A Newsletter Dedicated to Improving Volleyball Athletes
 Presents
 Your ONE-SOURCE for answers to conditioning questions

This Web Page is designed to be your ONE-SOURCE to find answers to your conditioning questions. We have assembled the world's largest body of information on conditioning of volleyball athletes. Here are some straight answers from the worlds leading experts on volleyball conditioning questions that are important to you. Be sure to check out our entire web site for more information.
What are some of the things you try to accomplish with your warm-up session?
I advocate touching balls in most warm-ups, in a game-like way from the moment at least two kids have entered the gym. If the net is up, they play one on one, short court. If not, they play as if it were there, or play progressively more energetic pepper.
Most kids get a max of 90 minutes training per session. If we spend 10 minutes each session traditionally warming up without a ball, running around, we lose 1/9th of our learning each session. Indeed, if you start learning as soon as you walk in, these 10 minutes each nine practices gives you a "free, extra" training session. Cumulative effect is what we are talking about.

John Kessel

John Kessel of USA Volleyball is Director of Beach Volleyball & Grassroots Programs and FIVB Technical Commission Secretary. He can be reached at USA Volleyball, One Olympic Plaza, Colorado Springs, CO 80909. Call 1-88US-VOLLEY or Fax (719) 597-6307
The main objectives of a warm-up session are focus and preparation for explosive movement. At the beginning of practice, the team is collecting itself and sharing events of the day. During the warm-up, they should focus on volleyball and get their bodies ready for practice. Pre-game warm-up should also allow the team to focus, but on things different than those in practice (i.e., scouting report, individual performance, team goals, etc.). It also allows them to become accustomed to their environment, and ready their bodies for explosive activity.

Patty Dowdell

Patty Dowdell is the Head Coach of the Women’s Volleyball Team at the Texas Woman’s University and holds a masters degree in physical education. As a player, she was a member of the 1980 USA Volleyball Olympic team, a 13-time All-American who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994. She has produced a video on volleyball skill development and lectured at the USVA/AVCA Seminar on Critical Thinking, Hitter Development 1997.
Warm-up is a time for preparation, both physically and mentally to play or practice. My goals for warm-up are to get the muscle/tendon/ligament structures, nervous and circulatory systems ready for the workout's demands and to get the athletes mentally focused on the tasks ahead.

Greg Brislin

Greg Brislin, M.S., C.S.C.S. is an Exercise Physiologist and is the Team Leader for the Physiology Resource Advisory Team of the Sports Medicine and Performance Commission of USAV. Greg’s experience includes working as an assistant volleyball coach and as the strength and conditioning coach for the University of Louisville women’s volleyball team. He served as a head volleyball coach at the high school level and coached several age groups in club ball.
I'm coaching a 14-and-under girls team with the Channel Islands Volleyball Club. Our primary goal is to have fun. For most of them this is their first experience with organized volleyball, so I try to make sure the warm-up is fun, but accomplishes other goals as well. For me, I want to get the girls' body temperature up, so there's lots of movement. Given the short time we have together each week (two nights at 1½ hours each session) I want to incorporate as much stretching in the warm-up as possible and I try to ensure the warm-up is game-like and competitive, much like the drills we use.

Dale Hoffman

Dale Hoffman is former president of the California Beach Volleyball Association and co-founder of the US Volleyball League. He is a USA Volleyball Level II coach and former instructor at the USA Volleyball Outdoors Directors Conference and 1994 gold medallist beach volleyball, World Masters Games in Australia. He has a masters degree in Physical Education from Azusa Pacific University. Contact him at: recreation international, inc., 2290 Eastman Ave., Suite 102, Ventura, CA 93003, tel. 805-650-5988, fax 805-650-1308