benefit the entire team. “Since

COVER STORY

they’ve worked on their digging, the rallies become more intense and invigorating,” says Luenemann. “Because the ball stays alive longer, our practices are better, our scrimmages are more spirited, and our team keeps getting stronger.”

At Pittsburgh, Beerman has changed the way he runs team practices quite a bit, setting aside time to ensure that the libero is getting 500 serve receives at each session. “We have to separate our libero to make sure she’s getting enough touches,” says Beerman. “We feel we’ve got to maximize the number of reps she gets in practice, because we need to match what she sees in a game. So we do a lot of separate coach-on-one drills, and whenever we’re doing a drill with the whole team, we make sure she is the primary person handling the ball.”

To keep the libero in top form, Beerman tries to provide her with opportunities to make hits that are even tougher than the ones she’ll see in a normal game. “There’s no better drill than just serving the ball up close, harder than she’s ever going to see in a game,” says Beerman. “She has to keep receiving over and over and over, and you have to mix in different kinds of shots.

“You can’t allow her to be stagnant— you’ve got to make sure she’s continually being pushed as a player,” continues Beerman. “You have to run a variety of digging drills that attack her from all different areas. Mix in the off-speed pursuit of the ball, and make sure she’s responsible for a large majority of the court.”

Martin improves the libero’s digging skills by running her drills at close range. “If we want our libero to react quickly to a ball, instead of hitting the ball from, say, 20 feet away, we’ll hit the ball from 10 feet away,” says Martin. “In order to give her an additional fraction of a second to respond in a game situation, we want to shorten the time span in practice between the moment the ball is hit and the moment she needs to react. By increasing the pressure, we’re improving her reaction time.”

At Juniata, Bock keeps his libero focused in practice by approximating game situations, keeping the drills competitive, and concentrating all her time on digging and passing. “We want to train our libero with as many high-quality, competitive reps as possible,” says Bock. “We want her to feel like she’s in the middle of play, with a blocker in

front of her and people all around her, so she’s continuously involved in making decisions.”

The Mental Side At the same time, coaches are realizing the importance of working on their libero’s mental preparation. “We have a drill where our libero is taking the sec-

confidence. Martin does this in two ways.

“First, we ask her to relentlessly pursue every ball that comes her way, and to believe she can dig it,” says Martin. “We put her in practice situations where we’re hitting balls that are almost impossible for her to get, but our expectation is that she will get every one of them, and that becomes her expectation, too.

PROMOTING THE POSITION

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hen there’s one player on the court whose uniform is different from everyone else’s, it’s easy to see how fans might get confused. Valparaiso University rectified that problem by providing its fans with answers, while Juniata College took the opposite approach, using a special jersey to provoke even more questions.

put a note in our program, and it’s really helped.”

“We bought the neatest jersey we could find for our libero, just to make sure people kept talking about the position,” says Juniata Head Coach Larry Bock. “It wasn’t just a different color—we bought a tiger-striped jersey that stood apart from both our home and away uniforms.

It is really bright, with lots of colors and patterns, and it has brought in lots of questions: Who is that person?

What does she do?

“Before every match we played during the first year with the rule, we had our announcer explain the position,” says Valparaiso Head “And with every Coach Carin Avery.

“It may take people Juniata libero Johanna Holtan question,” continues Bock, “we had another year or two another chance to talk to our fans to really understand it, so our about the game and our team.” media relations department has

ond ball and has to decide to set, bump, or hit, depending on whether she’s in front of the 10-foot line or behind the 10-foot line,” says Martin. “She has to think about what her options are, make her decision, and react quickly. And like almost every other skill in our sport, repetition is a huge part of the learning process.”

At Washington, some of the most important preparation Luenemann can give his libero is to train her mind. “We teach our libero the nuances of reading the court,” says Luenemann. “We teach her eye-sequencing, so she knows what she needs to watch when the ball is in the air and when the attacker is coming.”

For Martin, working on her libero’s mental game means building up her

“Second, we are always positive when she makes a mistake,” continues Martin.

“The whole idea of the game is for one team to cause the other to make an error. Mistakes are going to be made, and as a coach, the more positive you can be with your players when they make an error, the more positive they’re going to be with themselves.”

Bock says mistakes made in practice can often be positive—as long as his libero errs on the side of being assertive, continually pushing herself beyond her limits. “To work on the mental side of the libero’s game, it’s important to stay really positive,” he says. “As a coach, you have to talk about successes, not failures. If she’s really going to be your dominant player, the COACHIING MANAGEMENT

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COVER STORY

libero needs to know it’s okay to make mistakes—as long as they’re active mistakes, not passive mistakes.”

At Washington, Luenemann keeps libero Nicole Hodgman positive by emphasizing her strengths. “Nicole is easily one of the toughest athletes we have, a 5’1” libero who plays like she’s 7’4” tall,” he says. “We talk a lot about the confidence we have in her. For example, if she shanks a ball, we’ll say, ‘Blow it off.

You know you’ll hit the next 20 balls right on top of the setter’s head.’ We

coach all of our players from a positive viewpoint of ‘You’re a great player, and you’ll be successful if you just work hard and continue to improve.’”

“When things go wrong, the libero needs to be the one who picks the team back up,” says Avery. “So if she’s having a bad day, she can’t afford to dwell on the mistakes. She needs to be tough enough to lead the team and change the tempo.”

To foster leadership skills, Avery involves her libero in decision-making

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

both on and off the court. “I like to meet with my team leaders once or twice a week to evaluate our program,” says Avery. “As our defensive captain, our libero is included in all our meetings. But I ask her to think even more about the game, about where our team needs to go, and where we need to get tougher in practice.”

To support her in that role, Avery meets with libero Sara Silcox every day during the season. One-on-one, Avery gives Silcox feedback on her game, pos-

“I WANT THE TEAM TO SEE HER AS THE COACH ON THE FLOOR SO WHEN WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SERVE RECEIVE DRILL, I’LL ASK HER, ‘WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO DEFENSIVELY? WHERE DO WE NEED TO SHIFT?’ I EXPECT HER TO LOOK AT THE SITUATION, THINK ABOUT THE ANSWER, AND TELL US WHAT TO CHANGE.” ing questions about strategy and encouraging her to think of solutions.

Then, during practice sessions, Avery demonstrates her support in front of the whole team, continually underlining Silcox’s role as a leader.

“I want the team to see her as the coach on the floor,” says Avery. “So when we’re in the middle of a serve receive drill, I’ll ask her, ‘What do we need to do defensively? Where do we need to shift?’ I expect her to look at the situation, think about the answer, and tell us what to change.

“The libero is the heart and soul of your team, and what we’ve learned is that she can change the game in a second,” Avery continues. “When she’s digging every ball that comes near her and getting the team fired up, she can totally shift the tempo of the match. If you look at the top teams in the country, you’ll see liberos who can change the whole game around, not only physically but emotionally.” ■

OFF THE COURT

Good Connections No matter your communications system, your athletic director is a person you want to hook up with. Here’s how to partner with this busy, behind-the-scenes boss.

D

BY DR. DAVID HOCH

ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRIS MURPHY

uring a lull at one of your games, you may occasionally look up and see me, the athletic director, in the stands.

And you may wonder, what exactly is he watching? What exactly does he do, besides making sure the officials get paid?

I am the consummate “behind-thescenes” guy, and like most athletic directors, I enjoy that role. I perform a wide variety of tasks, from checking athletes’ eligibility forms to writing up coaching evaluations to answering phone calls from parents. No two days are alike for me, except in the fact that every day is extremely busy.

Although much of my day is spent behind my desk, the goal behind everything I do is helping all my coaches perform their jobs better. That’s really why I’m here.

When a coach does something wrong, my job is stressful. When a coach does something right, my job is the best in the world.

But I can only help coaches avoid the mistakes and develop into better

coaches when they partner with me— when they understand my job and my role. In this article, I’d like to share some tips on how to develop a partnership with your athletic director and how to make that relationship work to your benefit.

Expectations The first thing you need to know about your athletic director is his or her expectations. Obviously, if you’re a veteran coach at an NCAA Division I university these are going to be very different than if you are a first-year coach at a small high school. But as a general guideline, I’d like to share what I expect from my coaches.

Good Role Model: Because you are a hugely important figure in many young

David Hoch, EdD, is the Athletic Director at Loch Raven High School, in Baltimore County, Md. He is the former Athletic Director at Eastern Technical High, also in Baltimore, and was named the Maryland State Athletic Directors Association’s Athletic Director of the Year in 2000.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

27

OFF THE COURT

people’s lives, your actions and choices in all situations must be at the top of the ethical score chart. I expect my coaches to have integrity, be dependable, possess emotional control, and have compassion. I also expect them to set high standards and be consistent and fair. At all times, I need them to exhibit the characteristics we are proud to see in our student-athletes.

Educational Environment: Athletics is successful only when it has educational value. Winning is secondary. I expect my coaches to focus on helping young people mature into adults—to help our student-athletes contribute to team goals,

tesy not only to officials, but also to the opposing team. He or she should teach student-athletes the nuances of good sportsmanship and praise it at every turn.

Adherence to Policies: What many coaches don’t understand is that administrative chores are a part of their coaching responsibilities. When they don’t follow through on gathering each athlete’s parental permission, medical, and informed consent forms, there can be ramifications. First off, it forces me to spend my time chasing down these forms—giving me less time to communicate with my coaches. Second, late forms can mean the suspension of practice ses-

AN INEFFECTIVE AD This article assumes that your athletic director is a professional, dedicated, hard-working leader. But what if your athletic director is not a good supervisor? Then how do you get what you need?

Above all, step carefully. It is important to understand that this poorly functioning athletic director is still your boss and you need to be careful about circumventing the chain of command. In other words, do not use parents or athletes as a wedge to enact change. These techniques could totally backfire and you could be branded as a malcontent or a troublemaker.

What you can do, to start, is keep good records. Retain copies of everything you turn in, such as eligibility forms, budget

learn to work hard, persevere, and experience life-long lessons through their athletic participation.

I also expect my coaches to remain positive. Not that a coach can’t ever yell, but I really believe that positive, encouraging coaches are best for our kids.

Heck, even adults react better to this approach than they do to criticism.

Sportsmanship: Quite often, coaches are totally unaware of the impact they have on the behavior of their players and fans at a game. Yelling at officials gives license to the players and fans to do the same.

If there is a need to question a call, I expect our coaches to do it in a composed, professional manner. A coach should always extend respect and cour28

COACHING MANAGEMENT

requests, inventories, and tournament entries, and use e-mail or take notes on your communication with your athletic director. This ensures that you have proof of your professionalism and also allows you to document those times when your athletic director has not followed through.

At all times, it is still best to maintain a positive, loyal front with respect to your athletic director and continue to be courteous and respectful. You might need to repeatedly ask the athletic director if he or she has remembered to turn in that tournament eligibility form, but do it politely. You might even ask the athletic director if there’s a way you can help him or her. Remember, you will always be judged by your actions, even in difficult situations.

sions, fines, or even disqualifications and forfeits for the school.

Another important policy to follow is attending rules interpretation meetings.

Athletic directors get a list of any coaches who have missed these meetings, and believe me, we pay attention to who doesn’t show up.

Coaches who don’t follow directions, turn in forms late or complete them incorrectly, or don’t follow a policy of our department are my biggest headache. If you want your athletic director to support and respect you, pay attention to your administrative duties.

Professional Growth: It is a given that you know the basic techniques and strategies involved in your sport. But I expect my coaches to add to these basics

every year by taking charge of their own professional development.

First, they have to understand and buy into the premise that learning is a life-long pursuit. It doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have— there is always something else you can learn. I attended at least one clinic in each of my 24 years of coaching, and always came away with a new idea or a different way of teaching something. Now that I am an administrator, even though I have a doctorate in sports management and many years of experience, I am still attending seminars, taking courses, and reading professional publications in athletic administration. Our programs and athletes deserve that much.

What can you do besides attend clinics and seminars? I encourage our coaches to take the NFHS Coaching Principles Course (and consider going on to complete the NFHS Bronze Level national certification program), work at summer camps, read professional coaching publications or books, watch coaching videos, and attend college teams’ practice sessions.

Enthusiasm: While it is essential for sports that are struggling to attract participants, I like “Pied-piper” individuals for even the most popular teams. This is a coach who is not only positive, but also exudes enthusiasm and energy—someone young people are attracted to. This should not imply, however, that they don’t run a tight ship or don’t employ discipline.

Naturally, like all coaches, you also want to win. I want our teams to win, too.

But, my directive is to make sure that educational objectives are being met in the athletic program. That is my job description and that is my priority. That is what I’m watching for. However, if you excel in the above six areas, I can assure you, winning will take care of itself.

Beyond these basics, ask your own athletic director what other expectations he or she has. At some schools, your athletic director might want you to get involved with local youth programs in your sport. At others, he or she might want you to help your athletes get college scholarships, start an off-season conditioning program, fund-raise, or run a summer camp. If you don’t know, ask.

Sometimes, an athletic director assumes you know the expectations of your school, but if you’re new, you can’t

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OFF THE COURT

know its history and culture. Asking your athletic director what is at the top of his or her list of athletic department goals can help start your partnership on the right foot.

Communication The question a new athletic director most frequently poses to a veteran one is, “Do you ever see your family?” This is important for you to know because while I’ve suggested you start a dialogue with your athletic director on expectations, you also need to know that he or she doesn’t have an hour to discuss the topic.

He or she probably doesn’t even have a half-hour to do so. But a 15-minute conversation is doable, respected, and appreciated.

Therefore, a key part of partnering with your athletic director is knowing how to communicate with him or her.

Here are some tips: ■ If you want to talk for more than a couple of minutes, try to set up an appointment instead of just popping in for a visit. That way, your athletic director can arrange to meet at a time that will be free of other obligations. Of course, if it is an emergency, come on in.

■ If you know there have been other problems that the athletic director is handling, hold off on scheduling your meeting. Timing really is everything.

With another problem looming, your athletic director may not be able to give you the attention that you deserve.

■ Get a feel for when your athletic director’s down times are. Some may prefer early mornings, before the first bell rings, and others may like early

afternoons, right before practices start.

Get to know your athletic director’s talking times.

■ Use e-mail. This advice is not universal, but for me, e-mail is by far the most efficient, expedient form of communication. Regardless of when something happens, your message will be there waiting for me in the morning. It is, therefore, especially important that the coach fill in an accurate subject line that, when coupled with the sender’s name, leads me to which messages I deal with first in the morning. An e-mail also allows me to easily save or forward your message.

Communicating well with your athletic director also means knowing what to discuss and what not to discuss. I don’t need to know how every practice is going or what your next game plan is.

But I do want to know if a problem has arisen, or if you sense one is looming. I also love to hear about your successes.

The number one rule is: Always inform your athletic director immediately if there has been an injury at a practice session or game. Tell me the name of the athlete, the injury, how it happened, how it was handled, and if the parent has been notified. No one likes to be caught off guard when that phone rings with, “What happened to my daughter?”

It is important to let me know about any potential problems. If a parent voices even a small complaint, if you think upperclass athletes may not be welcoming newcomers, if any type of hazardous situation has arisen, if the athletes seem to be disrespecting your approach—I need to know. Coaches sometimes don’t

SHOW YOUR STRENGTHS If you’re a conscientious coach, good things are happening in your program every day. Why not let your athletic director know about them? This can work wonders for furthering your partnership.

Here are some ways to let your athletic director know you’re doing a good job—which are not time consuming for you or your athletic director: ■

■

Forward or copy any congratulatory and thank you notes that you receive. You can simply write a little note on the top, “Thought you might be interested.”

Tell your athletic director about the clinics you have attended and your other professional development activities.

30

COACHING MANAGEMENT

want to tell their athletic directors that something may not be going right for fear of seeming incompetent. However, my job is to help you through problem situations. If you tell me before it gets big, I can help you find solutions that complement your coaching style. But if you don’t tell me about the problem and it gets bigger, then I may have to step in and resolve the situation my way.

Even if you know the solution you want to use, relay your thoughts to me.

Maybe there’s a way I can reinforce what you’re trying to do.

Of course, tell me any problems that are my responsibility, too. If the bus driver gets you to a game late, let me know the first time this happens—don’t wait for the second or third time.

And because I mainly deal with fixing problems, I truly appreciate any and all good news. Brighten my day by talking about one of our students’ display of sportsmanship, your team’s mastery of a complicated play, or a teachable moment that happened at your day’s practice.

What do I not want to communicate about? Criticism and complaints are what I can do without. Suggestions and new solutions are wonderful, but complaining about something that we’ve already discussed or simply can’t be changed is tiresome and does little to enhance a coach’s value to the athletic department.

The Benefits You might wonder, “Why is it so important to keep my athletic director in the loop? I can handle my own team.

■

Invite your athletic director to visit practice when you’re discussing team goals or when your athletes want to show off something they’ve just mastered.

■

Send an e-mail about a solution you found to a problem that your athletic director might send on as advice to the rest of the coaching staff.

■

Complete a self-evaluation at the conclusion of your season. Talk about some of the goals you accomplished that your athletic director may not be aware of.

Let your athletic director hear about all of the good, positive things that you are doing with your program!

You will be surprised at what good, positive resources you receive in return.

OFF THE COURT

NOW I KNOW What do I wish that I had known when I was a coach that I now know as an athletic director? Hundreds of things, but you can’t rush or inject experience.

Sometimes you just have to learn things yourself and this takes time.

However, if I could condense this process, I wish that I'd known: Coaches have great influence upon the sportsmanship that a team and even the fans exhibit. Athletes and fans do indeed follow a coach’s lead.

■

A positive, encouraging approach with your athletes will get the best results. Fear and intimidation may provide short-term results, but will not work in the long run.

■

It is vital to make and spend time with your family. Fortunately, mine still loves me, but I missed a great deal while I was coaching other parents’ children.

■

How will it help me?” There are three ways that developing a partnership can benefit you as a coach.

First, it puts you on my radar. I try to be in tune with everyone in my program, but to be honest, those coaches who communicate with me effectively are the ones I think of first when a new opportunity arises.

Being on my radar helps when you have a request. If you’ve already communicated that you’re working extremely hard to upgrade your program, I will pay more attention to your request for additional resources.

Being in tune with what I’m doing can also help you promote your program. For example, at my former school, I put out a weekly department update. I already knew the opponents, the final scores, the leading scorers, and other standard details. However, coaches who were on the ball would also e-mail me some quotes or comments about the game. Then, their team would get a

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longer write-up and more prominent placement in the weekly update.

Communicating with your athletic director also gives you an on-hand mentor. Most of us are athletic directors because we were successful coaches, and just because we didn’t coach your sport doesn’t mean we can’t help.

Unless a coach is compromising the health and safety of our student-athletes, I seldom will offer unsolicited advice about coaching. However, if asked, I am happy to open up my 24year book of coaching experience and take the time to help. I’m also available to help with ideas for dealing with parents, planning practice sessions, helping college-bound athletes with recruiting, and numerous other things.

My primary responsibility as an athletic director is to serve as the coach of coaches. Just as athletes need direction and mentoring by coaches, so do most coaches need help from an experienced athletic director. I’m very glad to help, if you only ask. ■

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Request No. 20

INJURY PREVENTION

How do you block ACL injuries from infiltrating your team?

New studies reveal the most effective prevention strategies.

An ACL Defense

I

BY VERN GAMBETTA

AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS

f you’ve coached volleyball for any period of time, you’ve witnessed it. A strong, healthy player goes up for a powerful spike one minute, and the next minute she’s on the ground clutching her knee. The dreaded ACL injury strikes again.

It’s no secret to today’s coaches that female athletes tear their anterior cruciate ligaments more often than males, and that volleyball is one of the sports with a high incidence of these injuries.

The good news, however, is that raised awareness to the issue has increased attention to prevention tactics. From small studies to large-scale NCAA-funded research, clear guidelines are emerging on how to prevent these crushing injuries.

I’ve reviewed the studies from the last few years and offer here some suggestions on developing ACL-injury-prevention programs for your teams. I also provide a warmup protocol that incorporates many of the most effective prevention exercises.

Vern Gambetta, MA, is the President of Gambetta Sports Training Systems in Sarasota, Fla., and the former Director of Conditioning for the Chicago White Sox. He is a frequent contributor to Coaching Management and can be reached at www.gambetta.com.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

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INJURY PREVENTION

that almost anything that strengthens program. Twenty minutes two or three Studying the Studies the muscles around the knee and times a week is not enough. Some form There are many theories why women develops proprioception significantly of training needs to occur five days a suffer more ACL injuries than men. reduces the incidence of ACL injury. week. However, most volleyball coaches These include: ■ The logical conclusion is that with more are not willing to give up a half hour of Femoral-notch width differences ■ Size of the ACL focused, longer-term, sophisticated every practice strictly for injury preven■ Vulnerability during a certain phase intervention, the possibility of prevention. Therefore, I suggest breaking down tion and performance improvement the training components into modules of the menstrual cycle ■ Greater joint laxity should be even greater. that can be completed at other times.

■ Landing mechanics These modules should be designed ■ Quad dominance Making It Specific to fit within a time frame compatible ■ Inability to recruit the hamstrings While it is clear that lowering the inciwith the other components of training ■ Wider pelvis dence of ACL injuries is possible, what the athlete must accomplish. The most ■ Larger “Q” angle may not be clear is how to take the prological place to begin is in warmup, ■ Greater hip varus tocols and adapt them to your specific because the warmup is a necessary com■ Knee valgus and foot pronation teams. Depending on the level of play, ponent of every training session. Others ■ Bracing and footwear time factors, and the athletes, you’ll want might be incorporated into drills done to alter the program accordingly. during the heart of practice. The athMany of these factors cannot be Let’s start by examining time factors, lete can also be given some of the more changed. But some can be mitigated since this is the top concern of many simple modules for “homework.” through training: strength, balance, coaches. The studies clearly show that a After examining all the time factors, proprioception, power, agility, and significant time commitment is a key take a look at your individual athletes. sport-specific fitness. factor in any ACL-injury-prevention What do they do on non-training days?

There is no question that the knee is vulnerable regardless of gender. It is not designed for some of the movements we ask from it on a consistent basis. But instead of focusing on the The following details the portion of the “Lower Extremity Prevention & Performance Program”™ that I designed to be used as a warmup before practice. It can vary from 15 to 20 minutes in length. knee alone, we need to address the entire kinetic chain to better reduce force on the joint.

PLYOMETRIC PROGRAM Lunge B MINI-BAND ROUTINE ■ Lunge forward and reach out An important but often Jump in place (over line) Side step x 20 ■ Lunge to the side and ■ Forward/back x 10 Forward walk x 20 ignored fact is that 70 percent of ■ Side to side x 10 Carioca x 20 reach out knee injuries, regardless of gen■ Rotational lunge and reach out ■ Rotational x 10 each side Monster walk x 20 der, are non-contact. The typiHop in place (over line) cal mechanisms of these nonBALANCE Lunge C ■ Forward/back x 10 ■ Lunge forward and reach contact injuries are planting Single-leg squat ■ Side to side x 10 ■ Sagittal and cutting, straight-knee landacross ■ Rotational x 10 each side ■ Frontal ■ Lunge to the side and reach ing (no flexion on landing), ■ Transverse across Multidirectional jump hard one-step stops with the ■ Rotational lunge and reach ■ Forward/forward/side/side/ knee hyperextended, pivoting, Balance Shift across opposite side/side/back/ and rapid deceleration. These ■ Step to the side back x 2 Note: Reaches should be both ■ Step forward are all movements inherent in Restart jump to the right and the left.

Do ■ sports that often occur with Step back ■ Forward/forward/back x 3 two reps with each leg in each high force and at high speed.

Note: do one rep at each ■ Side/side/back x 3 plane. Combinations of A, B, They usually happen too quickposition, hold 10 seconds.

■ Opposite side/side/back x 3 and C should be varied from ly for the athlete to think about day to day.

CRAWLS Rotational jump them. But these movements can ■ Land facing 180 degrees Jackknife x 5 COORDINATION be trained to be more efficient Creepy crawl x 5 opposite from start x 10 Skip as part of a comprehensive preeach side Crossover skip COMBINATION LUNGES vention program.

Side step Restart hop & REACHES There are two common ■ Forward/forward/back x 3 Carioca (low and long) Lunge A threads in recent studies on ■ Side/side/back x 3 Carioca (short and quick) ■ Lunge forward and reach up ACL protection: the need to ■ Opposite side/side/back x 3 Backward run ■ Lunge to the side and improve balance, propriocepHigh-knee skip reach up Rotational bound tion, and the mechanics of High-knee skip w/rotation ■ Rotational lunge and reach Off one foot onto opposite movement, and that plyometup Note: Do three reps of each foot x 10 each side rics and strength training are exercise the length of the court. effective preventatives. In simpler terms, these studies show

A LOOK AT LEPPP

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

INJURY PREVENTION

How active are they? What was their prior activity level and movement background before they started the sport?

Athletes who have grown up playing youth sports and spend weekends playing pick-up games (in any sport) with family and friends will have an advantage over those whose exposure to sport comes only through the team’s games and practices.

Also look at how they condition for their sport. Are they conditioning by jogging and doing slow aerobic work that detracts from explosiveness? This predisposes the athlete to injury by making her less reactive to the ground.

Injury history is also a key factor. If an athlete has a history of lower-extremity sprains and joint laxity, start with a more remedial program. In this case, initial stages should look more like a rehab program.

Another factor I’ve been looking at recently is style of play. Although I’ve seen no studies on this, anecdotal evidence suggests that athletes who play out of control are more likely to injure their ACLs. You may want to think about the difference between an athlete who hustles and an athlete who plays without regard to proper body positioning and mechanics.

agility, and plyometric training. After practice, 20 to 30 minutes of strength training three times a week.

In-Season: Before practice, the same as preseason work. Post-practice workouts can be reduced as the season progresses. In the early season, 20 minutes of strength training three times a week; in midseason, 20 minutes of strength training twice a week is recommended; during the late season and playoffs, 10 to 15 minutes of strength training twice a week.

In the sidebar titled “A Look at LEPPP” (on page 34), a full program is detailed. It can be used for any level of play. Here are some additional tips for designing your own program: ■ Use minimal equipment to avoid equipment becoming a limiting factor.

■ Drills should be easy to teach and easy to monitor.

■ Training must be progressive and varied.

■ Teach landing and stopping mechanics before plyometric and agility training

Putting It All Together As mentioned earlier, all of the successful prevention programs share a few key components: mechanics of movement, proprioception, plyometrics, and strength training. They can be translated into the following five modules: ■ strength/power, including basic strength, core strength, elastic/reactive strength (plyometrics) ■ balance/proprioception ■ agility, including body awareness, footwork, and change of direction ■ dynamic flexibility ■ sport-specific conditioning.

Here’s how I combine these modules and fit them into different parts of the year and different sections of practice: Off-season: One hour, three to four times a week, with an emphasis on strength training and balance/proprioception work at first, followed by a gradual shift to include agility and plyometric training.

Preseason: Every day before practice, 15 to 20 minutes of work as a warmup that includes balance/proprioception, Request No. 21 COACHING MANAGEMENT

35

INJURY PREVENTION

QUIET LANDINGS

T

eaching landing and stopping mechanics is a very important component of ACL-injury prevention. Mastery of these mechanics should precede actual plyometric and agility training.

Landings should be on a “full foot.” I believe it is incorrect to teach landing on the ball of the foot, or the opposite extreme, flat-footed landing. The landing should occur with the weight distributed along the midfoot to take advantage of the elasticity of the muscles and ligaments, which absorb shock.

The most effective way to teach correct foot strike is to practice landing barefoot on a forgiving surface. Start simple—just step and hold. Cueing is important to improve these movements, because words create images and images create

action. My verbal cue is a “quiet landing.” A “soft landing,” implies mushy, compliant action, whereas "quiet landing" connotes a landing that has some structural integrity.

Provide task-oriented cues or instructions that elicit the action you are looking for. For example, if you want athletes to take a longer step, provide a target on the ground they have to hit that forces them to take longer steps.

The best way to teach good landing and stopping mechanics is with a simple balance progression. Start with static balance movements, progress to dynamic balance, and finally to ballistic balance activities. All these movements emphasize bending the ankle, knee, and hip to spread force over three joints rather than one.

(see “Quiet Landings” at left).

■ Part of your strength training should focus on force reduction work, which can be accomplished through a heavy dose of strength training that emphasizes fast eccentric muscle action performed in postures and positions similar to sport movements.

■ Remember that training is cumulative. It is not any one workout or component that will ensure success but rather the sum of all workouts and the interaction of all components.

One last tip is on communication.

Just as important as developing your program is educating those who will be putting their trust in the program: the athletes themselves. If you can teach the “why,” the “how” of the whole program will be meaningful.

And since compliance with the program is vital, this final point may be the most important. ■ A version of this article appeared in Coaching Management’s sister publication, Training & Conditioning.

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Request No. 24

Volleyball Court AIRBORNE ATHLETICS, INC. 888-887-7453 WWW.NETWORKSVOLLEYBALL.COM Manage your players and your space with NetworKs. NetworKs catches and collects volleyballs so you don’t waste valuable training time gathering volleyballs! The front net is 10’ wide and adjustable from a height of 6’ to 9’ for all age and skill levels from beginners to the USAV. Practice hitting, serving, setting or passing into NetworKs. Use during the season for an extra training station or for off-season training.

Circle No. 35 AirCAT™ TEAM: Improve your spiking, setting, passing and digging skills! AirCAT, from Airborne Athletics, delivers volleyballs consistently and can be adjusted to deliver a full range from soft sets, shoots, passes, serves to powerful spikes! Perfect for all volleyball programs— youth to adult!

Features include a 10-ball automatic ball feeder, remote control or timer operation, adjustable speed and trajectory. The patented Consistent Air Technology (CAT) provides consistent ball placement, but doesn’t wear out your volleyballs!

AirCAT is the only volleyball training system approved and endorsed by the USAV! www.aircatvolleyball.com Circle No. 36

AMERICAN ATHLETIC, INC. 800-247-3978 WWW.AMERICANATHLETIC.COM Founded in 1954, AAI manufactures topquality volleyball equipment for competitive, recreational and physical education use. AAI’s equipment is recognized by players and coaches alike for its sturdy and resilient design, especially when compared to others. AAI’s volleyball product line includes systems, uprights, referee stands, pads, nets, training equipment and accessories. AAI volleyball systems are

used extensively for major national and international events. AAI is the Official Net System Supplier to the USA Volleyball organization.

Circle No. 37 AAI volleyball systems are easy to set up, adjust and transport. Uprights are constructed of lightweight aluminum or heavy-duty steel and are compatible with most floor plates.

AAI systems feature the unique powder coat paint, which resists chipping and fading. A complete volleyball system for a single court includes two uprights, protective end pads, net and antennae packages. Custom colors are available on referee platforms and pads.

Circle No. 38

BISON, INC. 800-247-7668 WWW.BISONINC.COM Customize your court with volleyball post padding that sports your team or school name. Bison volleyball post padding meets all NCAA, National High School Federation and USVBA rules. Padding and lettering is available for stationary and portable standards. High density, 1 1/2" thick foam protects your players to a 6' height.

Padding for stationary standards is available in 12 school colors. While designed to fit Bison volleyball standards, this stationary standards padding will also cover most other manufacturers' in-floor volleyball systems. Bison padding can be customized with up to 10 bright white, block style letters. The UV protected ink will keep the look crisp and bright for years and promises a way to promote your name that’s considerably more durable than vinyl stick-ons.

Circle No. 39

Bison's 3" aluminum and steel Centerline Elite volleyball systems provide bowstring tight net tensioning with a 26:1 worm gear winch and 2" tensioning strap to eliminate backlash.

Aluminum and steel standard systems both include a lifetime limited warranty on standards and winch. For a limited time, any complete Centerline system purchase includes free custom padding lettering, net height chain gauge, net storage bag and custom floor socket adapters. Bison is the exclusive Official Supplier of volleyball equipment for the National High School Federation.

Circle No. 40

JAYPRO SPORTS 800-243-0533, WWW.JAYPRO.COM Jaypro's new VRS-3000 Referee Stand features a sturdy, two-leg design and a blue, powder coated finish. The clamp-on 1-5/16” steel tubing frame mounts to most standards.

Platform padding adds extra comfort for referees. Optional padding is available.

Circle No. 41 Jaypro's new 3” steel volleyball system (PVB-3000) combines steel's strength (bottom section) with aluminum's light weight (top section) in classic style.

With the FlexNet, tension is put directly on the net headband; no extra cables, straps, or tie-offs are needed.

Pin stop height adjustments range from 6' 6" to 8' 2".

Three-inch diameter uprights fit most existing floor sleeves.

Circle No. 42

Check out www.AthleticBid.com to contact these companies.

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

Volleyball Court JV PRO, INC. 800-962-2440 WWW.JVPRO.COM JV Pro, Inc. offers custom made freestanding and convertible bleacher mount scoring tables. Standard options include an LED possession arrow with bonus indicators, illuminated shatterproof lexan panels, and heavy duty soft rubber casters for easy movement.

The tables fold down to 16 inches for easy storage. JV Pro offers heavy duty courtside chairs with your logo/mascot in school colors to complement your scoring table. They offer the perfect image for your sports program.

Circle No. 43

PORTER ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT COMPANY 800-947-6783 WWW.PORTER-ATH.COM A breakthrough design for volleyball equipment, Porter's Powr-Net® System attaches overhead and is electronically powered. This system is ideal for facilities requiring instant and frequent court setup. The entire system, including net, judge's stand, and padding, quickly folds to the overhead storage position with the simple turn of a key. Call for installation locations across the country.

Circle No. 44 The Powr-Line® Professional Volleyball System, from Porter Athletic Equipment,

is designed to accommodate competitive volleyball at all levels. It meets the demands of championship play with maximum safety, quick set-up, and easy storage.

Porter's Powr-Line high-strength lightweight aluminum volleyball system allows microadjustability on net settings.

Porter's PowrWinch’s self-adjusting, net-tensioning mechanism is sensibly designed to provide the utmost in a durable, yet safe and simple net-attachment system. Fits 3", 3-1/2", or 4" diameter floor sleeves to accommodate new or existing facilities.

Circle No. 45

If you own an older Schelde Collegiate Volleyball System, you can now enjoy the advantages of a new Collegiate 4000 System—with a simple, inexpensive upgrade kit you can easily install in a few minutes. Simply remove the end caps, slide off the old Unirail assembly from your existing posts, slide on the new state-of-the-art Collegiate 4000 assembly, and your system is now updated to the latest technology.

Circle No. 47

SCHELDE NORTH AMERICA 888-724-3533 WWW.SCHELDESPORTS.COM

Both of the Gold and Silver Model Volleyball Tutors, from Sports Tutor, can vary both ball trajectory and speed to produce any desired set or pass, and can also deliver serves at speeds up to 60 mph.

The Gold Model can automatically throw six volleyballs at intervals ranging from 5 to 20 seconds. It is completely portable, and is available with either AC or battery power.

The Silver Model has a release point 51/2’ high, and features a separate dial to control the amount of topspin or underspin. Priced from $899.

Circle No. 48

Introducing the new Collegiate 4000 Series, the next generation in telescopic and slide rail type volleyball systems from Schelde North America. Made of high-tensile-strength, lightweight Duraluminum, the Collegiate 4000 Series system sets up quickly and easily—by one person in five minutes or less. A new, winch mechanism offers greater range and smooth action for easy net tensioning.

Net heights adjust easily and securely, thanks to Schelde’s exclusive lever lock. Simply release the lever, adjust the net height, and push the lever down to lock it in place.

Circle No. 46

SPORTS TUTOR 800-448-8867 WWW.SPORTSTUTORINC.COM

Web News NEW & IMPROVED WEB SITE FROM SPORTS IMPORTS As the need for immediate information grows, the Sports Imports Web site has grown as well. Sports Imports has created an online store to make ordering new and replacement items even easier! All of its new programs and that great SENOH equipment are detailed at: www.sportsimports.com. Please visit the site to see all the changes or to order a current catalog packet. If you are planning or remodeling a gymnasium the company has tools to help you best design the facility that you need. Visit the Facility Planner section of the Web site for more details. www.sportsimports.com

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PRODUCT DIRECTORY PAGE

AirCAT (Airborne Athletics). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC All Volleyball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 American Athletic (AAI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 AVCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Ballgirl Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Cramer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Dynamic Team Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 eFundraising.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Gatorade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Jaypro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 JV Pro, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Mikasa Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

IBC Moyer Sports U.S.A.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Networks (Airborne Athletic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

IFC NeuEdge Sportswear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Portable Volleyball Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Pro Look Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Pro Look Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Saxon Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Schelde North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Smart-Hurdle (Train To Play) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Sports Imports (Attack Machine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Sports Imports (Senoh Volleyball) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Sports Tutor (Volleyball Tutor) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Volleyball Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Volleyball ACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

The Most Innovative On-Line Buyer’s Guide for Athletic Organizations ●

View the complete product lines of

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companies listed.

View catalog pages or spec sheets from

●

Read a profile of description of select

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companies.

Send an e-mail directly to a supplier or

many of the top companies.

make a request to be contacted by a company representative. ● Request catalog and sales literature from companies.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

CIRCLE

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36 . . . . Airborne Athletics (AirCAT TEAM ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 35 . . . . Airborne Athletics (Networks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 50 . . . . All Volleyball, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 37 . . . . American Athletic, Inc. (equipment) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 38 . . . . American Athletic, Inc. (volleyball systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 65 . . . . Ballgirl Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 40 . . . . Bison (Centerline Elite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 39 . . . . Bison (volleyball post padding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 51 . . . . Cramer (AS1 Ankle Brace) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 52 . . . . Cramer (ProShox) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 86 . . . . Dimensional Software (Pocket Volleyball Ace) . . . . . . . . . . . 48 87 . . . . Dimensional Software (TapRecorder) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 66 . . . . Dynamic Team Sports (Cypress jersey) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 67 . . . . Dynamic Team Sports (Elite Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 63 . . . . eFundraising.com (catalog) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 88 . . . . eFundraising.com (Online Fund-raising). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 68 . . . . errea (SportWise) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 89 . . . . Gatorade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 41 . . . . Jaypro (Referee Stand) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 42 . . . . Jaypro (volleyball system) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 43 . . . . JV Pro, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 81 . . . . McDavid (Body Shirts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 82 . . . . McDavid (Microfiber Shirts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 53 . . . . Mikasa Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 61 . . . . Moyer Sports (catalog) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 71 . . . . Moyer Sports (uniforms) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 73 . . . . NeuEdge (custom-dyed shorts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 72 . . . . NeuEdge (custom-dyed uniforms) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 83 . . . . Nike (Pro Compression). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 84 . . . . Nike (Pro Vent) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 55 . . . . Portable Volleyball Co. (Block-Aid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 54 . . . . Portable Volleyball Co. (Setter's Eye). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 44 . . . . Porter (Powr-Net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 56 . . . . Power Systems (Balance Disc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 62 . . . . Power Systems (catalog) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 57 . . . . Power Systems (Power Hurdle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 70 . . . . Pro Look Sports (sportswear). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 69 . . . . Pro Look Sports (uniforms) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 75 . . . . Russell Athletic (Match Point jersey/short) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 74 . . . . Russell Athletic (uniform) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 77 . . . . Saxon Athletic (8506 jersey) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 76 . . . . Saxon Athletic (uniforms). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 46 . . . . Schelde (Collegiate 4000 Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 47 . . . . Schelde (upgrade kit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 58 . . . . Sports Imports (Attack Volleyball Machine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 90 . . . . Sports Imports (Brad Underwood) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 59 . . . . Sports Imports (Senoh uprights) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 48 . . . . Sports Tutor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 79 . . . . The Volleyball Market (Custom Team Program) . . . . . . . . . . . 44 78 . . . . The Volleyball Market (Spandex shorts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

For Quicker Response, Request Information From Advertisers On-Line at

MomentumMedia.com.

Team Equipment ALL VOLLEYBALL, INC. 800-416-4658 WWW.ALLVOLLEYBALL.COM All Volleyball, Inc., serves the specific needs of volleyball coaches and players.

Whatever the need—uniforms, camp shirts, volleyballs, ball carts, bags, shoes, warmups, novelties, gifts, etc., All Volleyball's onestop volleyball shop concept is a hit with middle and high school, college, and club coaches across the country. Offering all the top brands and many private labels, the company can work with any budget, any age group, or any level of competition.

All Volleyball provides customized lettering, numbering, and embroidery services as well as custom design assistance and pre-designed artwork to choose from. Contact the company for all your volleyball needs.

Circle No. 50

CRAMER PRODUCTS, INC. 913-856-7511 WWW.CRAMERSPORTSMED.COM Cramer's new AS1 Ankle Brace combines the support of a heel-lock strapping system and superior value versus comparable ankle braces. The brace is constructed with a 840 D nylon shell with a soft neoprene liner for comfort and feel. Non-stretch straps lock in the heel and spring steel stays on each side of the brace provide additional support.

Circle No. 51 Cramer Products, Inc. offers the ProShox™ Custom Mouth Guard.

Professional Fit. Maximum Protection.

ProShox’s unique, professional fitting system provides the same fit and protection from oral head injuries as a dentistdesigned mouth guard. The ProShox professional fitting system uses a dental tray to ensure prop-

er fit and ultimate comfort. It also works as a protective carrying case. The mouth guard is constructed out of a Dupont shock-absorbing material that helps prevent jaw-related concussions, TMJ dislocation and dental trauma.

Circle No. 52

MIKASA SPORTS 800-854-6927 WWW.MIKASASPORTS.COM Mikasa Sports has partnered with Misty May. Olympic volleyball star Misty May has signed a five-year contract with Mikasa Sports. May will work with Mikasa Sports to design, develop and market an original line of Misty May signature volleyballs that will be available before the 2004 Olympic Games to be held in Athens, Greece.

May will train for the next two Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008 with Mikasa volleyballs, a ball that has been used in the Olympic Games since the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Circle No. 53

PORTABLE VOLLEYBALL COMPANY 720-219-0513 WWW.PORTABLEVOLLEYBALL.COM Finally a training system that gives athletes of all skill levels the chance to work on trajectory, speed, and location.

The Setter’s Eye, from Portable Volleyball Company, comes with a removable net so that you can work on trajectory.

The Eye telescopes from 7’6’’ to 12 feet high and the Eye can be adjusted from 45 degrees to 180 degrees. Toshi Yoshida the Head Coach of the USA Woman’s National Team came up with the idea to train and give setter’s the instant feedback on any particular set and Portable Volleyball is making it available.

Circle No. 54 Train your hitters to tool! Train your defensive players to play the unexpected balls

that come off the block or the unexpected cover.

Block-Aid, also from Portable Volleyball Company, weighs four pounds and it rides right along the top of the net and it adjusts to any net on the market! The paddles can be placed on any desired angle and this allows the hitters to train against the best block available.

Circle No. 55

POWER SYSTEMS, INC. 800-321-6975 WWW.POWER-SYSTEMS.COM The Balance Disc from Power Systems is a functional air filled cushion that can be incorporated into workouts for enhanced balance and core training. Build core strength by using one or two cushions for push-ups, lunges, squats or incorporate into setting or passing drills. Enhance balance techniques by doing sitting, standing and lying exercises. Made of pliable, durable PVC. Contact the company for more information on other products and programs.

Circle No. 56 The Power Hurdle from Power Systems will enhance your volleyball plyometric and jump training program. The hurdle is adjustable from 12 inches to 42 inches to accommodate any training level. Rigid high-impact plastic cross board will not splinter and is marked for each height adjustment.

Unique design allows the hurdle to collapse when hit, for safety. Contact the company for more information on this or any other Power Systems products and programs.

Circle No. 57

Check out www.AthleticBid.com to contact these companies.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

41

Team Equipment SPORTS IMPORTS 800-556-3198 WWW.SPORTSIMPORTS.COM The Attack Volleyball Machine, from Sports Attack and distributed by Sports Imports, challenges professional men's and women's volleyball programs. Ball speeds are up to 70 mph with accuracy and repeatability assured in every drill.

The throwing-head release points adjust from 5' to 9'6", from setting to men's over-the-net serving and spiking heights. Horizontal and vertical throwing-head movement allows the coach to instantly target any point on the court, simulating real game situations.

Circle No. 58 If your volleyball net system is falling apart, missing parts, or having difficulty maintain-

ing accurate net height, it's time to contact Sports Imports, your source for Senoh.

Senoh uprights adapt to all competitors’ floor sleeves, so you can have Senoh equipment without ripping out your old sleeves. Sports Imports, the exclusive distributor of Senoh systems, offers incredible customer support, customized solutions, new build/court design services and an unmatched equipment warranty.

Circle No. 59

TRAIN TO PLAY 608-824-0068 WWW.TRAINTOPLAY.COM Train To Play has introduced the SMARTCART TRAINING SYSTEM. The SMARTCART TRAINING SYSTEM includes six

medicine balls, six jump ropes, six MST Cable Trainers, one 30-foot ABC Agility Ladder, 30 SMART-HURDLES™ in three different styles, the SMARTCART and Training Manual.

The Training Manual comes with instructions on training up to 60 athletes in a single hour! The SMART-CART, which stands 47 inches tall and is 33 inches wide, solves storage problems and transports the needed equipment to the center of your training area. This collection of training equipment is the perfect combination for physical education classes, team training, injury rehabilitation or general fitness instruction.

Circle No. 60

Check out www.AthleticBid.com to contact these companies.

Catalog Showcase MOYER SPORTS 800-255-5299 WWW.MOYERSPORTS.COM

POWER SYSTEMS, INC. 800-321-6975 WWW.POWER-SYSTEMS.COM

EFUNDRAISING 800-561-8388 WWW.EFUNDRAISING.COM

The Moyer Sports family has been selling quality athletic apparel since 1981. The company has a national reputation for quality custom uniforms, sports apparel, team jerseys, team jackets, team warm-ups and sports bags.

Moyer offers major name brands such as adidas™ , Bike™ ,and The Game™. along with Moyer's custom line. Make Moyer your number one source for custom athletic apparel.

Circle No. 61

Since 1986 Power Systems has been a leading supplier of sport training, health and fitness products. Power Systems prides itself in being the one resource for all of your training needs.

Its new 2004 catalog has a new look with better graphics and photos.

Included areas are core strength, medicine balls, speed, plyometrics, agility, strength equipment, strength accessories and flooring. You will find the catalog full of hundreds of new products and dozens of products available exclusively from Power Systems. The company has also lowered some of its prices to enable the customer to get premium products at great prices. Go on-line or call Power Systems to request a free 2004 catalog today.

Circle No. 62

eFundraising offers a wide variety of fundraising programs that allow groups to earn up to 90% in profits. Its Fundraising Guide is filled with useful information, such as program descriptions, helpful fundraising tips, company history and more. Find out more about eFundraising’s products, including magazines, scratchcards, chocolates, and gift brochures. You’ll see why eFundraising is your one-stop fundraising shop.

Circle No. 63

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

Uniforms & Apparel BALLGIRL ATHLETIC 203-359-8700 WWW.BALLGIRLATHLETIC.COM Ballgirl Athletic begins and ends with the female athlete. It is Ballgirl's mission to be your athletic uniform brand of choice.

You deserve the best. Ballgirl Athletic gives the female athlete: uniforms designed by women for women; uniforms that give you the best in performance; fit, and comfort; and uniforms that you can replenish year to year; Ballgirl is a company dedicated solely to the female athlete.

Try Ballgirl on and feel the difference.

Circle No. 65

ERREA SPORTS ITALIAN TECHNICAL SPORTSWEAR 866-584-0995 WWW.ERREAUNIFORMS.COM

backed by a two-year guarantee.

Circle No. 70

MOYER SPORTS USA 800-255-5299 EXT. 3 WWW.MOYERSPORTS.COM

The complete line of Errea volleyball apparel is now available in the United States through Sportwise, LLC. Errea's high quality, creative design sportswear is the brand selected by men’s and women’s professional organizations in Italy and Europe. Request the volleyball catalog or go online to view all the Errea sportswear products. Each new order will receive Errea knee pads free with each volleyball uniform set purchased.

Circle No. 68

Moyer Sports USA offers a full line of stock and custom uniforms. Top name brands such as Adidas, Mizuno and Kaepa are available. Custom uniforms come in 100% Microweave Polyester Dyna-Dry or Polyester Dazzle. Sublimation printing allows you to choose any color combination, guaranteed to never peel or crack and is never discontinued. Many colorful designs are available.

Circle No. 71

DYNAMIC TEAM SPORTS 800-437-6223 WWW.DYNAMICTEAMSPORTS.COM

PRO LOOK SPORTS 888-937-3156 WWW.PROLOOKSPORTS.COM

NEUEDGE SPORTSWEAR 800-486-2788 WWW.NEUEDGESPORTS.COM

Dynamic Team Sports offers the best in team uniforms. The Cypress jersey is Dynamic's most popular sleeveless shirt yet. Made of Dynamic's 75 percent polyester, and 25 percent cotton Aerofibre, the Cypress is designed with comfort and durability in mind.

Choose from home and away combinations in 10 stock colors, or ask about custom colors for even more possibilities.

Circle No. 66

Pro Look Sports, renowned for its basketball uniforms, makes the absolute best high-end volleyball uniform at an extremely modest price. Like its basketball products, quality is never sacrificed. All uniforms carry custom Tackle Twill and embroidery, as opposed to competitors’ inferior products containing silk-screen.

All uniforms come with a 2-year guarantee and all upgrades are free. There are no minimum order restrictions.

Circle No. 69

NeuEdge Sportswear is a domestic sportswear manufacturer specializing in state-ofart custom sublimated uniforms. Its custom-dyed uniforms feature a wide variety of graphics and lettering that are guaranteed never to crack or peal or fade.

Jerseys are available in long and short sleeve, sleeveless, tank, and fastback. The complete process is done in the NeuEdge manufacturing facility in PA. This allows rapid turnaround time and a hands-on level of quality.

Please visit the company's Web site for the complete lineup of beautiful custom dyed NeuEdge uniforms.

Circle No. 72

Dynamic's Elite Series is a revolutionary line of custom uniforms sure to make your team stand above the competition.

And get this—all the artwork, logos, and numbers are sublimated into the garments' lightweight, breathable fabric.

This eliminates the heavy, sticky silkscreen that could peel, crack, or fade. You pick the colors for your own unique look.

Circle No. 67

Pro Look Sports has become the fastest growing team sportswear company in six years for one reason: fully custom, quality uniforms. Pro Look's uniforms are made of the finest materials available; cut and sewn to your exact specifications. There are no additional costs for embroidered logos or for soft tackletwill names and numbers. All work is

Also available from NeuEdge Sportswear are custom sublimation dyed stretch shorts.

Specifically designed for volleyball, these shorts have a 4 inch inseam, inside drawstring, and come in a variety of designs.

Circle No. 73

COACHING MANAGEMENT

43

Uniforms & Apparel RUSSELL ATHLETIC WWW.RUSSELLATHLETIC.COM Get your volleyball team into this sleek, form-fitting uniform featuring Russell Athletic’s Dri-Power Stretch technology. the Side Out jersey and short set enhances performance and mobility for players around the court because it wicks sweat away from the body, keeping them dry and comfortable. The 90% polyester/10% stretch jersey features a stylish, piped tab v-neck along with a two-colored version of the compression shorts.

Circle No. 74 The Match Point jersey and short is a loose-fitting volleyball uniform that features Russell Athletic’s highperforming pebble knit fabric, which wicks moisture away from the skin, keeping athletes cool and dry. The textured fabric is 100% nylon and is extremely soft provid-

ing exceptional comfort for athletes.

Several style elements include a feminine box neck, sleeveless cut, and optional custom braiding down the leg or arm—all making this uniform stand out on the court.

Circle No. 75

SAXON ATHLETIC 866-879-8766 WWW.SAXONATHLETIC.COM For over 25 years, Saxon has been manufacturing premium quality team uniforms.

Its volleyball uniforms are constructed using the finest fabrics that look and feel great allowing your team to focus on the game! If you need top quality uniforms and you need them fast, call Saxon today. The company has a wide range of styles and colors available in stock and ready to ship immediately. It also offers custom volleyball uniforms, available in men’s and women’s sizing in a range of styles, colors and fabrics, ready in 4 – 6 weeks.

Circle No. 76

Check out one of the newest additions to Saxon’s volleyball line. The 8506, contoured fit jersey for women is available in a range of colors and sizing. Made from lightweight Soft Cell cloth for excellent breathability and comfort that won’t weigh you down.

Circle No. 77

THE VOLLEYBALL MARKET 866-999-3004 WWW.THEVOLLEYBALLMARKET.COM Do your girls give you grief when it's time to decide on uniform Spandex? Problem solved. You're going to love these Spandex shorts featuring patented Dri-Release® micro blend yarn (85% polyester micro fiber, 15% cotton) plus Spandex for cool comfort and stylish fit. Better yet, your girls will love them. The silky soft Dri-Release fabric wicks moisture away from the skin keeping the athlete cool and dry, and the Spandex component gives four-way stretch for complete freedom of movement.

The unique low rise "California cut" and 31/2" inseam looks great and fits perfectly.

No more rolled waistbands. Exclusive FreshGuard® odor treatment with lined crotch panel and smooth flat-locked seams create the ultimate in comfort. The shorts have no logo, which means they go with any brand of uniform top. Designed and proudly manufactured in Southern California. Priced as low as $12.97 in team quantities.

Circle No. 78 In June 2004, The Volleyball Market will introduce its exclusive “Price Buster” Custom Team Program featuring multi-color screen printed heavyweight Tshirts from top quality American brands such as Hanes, Gildan, and JerZees. The line includes two or three color Motivational T-shirts (as low as $4.00); two or three color custom printed Team/practice T-shirts (as low as $4.47); and Custom Game T’s with the school logo/team name and 4”-6” numbers screen printed front/back for as little as $5.97 each.

Circle No. 79

Request No. 26

Company Q&A

ONE PRICE PROMISE BY PRO LOOK’S BRENT LLOYD Brent Lloyd has been employed at Pro Look Sports for 2 1/2 years. Brent is currently the Director of Corporate Sales. Brent graduated from Southern Utah University with a Physical Education and Coaching degree with a minor in Sports Medicine. He is married and is expecting his second daughter in May. Brent handles all sales and orders for a good portion of the country. He also assists with product development in presenting new ideas for items to sell in the market place.

PRO LOOK SPORTS 37 E. CENTER ST., SUITE #304 PROVO, UT 84606 800-PRO-LOOK

WWW.PROLOOKSPORTS.COM

The best word to describe Pro Look Sports would be UNIQUE. We are truly unique in every way—from our products to our sales methodology. First of all, we were the first to come out with unique soft tackle twill, which we place on every game uniform at no extra charge. We are known for our tackle twill products that are as cheap as other screened products, but we are more known for our unique method of

selling. We don't nickel and dime coaches. We are forthright with our prices, which include all upgrades. In other words, you can get any custom embroidery, tackle twill, extra large sizes, etc., at one low cost. We don't stop there. We have no minimum orders and many more perks. Go to www.prolooksports.com for more information.

Q. WHAT IS THE ONE PRICE PROMISE?

Q. WHAT DOES THE ONE PRICE PROMISE GUARANTEE?

Pro Look Sports will give you everything on your uniforms for one price. No upcharges. Everything will be included for one price. There are no hidden fees.

It includes any style, any size, and any artwork. It also includes all the tackle twill you can dream of with no minimum orders.

Q. HOW DO YOU THINK THIS SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER COMPANIES?

Q. WHY IS THE ONE PRICE PROMISE SO IMPORTANT TO PRO LOOK SPORTS?

Our competitors charge for custom embroidery applications and tackle twill applications. They are also generally locked into stock styles. We believe in catering directly to institutional organizations, in order to help give the most for the money.

Early on it was our philosophy to cater towards coaches and schools. We haven’t wavered and we have held true.

Its the one thing that sets up apart from other companies. I honestly believe we will give you the best service, and the best quality, all for one price.

Q. WHY DO YOU THINK A ONE PRICE PROMISE IS SO IMPORTANT? You never have to figure out the math. It makes it fair. You can now afford to get what you really want.

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Performance Apparel What athletes are wearing underneath their uniforms.

By Dale Strauf, Athletic Equipment Manager, Cornell University, and President of the Athletic Equipment Managers Association You don’t want to purchase any type of undergarment until you have had an opportunity to field-test it. In conducting the field-test, evaluate the garment in the following areas: O O O O

Does it perform the way it is supposed to on the athlete?

Does it hold its shape during use?

Does the fabric appear to be durable?

Are the seams finished off and reinforced so that they’ll hold over time?

O Is the waistband stitched enough so that it won’t be abrasive to the athlete?

O Does it hold its color when you wash it?

MCDAVID SPORTS/MEDICAL PRODUCTS 800-237-8254 WWW.MCDAVIDINC.COM Product Name: McDavid Body Shirts (hDc Performance Apparel) Features: Long sleeve, short sleeve, sleeveless (mock/crew) Fabric content: 85% nylon, 15% spandex Styles Offered: Nylon/spandex construction with hDc Technology offers premium compression support Single-layer or multi-layer construction?

Single-layer Perspiration Wicking Qualities: hDc is a permanent compound that absorbs moisture and disperses it into the fabric evaporating moisture quickly.

Chemical Treatments Used: Ultra hDc, hDc Circle No. 81 Product Name: Microfiber Shirts (hDc Performance Apparel) Features: Long sleeve, short sleeve, sleeveless (mock/crew).

Fabric content: 100% micro polyester Styles Offered: Microfiber

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

You should field-test the garment by letting one of your more active players—someone who’s really going to give it a lot of punishment—wear it during workouts. It’s best to conduct the testing right after the season is over during conditioning workouts. Have the athlete wear it for a minimum of two weeks to properly test it.

You shouldn’t have any problems getting companies to provide you with product to field-test. The companies that are really confident in their product will have no problem giving you a sample to test. Let the company know that you will return the sample back to them at their request.

If the undergarment holds up to its claims during the fieldtestings, and the price and features meet your needs, then you know you are purchasing the right undergarment for your athletes.

loosewear is an ultra light micro polyester that provides maximum comfort.

Single-layer or multi-layer construction?

Single-layer Perspiration Wicking Qualities: hDc is a permanent compound that absorbs moisture and disperses it into the fabric evaporating moisture quickly.

Chemical Treatments Used: Ultra hDc, hDc Circle No. 82

NIKE WWW.NIKETOWN.COM Product Name: Nike Pro Compression Features: Nike Pro Compression is featured in sleeveless, long sleeve, mock, and tees, as well as shorts and tights. Nike Pro Compression provides cool, lightweight support for your workout. Made with stretch Dri-FIT technology designed to keep you dry and comfortable while enhancing athletic performance.

Fabric Content: 62% polyester, 22% nylon, 16% spandex Styles Offered: Nike Pro featured in a sleeveless, long sleeve, mock, tee, short, and tight.

Single-layer or multi-layer construction?

Single-layer Perspiration Wicking Qualities: Made with stretch Dri-FIT technology designed to keep you dry and comfortable while enhancing athletic performance.

Chemical Treatments Used: In addition to fiber construction there is a wicking chemical finish.

Circle No. 83 Product Name: Nike Pro Vent Features: Nike Pro Vent is featured in a sleeveless, long sleeve, and short sleeve top. Nike Pro Vent provides cool, lightweight support for your workout.

Strategically placed vents are laminated to DriFIT fabric to improve air flow and keep you dry and comfortable while enhancing athletic performance.

Fabric Content: Body: 82% polyester, 18% spandex Mesh: 86% polyester, 10% spandex, 4% other Styles Offered: Nike Pro Vent is featured in a sleeveless, long sleeve, and short sleeve top.

Perspiration Wicking Qualities: Made with stretch Dri-FIT technology designed to keep you dry and comfortable while enhancing athletic performance.

Chemical Treatments Used: In addition to fiber construction there is a wicking chemical finish.

Circle No. 84

NET RESULTS ARE PERFECT FOR NEW HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM “I was worried enough about our first match in a new facility. The last thing I needed to think about was equipment that was unable to attain accurate net height. I contacted Sports Imports and they quickly delivered the system that best fit our program. It is comforting to know that I won’t have to worry about this equipment and I can focus on making my team better. I know these uprights will work right -- and they will last. We’ll never need to purchase another net system.”

Rikki Williamson, Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, Sachse High School, Texas

W

ith the volleyball season fast approaching for Sachse High School, the situation could not have been worse. Rikki Williamson, Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, was desperate to begin team practices,

Fortunately, Coach Williamson had coached and played on Senoh net systems and knew these products were unmatched in competition play, durability and value. She contacted Sports Imports, the sole distributor for Senoh, to get the quality system she needed, and get it within a very short timeframe.

When Sports Imports learned of Coach Williamson’s dilemma, their representatives made sure Sachse High School had the right system for practice and competition.

Within days, custom drop-in adapters were created for the school’s current floor sleeves, saving the time and expense of full sleeve replacement. The new Senoh net system was shipped to the school, and the team practiced on the equipment immediately, preparing the team for the school’s first volleyball season. Coach Williamson was pleased with the responsiveness and product quality, and the school looks forward to decades of competition on this Senoh system.

SPORTS IMPORTS P.O. BOX 21040 COLUMBUS, OH 43221 800-556-3198 info@sportsimports.com WWW.SPORTSIMPORTS.COM

yet construction of the new high school had been completed just days before the preseason schedule. And, unfortunately, when she attempted to set up the team’s new volleyball equipment, she was faced with another serious issue. The upright system could not attain accurate net height or tension, and therefore was inadequate for daily practice and incapable of meeting competition requirements.

During the construction process, the general contractor (GC) had been given the authority to choose all of the athletic equipment for the school. As with many school construction projects, the volleyball equipment chosen by the GC was of low quality and was not adequate for high school-level competition.

Sports Imports has been Senoh’s sole distributor in North America for over 28 years.

Senoh systems are the only net system used by the Olympic Games and they are used in over 90% of Division I College programs. Senoh systems are also used in thousands of high schools, and they are the only net system endorsed by the FIVB and AVCA. Because their systems are durable, easy to set up and backed by superior customer support, coaches nationwide turn to Sports Imports and Senoh products to fulfill their volleyball needs.

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More Products

DIMENSIONAL SOFTWARE 877-223-8225 WWW.ACE4VB.COM

EFUNDRAISING 866-825-2921 WWW.EFUNDRAISING.COM

Volleyball Ace (for Palm handhelds) and Pocket Volleyball Ace (for the Pocket PC) version 5 are the latest versions of handheld stat software from Dimensional Software. Stats include per game and summary stats, box scores, serve and pass ratings, points per rotation and hit charts. New features include quick subs, sub reminders, custom desktop reports and HTML output for the Web. Stats automatically upload to a Windows PC or Macintosh for printing and further analysis.

Circle No. 86

Try eFundraising’s new Online Fund-raising Program—a new way to raise money quickly and easily! With your free personalized Web site, complete with magazine store, your supporters can purchase magazine subscriptions online and 40% of each purchase amount will go back to your group! Simply enter and send emails to friends and family across America inviting them to visit your online store and buy, renew or extend their magazines subscriptions to help support your group. They’ll save up to 85% off the newsstand prices on over 650 magazine titles while you’ll earn 40% profit!

Circle No. 88

The TapRecorder™ is a new handheld software tool from Dimensional Software.

Combined with PracticeStats™ templates for volleyball, the TapRecorder is an excellent tool for recording and summarizing information right on the court.

Combining a spreadsheet format and a single tap to record data, TapRecorder applications can be customized to quickly and easily to record the data you need. Because of this flexibility, you can track any kinds of counts and ratings and monitor performance on practice drills as well as selected stats during scrimmages.

Circle No. 87

GATORADE 800-88GATOR WWW.GATORADE.COM Gatorade Thirst Quencher’s optimal formula contains electrolytes and carbohydrates. It is based on more than 30 years of scientific research and testing.

Nothing rehydrates, replenishes and refuels better than Gatorade® Thirst Quencher—not even water.

REHYDRATE—Gatorade has the flavor to keep your athletes drinking—and a sixpercent carbohydrate solution that’s optimal for speeding fluids back into their systems. No fluid is absorbed faster than Gatorade. REPLENISH—If your athletes don’t replace the electrolytes they

lose when they sweat, they risk becoming dehydrated, which can take them out of the game. By putting electrolytes back, Gatorade helps athletes drink more, retain fluids and maintain fluid balance. REFUEL—Unlike water, Gatorade has the right amount of carbohydrates (14 grams per eight ounces) to give your athlete’s working muscles more energy, help athletes fight fatigue and keep their mental edge.

Request No. 89

SPORT IMPORTS, INC. 800-556-3198 WWW.SPORTSIMPORTS.COM Sports Imports, Inc., seller of more volleyball net systems than anyone in the world, named Brad Underwood president of the company in February. "I am excited about this role in the company and to continue serving the volleyball community. We have a great tradition and I am honored to be named president," said Underwood. "It has been an emotional time for all those close to Sports Imports, but we are proud to carry on Dave's vision and commitment," referring to the unexpected death of former president and CEO, David Dunlap in December 2003. Underwood has worked for Sports Imports since 2000 and served as COO of the corporation since early 2001. He assumes the position as president of the company immediately, adding corporate administrative duties to his role managing and planning all operations. Company ownership remains with the Dunlap family as it has since its founding in 1976. Sports Imports has installed more than 17,000 systems in gyms and arenas across the country, including 90% of Division I college programs.

Circle No. 90

Check out www.AthleticBid.com to contact these companies.

IN THE DECEMBER 2004 ISSUE: (POST-SEASON & AVCA SHOW ISSUE)

48

COACHING MANAGEMENT

VOLLEYBALL COURT EQUIPMENT

PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

CONDITIONING & TRAINING AIDS

APPAREL

Request No. 27

Why winning coaches buy the AirCAT ™, the volleyball training machine that uses “AIR” (not spinning wheels) to launch precise sets and passes, and powerful spikes and serves…

1. Precise, consistent air-fed

4. Approved and endorsed by

ball delivery

Karch Kiraly and USA Volleyball, and used by winning coaches at all levels – Need we say more?

That’s what you get with AirCAT ™. Its patented Consistent Air Technology ™ delivers up to 1100 balls per hour with air, which is much more consistent and adjustable than the traditional spinning wheels projection (the accuracy of spinning wheels can vary as ball wear, age or inflation varies). With AirCAT ™ you get precise, consistent ball delivery for more effective drills.

2. More than a serving machine Thanks to the precision and adjustability of air, AirCAT ™ can throw a hard serve, simulate a soft set and everything in-between!

Hitting/Spiking Setting/Tipping

Serve/Receive, Passing

Blocking

“AirCAT ™ is going to revolutionize volleyball training.”

- Karch Kiraly

“Every program in the country could benefit from the AirCAT ™ training machine. It’s valuable for all levels of play.”

- Toshiaka Yoshida - Head Coach, Women's USA National Team

Other reasons to buy • Players can train by themselves • Battery operated (built-in charger; no electrical cords on the court) • Wireless remote control or timer operation • Automatic ball-feeder • Adjustable ball speed and trajectory • Easy to use • Safe

For a FREE video and brochure call toll-free 1-888-88SPIKE This allows you to create virtually any situation for game-like drills that will make every player better!

(1-888-887-7453)

or email request to SpikeIt@aircatvolleyball.com

3. No ball wear Spinning wheels can damage volleyballs. Besides being costly, resulting ball wear means even less consistent ball projection. Air does no damage to volleyballs, w h i c h m e a n s much longer ball life and exceptional consistency!

Request No. 28

Airborne Athletics, Inc. 116 West Main Street, Belle Plaine, MN 56011

web: www.aircatvolleyball.com