Coaching Management 17.5

Coaching Management VOL. XVII NO. 5

VOLLEYBALL

PRESEASON

EDITION

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$7.00

2009

Digging Deep Teaching the art of the dig

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Q&A with Christy Johnson

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New Ideas for Recruiting

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Preventing ACL Injuries

Circle No. 100

CONTENTS

Coaching Management Volleyball Edition Preseason 2009 Vol. XVII, No. 5

3 LOCKER ROOM

Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 NCAA Division II says yes to sand volleyball … Frankenmuth (Mich.) High School coach refuses new time-constraint policies … Coaching a hoops star … Two conferences go head to head in a unique tournament … High schools in Louisiana partner to raise $100,000.

Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Iowa State University Head Coach Christy Johnson reveals how she took the Cyclones from the basement to the Elite Eight.

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COVER STORY

Digging Deep

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A great dig can turn the momentum of a match in your favor. In this article, coaches provide advice on teaching athletes how to read the spike, get in position, and have a fearless mentality.

RECRUITING

In Their Dreams

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How do you make high school prospects picture you in their future plans?

By learning the skill of selling your program.

INJURY PREVENTION

By Leaps & Bounds

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The latest research into non-contact ACL injuries has greatly improved our understanding of why they occur—and how they can be prevented.

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Team Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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CONTINUED ON: THE WEB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 On the cover: Karyn Morgan digs a ball for Rice University, which ranked ninth in digs per set among NCAA Division I squads last fall. Story begins on page 16.

Publisher Mark Goldberg Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Frankel Associate Editors Dennis Read, Greg Scholand Assistant Editors R.J. Anderson, Kenny Berkowitz, Abigail Funk, Kyle Garratt, Mike Phelps

Marketing Director Sheryl Shaffer Marketing/Sales Assistant Danielle Catalano Business Manager Pennie Small Art Director Pamela Crawford Administrative Assistant Sharon Barbell Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter

The Coaching Management Volleyball edition is pub­lished in April and November by MAG, Inc. and is distributed free to college and high school coaches in the United States and Canada.

Copyright © 2009 by MAG, Inc. All rights reserved.

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD D-II Adds Sand Volleyball

DeBoer is a big proponent of the idea. “Sand volleyball is not just courting schools on the coasts,” she told ESPN.com in January. “And it’s riding a wave of very solid success from the indoor game, which can’t be taken lightly.”

NCAA Division II schools have taken the lead on implementing sand volleyball, approving the game as an emerging sport for women, starting in 2010-11. D-II schools voted 249-13-13 in favor of the legislation at the NCAA Convention in January.

Other news from the NCAA Convention included the Division I Legislative Council defeating a proposal that would have added a 13th scholarship for women’s indoor volleyball. In light of an upcoming study conducted by the Division I Financial Aid Cabinet, Joe D’Antonio, Chair of Legislative Council and Associate Commissioner of the Big East Conference, says the Council decided now was not the time to address any scholarship issues.

A spring sport, sand volleyball will be played two-ontwo. Though specific playing rules have yet to be finalized, schools are likely to field five teams per dual contest, similar to intercollegiate tennis. Individual matches will be scored like Olympic beach volleyball—best of three games, with rally scoring to 21 in the first two sets and to 15 in the third, if necessary. The team winning at least three matches will win the dual competition.

Also still to be determined are playing season parameters and financial aid and scholarship limits.

Last spring, nine Division II teams competed in the inaugural Sunshine State Collegiate Beach Volleyball Tournament in Clearwater, Fla., including Saint Leo University.

Head Coach Sam Cibrone is excited about the new sport and believes the addition of sand volleyball could open up scholarships for more allaround talented players.

“Being able to do everything well doesn’t always result in a college scholarship to play indoor volleyball,” he told Coaching Management last year. “With the beach game, though, those 5-foot-8 outside hitters who just aren’t big enough to play at upper NCAA levels indoors can be competitive beach players.”

Holding the “emerging sport” designation means that sand volleyball needs just 40 schools—across all divisions— to start the sport within 10 years to gain championship

Saint Leo University’s Eni Lukacs competes in the inaugural Sunshine State Collegiate Beach Volleyball Tournament. The event’s success helped convince NCAA Division II administrators to approve sand volleyball as an emerging sport for women. status and become an official NCAA sponsored sport. “Then you have to go into a budget cycle and appeal for funding,” Kathy DeBoer, Executive Director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, told Coaching Management last year. “But historically, once a sport has reached the numbers needed, the NCAA will put it in the cycle to fund its championship.”

The NCAA Division I Legislative Council did not approve a similar measure for its division.

The proposal fell just short of receiving the two-thirds majority vote necessary. Deciding to seek more input, the Council will vote on the proposal again in late April. Because 62 percent of the Council voted in favor of sand volleyball in Jan-

“The Council felt it was more prudent to wait for the completion of extensive review and analysis of scholarship limits in all sports before going ahead and approving any scholarship changes, including in the sport of volleyball,” says D’Antonio.

uary, the proposal will likely pass in April when the group holds a straight majority second vote—which requires just 50 percent approval. NCAA Division III did not look at the sport this year.

In action that affects coaches of all sports, the Division I Board of Directors voted to begin publishing Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores for each Division I head coach. The NCAA will compile a database—available to the public—that will list the coach’s name and his or her team’s APR score for every year he or she has served as a head coach.

Those skeptical of the sand volleyball proposal wonder if the sport’s model is feasible at the collegiate level based on logistical, financial, and climate challenges. Supporters feel the game would generate more scholarships for deserving players and more publicity for the sport of volleyball.

The Board of Directors is also considering expanding such a database to include more detailed academic, recruiting, and infractions information on each coach. That data would only be accessible through a password-protected Web site, which university administrators could then use to assist with hiring decisions.

To find out the results of the NCAA Division I’s second vote on implementing sand volleyball, visit our sister Web site on or after April 27: AthleticManagement.com.

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD Coach Resigns Over New Policies When Frankenmuth (Mich.)

High School Head Coach Sharon Bade announced her resignation this past fall, it was not for the usual reasons. She wasn’t looking for more time with her family or pursuing another job opportunity. Her departure was in response to a new set of athletic department policies aimed at decreasing students’ time commitments to their teams.

Last April, Frankenmuth’s athletic director announced the following changes for all sports: Coaches were restricted to 25 summer contact dates, including summer league competitions, open gyms, camps, clinics, and practices involving more than three athletes.

Weightroom work, film study sessions, and youth clinics or camps put on by the team would not be affected. Weekend practices and competitions on the high school campus would be banned during the summer break.

As for in-season changes, the new policies addressed playing time and tryouts. Varsity coaches were encouraged to divide playing time equally, while freshman and j.v. coaches were required to give every team member equal playing time.

Varsity coaches could no longer eliminate just one player and weren’t allowed to cut seniors who were in good academic standing and had played the sport for three years.

JEFF schrier/the sAGINAW news

Bade was entering her 12th season and nearing her 500th win at Frankenmuth that fall, and felt she wouldn’t be able to coach to her full ability under the new restrictions.

Along with the head boys’ basketball coach, who had an 83-15 record in his four years at the school, Bade voiced her concerns to Frankenmuth Superintendent Mary Anne Ackerman and said she would resign.

“I had been coaching under my own philosophy without any problems or complaints from parents or players for years,” Bade says. “When the administration came in and totally revamped the policies, I told them there was no way I could coach under those rules.

Why would anyone want to take something like open gym time away from kids? I just don’t understand it.”

no way I could have continued to coach.”

Ackerman felt the changes were needed to de-emphasize sport specialization and time spent on one’s sport. “We are a small school with a lot of athletic offerings, and we need our athletes to participate in more than one sport to keep them all going,” Ackerman says. “In the past several years, there has been a big increase in the amount of time our athletes are spending with their teams, especially during the summer.

Among the changes: Varsity

Over the winter months, Ackerman created a committee to look at the policies more closely and sent out questionnaires to student-athletes, parents, and coaches. Survey results showed support for the policies, but Frankenmuth did alter some of the rules to give coaches more leeway.

coaches are asked to make every effort not to cut seniors, and if underclassmen are promoted to the varsity team, it is expected they will receive significant playing time. There is no longer a limit on summer activity days, but weekend activities are still not allowed without the approval of the athletic director.

Coaches must post their summer schedules with the athletic director before Memorial

“A two- or three-sport athlete could be at the school three times a day for conditioning or open practices during the summer,” Ackerman continues. “We were looking for a way to make summer participation manageable for our kids and not burn them out.”

Bade did not agree. “I felt like the rules would change my whole way of coaching,” she says. “Especially the summer contact limit. That’s my players’ time to get in the gym, have fun, be social, not run any drills, and not be coached by me in any way. There was no pressure for them to perform or even show up.”

Ackerman convinced Bade to give the rules a try, and she coached her team to its fourth consecutive district title this fall. However, she re-issued her resignation effective at the end of the season, still in disagreement with administration over the policies.

“It hurt,” Bade says. “The decision killed me, and I hate to leave my players, but there was

En route to its fourth consecutive district title, Frankenmuth (Mich.) High School spikes over Swan Valley in the championship game. The Frankenmuth High athletic department is experimenting with a new set of policies that lessen time commitments for athletes and encourage multi-sport participation.

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD Day so any conflicts can be resolved and families can plan vacations. Varsity coaches are also asked to go out of their way to communicate that all summer activities are strictly voluntary and have no bearing on regular season participation.

onship, and former teammate Meghan Bonk was a Delaware signee. Delle Donne asked Kenny if she could try out for the team.

“I had seen her play in the Delaware state volleyball championship, and my associate head coach and I just looked at each other and said, ‘Wouldn’t you love the chance to coach her?’” says Kenny.

“We knew she was an incredible athlete.”

Other coaches in the state have been watching Frankenmuth’s controversy unfold, and many e-mailed Bade messages of support. One very interested party was the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA).

Kenny also knew the gift she had been presented would require some careful handling. Delle Donne had been in the media spotlight for her basketball prowess and her abrupt decision to leave UConn. She had admitted to being burned out, something most athletes are not brave enough to do, and her choice had been harshly questioned.

“We certainly watched because there are some pretty strong philosophical things in play here,” says John Johnson, Director of Communications at the MHSAA. “It makes people stand up and wonder what is the most appropriate way to handle high school sports in terms of year-round activity.

“Most educators feel that yearround contact for high school sports isn’t completely appropriate, but there are other schools of thought, too,” Johnson continues. “One is keeping up with the Joneses, and another is that if a high school coach doesn’t have the complete attention of their athletes all the time, they may lose them to a program outside the school like the Junior Olympics or AAU. These debates are something we talk about internally as a staff, and they are certainly worthy of discussion.”

Trading Sports It’s every college coach’s dream come true: An athlete you spent zero time recruiting walks on to your team and becomes a star. At the University of Delaware, Head Coach Bonnie Kenny lived that dream when 6-foot-5 freshman Elena Delle Donne arrived on campus last August.

Kenny knew of Delle Donne.

Actually, anyone who follows high school sports has heard

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“I wanted to make sure she wasn’t tired of being an athlete,” Kenny says. “I also wanted her to understand the commitment at this level. She told us that she was not tired of being an athlete, she was just tired of playing basketball and wanted to become a good volleyball player.”

One of the best high school basketball players in the nation last year, Elena Delle Donne walked away from the sport and became a standout freshman volleyball player for the University of Delaware this past fall. Coach Bonnie Kenny says, “She was not polished in her skills, but was able to learn fast.” of Delle Donne, who was the nation’s top female basketball recruit last year and was expected to be a prominent piece of the University of Connecticut’s next run at a national title.

But after less than a week on the UConn campus this past summer, Delle Donne left her scholarship and withdrew from the team and the school. She

said she had lost her passion for the game, and transferred to Delaware, eager to be a normal student out of the spotlight and closer to home.

“Normal,” however, didn’t mean giving up sports completely. Delle Donne had played volleyball her senior year of high school, helping Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Del., to a state champi-

Next, Kenny took efforts to assure Delle Donne she would not become a media spectacle in her new sport. “I knew she wanted life to be as normal as possible, and we wanted her to be comfortable here,” Kenny says. “I thought she had gone through enough for somebody her age, and I told her she didn’t need to do anything she didn’t want to do with the media. It didn’t matter if talking to reporters would benefit our program, we only cared about what she and her family felt comfortable doing. We were fortunate to have her here.”

Fortunate might be an understatement. In her first season at Delaware, Delle Donne was a three-time Colonial Athletic

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD Association (CAA) Rookie of the Week and a member of the conference’s All-Rookie team. At middle hitter, she led all CAA freshmen in blocks and was second on the Delaware team in hitting percentage. The Blue Hens won the CAA tournament and competed in the first round of the NCAA Division I tournament, bowing out to the University of Oregon.

conferences playing 39 matches in just two days.

Back in mid-October, 12 teams from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) squared off against the 13 teams from the Great Lakes

The goal of the tournament was to support Division II’s strategic-positioning platform, which encourages intra-conference competition among teams from the same region. The GLVC and GLIAC comprise the bulk of the Division II Midwest Region.

ment was set up to settle which was the better conference, not who was the best team. Match-ups were determined by pitting the top-seeded teams from each league against each other and the bottom-seeded teams against

A former president of the AVCA, Kenny also got to see what big-time burnout looks like firsthand, and she is now more than ever an advocate for de-emphasizing high-level competition at the youth levels. “Youth sports have become a business,” Kenny says. “Kids are flying all over the country starting at age 12. It seems like a great life for them, but what do they have to look forward to?

These clubs are requiring kids to start at such a young age, then they have to take private lessons and play in all these tournaments. Sometimes, they are training longer than we are at the college level.

“They’re not being given the chance to become good athletes because we’re requiring them to specialize,” she continues. “It’s awful what we’re asking them to do.”

Coaching Delle Donne brought this point home to Kenny in a big way. “She’s not polished in her skills,” Kenny says. “But she was able to learn a lot faster than kids who have been playing since they were 12 and have been trained incorrectly or taught improperly. She’s going to be really good if she stays with it.”

Playing For Conference Pride It looked, felt, and sounded like a club volleyball tournament, but it wasn’t. The firstever Asics Crossover Tournament featured 25 NCAA Division II teams from two

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The University of Indianapolis volleyball team huddles for a cheer during the 2008 Asics GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Tournament. The event pitted teams from two NCAA Division II conferences against each other, with 25 squads playing 39 matches over two days.

Valley Conference (GLVC) in a head-to-head tournament at the Team Indiana Volleyball Club facility in Indianapolis.

GLVC Commissioner Jim Naumovich says it was the largest NCAA regular-season tournament in the country last year.

“The tournament was kind of a throwback to club volleyball,” says Naumovich. “I’m sure 90 percent of the young ladies who participated in the Crossover Tournament played club volleyball, so it took them back to the days when they played multiple matches in one facility over a weekend.”

“In Division II, the focus is on regionalization for earning bids to the NCAA championships,” says Naumovich.

“The selection committee has been encouraging teams to play other teams outside of their conference, but from within their region. With that in mind, we scheduled this tournament. The results from the matches should assist the selection committee in choosing the eight bids from our region to compete in the Division II tournament.”

Aside from helping the selection committee, the tourna-

each other, based on conference standings at the time.

Each team played three or four pre-determined matches.

The weekend ended with the GLIAC taking home the trophy after winning 27 of the 39 matches. GLIAC members Ashland University, Grand Valley State University, and Hillsdale University all finished the tournament undefeated.

“It was good to see players cheering for the other teams in our conference—it instilled some conference pride,” says Deanne Scanlon, Head Coach

at Grand Valley State. “We even worked together as a conference to scout our opponents. We had a coaches meeting and helped each other out by sharing strategies we were going to use against teams we were both playing.”

The GLVC hosted the 2008 tournament and the GLIAC will reciprocate next year at a yet-to-be-determined location. After that, the conferences will decide if they want to make the tournament an annual event.

the name of breast cancer awareness.

It brought in $17,000 and was deemed successful in spreading the word about breast cancer education. So, why not try to get every school in the state involved?

Called “Volleyball for the Cure,” the campaign encouraged Louisiana’s high schools to select one game from their schedule and partner with the opposing team to put on their own breast cancer awareness event and fundraiser. “What

makes this fundraiser different is that it wasn’t one huge tournament where all the teams convened,” Barnes says.

“Everyone could do their own fundraiser on their own scale on a date when it worked for them.”

Barnes provided any interested school with a wealth of resources, including a sample letter for potential local sponsors, different fundraising ideas for game day, the entire state’s list of Susan G. Komen

The conferences, individual schools, and the Team Indiana Volleyball Club all publicized the tournament on their Web sites, and the NCAA published game previews on its Web site. In addition to regionalization benefits, the tournament saves the teams money in travel expenses as the matches replaced preseason tournaments often played in areas like Florida or the Northwest.

“It was a great format and it eliminated the hassle of playing in tournaments all over the country,” says Scanlon. “The players enjoyed the intensity of the matches and feel of the tournament.”

Naumovich says most of the planning, which began more than a year in advance, was done by GLVC staff members, with help and input from coaches in both conferences. Securing enough officials and sports information employees to track scoring proved to be the biggest challenges.

“Commitment from all 25 teams really made it work,” Naumovich says. “We accomplished our mission of regional competition and getting the conferences to root for their own teams. We hope to continue doing it in the future.”

Fundraiser Goes Statewide As both Athletic Director and Head Volleyball Coach at Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans, Mike Barnes is a pretty busy guy. But that didn’t stop him from organizing a statewide volleyball fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen For the Cure campaign that collected almost $100,000 this past fall.

Barnes and his squad had conducted a “Paint the Gym Pink for the Cure” event in 2007, where fans purchased and wore special pink T-shirts to a game in

Circle No. 104

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As part of a statewide fundraiser in Louisiana to benefit the Susan G. Komen For the Cure campaign, the volleyball squads at Academy of the Sacred Heart and Isidore Newman School worked together to donate $29,000. Teams raised money through T-shirt sales, raffles, bake sales, pink nail polish manicures, and more. local affiliates, and information on how to secure a free pink and white game ball from Baden. “I didn’t want anyone to have any excuses not to participate, so I put together a package of information and forms,” Barnes says.

“I e-mailed the information to coaches, brought copies of it to coaches’ meetings, and posted everything online,” he continues. “I wanted to get people involved without them worrying about it being a ton of work.”

How the different schools raised funds, however, was up to them. Barnes offered several ideas, including charging admission at the gate, holding a pre- or post-game bake sale, offering pink nail polish manicures, or doing a 50/50 raffle during the match. One idea he included to help involve the visiting team’s fans was to have them purchase tickets to ride a “spirit bus” to and from the game.

Heart’s T-shirt fundraiser, and many did. “My team came up with T-shirt logos, and I got in touch with a nearby manufacturer to set up a bulk order agreement,” he says. “That way, all the schools had to do was submit their individual orders to the company.

“We even provided a T-shirt order form players could hand out to interested fans in the weeks leading up to the game,” Barnes continues.

“The schools didn’t have to worry about a design or figure out how much it would cost. It was already done for them.”

There were two T-shirt designs for schools and fans to choose from. Both incorporated the Susan G. Komen ribbon logo and one read “Volleyball for the Cure” while the other read “Real Men Wear Pink.” The

Barnes also suggested schools could tag along with Sacred

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T-shirts cost the schools $5 each, and most sold them to fans for $10.

Barnes also encouraged the schools to make their event as much about education and awareness as possible, and that’s where the local Susan G. Komen affiliates came in.

Each affiliate provided participating schools with educational materials like posters and pamphlets, supplied guest speakers upon request, and helped to advertise the match.

Like at Sacred Heart, many schools took a moment before the start of the game to ask any breast cancer survivors in attendance to stand up and be recognized. And a prayer was said for those who had lost their battle.

“Everybody is touched by

breast cancer in some way, whether it was their mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, friend, or whoever,” Barnes says.

“I think that’s why this thing gained so much momentum.”

While raising money was Barnes’s initial goal, he was happy to see the event spill over to community members’ everyday lives. “I was walking through the hallway the other day and one of our admissions workers came up to me and said, ‘You know Mike, all of this has made me aware I need to have a mammogram,’” Barnes explains.

“Without the event, who would walk up to me in the hallway telling me they’re going to get a mammogram?” he continues.

“The program opened up dialogue, which can make a big difference.”

For more information about Susan G. Komen For the Cure, visit: www.komen.org.

For sample materials or more information about Sacred Heart’s “Volleyball for the Cure” campaign, e-mail Mike Barnes at: MBarnes@ashrosary.org.

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Q&A

Christy Johnson

Iowa State University Talk about taking the fast track. In 1995, Christy Johnson led the University of Nebraska to its first NCAA Division I volleyball championship as an All-American setter. In 2005, she became Head Coach at Iowa State University. This past season, she took the Cyclones to their first Elite Eight and a No. 12 ranking in the final D-I AVCA poll.

Johnson began her career as a high school teacher and coach, while also playing on a National Volleyball Association team. She quickly moved into an assistant coaching position at the University of Wisconsin, where she helped

CM: What was your plan to turn around the ISU program?

Johnson: It included a lot of things, starting with recruiting. We hit the recruiting trail hard and identified geographic areas that could work for us. Obviously we focus on Iowa, but we also zeroed in on Nebraska, which has a ton of great high school players. The top one or two kids in the state might go to the University of Nebraska every year, but there’s still a lot of talent left over.

We also have experts on our coaching staff to cover every aspect of the game.

I trained under Terry Pettit [former Head Coach at Nebraska], who is probably the best setter coach in the country. My husband and assistant, Joe Lynch, is a great defensive coach, and Dawn Sullivan, another assistant, was an All-American outside hitter. We have a great staff that can cover every position and train our players at the highest level.

I think another key is that we all come from winning backgrounds. We expect success and pass that on to our players.

Why did you decide to build your program around defense?

We felt we would have trouble competing physically against teams like Texas and Nebraska in our first couple of years.

We just didn’t have the same caliber of athletes they did. But if we could pass the ball to the target and play great defense, we’d at least be able to compete and maybe pull out some big wins.

Having a great ball-handling and defen-

the Badgers reach the NCAA Division I championship game in 2000, as well as three more regional finals.

At Iowa State, Johnson has turned around a oncestruggling program, which prior to her arrival had won just 13 of its past 180 Big 12 Conference matches. In her first season, the Cyclones posted a 16-15 mark, including a school-record nine wins in conference play.

The next two campaigns featured trips to the NCAAs, with this year’s squad topping both Minnesota and Oregon before falling to Texas in the quarterfinals.

In this interview, Johnson discusses the rise of the Iowa State program, increasing attendance at games, coaching with her husband, and being evaluated by her players.

sive team has helped us upset some of the best squads in the country.

Did you put more emphasis on strength and conditioning when you came in?

Yes. We’re fortunate to have a really good strength and conditioning staff here. One of the first things I asked the team to do was to commit more to the strength and conditioning program and stay here over the summer to maintain their workouts. We knew the best teams in the country were doing that and we felt it would also demonstrate the commitment our team had.

Was it tough to get the players to buy into it?

Not really. They had struggled for so long and felt so down about their careers that they were eager to do anything, especially during my first summer on campus.

Whatever we said, they jumped at it.

Now, it takes some reminding. It’s easy to take for granted the hard work players before you have done to get the program to where it is. We have to remind our current athletes that it takes some sacrifice on their part, too.

Has recruiting gotten any easier now that you’ve had some success?

It’s easier in one way and harder in another. Now that we’ve been in a Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight, it’s easier to grab a recruit’s attention. But we’re going after kids who are harder to get—those who are also looking at other top-15 pro-

Big 12 Conference All-Freshman Team outside hitter Rachel Hockaday records a kill in Iowa State’s win over Oregon during the NCAA Division I Regional Semifinals.

CoachingManagementOnline.com

13

grams. Recruiting is always hard, no matter what level you’re at.

Attendance figures for Iowa State home games have nearly tripled since you arrived. Have you done any special marketing?

Last year, we played a match against Nebraska right after a Sunday women’s basketball game. There were 8,000 people in the seats for the basketball game, so we tried to start our volleyball game as soon as possible to grab some firsttime volleyball watchers.

It didn’t seem like a positive situation for us at first. We had to play on a Sunday and the Nebraska coach wasn’t happy about it. But we turned it into something great. We ended up breaking the state of Iowa record for attendance at a volleyball match with nearly 7,000 people. I think we grabbed a lot of new fans.

We’ve also thought about how to make our facility more fan friendly. We play in a big basketball arena. So we added a curtain on one end to close off the arena a little. That makes it feel more intimate and improves the atmosphere.

Iowa State uses student-athlete evaluations to critique its coaches. Have you found this beneficial?

We evaluate our players all the time, so it’s not a bad idea for us to be evaluated, too. But the evaluations are hard to read.

Even if you get great scores and the comments are mostly positive, it’s still tough to be criticized.

But I’ve learned how to be a better coach by knowing my players’ complaints. I’ve learned not to assume players understand

As a coach, when I pull a struggling player out of a game, it’s easy to assume she knows why. But that athlete may need a conversation with me to understand what she can do to get back on the court. So I really try to be up front and honest with my players.

What are your thoughts on the potential addition of sand volleyball?

Part of me is a little concerned because right now in Ames, Iowa, we don’t have one indoor sand volleyball court. We have

“I’ve learned not to assume players understand what I’m thinking or why I make decisions ... When I pull a struggling player out of a game, it’s easy to assume she knows why.

But that athlete may need a conversation with me to understand what she can do to get back on the court.” what I’m thinking or why I make decisions. One of the biggest things I’ve tried to do is make sure players understand their roles.

to figure out if we want to be a part of that movement, and whether we are going to be at a disadvantage if we aren’t. It’s something we have to start thinking about so we don’t get left behind.

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Q&A When you think of Iowa, you’re not thinking beach and sand. But Nebraska built a facility, so we know it can be done. We’d just have to change our mindset. I think it’s a great thing for volleyball as a whole, but how does that fit into Iowa State, and would it be worth the time and money?

Have you seen a lot of changes in the game since your playing days?

Volleyball is always becoming more physical and more athletic. It’s also becoming more of an outside hitter’s game. When I played, our first options were our middles and right side because that’s where the talent was. But you can’t get away with that today.

You’ve got to have big outside hitters to get to the elite level.

How do you stay current as a coach?

I really enjoy learning and going to clinics. Terry Pettit puts on a clinic where he talks a lot about leadership, motivation, and managing your team and the people around you. I absolutely love that kind of stuff. I like to learn about how I can be a better coach by working with others.

Is it difficult to be married to one of your assistant coaches?

Actually, it’s awesome. We were together before I started coaching at Iowa State, so we were a package deal. For me, being a firsttime head coach, I had so many insecurities that it was really great to have someone I could talk to about anything. It made it easy for me to deal with the stress. And Joe’s a great coach, too. I have someone I can trust and I know is loyal.

Is it ever tough to separate your volleyball life from your home life?

Absolutely. I’ll be the first to admit that when we go home at night, we talk volleyball. We talk about the team and upcoming games.

We don’t really ever get away from it. But for right now, that’s great.

Your husband also coaches a club team in the area. Does that ever lead to a conflict of interest?

It has the potential for conflict since it means college coaches are working with high school athletes who are deciding where they want to go to college. There’s certainly an advantage to coaching a kid you want to play for your program. There’s a lot of talk right now about restricting college coaches from coaching club.

We’ve had one kid in Joe’s program over the past four years come to us. Joe is not coaching club to get recruits, but you have to be really careful and unbiased.

Do you set goals with your team?

I have a five-year plan that helps me make decisions, but I don’t talk about that with the team. If our athletes are working hard and doing all they can, those good things will happen. I don’t want to load them down with, “We need to get in the top three of the Big 12 by this year.”

We do have statistical goals for each player, though, from both games and practices. I think those are really important because they give players real, concrete, objective feedback about how they’re doing and what they need to do to get more playing time. Players need to know where they stand. Numbers take the subjectivity out of it and just say, “You’re hitting .150. If you want to get on the court, you have to hit .200.”

Do you have specific goals for yourself?

I want to build this program to the point where we’re competing for a conference championship and a national championship.

That’s a pretty lofty goal, but that’s what I dream about. It’s going to take a lot more work, but it’s something we’re working toward every day.

Circle No. 108

digging

BY KYLE GARRATT

With 331 digs on the year (along with 381 total kills), outside hitter Karyn Morgan led Rice University to a 23-8 record and its first NCAA Division I tournament appearance since 2004. Head Coach Genny Volpe says she trains her players to see every ball as diggable.

COVER STORY

PHOTO BY ANTHONY VASSER/RICE UNIVERSITY

s a new coach back in the 1970s, Mike Hebert was eager to learn all he could.

On meeting Stanislav Gosciniak, a professional widely regarded as the top defensive player in the world at the time, Hebert decided to pick Gosciniak’s brain on making a great dig.

“I asked him, ‘What moves do you make?’” remembers Hebert, now Head Coach at the University of Minnesota. “‘Do you do extension rolls or barrel rolls? Do you do this or that?’ He looked at me quizzically and said, ‘I don’t know, I just go get the ball.’”

At the time, the answer took Hebert by surprise.

But now he understands. “If a player gets to the ball and makes the dig, it doesn’t matter how they do it,” he says. “We teach the traditional menu of techniques like proper platform position, balance, shuffle footwork, run through, and digging overhand. But they

deep

Kyle Garratt is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management.

He can be reached at: kg@MomentumMedia.com.

A great dig can turn the momentum of a match in your favor. Here, coaches provide advice on teaching athletes how to read the spike, get in position, and have a fearless mentality.

COVER STORY

are pretty far down on the list of things I consider to be priorities in deciding who could be a good defender.

“The best defensive players are those who can read the opposing attack and be in the right place at the right time in a matter of nanoseconds,” Hebert continues. “They also have to be fearless.”

But how do you teach a player to read the direction of a spike, move in nanoseconds, and embrace a brutally selfless attitude? In this article, we talk to coaches of top defensive teams who reveal the mental and physical training they use to teach the art of digging.

A Great Read In a flash of power, the hitter blasts a shot that seems destined to become a kill—only to have a well-positioned defender pop the ball into the air and

turn defense into offense in less than a second. How did the defensive player subdue such a powerful offensive weapon? A good dig is a flurry of quick reactions that starts in the defender’s eyes.

“Players must have great vision to be effective defenders, and by great vision I don’t mean scoring well on an eye test,” says Hebert. “How many variables can they see in their vision frame and can they anticipate the movement of the offensive players and their own blockers?”

Genny Volpe, Head Coach at Rice University, agrees. “Being able to read and anticipate the attacker’s shot is the main thing that makes a digger successful,” she says. “Technique is secondary to that. You should be able to train anyone who can read opposing offenses to be a good digger.”

Another great way to emphasize digging on your team is to promote your libero as a team leader. “The libero

is probably the most important position on the court,” says Mike Hebert, Head Coach at the University of Minnesota.

“Our ball control, passing, and defense revolve around the libero’s ability and level of confidence.”

That is why Hebert puts his libero in charge. “I put the team in situations where it has to rehearse its movement patterns together and have the libero coordinate how everyone is going to respond to offensive thrusts,” he explains. “I also make that person a green-light player for defense and passing. I tell them the libero has the green light to go into other players’ territory to get to every ball she can.”

Lisa Rhodes, Head Coach at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, lets the libero’s actions speak for themselves. “In practice, my libero plays with both the starters and the second team,” she says. “Our second team will often win when the starting libero is playing with them. That instills in the team what an important position the libero is.”

LEADING LIBERO 18

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The focal points when reading a spike include: an attacker’s hand position, arm angle, and position relative to the ball, and the blockers’ positions. “We teach our players to look at the hitter because they’re going to tell you a lot,” says Volpe. “Most important is to look at their angle of approach and arm swing. You can’t necessarily look at their shoulders because they can manipulate the ball with their hand to hit it the opposite way.”

But knowing the angles and forces is just the first step. Responding to them is next. Most coaches recommend fullteam drills that simulate game situations and expose defenders to as many different hits as possible.

“I never stand there and hit balls at my defenders because the physical act of digging the ball is not a big part of playing defense,” says Brad Saindon, Head Coach at Western Oregon University, which led NCAA Division II in digs per set last year. “It’s about seeing what a hitter is going to do and where the blocker is relative to the hitter.

“I can’t mimic that off a box, so almost all of our drills have a live hitter, blocker, and diggers,” he continues. “We also run five-on-five drills without a middle blocker because it creates more digging opportunities for the defenders.”

At Rice, where last year’s squad ranked ninth in Division I in digs per set, Volpe has her defenders stand with their backs to the net. She then verbally cues them to turn around. They have to quickly target, pursue, and dig a shot.

“We also have drills where they have to verbalize what the attacker is doing before they dig,” Volpe says. “If the player thinks the attacker’s going to hit down the line, she screams ‘line’ before she attacks it, and if she’s right she gets a point.”

Volpe and her team frequently talk about how to read hits during practice.

“I constantly ask my players what they read and why they read it that way,” she says. “By listening to their answers, I better understand what they are struggling with.”

At Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, where the Panthers led NCAA Division I teams in digs per set, Head Coach Steven Payne uses good geometry and bad volleyball to help improve his players’ reading ability. “I throw angles at them,” he says. “I might say, ‘This is where the ball is, what kind

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Circle No. 109

COVER STORY

of angle is it going to be coming at you from? If it’s way inside, where’s it going?

How far off the net is it?’

“I also toss or set the ball poorly and then have a hitter hit that ball and the diggers have to adjust,” Payne continues.

“They get the feeling for what happens when it’s not a perfect set and how that changes where they move to.”

it’s important to continue through the ball whether it’s in front or a little to the right or left. That’s the difference between the pass going 10 feet off the net instead of three.”

About the Attitude Along with the physical side of digging, there is a mental side that looms larger. “Defense and digging are more Can You Dig It? a state of mind or an attitude than a If reading the play is the war, then technique,” says Hebert. “Players have getting to the ball is the battle. Once a to understand that their effort level on defender thinks she knows where the defense is always under their control. shot is going, getting ready for the dig You don’t have to be greatly skilled to comes down to reaction time and effi- play great defense if you just commit to cient motion. giving it the maximum effort possible.”

Giving that maximum effort at all times may be a personality trait, but it can be trained.

Volpe does it through drills that “I test our team every day hold players accountable to each in practice in terms of other. their willingness to push “We do a lot of drills with two or three players on the court at a after balls that, a week time who have to work together, before, they thought they communicate, and dig several couldn’t get to. Pretty balls in a row,” she says. “If they get four in a row, and then that soon the team takes over fifth ball hits the ground, they and sets the bar for which have to start all over again. They balls are diggable and don’t get a point unless they get five in a row. pursuable, and they hold “We’re pushing them physicaleach other accountable.” ly and mentally,” Volpe continues.

“And we’re putting them in positions where they have to motivate and support each other.”

“I want my players in a balanced, athLisa Rhodes, Head Coach at the letic, spring-loaded position so they are University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, ready to respond,” says Saindon. “It’s motivates her players mentally through like a sprinter waiting in the starting statistics. “We keep stats in practice for blocks for the gun. They’re not hopping perfect passes versus mediocre and weak around in the starting blocks, they’re passes,” she says. “We go over the numjust waiting for the signal to explode. bers at the end of practice and tell the Our starting gun is when the attacker players if they had a great passing day. strikes the ball.”

You have to continually emphasize that While speed to the point of the dig nothing can happen without the perfect is crucial, stopping momentum before dig and pass.” contact is just as important. “Getting Another tactic is to set expectations your feet stopped is something I talk to high. “Even though it’s physically imposmy players about a lot,” says Payne. “If sible to dig every single ball, you have to you’re still moving as you contact the train your team to think that every ball is ball, you can only adjust to the direction diggable,” says Volpe. “If you allow your the ball is moving at that time. If you are players to make a half-hearted move for stopped, you can adjust your pass in any the ball, then that’s going to be part of direction. their defensive attitude.”

“Another thing my players are prob“I test our team every day in pracably sick of hearing about is finishing tice in terms of their willingness to the dig,” he continues. “After contact, push after balls that, a week before, 20

CoachingManagementOnline.com

they thought they couldn’t get to,” says Hebert. “Pretty soon the team takes over and sets the bar for which balls are diggable and pursuable, and they hold each other accountable.

“Once the emphasis on defense and ball control becomes a staple in your gym, you’ve won the battle,” he continues. “Every year, the new kids come in and the veterans teach them how we do it here.”

Instilling a bit of attitude in your athletes can also work wonders. “We have the attitude of, ‘Bring it on, hit the ball at us,’” says Rhodes. “‘We’re going to dig it up and make you earn that point.’ As a coach, I emphasize that, ‘You may think you can’t get that ball, but go for it every single time and you never know what may happen.’”

Finally, you have to show your athletes how to be fearless. “I don’t know the psychological antecedents that cause some people to be fearless and others to be fearful,” says Hebert. “But we put players in drills with high velocity shots coming at them and remind them to relax their facial muscles, see the ball, and react accordingly.”

A United Back A great dig that saves a point or sets up your own point is obviously valuable to the final outcome of the game. But many coaches believe it does a lot more.

For one, it can turn the momentum of a match. “When we dig up a ball by the best offensive player in the conference, we get excited,” says Rhodes.

“Then we’re able to take that energy and transfer it into our offensive game.”

“A great dig creates an emotional lift,” says Hebert. “It’s so difficult to perform and impressive to watch a back-row player throw themselves in front of a high-velocity spike and pop it up. It’s an emotional reversal that is very inspiring and can motivate a team a great deal.”

Second, consistent digs give your offense confidence that it has more than one chance to win the point. “If we’re going to win, the first step is not beating ourselves,” says Saindon. “Keeping the ball in play over and over with digs forces the other team to beat us with a great shot.

They know we’re not going to make a foolish swing and hit the ball out because we trust ourselves to defend as many times as we need to until we get a good swing or the opponent makes an error. We have

COVER STORY

confidence that we can keep digging what our opponent throws at us.”

For some teams, playing great defense can become a source of pride that enhances teamwork. “Any team with strong defense has that ‘it’ factor because defense takes a lot of hard work,” says Volpe. “If our team is not digging balls up, they don’t feel good about themselves. They thrive off of being able to make great digs and take a lot of pride in it.

“Our players really want to be known for their hustle and fire,” she continues.

“Being able to take away a power player’s best shot builds our team confidence.”

Payne’s team has a similar attitude.

“We have the mentality that one dig makes the difference between winning and losing a set,” he says. “Our tallest player is maybe six feet, but we go against taller teams and defeat them.

They keep coming at us hard, we keep digging them up, and we wear teams out. That’s our philosophy.

“Digging also holds us together throughout the season—whether we win

or lose,” he continues. “The diggers are the first players to step up and say, ‘We can do a better job.’ Then the blockers follow along and say, ‘We can help you out and do a better job, too.’”

lot of rallies and our digging numbers were great. Pride in those areas developed and gained momentum.

“Any team with strong defense has that ‘it’ factor because defense takes a lot of hard work.

Our team thrives off of making great digs ...

Being able to take away a power player’s best shot builds our team confidence.”

Point of Emphasis How do coaches breed love for digging and defense?

“We try to recognize both the individual and team accomplishments we achieve,” says Rhodes. “On a weekly basis, we track where we rank in the nation in digs and the players get excited about how many digs per set we’re averaging.”

Saindon goes out of his way to praise good defensive effort and provide positive feedback.

His players also feed off of each other and have developed a sense of pride in their back-row efforts. “If someone makes a great dig, the team celebrates that together,” says Saindon. “In looking at our stats from last year, we were in a

“In so many rallies, we were in good spots, had good technique, dug a lot of balls, and had fun doing it,” he continues. “It’s a sweet feeling when an opponent takes a big swing and we pop it up in the air like it’s nothing.” n

Circle No. 110

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Circle No. 111

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RECRUITING

BY Dan Tudor

IN THEIR DREAMS

O

How do you make high school prospects picture you in their future plans?

By learning the skill of selling your program.

chris gash

ne of the most challenging aspects of being a coach today is that you have to be good at so many different things. You need to be upto-date on the latest training techniques, able to communicate well, organized, in tune with kids, and full of new ideas. If you’re a college coach, you also need to be a first-rate salesperson.

A salesperson? Yes. To effectively

recruit the student-athletes you want in your program, you must learn the art of selling.

Your first thought is probably, “No way! Sales is the last profession I’d enter.”

But I’m not talking about becoming the pushy car salesman who sold you your Ford Focus. I’m talking about understanding how to sell a Cadillac to even a reluctant buyer.

You may not like to think of recruiting as selling, but it is. You are trying to

convince a young person to choose your school over others. You are promoting yourself as a great coach and parent figure. If you don’t use effective sales techniques, you are entering the recruiting game without a gameplan.

Buyer’s Market Business author and sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer has a saying: “People hate to be sold, but they love to buy.” That’s a great thing to remember when you’re recruit-

Dan Tudor is the founder of Selling for Coaches, a program designed to help coaches improve their recruiting, marketing, and communication skills.

He conducts personalized on-campus workshops for colleges across the country and can be reached at: www.SellingForCoaches.com.

CoachingManagementOnline.com

23

RECRUITING

ing student-athletes. Ask yourself this question: What is it you’re selling, and is that what they really want to “buy” from you?

A common answer to the first question is “a scholarship” or “my college” or “our program’s successful history.”

While those are all adequate answers (and answers most of your competition would give), they aren’t the best answers.

It’s a little like asking a car salesperson what they’re selling. If I heard them answer, “I’m selling a car” or “I sell Fords” I would guess that they’re a mediocre salesperson. On the other hand, professional, successful salespeo-

Don’t get me wrong—you’ll still sign recruits. Probably even enough to fill your roster and be competitive year in and year out. However, you will never really understand why one athlete responds to your message and another doesn’t. And odds are, the one who doesn’t respond will be the one you really, really want.

Getting To Know Them For coaches to make the most of their time with a prospect (whether it’s an hour with an entire family or 10 minutes over the phone), they usually talk. A lot.

They talk about their college. Their team.

As a college coach, you’re selling a lot more than a scholarship or a college. You’re selling a dream ... A key to signing recruits is finding out what your prospect’s dream is. ple will answer the same question by saying, “I’m selling the dream of owning a new Ford Mustang convertible” or “With gas prices going through the roof, I’m selling my customers on great-looking cars that get fantastic gas mileage, which saves them lots of money.”

As a college coach, you’re selling a lot more than a scholarship or a college.

You’re selling the dream of competing at the college level. Or the dream of having college paid for and getting a great start to a successful life. Or the dream of being wanted and appreciated for all of the hard work and sacrifices endured to get to this point in their athletic career.

A key to signing recruits is finding out what your prospect’s dream is. If you can discover what they want to buy, you can offer it for sale.

When it comes to approaching individual prospects, I find that today’s college coaches tend to have one standard approach, which doesn’t vary much from athlete to athlete. But every recruit— just like every customer in the business world—is different. They have different needs and motivations. In sales, these are called “hot buttons”—the things that get a customer’s attention and cause them to buy. Coaches who don’t take personalized approaches with athletes, and don’t take the time to understand why an athlete would choose their school, are probably going to be unsuccessful when it comes to consistent recruiting success.

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CoachingManagementOnline.com

Themselves. They spew facts, figures, statistics, winning percentages, and more.

Going back to the car example, an average car salesperson would make the most of their time by quoting engine size, horsepower, stereo features, and on and on and on. If I’ve jogged a memory or two of a past agonizing car buying experience, good. Remember how you felt? If you’re like me, you probably just wished the guy would stop talking long enough for you to look at the car.

Let’s compare that to professional, successful car salespeople. They ask questions right off the bat. They spend time getting to know their customers—

gies, I recommend they try to talk only 20 percent of the time when they are engaging a prospect over the phone or during a visit. (See “Best Questions” on page 26 for examples of how to get prospects talking.)

Of course, the questions shouldn’t only be for the prospect. Coaches actually need to make multiple sales pitches when recruiting a prospect. Not only do you have to connect with the athlete, you have to connect with the athlete’s parents. Furthermore, you’re probably going to need to sell to the athlete’s high school coach, too.

Along with asking questions, you can get to know your prospect by looking for clues around them. The first thing good salespeople do when they walk into a new client’s office is take a mental inventory of the surroundings. They notice any pictures on the wall, whether the desk is messy or organized, and if a hobby is evident.

Connecting with a prospect may be as simple as noticing a picture and asking them about it. Or taking note of the trophy that sits most prominently in the living room. But don’t just say, “Beautiful trophy.” Use it as a way to ask them about the tournament they won it in. What was the competition like and what spurred the athlete to play well?

Observing how the student-athlete interacts with his or her family can also provide clues to help you tailor your approach, as can their economic situation.

For example, a prospect who has a single mom and is living in a two-room apartment will probably have a different motivation for looking at what school to attend—and

Coaches who struggle at recruiting are often too busy rattling off facts and figures. Instead, they should be doing more listening. I recommend talking only 20 percent of the time. what their needs are, what their wants are, and how the car is going to be used day to day. They listen to the answers and then mold their sales approach to the specific customer.

Coaches who struggle at recruiting are often too busy rattling off facts and figures. Instead, they should be doing more listening than talking. When I work one-on-one with coaches to help them develop winning recruiting strate-

why—than a prospect who lives in a sixbedroom house in the suburbs.

You also have to find out what the prospect’s hesitations might be. Every athlete has some objection to what you’re offering, from “I don’t think you play a competitive enough schedule” to “The other coach said I’d play sooner if I signed with them” to “Your school is too far away.”

If you don’t ask recruits what their res-

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RECRUITING

ervations are, you won’t know—and you’ll be clueless about why they don’t sign with you. If you do ask, you can address their concerns. Even if you can’t change the fact that your school is far away from their hometown, you can talk about how your team is a family away from home and how your current athletes stay in touch with their families.

Think back to a prospect you lost to a competitor last year. Do you know why they didn’t sign with you? I do. You left an objection unanswered. Addressing nine out of 10 concerns isn’t good enough.

Every objection has to be answered, and you need your prospect’s assurance that it has been answered well.

Asking questions and noticing their surroundings not only helps you build

a personal sales approach, it tells the prospect you care about them. And the two need to constantly be intertwined.

In Your Court Even though you want to tailor your approach to each individual prospect and let them do most of the talking, that doesn’t mean you give up control of the recruiting/selling process. In fact, the opposite is true.

It’s important that as the coach, you guide the prospect through an orderly, planned, systematic process. That begins with getting to know each other, then talking about why your college and program is best suited to their needs and goals.

You can also use what’s called “trial close” techniques throughout the sales

process. That means asking questions like, “When you sign with us, do you have any requests for a specific dorm or roommate?” Controlling the process means gently directing the conversation toward the outcome you desire.

A key to the whole formula, of course, is then “asking for the sale.” However, many coaches neglect to do this very simple thing. In my opinion, once you find an athlete who you know you want for your team, it’s never too early to ask if they are ready to commit to your program.

If you’ve built trust, gained an understanding of the athlete’s needs, and successfully addressed any objections, the next logical step is to ask for the sale. You’ll be surprised how often and how early you’ll get a positive response.

BEST QUE STION S When trying to connect with a prospect, the more they tell you about themselves, the closer you get to really knowing how to recruit them. How do you get them talking? The key is asking open-ended questions that will provide more than a yes or no response. Here are some suggestions: What prompted you to consider our program?

How they answer allows you to find out what they’re thinking and why they’re thinking it. You can then use that information to further the recruiting process. It’s a great question to begin to understand their dreams, and can easily lead to lots of good follow-up questions. Listen to their answers carefully, and find ways to point out why their interest is justified.

What are your expectations of our program?

You’re looking for a “to-do” list here. From this question, prospects may tell you exactly how to recruit them, and exactly what would cause them to choose you as their college coach.

What thought process will you go through to determine your college choice?

What challenges does the recruiting process create for you and your family?

This is what I call a wildcard question. It might yield very little information, or you might get a wealth of insight into the family dynamics associated with the stressful recruiting process. It’s also a question that will frame you, the questioner, as someone who is concerned about the entire family.

What are the best parts of the recruiting process?

Their answer to this might be an important key in uncovering your prospect’s “hot buttons.” Once they tell you the best things about the process, make sure your recruiting efforts touch on those positive aspects.

What other items should we discuss?

You may have to press your prospect on this one, since they probably haven’t verbalized it to anyone before.

You’re trying to see who else is involved in the decision, how serious they are about assessing different options, and specific things they will be looking for in a program.

Let your prospects bring up anything that is on their mind. This is a great question to prompt them to talk about any concerns so that you can address them as soon as possible.

What are your thoughts right now in terms of where you want to continue your athletic career?

Make sure they give you specifics. Ask follow-up questions to their first answer. You can simply say, “And then what?” over and over again until you get to the real source of their decision—a school’s major, the coach, their parents’ input, their coach’s input, or even what kind of uniforms you have. The bottom line is that you’ll know what their decision rests on.

This one takes a little guts, but can yield a gold mine of information. It’s important to note that you aren’t asking them for a commitment. You’re just asking for their “thoughts” at that moment. That’s a big difference, and

26

should give your prospect enough wiggle room to feel comfortable answering honestly.

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How will you make your final decision?

RECRUITING

One tactic that usually backfires, however, is using threats to get their commitment.

When you tell a prospect, “We’ll need you to give us a yes or no by Wednesday or else the scholarship is off the table,” you’ve come on too strong for today’s athlete.

It’s also poor form to use further threats—or any negative response—if the prospect’s answer is, “No thanks.”

Recently, an article detailed the story of a very well-known sports program that black-balled a local high school coach when a prized recruit chose an out-ofstate school instead of the local university. All this did was build a bad name with people the college coach should be counting on for “sales leads.”

Instead, what if the coach sent a letter of congratulations to that athlete and their family (and high school coach), wishing them best of luck in the future and thanking them for the chance to speak with them? That leaves the kind of impression that will help a coach have future sales success. Plus, if the athlete ever thinks of transferring to a different school, the coach who congratulated them will be the one they remember.

Act like the professional you are, and lose with grace. Good salespeople do it all the time. It will pay off for you later on, and more than that, it’s the right thing to do.

Be Natural By now, I hope I’ve convinced you to embrace the strategies of the best salespeople in your recruiting plan. But you may wonder: Can these ideas mesh with who I am and what I’m about? Definitely.

Coaches need a firm understanding of their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to recruiting situations, and must approach their prospects in a manner that seems genuine. Being “real” with a prospect is the key to connecting, and the best way to do that is to be aware of your own unique sales personality and how it is viewed by the prospects you are recruiting.

This approach is not about changing your style or your personality. It’s about having a process for recruiting that leads to the best results. It’s about finding your own natural sales approach and letting it flourish. n A version of this article has appeared in other sport-specific editions of Coaching Management.

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injury prevention

At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Tim Hewett oversees the testing of an athlete that will determine her risk of ACL injury.

By Leaps & Bounds

F

The latest research into non-contact ACL injuries has greatly improved our understanding of why they occur—and how they can be prevented.

or every female athlete playing competitive sports, it lurks.

As they step onto the court, they know today could be the day that the dreaded ACL tear catches up with them. If not today, then maybe tomorrow— or the day after that.

The past decade has seen great strides in discovering why female athletes succumb to non-contact ACL injuries five times more often than their male counterparts. We now know that various factors,

BY R.J. Anderson

from hormones to structural differences to muscular imbalances, play a role.

But increased knowledge is little consolation to the thousands of athletes who suffer ACL injuries every year, thus raising the million-dollar question: Can we reduce their occurrence? The most recent research in this field says, yes, in fact we can.

There are two major areas of promise.

One is ground-breaking work on assessing who is at greatest risk. The other is a team-centered strengthening warmup

program. Both are proving successful for female athletes—replacing fear of the ACL injury with confidence and peace of mind.

Targeting Deficiencies Tim Hewett, Director of the Sports Medicine Biodynamics Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Professor at R.J. Anderson is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management. He can be reached at: rja@MomentumMedia.com.

CoachingManagementOnline.com

29

injury prevention

the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, has been studying ACL tears in females for years. He believes a key to reducing them is to understand the strength imbalances between genders.

“We’ve done some meta-analysis of the literature and it’s fairly apparent that before puberty, there’s no disparity in knee injury risk between males and females, but once they hit puberty, there is,” says Hewett, who has authored over 100 studies on noncontact ACL tears in females. “During

Hewett says his research has identified four major deficiencies that, when targeted and improved, can decrease an athlete’s risk of sustaining a non-contact ACL tear. both boys’ and girls’ growth spurts, the tibia and the femur—the largest bones in the body, which act as long levers and create a lot of torque at the knee—get longer. Meanwhile, the body’s center of mass is pushed upward, making it harder for the elongated levers to exert control.

“Soon after puberty, boys get a neuromuscular power spurt by developing bigger gluteus and hamstring muscles, which give them the horsepower to better control those levers,” he continues. “Girls, on the other hand, tend to be very front dominant, and develop more in their quadriceps and less in their glutes and hamstrings.”

With the above research as a backdrop, Hewett is now focused on finding some of the exact muscular and neuromuscular problems that lead to ACL weakness.

Supported by a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, he has collected data on more than 2,000 female athletes in grades nine through 12 from Boone County, Ky., and says he has seen those same problems show up repeatedly during cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of this population.

Hewett says his research has identified four major deficiencies that, when targeted and improved, can decrease an athlete’s risk of sustaining a non-contact ACL tear: Ligament dominance. When “ligament-dominant” athletes strike the ground during landing or cutting, the ground reaction forces dictate the direc30

CoachingManagementOnline.com

tional movement of their knees. “Because they’re not muscle-dominant and the muscles aren’t adequately controlling that joint, the ground forces their knee into an inward collapsed position,” Hewett says.

That inward collapse can be observed by looking at an athlete’s knee abduction during landing. “Knee abduction torque—the torque that tends to push the knee toward the midline of the body—is a pretty good predictor of ACL injury risk,” Hewett says. “So is the angle at initial contact when landing or cutting if the knee pushes into an abducted or valgus angulated position.”

Hewett says the box jump is an ideal tool for identifying ligament dominance. The setup can be as simple as videotaping or observing with the naked eye as the athlete performs a drop off a one-foot-high milk crate or box, then explodes into a maximum vertical jump. “If they have more than five degrees of knee abduction on that initial landing before making the vertical jump, they’re at relatively high risk and intervention is needed,” he says.

To start, Hewett says it’s important to simply tell the athlete they are landing improperly. “Awareness is a huge part of the equation,” he says. “Then, you teach them exercises like double-leg broad jumps and single-leg hops and emphasize the importance of landing without allowing their knee to collapse inward.”

Quadriceps dominance. Some athletes control, stiffen, and stabilize their knee joints primarily by contracting their quadriceps. “The problem is that the quad inserts at the front of the knee joint, so when you fire the quad, it pulls the tibia forward,” Hewett says. “But the ACL is holding the tibia back, so this in turn places a lot of stress on the ACL. In addition, the quad has only a single tendon crossing the front of the knee joint, so it can’t control that valgus position the ground force often wants to push the knee into.”

Singling out athletes who are quadriceps dominant is fairly easy. Sometimes the imbalance is so obvious that you can spot athletes with oversized quads and relatively small hamstrings with the naked eye. But in most cases, identifying the disparity involves measuring for strength imbalances using a dynamometer or a leg extension/leg curl machine. If an athlete’s quad strength is greater than their hamstring strength by 50 percent or more, they are at risk.

“You can intervene by implementing hamstring strength building exercises,” Hewett says. “We often use Russian hamstring curls and dynamic exercises, as well as squat-position exercises like squat jumps in which the athlete sits with their butt down and shoulders back and has to turn their hamstring muscles on as they jump.”

Symmetric imbalances. Any difference in balancing ability from one side versus the other also puts athletes at greater risk. To identify athletes with these imbalances, Hewett recommends a test involving a large X taped or chalked on the floor. “They start in one quadrant of the X, and do single-leg hops forward, sideways, diagonally forward, and diagonally backward for 20 seconds each,” he says.

“If they’re touching one side of the line more than the other side, they’re probably asymmetric.”

Weak trunk or core. “We know that ground reaction forces are directed at the body’s center of mass, which is located in the trunk,” Hewett says. “We’ve also done some studies that showed trunk control is a good predictor of injury risk, including ACL tears, in collegiate athletes.”

Though there are many ways to measure trunk and core control, Hewett likes putting athletes in a supine position with their heels on a Swiss ball and having them bridge up to a neutral pelvis position. “See if they can hold that position for 15 seconds, and then see if they can do it with each foot on the ball individually,” he says. “Then see if they can hold that plank position and bring their heels up to their buttocks. If they can’t, they probably don’t have good trunk and core control.

“If you can get an athlete to a higher, more balanced level in all four of those risk areas, we’re pretty sure that kid is significantly safer, based on the data we’ve collected,” Hewett continues. “And as a side benefit, there are great performance increases—that kid is going to be significantly stronger, better balanced, quicker, and more athletic.”

Overall, Hewett says it’s important to teach athletes the value of landing on the balls of their feet, with knees flexed, chest over the knees, and no valgus shifting. “ACL injuries don’t happen when athletes have their knees flexed deeply,” Hewett says. “So we teach them to get into a deep, flexed position, while activating all the muscles on the back side

injury prevention

of the leg, and at the same time, controlling or stiffening their core.”

He also uses plyometrics to train athletes to land in the correct position, which increases the dynamic stability of the knee joint. To promote proper proprioceptive input and kinesthetic awareness, he prefers single-leg decelerations, dynamic hopping, and dynamic functional movements that focus on proper technique.

PEP In Their Step While Hewett’s work concentrates on individual athletes, another program is designed for an entire team. The Prevent Injury and Enhance Performance (PEP) program, a specialized 15- to 25-minute warmup routine performed three times a week, was recently found to greatly reduce ACL injuries. Conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Santa Monica (Calif.) Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Research Foundation, a study of the PEP program’s effects was published in the July 2008 issue of The American Journal of Sports Medicine.

The PEP study included 1,435 players

from 61 NCAA Division I women’s soc- lateral hips, lack of core and trunk concer teams. During one regular season, 26 trol, and imbalances between the adducteams used the PEP program an average tor and the abductor group.” of three times per week for 12 weeks, The 19-part PEP program begins with a while the other 35 teams served as a con- warmup consisting of jogging from one trol group.

The authors reported no ACL injuries on teams that used the PEP The Prevent Injury and Enhance program, compared to six injuries Performance (PEP) program, on the control teams—five of which a specialized 15- to 25-minute came in the second half of the seawarmup routine performed son. Even athletes with a history of three times a week, was reACL injury who used the PEP program avoided re-injury, compared cently found to greatly reduce to four re-injuries among the nonACL injuries ... The authors PEP players with a similar history. reported no ACL injuries on Designed by the Santa Monica teams that used the PEP group, the PEP program focuses program, compared to six on flexibility, strength, balance, and injuries on the control teams. joint proprioception, and requires no specialized equipment. “We wanted to develop a program that addresses the quad strength to ham- side of a soccer-size field to the other, shutstring strength ratio,” says Holly Silvers, tle runs, and backward running. Next the foundation’s ACL Prevention Proj- comes a six-minute static stretching sesect Coordinator, “and that also corrects sion focusing on the calves, quads, hamstrength and flexibility deficiencies in the strings, hip adductors, and hip flexors.

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CoachingManagementOnline.com Untitled-2 1

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injury prevention

Then, the athletes perform a three-minute strengthening session including three sets of 10 walking lunges, three sets of 10 partner-assisted Russian hamstring curls, and two sets of 30 toe raises for each leg.

A short plyometrics stage follows.

Using small cones, the athletes perform 20 lateral hops over cones, 20 backward and forward hops over cones, 20 single-

The PEP program is now being used by several teams and clinics around the country ... “We chose the PEP program because it is so simple.

It’s easy to understand and doesn’t take up much time.” leg hops on each leg, 20 vertical jumps, and 20 scissors jumps. Next comes a two-minute agility stage, consisting of backward and forward shuttle runs, diagonal runs, and bounding runs. The program finishes with a 10-minute cooldown featuring slow jogging, additional light strengthening exercises, and a repeat of the stretching station. (For more information on the PEP program, see the “Resources” box below.)

The Foundation has also developed a PEP program specific to basketball and initial results were outstanding. “With our program, there were zero ACL injuries and a 62-percent reduction in lower extremity injuries from the low back, hip, knee, and ankle compared to nine years of injury surveillance data,” Silvers says.

Implementing It The PEP program is now being used by several teams and clinics around the country. One is the University of South Florida Sports Medicine and Athletic Related Trauma Institute (SMART), a state-sponsored sports safety outreach

program, which implemented PEP at 10 high schools last year in three sports: girls’ soccer, basketball, and volleyball.

“We chose the PEP program because it is so simple,” says Barbara Morris, Assistant Director of SMART. “It’s easy to understand and doesn’t take up much time. Coaches are quite willing to give up 20 minutes of practice two or three days a week for it.”

SMART athletic trainers help introduce the program to teams in the preseason and Morris says after two to three weeks, the athletes are able to perform it on their own—often before the coach even arrives. “The girls who use the program love it,” she says.

“It’s more exciting than traditional warmup programs.”

Silvers says compliance is easier if the routine’s performance benefits are pushed. “We saw improvements in sprint and agility times for program participants,” she says. “We also have a paper coming out soon that looks at how the PEP program increases vertical leap.”

Though it’s touted as a warmup, the PEP program is no walk in the park. “It is somewhat taxing, so at the beginning of the season we recommend doing it only before training sessions and practices,” Silvers says.

“As the season progresses and the players get better at the routine and better conditioned, coaches or athletic trainers can add it before games.

“I had a coach of an NCAA Division I soccer team that was enrolled in our study tell me her players were incredibly sore after the first week,” Silvers adds. “I said, ‘Perhaps they’re a little deconditioned—we have 14-yearolds who can do it. You can scale it back a little, but I recommend sticking with it because clearly there are deficits with your players.’ I followed up with her later in the season, and she said they were doing it three times a week without

RESOURC ES For more information on the Prevent Injury and Enhance Performance (PEP) program, visit our sister Web site: www.training-conditioning.com. Click on “Video Library” to view exercise clips from the PEP Soccer Program instructional DVD, and to access an order form you can use to purchase your own copy.

To learn more about Tim Hewett’s ACL injury risk assessment and prevention research, go to: cincinnatichildrens.com/sportsmed.

32

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soreness, including as part of their pregame warmup.”

What’s Next?

With the PEP program’s huge success on the soccer pitch and preliminary findings in basketball, the Santa Monica Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Research Foundation is working to expand its reach. “Right now, we’re trying to raise funding to do a large randomized, controlled trial of the PEP program in NCAA Division I and II women’s basketball,” says Silvers. “We’d also like to develop sport-specific programs for other sports with high incidence rates, including volleyball, lacrosse, and field hockey.

Then, we’d like to get some element of the program applied to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports programs so we can access more athletes, including younger ones.”

Hewett’s next step is to begin a new four-year study that will randomize subjects who have different risk values into

Silvers says compliance is easier if the routine’s performance benefits are pushed.

“We saw improvements in sprint and agility times for program participants. We also have a paper coming out soon that looks at how the PEP program increases vertical leap.” groups and apply training programs specifically geared toward each deficit. “This will take us to that next level of identifying kids who are at higher risk by profiling the imbalances they demonstrate,” Hewett says. “We will then—in a randomized, controlled fashion—apply specific training for those deficits and see if we can significantly decrease risk.”

Eventually, this research will help keep more athletes safer. “I think it’s only a matter of time before our theories come to fruition,” Hewett says. “Then, we can give athletic trainers and coaches all the tools they need to do this assessment in the field.” n A version of this article has appeared in our sister publication, Training & Conditioning.

To access more articles from T&C, visit its Web site at: www.Training-Conditioning.com.

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Repetition Wins

If the jump serve is the challenge in your game, the Attack volleyball machine is the answer. It offers extreme ball control at international-level speeds. National teams, colleges, and club teams can all benefit from the Attack’s powerful game-simulating repetition of drills from floaters to jump serve receiving to digging, spiking, passing, and setting, all delivered from a realistic over-the-net (men’s) release point. Sports Attack 800-717-4251 • www.sportsattack.com • Circle No. 503

Coaches Praise Equipment that Stands the Test of Time “Throughout my career, Senoh and Sports Imports have gone with me. With this system, when we put it in the floor and put it up, we know exactly what we are going to get. That’s what I love about it.”—Mary Wise, Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, University of Florida “It’s very unique to have a volleyball-centered company that understands the sport and the needs of its coaches, listens to those needs, and is constantly trying to establish relationships and do what’s right for the sport by making a product that lasts. You can purchase the product and know that it’s not going to break down.”—Bonnie Kenny, Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, University of Delaware “I have been working with Sports Imports and Senoh for almost 30 years now. Over that time, we have used a lot of net systems at facilities I have been involved with, home and away. I think without question it’s the best upright system available. It is the most dependable, and the workmanship and quality are the highest. It’s also the most user-friendly system.”—Jim Stone, Former Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, Ohio State University

At Your Service

Both the Gold and Silver models of the Volleyball Tutor can vary ball trajectory and speed to produce any desired set or pass while delivering serves at speeds up to 60 mph. The Silver model’s 5 1/2 foot high release point is perfect for serves, and it features a separate dial to control the amount of topspin and underspin.

The Silver model can also be angled down to practice dig drills.

The Gold model can automatically throw six volleyballs at intervals ranging from five to 20 seconds. The unit is completely portable and is available with either AC or battery power. Volleyball Tutor models start under $1,000. Sports Tutor • 800-448-8867 www.sportsmachines.com • Circle No. 504

Sports Imports P.O. Box 21040 Columbus, OH 43221 800-556-3198 Fax: 614-771-0750 info@sportsimports.com www.sportsimports.com

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coaching a ids

Helping You Excel

Air on Your Side

Powered by air, with no spinning wheels, AirCAT is among the most precise, consistent, adjustable, and powerful drill machines available—and it’s totally safe. AirCAT sets, passes, serves, and spikes up to 1,200 balls per hour automatically. It’s the digging, spiking, setting, tipping, serving, passing, blocking, fully automatic, battery-operated drill machine that will make your team better. For a free video, call toll-free or go online today.

Airborne Athletics, Inc. • 888-507-4668 www.aircatvolleyball.com • Circle No. 505

“Set” to Succeed

The Attack II volleyball machine’s unique design provides complete ball control, unlimited spins, and professional-level speeds. Drills from floaters to jump serve receiving to digging, spiking, passing, and setting can all be executed from a realistic over-the-net (women’s) release point at non-stop game tempo, making every minute of every practice effective. Depend on the top-selling volleyball machine in the world, the Attack II. Sports Attack 800-717-4251 • www.sportsattack.com Circle No. 509

The Tandem Spike Challenger is the ultimate spike training device. The pre-positioned ball creates the perfect set every time.

Constructed of metal, the Spike Challenger includes a replaceable ready-to-attach ball and cord system. It also includes a counterweight for stability and two wheels for easy portability. An adjustable pole height accommodates hitters of all sizes and skill levels.

This is an ideal device for drills and conditioning exercises that work on ball contact, arm swing, footwork technique, and repetitive hitting. Worldwide Sport Supply 800-756-3555 • www.wwsport.com Circle No. 506

Coach from Above

Impressive New Features

Reach New Heights

Volleyball Ace version 7 for Palm and Pocket PC handhelds adds several new features to this popular volleyball stats program from Dimensional Software. It includes box scores, serve and pass ratings, and hit charts.

New features include points per rotation centering wheel, sideout percentage, service points, create/convert reports, transition/ serve receive comparisons, comparisons by type of opponent action, and termination reports. Upload data to a Windows PC or Macintosh for printing and further analysis.

Dimensional Software • 877-223-8225 www.ace4vb.com • Circle No. 507

Make Fewer Phone Calls

Schedule Star is the leading athletic scheduling solution for athletic directors, leagues, and league assignors. It is fast, easy to use, and instantly saves you time. Schedule Star delivers information automatically to the public, cutting down on phone calls. It interfaces with TheArbiter.net officials assignment program and is the only “schedule once, use everywhere” solution. Schedule Star utilizes patented technology and is available for all computers. Get started today with a free 60-day trial. Schedule Star 800-258-8550 • www.schedulestar.com Circle No. 508 34

Non-Stop Game Tempo

CoachingManagementOnline.com

The Coaches Box from Sports Imports is a lightweight but sturdy coaching platform that puts you or your athletes at volleyball net height to isolate specific skills and game experiences. You can deliver the ball from the top of the net to simulate gamelike blocks and kills, or focus on hitting or blocking skills without worrying about jumping. The Coaches Box has a large platform, a non-skid top, and rubber feet, and it weighs only 28 pounds. It folds to a closed position of three inches for easy storage. Sports Imports • 800-556-3198 www.sportsimports.com • Circle No. 510 Incorporate explosive training anywhere and improve the jump height and reaction time of your athletes with the Economy Power Jumper from Power Systems. This portable plyometric training device adds approximately 32 pounds of resistance at 100-percent elongation to challenge your athletes. Its user-friendly design and portability make it ideal for training athletes in role-specific situations. It is available with a shoulder harness or a waist belt.

Power Systems • 800-321-6975 www.power-systems.com • Circle No. 511

Targeted Efficiency

The Catch-It is one of the top-selling training aids. An excellent motivational tool for volleyball drills, this adjustable target collects balls for more efficient use during practice. Its multiple adjustments make it ideal for refining the skills of passing, serving, spiking, and setting. The four-foot spare target hoop adjusts in height from five to 11 feet and rotates from horizontal to vertical. It’s made of strong, durable steel.

NonStop Volleyball • 800-747-9007 www.nonstopvolleyball.com Circle No. 512

Everything You Need

TE AM EQUIPMENT

Testimonial

Durable Shock Absorption

The new Asics GEL-1130V is hitting the court this spring. This is a volleyball shoe designed for players who are looking for running shoe-like qualities. The Asics GEL cushioning system attenuates shock during impact. The Solyte mid-sole material is lighter than standard Asics EVA, and it’s combined with improved cushioning and durability. The GEL-1130V provides great comfort, breathability, and traction on indoor court surfaces. It’s available in team colors. NonStop Volleyball • 800-747-9007 www.nonstopvolleyball.com • Circle No. 513

Look Your Best

Machines That Get Results

Spike Volleyball offers the exclusive Matrix Zeus fitting sleeveless jersey. This revolutionary jersey has high-performance Adrenaline fabric for a perfect fit and feel. It’s a great look for every school team, club team, and camp. Team pricing for 12 or more units is just $19.99 each. Uniform packages are available for as low as $34.99. More than 20,000 jerseys are now in stock.

Spike Volleyball • 800-SPIKE-IT • www.spikevolleyball.com Circle No. 514

Sports Attack, a leader in sports training equipment innovation and quality, realized early on that the purpose of a machine in any sport is twofold. First is to deliver a difficult-to-replicate part of the game, whether it’s a challenging serve in volleyball or a particular pitch in baseball. Second is to provide hundreds of repetitions of this ball delivery.

A Great Look for Less

Relying heavily on the expertise of successful coaches at all levels, Sports Attack analyzed countless practice sessions to identify key features necessary to develop players and support the training needs of coaches. Today, 90 percent of teams reaching the final four in college competition have used the Attack machines as a key training tool throughout the season. With Sports Attack’s explosive growth internationally, the Attack machines have truly become one of the leading volleyball training aids in the world.

Volleyball Market’s exclusive Budget Saver Teamwear program will save you money. For as little as $8.47 per player, you can outfit your team in white body Match jerseys, which include the team name and consecutive numbers front and back, screened in your choice of one team color. Team or practice T-shirts run as low as $4.97 for a one-color print on a white body, and just $5.97 on a gray body. Camp T-shirts based on classic template designs are available for as little as $3.97. Volleyball Market 866-999-3004 • www.volleyballmarket.com • Circle No. 515

A Popular Choice

Smack designed the Wave Quarter Zip Warmup Top for the AVP pro volleyball tour’s female athletes, but the demand was such that the company also started offering it to indoor customers. The tapered fit, moisture-management micropoly/spandex fabric, and ability to customize it with your choice of colors makes this top a huge hit with young athletes. Other features include cuffs with thumb holes and increased length for taller players. Sizes range from XXS to XXL. Smack Sportswear • 866-762-2588 www.smacksportswear.com • Circle No. 516

The Latest Research

Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, fourth edition, includes the latest sports nutrition research on hydration and fluid intake, vitamins, supplements, energy drinks, organic foods, and the role of carbohydrate and protein during exercise.

In addition, there is information about the new food pyramid, revised guidelines from the American Heart Association, and new analysis on trends such as the South Beach Diet and the low glycemic index diet. Human Kinetics • 800-747-4457 www.humankinetics.com • Circle No. 517

Here are a few satisfied customers: Ball State University Long Beach State University Nebraska State University Ohio State University Penn State University Stanford University UCLA University of Florida USC Washington State University

Sports Attack P.O. Box 1529 Verdi, NV 89439 800-717-4251 Fax: 775-345-2883 info@sportsattack.com www.sportsattack.com

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Directories Circle Company No.

Advertisers Directory

Page No.

103. . . . . . Active Ankle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 113. . . . . . Bison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 116. . . . . . California University of Pennsylvania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 114. . . . . . Cramer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 117. . . . . . Dimensional Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 106. . . . . . HighSchoolSports.net. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 115. . . . . . Human Kinetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 101. . . . . . Kneebourne Therapeutic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 119. . . . . . NonStop Volleyball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC 111. . . . . . Schelde North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 112. . . . . . Smack Sportswear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 118. . . . . . Spalding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC 100. . . . . . Spike Volleyball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC 105. . . . . . Sports Attack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 109. . . . . . Sports Imports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 110. . . . . . Sports Tutor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 108. . . . . . Volleyball Market. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 104. . . . . . Volleyball Market. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 102. . . . . . Worldwide Sport Supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Circle Company No.

Products Directory

Page No.

522. . . . . . Active Ankle (All-Sport Chameleon). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 524. . . . . . Active Ankle (Power Lacer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 505. . . . . . Airborne Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 527. . . . . . Bison (Centerline Elite). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 534. . . . . . Bison (UltraLite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 521. . . . . . Cramer (Diamond Ultralight knee brace) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 525. . . . . . Cramer (Volt ankle brace) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 500. . . . . . Dimensional Software (TapRecorder). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 507. . . . . . Dimensional Software (Volleyball Ace) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 502. . . . . . HighSchoolSports.net. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 517. . . . . . Human Kinetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 528. . . . . . Institutional Basketball Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 523. . . . . . Kneebourne Therapeutic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 513. . . . . . NonStop Volleyball (Asics GEL-1130V) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 512. . . . . . NonStop Volleyball (Catch-It). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 511. . . . . . Power Systems (Economy Power Jumper). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 501. . . . . . Power Systems (Elite Power Med-Ball) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 508. . . . . . Schedule Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 535. . . . . . Schelde (Collegiate 4000). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 529. . . . . . Schelde (Telescopic Pro). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 516. . . . . . Smack Sportswear (Warmup Top). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 519. . . . . . Smack Sportswear (All-American Jersey) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 533. . . . . . Spalding (Digital Graphic Upright Pads) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 526. . . . . . Spalding (NFHS Official Supplier) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 530. . . . . . Spike Volleyball (Ichiban volleyballs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 514. . . . . . Spike Volleyball (Matrix Zeus). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 509. . . . . . Sports Attack (Attack II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 503. . . . . . Sports Attack (Attack volleyball machine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 510. . . . . . Sports Imports (Coaches Box) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 531. . . . . . Sports Imports (Senoh Stealth). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 504. . . . . . Sports Tutor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 518. . . . . . Volleyball Market (Asics 2009 team line). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 515. . . . . . Volleyball Market (Budget Saver). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 532. . . . . . Worldwide Sport Supply (Net Winder). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 506. . . . . . Worldwide Sport Supply (Spike Challenger). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

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CoachingManagementOnline.com Circle No. 117

Everything You Need New Team Uniform Line

Volleyball Market, one of America’s premier volleyball authorities, is proud to present the new Asics 2009 team volleyball line. The Asics 2009 volleyball uniform line for women features two new jerseys (XT900 Heater LS and BT930 Ace Sleeveless) and a new four-inch spandex short (BT936 Court), plus a new microfiber warmup (YT/YB926 Caldera jacket and pant). For complete details, including free samples, available colors, introductory pricing, and special college programs, contact Volleyball Market today.

Volleyball Market • 866-999-3004 www.volleyballmarket.com Circle No. 518

Go High-Tech

The All-American Jersey is the same semifitted jersey worn by the UCLA women’s volleyball team. It is made of a high-tech moisture-management micropoly/spandex fabric that allows for comfort and performance. As with all of Smack Sportswear’s custom items, you can design the jersey with your choice of colors. It can be made in a cap sleeve or long sleeve style, and sizes range from XXXS to XXXL. Smack Sportswear • 866-762-2588 www.smacksportswear.com Circle No. 519

Essential Protection Advanced Material

Designed for any athlete who wants extra medial-lateral support without adding significant weight and bulk, the Diamond Ultralight knee brace utilizes a polyoxymethylene (POM) hinge to replace the standard steel hinges. POM is generally used in the replacement of metal gears, bushings, and other mechanical parts, so it’s an ideal replacement for the standard hinge.

The Diamond neoprene sleeve offers both compression and support while the patellar opening helps aid in correct patellar tracking.

Cramer Products, Inc. • 800-345-2231 www.cramersportsmed.com Circle No. 521

Comfort In Color

Ankle protection isn’t black and white anymore. With the All-Sport Chameleon from Active Ankle, athletes can choose from eight bright interchangeable strap covers that come with each brace. The solid U-shaped frame ensures maximum strength, and the molded, fabric-lined EVA padding provides lightweight comfort. Get great style and the same great protection that has made Active Ankle an industry leader. Go online for more information.

Active Ankle Systems, Inc. • 800-800-2896 www.getchameleon.com • Circle No. 522

Non-Operative Knee Treatment

The Elite Seat by Kneebourne Therapeutic is a portable knee-extension device designed for the non-operative treatment of degenerative knee conditions. By evenly distributing force across the leg, the Elite Seat provides effective full-knee hyperextension and

TE AM EQUIPMENT

BR ACES & SUPPORT

reduces pain in bent knees caused by any of these conditions: acute ACL injury; inadequate post-operative rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction; total-knee arthroplasty; arthrofibrosis; deconditioned knee with a flexion contracture; and arthritis.

Kneebourne Therapeutic • 866-756-3706 www.eliteseat.com • Circle No. 523

Simple Stability

The Active Ankle Power Lacer is designed for the athlete who desires added support in a lace-up style ankle brace. It features distinctive Y-shaped vertical stabilization straps for control of the forefoot and heel, dual spring stays for ankle support, and a neoprene nylon shell for comfort.

The unique “pull and play” design allows for easy use by athletes. Active Ankle Systems, Inc. • 800-800-2896 www.activeankle.com • Circle No. 524

The Carbon Difference

The Volt ankle brace provides the absolute highest level of protection and support without excess weight and bulk. It introduces carbon fiber to the reinforced polypropylene shell, providing lightweight protection along with the stability and support that Active Ankle is known for.

Custom-cut and molded EVA foam pads give a comfy fit and durability that far exceeds the foam or neoprene pads found in other rigid braces. Integrated strengthening ribs create a lower overall profile that works with all types of footwear.

Cramer Products, Inc. • 800-345-2231 www.cramersportsmed.com Circle No. 525 CoachingManagementOnline.com

37

volleyball court

Between the Lines

Everything Volleyball

Spalding manufactures top-quality volleyball equipment for competitive, recreational, and physical education use. The line of products includes complete systems, uprights, nets, referee platforms, padding, and accessories. Spalding is the Official Net Systems Supplier to USA Volleyball and Official Equipment Supplier to the NFHS. From on-court play to equipment storage, Spalding Equipment has your volleyball needs covered. Go online to find out more.

Spalding Equipment • 800-435-3865 www.spaldingequipment.com Circle No. 526

A Tight, Reliable Net

Bison Centerline Elite systems are used by top high school and college programs across the country. Choose the convenience of high-strength, lightweight aluminum or rigid steel hybrid telescoping standards.

Both provide bowstring-tight net setup. Net height adjustment is precise and fast with the AutoTrack spring-assisted piston design.

The precision-machined 26:1 worm gear winch and two-inch tensioning strap eliminate backlash. There’s a lifetime limited warranty on the standards and winch, and 16 colors of padding are available with free lettering. Bison, Inc. • 800-247-7668 www.bisoninc.com • Circle No. 527

It’s All Included

The First Team Frontier complete competition system features 3.5-inch (diameter) steel standards, QuickNet height adjustments, a set of antennas, and post padding in your choice of colors.

Ground sockets with cover plates are also included, and the standards have a built-in transport wheel and worm gear net-tensioning crank. Institutional Basketball Systems • 877-272-5430 www.volleyballcourtsystems.com Circle No. 528

Setting a Standard

Schelde’s new Telescopic Pro volleyball system sets a new world standard for quick setup, elegant design, and innovative engineering. Spring-assisted, lightweight aluminum telescoping posts feature pinset net height settings for men’s, women’s, and junior competition. An adjustable base allows the posts to be set at a precise depth in the floor sleeves. It’s designed to be set up or put away by one person in five minutes or less. The posts and linear winch carry a limited lifetime warranty. Schelde North America • 888-SCHELDE www.scheldesports.com • Circle No. 529 38

CoachingManagementOnline.com

Get a Free Ball

Spike Volleyball is your exclusive source for Ichiban volleyballs. They feature super-soft composite leather for camp, instructional, recreational, or competitive use. These volleyballs are available in black, navy, royal, red, and pink. As a coaches’ special, you can buy five Ichiban balls and get the sixth free.

Ichiban volleyballs are now in stock at Spike Volleyball—your source for everything volleyball. Spike Volleyball • 800-SPIKE-IT www.spikevolleyball.com • Circle No. 530

Aerospace Technology

Sports Imports has raised the bar again with Stealth, Senoh’s lightweight carbon upright. The Senoh Stealth volleyball upright is the first competition net system to feature aerospace composite technology. It provides an unbelievably lightweight competition net system with three times the strength and deflection of aluminum. This unit weighs 26 pounds and fits all three-inch sleeves. It also adapts to all other sleeves without compromise.

Sports Imports • 800-556-3198 www.sportsimports.com • Circle No. 531

Wind Them Up

Keep your volleyball nets neat and in proper condition with Blazer’s Net Winder. It takes the hassle out of net storage and works like a dream. The unique horizontal orientation allows for storage of up to four nets without tangling the cables and nets. It also stores two pairs of net antennas. The Net Winder features a strong aluminum/steel frame construction for durability, and non-marking heavy-duty casters protect gym floors.

This is a tough yet elegant solution for net storage. Worldwide Sport Supply 800-756-3555 • www.wwsport.com Circle No. 532

Show Your Pride

Spalding manufactures top-quality equipment for competitive, recreational, and physical education use. Spalding’s product line now includes Digital Graphic Upright Pads for volleyball. Full-color printing allows unlimited color options with durable, vivid inks that outlast silkscreens. Spalding’s digital experts will work with you to apply your logo, color scheme, and text. Now you can show your school spirit in your own unique way.

Spalding Equipment • 800-435-3865 www.spaldingequipment.com • Circle No. 533

Between the Lines Easy Adjustability

The Bison UltraLite aluminum system is perfect for programs wanting the versatility of easy tennis-to-volleyball net height adjustment, fast and foolproof net setup, and elite volleyball net tensioning for competition. UltraLite four-inch posts will fit any manufacturer’s four-inch floor sleeves with no need for adapters. The four-inch post diameter allows for thinner and lighter posts without sacrificing rigidity. There’s a lifetime warranty on the posts and winch, and 16 colors of safety padding are available with free lettering. Bison, Inc. • 800-247-7668 www.bisoninc.com • Circle No. 534

volleyball court

Form and Function

Built to last forever and a joy to use every day, the Collegiate 4000 net system combines ultra-lightweight design with innovative engineering that allows it to be set up by one person in five minutes or less. The exclusive Unirail design easily accommodates a variety of net heights and net sports.

It’s available with an international competition net or an optional Kevlar competition net. Net height is guaranteed, and the posts and linear winch carry a limited lifetime warranty. This product is made in the U.S.A. Schelde North America • 888-SCHELDE www.scheldesports.com • Circle No. 535

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OVER THE NET

Continued on‌ Coachesnetwork.com

Proper Preparation: Warmups should entail more than just loosening up. Here are drills designed to get your team ready to play.

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