Coaching Management 12.5

Coaching ManagementV O L L E Y B A L L P R E S E A S O N E D I T I O N 2 0 0 4

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CONTENTS Coaching ManagementVolleyball Edition Preseason 2004

Vol. XII, No. 5

COACHING MANAGEMENT 1

COVER STORY

Life With Libero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20After just two years in the NCAA rule book, the libero is making a dramaticimpact on the college game—but only for those coaches who know how tochoose, train, and utilize this player.

OFF THE COURT

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

INJURY PREVENTION

An ACL Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33How do you block ACL injuries from infiltrating your team? New studiesreveal the most effective prevention programs.

Advertising Sales AssociatesDiedra Harkenrider, (607) 257-6970, ext. 24Sheryl Shaffer, (607) 257-6970, ext. 21

Business and Editorial Offices2488 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850(607) 257-6970, Fax (607) [email protected]

Mailing lists for Coaching Management Volleyball areprovided by the Clell Wade Coaches Directory.

The Coaching Management volleyball edition is publishedin April and December by MAG, Inc. and is distributedfree to college and high school coaches in the UnitedStates and Canada. Copyright © 2004 by MAG, Inc. Allrights reserved. Text may not be reproduced in any man-ner, in whole or in part, without the permission of the pub-lisher. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unlessaccompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.Coaching Management is printed by Banta PublicationsGroup, Kansas City, MO. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to: Coaching Management, P.O. Box 4806, Ithaca,N.Y. 14852.

Printed in the U.S.A.

p. 27p. 2 p. 33

Publisher Mark GoldbergCirculation Director Mark SheaArt Director Pamela CrawfordArt AssistantDina StanderBusiness ManagerPennie Small

Editor-in-Chief Eleanor FrankelAssociate Editors Guillermo MetzDennis ReadAssistant Editors R.J. AndersonKenny BerkowitzDavid HillLaura SmithEditorial AssistantGreg Scholand

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LOCKER ROOMBulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . 2NCAA to allow libero to serve in 2004… Statewide studies in Calif. and Mass.reveal Title IX noncompliance … OtisHigh (Colo.) “adopts” a new fund-raisingscheme … Division III schools to shortentheir playing season … Northern Iowa’sMolly O’Brien makes a quiet comeback… NFHS rules changes announced.

Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Kim Cherniss talks about how she’smoved Cal State-San Bernardino intothe upper echelon of NCAA Division IIvolleyball.

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

On the cover: The University of Minnesota’s PaulaGentil is considered the top libero in college play.Story starts on page 20. Photo courtesy of Univer-sity of Minnesota Athletics.

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

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Libero to ServeLeads NCAARules ChangesShe’s not just for defense anymore. At least that’s what theNCAA Women’s VolleyballRules Committee said byendorsing a proposal to allowthe libero player to serve dur-ing one rotation. The propos-al, which was endorsed at theRules Committee’s Januarymeeting, was approved alongwith other rules changes by anew committee called thePlaying Rules Oversight Panel(PROP) to become effectivefor the 2004 season.

No sanctioning body current-ly allows the libero to serve.But several NCAA teams triedthe libero-as-server model asan experimental rule duringthe 2003 nontraditional sea-son, with favorable results.

“It seemed to work out and itwas fun,” says Kim Kelly, HeadCoach at Gettysburg College,which used the experimentalrule last spring. “I have a liberoright now who’s an amazingserver. But even if I didn’thave her, I would think it’s agood rule. For one thing, it willseparate us from the interna-tional game.”

Don Flora, former Head Coachat the University of La Verneand new Assistant Coach atthe University of Washington,also sees it as a positive move.“Often, the libero is also agreat server, so not allowingthat player to serve takes awaysome offensive excitement,”he says. “I think letting themserve in one rotation will begood because it will put morepressure on the defense,make the rallies longer, andgive coaches more options.”

The Women’s Volleyball RulesCommittee also made severalrecommendations intendedto limit disputes betweencoaches, players, and officials.Under current rules, if one

sions, discussions on commonjudgement issues will be cur-tailed in an effort to maintainflow,” Marcia Alterman, Secre-tary-Rules Editor for the com-mittee, told The NCAA News.

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

L O C K E R R O O Mbulletin board

2 COACHING MANAGEMENT

ultimately benefit the game.“If we can keep the timebetween the ball hitting theground and the next servemore efficient,” he says,“that’s better for the fans.”

Other changes passed by theVolleyball Rules Committeeand PROP include a clarifica-tion on hair, so that if the ballcontacts only a player’s hair, itis not considered to have been

coach raises a question, thedown, or second, refereemust address it. Some coachesperiodically use this tactic toslow the game down whenthe opposing team is on a roll.The new rules put more definedprocedures in place for coachesto speak with referees.

“While referees will still interactwith coaches on unusual ordifficult non-judgement deci-

touched. In addition, ruleswere passed to: prevent playerswearing illegal uniforms fromentering the game, thus remo-ving the onus from an oppos-ing team’s coach to enforceuniform infractions; to allowplayers to wear insulin pumps;and giving more responsibilityfor the pre-match countdown

clock to event managementstaff so that officials can leavethe court during that time.

For the 2004 season, PROPhas been given the final wordon playing rules. That processis being reviewed and maychange for 2005, at whichpoint PROP may become astep on the way to the Man-agement Council or the Exec-utive Committee.

Two New StudiesReveal GenderInequitiesThirty years after the passageof Title IX, how well are highschools and colleges comply-ing with the law? The answer,according to two studiesreleased this spring, is thatthey could be doing better.Groups in both California andMassachusetts researchedTitle IX compliance in theirstates, and both investigationsfound cause for concern.

In California, the state’s Post-secondary Education Comm-ission (CPEC) hired RMCResearch Corporation togauge Title IX compliance atpublic institutions. Researcherssent surveys to 286 highschools and all of California’scommunity colleges and stateuniversities, and used datafrom Equity in Athletics Dis-closure Act (EADA) reports,the California Department ofEducation, and the CPEC.They also conducted a seriesof site visits to schools.

“We found that we have somereal success stories in Califor-nia—schools that haveachieved equity,” says MurrayHaberman, Project Managerat the CPEC, “and we havesome institutions that haven’t.The inequities seem mostpronounced in the areas ofparticipation and coaching.”

Community colleges faredthe worst when researchers

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University of North Alabama setter Ashley Moffitt delivers aserve during the team’s 2003 NCAA Division II champion-ship run. Next season, the libero will also be allowed to serveduring one rotation.

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Request No. 2


measured participation. Onlyeight percent were able tomeet Title IX’s proportionalitytest (where the gender ratioof student-athletes comeswithin five percent of thegender ratio of the entire stu-dent body), and 84 percent

were “considerably outsidethe range of acceptability,”according to Haberman.

The participation picture at thestate’s high schools was onlyslightly better, as 26 percentwere able to meet the propor-tionality test. The participationresults were best at the collegelevel. EADA reports revealedthat 57 percent of California’spublic universities are able toshow proportionality.

At all three levels of education,researchers found inequities

in coaching. Community col-leges reported that 63 percentof coaches of men’s teams arefull-time, compared to 45 per-cent of women’s team coaches,and on average, coaches ofmen’s teams were far moreexperienced than coaches of

women’s teams,Haberman says.

At the college anduniversity level, headcoaches of men’steams were paid sig-nificantly more thanhead coaches ofwomen’s teams.Researchers alsofound that men’steams received morefunding overall andper athlete for oper-ating expendituresand recruiting.

Later this spring, theCPEC will forwardits report to the Cal-ifornia legislature,along with a set ofrecommendations.The group willadvise lawmakers toallocate funds foreducating schooladministrators aboutTitle IX complianceat all three levels,particularly in theareas of participa-tion, coaching, andevaluating studentinterests.

“People are out ofcompliance, but they don’trealize it,” Haberman says. “Iftechnical assistance is providedto schools in an effective way,a lot of the problems will bealleviated. The legislaturealready has bills in the worksbased on preliminary discus-sions about these findings.”

On the opposite coast, re-searchers from the HarvardSchool of Public Health andthe National Women’s LawCenter evaluated Title IX com-pliance at Massachusetts highschools, releasing a report inFebruary. Researchers foundlarge disparities between boysand girls. Statewide, 50 percentof girls and 58 percent of boysparticipate in school sports. InBoston schools, 36 percent ofgirls and 55 percent of boysparticipate in school sports.

To determine whether femalestudent-athletes are treatedfairly when they do participate,researchers examined Title IXcomplaints filed over the pastfive years with the OCR andinterviewed female student-athletes, parents, coaches, andadministrators. The report citedinequities in facilities, equip-ment, scheduling, coaching, andofficiating, among other areas.

The Massachusetts study alsorevealed large participationgaps between white and non-white girls. In Boston, 33 per-cent of African American girlsand 32 percent of Hispanicgirls participate in school sports,compared to 49 percent ofwhite girls. Across the state,37 percent of African Ameri-can girls and 28 percent ofHispanic girls participate inschool sports, compared to 54percent of white girls.

Dr. Jean Weicha, a researcheron the project with the HarvardSchool of Public Health, saysmore research is needed todetermine why girls of color arenot participating. “Sometimesthe opportunities are there,but there are barriers to girlsusing them,” she says. “Othertimes, there are no opportuni-ties. It’s important to figure

out which is happening sothat you can address it.”

The Massachusetts report rec-ommends education for ath-letes and their parents onTitle IX, technical assistancefor schools to help them com-ply, and additional study ofthe issue. Weicha would alsolike to see mandatory annualdata gathering and reportingby high schools. “It only makessense to require reporting,”she says. “We have a lawagainst discrimination at thehigh school level, but no sys-tem to monitor whether thelaw is effective or not.”

A bill currently under consid-eration in the United StatesSenate would do just that.Introduced in 2002 andcurrently under review by theSenate Health, Education,Labor, and Pensions Commit-tee, the law would requireschools to report numbers ofparticipants in each sport bygender, race, and ethnicity tothe United States Departmentof Education each year.

Division III ReformPackage PassesAt the NCAA Convention inJanuary, Division III institutionspassed the majority of a wide-sweeping reform packagethat has been in the works forover a year. Highlights includereducing the number of weeksof play in the combined tradi-tional and non-traditional sea-sons and a measure to easerestrictions on players wantingto transfer. Most of the rulesbecome effective Aug. 1, 2004.

Probably the most significantrule for volleyball coaches andplayers is one that will limitthe combined spring and fallplaying seasons for all fallsports to 18 weeks. Anotherproposal to cut practice andcompetition during the non-traditional season in certainsports, including women’svolleyball, also passed. More


The text of Senate Bill S282 is available at thomas.loc.gov/. For the complete results of the Massachusetts study, go towww.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/sports/keepingscorereport.pdf.

Massachusetts is one of two states to undergoa thorough Title IX review in the last sixmonths. Above, Turners Falls plays Millisin the 2003 Division 3 Massachusetts statechampionship game.

Request No. 3

aggressive legislation todecrease contest limits by 10percent across all sports wasdefeated, however.

The reform package is seen asa move to set tighter guidelineson the amount of time student-athletes spend practicing,preparing for, and participat-ing in their sport. The intent isto make sure the focus of aDivision III student-athleteremains firmly on the studentside of the equation.

Both the traditional fall seasonand the non-traditional springseason will count toward the18-week cap. Coaches whoused the full 21-week allotmentin the past can cut weeksfrom either the traditional ornon-traditional season. Thesecoaches may choose to playfewer games, play moregames per week, or maintaintheir previous fall scheduleand shorten the spring season.

The non-traditional seasonretains its previous five-weeklimit, but teams are now limit-ed to a total of 16 practices,with a new four-practice capper week. Only one of thosepractice dates may be usedfor outside competition. Thesenumbers compare to 30 possi-ble practice dates and fivecompetition dates under theprevious rules.

“For our conference, this willmean a significant reductionin the number of games we’llbe allowed to play in thespring,” says Chad Schreiber,Head Coach at Lakeland Col-lege. And because the non-traditional spring season iswhen experimental rules aretried out, it will limit the abilityof Division III teams to givethose rules a trial run beforethey’re implemented.

If teams choose to play fewergames in the fall, a rift maydevelop between top-levelschools and mid-level schools,according to Paco Labrador,Head Coach at Wittenberg



“I think it’s a terrible rulebecause it encourages badrelationships between playersand coaches,” Schreiber says.“But new coaches will beaffected the most becausethey haven’t had the chanceto establish relationships withplayers yet. I think a veterancoach who has a good rela-tionship with his or her playerswill probably be affected verylittle.

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

to be a big problem for thecoach who doesn’t know oneof her players is thinking ofleaving until the day sheleaves,” Labrador says. “Ididn’t feel it was a big detri-ment to have the coach givethat release so that he or sheis made aware of a player’sdesire to transfer.”

University. “I think it’s goingto make elite teams just playeach other as much as possi-ble, to the exclusion of non-elite teams,” he says.

While some non-elite teamsmay benefit by picking upmore victories and landing asurprise bid to the NCAAtournament, Labrador seesharm to such squads as themore likely outcome. Playingfewer games against top-levelteams means they won’t haveas much chance to pick upquality wins and strength-of-schedule points.

“Right now in Division III, thetop 20 teams try to play eachother at least once or twicethroughout the season,” Lab-rador says. “Until now, youcould do that and not have touse every one of your out-of-conference matches againsttop-20 teams. I think thechange is going to push thetop Division III teams to seekeach other out more often innon-conference matches.

“I would be surprised if sec-ond-tier teams will findgames with first-tier teams,”he adds. “It’s going to betougher for them.”

Limiting the non-traditionalseason will only add to thedisparity, according to Labra-dor. “We’re limited as coachesin what we can do with theplayers,” he says. “We leave itup to them to organize theirown workouts, practice ses-sions, and lifting sessions inthe off-season. Now, there isgoing to be more time wherethey’re doing things on theirown. And the elite teams areelite teams because they haveplayers who are self-motivatedto do the work.”

The other major new DivisionIII rule that volleyball coacheswill watch closely is one allow-ing student-athletes to self-release. Under current rules,an athlete can contact anoth-er school about the possibility

of playing there. The otherschool, however, cannot pro-ceed until the athlete’s currentschool is informed.

“Say a player on my teamwants to go to your school,”explains Schreiber. “Beforeyou could have a conversationwith her, you would have tosay, ‘Thank you for contactingme. I’m going to have tocontact Lakeland College foryour release.’ And you wouldhave to let me know thatshe’s contacted you and you’re

speaking with her. The self-release rule allows her to goonline [to a Web site hostedby the NCAA] and releaseherself. All she has to do isprovide the coach at the newschool with the form shecompleted saying she hasreleased herself.

Outside hitter Monica McDonald connects for NCAA DivisionIII Wittenberg University last season. New rules in DivisionIII will shorten the number of weeks that teams will be able tocompete.

Request No. 4



Labrador adds that if he iscontacted by a player atanother school, he will stilltalk with that player’s coach,whether that coach has beeninformed of her intentions ornot. “When the new rule goesinto effect, if a player contactsme saying she hasn’t spokento her coach about transfer-ring, I’d probably tell her sheneeds to talk with her coachfirst,” he says. “I don’t thinkI’d feel comfortable doingsomething when the othercoach doesn’t know about it.”

Adopt-a-BulldogRaises New FundsWhen players at Otis (Colo.)Jr.-Sr. High School take thecourt, they’re likely to have twosets of parents cheering themon: their real families and theirtemporary adoptive parents.

The tiny school in rural north-central Colorado has builtinterest in its athletic programthrough the Adopt-a-Bulldogplan, in which communitymembers pay $10 to “adopt”a player on a team. Theyreceive a button with theirplayer’s photo, a carnation, andrecognition at home games. Inreturn, they send small tokensof encouragement to playersbefore games, such as candybars, balloons, or cards, andhave designated players tocheer for. This past fall wasthe first season of the program,starting with volleyball andfootball and expanding toother sports later in the year.

The program has increasedattendance at volleyballmatches, says Head Coachand Athletic Director BonnieWallin-Kuntz. The moneyraised, meanwhile, helps

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

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send student-athletes to sum-mer camps and tournaments.

“Because we are a rural schoolin a farming community, thekids can’t afford to attend ontheir own,” Wallin-Kuntz says.“If we don’t do fund-raisers,they aren’t able to go.”

The program began with alocal businessman and backerof high school sports, whotakes photos of the student-athletes and runs them througha button-making machine. Theschool advertises the programin the community’s local news-paper, and supporters pickplayers on a first-come, first-served basis.

“We usually try to do it beforethe first game. They choosetheir kids, get their button,and then wear the buttonsthroughout the season,”Wallin-Kuntz says.

Parents can’t adopt their ownchildren, but many adopt theirkids’ best friends, and grand-parents can adopt their owngrandchildren, Wallin-Kuntzsays. Some get adopted morethan once, but only aftereach player has an adopted“parent.”

Adoptive parents are recog-nized at the start of each homegame. “It’s increased atten-dance because they want tocome watch their kids,” shesays. “We have only so manypeople to draw from becauseOtis’ population is a littlemore than 500 people. Butit’s gotten more people in-volved.

“I’d say any time you can getthe community involved withwhat the kids are doing in yourathletic department, it’s only apositive thing,” she continues.“I would encourage anybodyto try it, because it’s a win-winsituation. You’re going to winwith some fund-raising money,and you’re going to win withgetting some people involvedwith what kids are doing.”

A QuietComebackIt’s not every day an All-Amer-ican volleyball player is toldthat a rare circulatory condi-tion could end her career. Buton Jan. 7, 2003, three weeksafter leading her team to theSweet 16 in the 2002 NCAADivision I tournament, theUniversity of Northern Iowa’s

Molly O’Brien was diagnosedwith thoracic outlet syndromeand told by doctors that herplaying career was in jeopardy.

Having just completed a sea-son in which she earned Mis-souri Valley Conference Playerof the Year honors for a sec-

ond straight year, O’Brien,then a junior, was not readyfor her career to end. But,bucking the odds, O’Brienweathered the surgery andgrueling rehab to return toher middle blocker spot forher senior season.

The casual fan may not havenoticed any difference inO’Brien’s game in 2003. Sheled the team in kills with 475,

broke the school record forcareer kills with 1,779, and seta conference career blockrecord with 771. She wasnamed the MVC Player of theYear for the third time andearned all-region and honor-able mention All-Americahonors. But O’Brien’s

teammates, family, friends,and medical advisors knewthat the season held a fargreater meaning than anystatistics or postseasonlaurels.

“She’s a major role model forour program,” says BobbiPetersen, Head Coach atNorthern Iowa. “There were alot of goose bumps after see-ing Molly hit that first ballafter rehab. Knowing whereshe had come from to get tothat point was very inspiring.”

O’Brien’s future was up in theair until the very eve of theseason. She did not receivefinal clearance to play untilAug. 14, just two weeksbefore the season-opener. TheFebruary surgery to correctO’Brien’s condition left hermissing a rib and required herto relearn most movementsof her right arm.

O’Brien’s story begins shortlyafter the end of the 2002 sea-son, in which she led the Pan-thers to a 34-3 record. Homein Parnell, Iowa, on her winterbreak, O’Brien had just com-pleted a weight training sessionwhen she noticed her rightarm was swollen and turningpurple. After an ultrasound,O’Brien was diagnosed withthoracic outlet syndrome (TOS)as well as a blood clot in hershoulder.

Although doctors cannot pin-point a definitive cause ofTOS, many see weight liftingas a common thread amongathletes with the condition.Muscles and tendons swell,compressing the arteries,nerves, and veins in the neckand shoulder. The conditionoften results in arm pain, numbfingers, swelling, bruisingand, in the worst cases, bloodclots. Although TOS usuallybuilds up over months oryears, its symptoms may comeon suddenly.

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


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



of Vascular Surgery at Wash-ington University MedicalSchool and an attending sur-geon at Barnes Jewish Hospi-tal in St. Louis. Thompson,who sees at least one case ofTOS each month and hastreated several professionalathletes for the condition,told O’Brien there was a 50percent chance she could getback on the court for hersenior season—but he couldn’tguarantee she would returnto All-America form.

The procedure, whichThompson performed in earlyFebruary, involved removingO’Brien’s top right rib andtwo shoulder muscles to cre-ate space for a vein runningbetween the shoulder andneck muscles. Removing themuscle and the rib wouldreduce the likelihood of thevein becoming constricted

again and keep the bloodclot from re-forming. Therewas however, a major down-side: Once the muscles wereremoved, O’Brien would haveto relearn movements as sim-ple as raising her arm aboveher head. “It felt like a freighttrain had hit me,” saysO’Brien describing her post-surgery pain. “I couldn’tmove for the first couple ofdays.”

After a week of rehabilitationat home, O’Brien returned toUNI to join her classmates inthe spring semester, whichhad begun a month earlier.While her teammates liftedweights and worked on theirconditioning in preparationfor spring workouts, O’Brienwent to the athletic trainingroom and began the longroad back, with the help ofMatt Gage, Assistant Athletic

Trainer at UNI who handlesthe women’s volleyballteam.

Because of the missing mus-cles on her right side,O’Brien’s head tilted slightlyto the right. Gage workedwith O’Brien to strengthenher neck and encouraged herto become more conscious ofstanding up straight with hershoulders back and chin up.They also trained O’Brien’sother shoulder muscles to pickup the slack.

Along with two to three hoursa day working with Gage,O’Brien had two weeks ofschoolwork to catch up on.That caused a great deal ofstress for the 2002 first-teamMVC Scholar Athlete. Shedropped a class, but foundher remaining instructors veryaccommodating.

“I talked to lots of differentmotivational speakers, fromprofessors to athletictrainers,” continues O’Brien.“They advised me to make alist of short-term and long-term goals. So I sat downwith Matt and we talked itover and made some goalsthat we both thought wererealistic.”

On April 14, nearly 70 daysafter her surgery, O’Brien wascleared to begin a limitedupper-body weight trainingprogram and some volleyball-specific activities. “The ideawas to slowly take what wewere trying to educate hermuscles to do in the athletictraining room and apply thatto the court,” says Gage.

In the beginning, that includ-ed having O’Brien set the ballto herself for 30 seconds and

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hit 10 serves over the netfrom the 10-foot line. Shestarted with lightweight ballsand worked up to official-sized balls.

By the middle of June, O’Brienwas cleared to practice but notto play. That came Aug. 14, sixmonths post-surgery.

The real moment of truthcame during the team’s firstpreseason practice in August.“I was very excited, but stillscared because I didn’t knowhow my shoulder was goingto feel after two-a-day prac-tices,” says O’Brien. “Thenduring the first day ofpractice it felt great and Icould do everything thateverybody else could do,which gave me a lot of confi-dence. After preseason wasover I thought, ‘Okay, I didthat, there is nothing in my

way now. I can definitelymake it through the season.’”

Her rehab efforts lasted wellbeyond the start of the sea-son, however. “At the verybeginning of the season weworked out every single daybefore practice for 45minutes to an hour, and atsome point during theseason, as she got stronger, Ionly had her come in threedays a week,” says Gage.

O’Brien is very thankful forthe hard work and long hoursput in by UNI’s sports medi-cine staff, and gives them alot of credit for her return.She says she is not ready togive up playing competitivelyand may go to the USA vol-leyball training facility thissummer to train for a week,or possibly go overseas toplay.

Coaching is another optiondown the road, says O’Brien,whose older sister Katie is theHead Coach at PiedmontCollege, a Division III school

in Georgia. “One thing is forsure,” O’Brien adds, “I defi-nitely see myself beinginvolved with volleyball for along time.”

NFHS RULE CHANGESRule changes approved by the National Federationof State High School Associations Volleyball RulesCommittee for the 2004-05 season include:

■ Allowing a player to play a ball that crosses into anon-playable area if that player has a body part incontact with a playable area when making a play onthe ball. A player may also enter a non-playable areawhile completing the follow-through.

■ During timeouts, line judges will stand at the inter-section of the attack line and the sideline on theirrespective side of the court nearest the referee. Theline judge on the serving team’s side shall hold theball during the timeout. The purpose of the changeis to give the referee opportunities to communicatewith line judges during timeouts.

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Kim Cherniss California State University-San BernardinoA


During her 13 years at Cal State-San Bernardino, Head Coach Kim Cherniss has turned a program that previouslystruggled to reach the .500 mark into a consistent NCAA Division II powerhouse. The Coyotes finished the2003 season by advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight, with a record of29-5 overall and 20-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association—good enough for a third consecutive CCAA championship.

Cherniss’s athletes have excelled individually as well. Three of her playerswere named AVCA All-Americans last year, and senior middle blockerKim Morohunfola, a four-time All-American, was selected as the DivisionII National Player of the Year. Cherniss herself has twice been namedCoach of the Year by the CCAA, and she was the 2003 AVCA PacificRegion Coach of the Year.

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

CM: After losing seasons in each ofyour first six years at San Bernardino,how did you begin to turn the pro-gram around?Cherniss: When I first got here, we hadvery little scholarship money, we playedin an old gym, and I was a part-timecoach. After three years, we built a newfacility, my position went full-time, and areferendum for scholarship moneypassed, so our funding started toincrease. Those three things affected uson all levels—the facility made recruitingquite a bit easier, the scholarship moneyallowed me to pursue better athletes,and being full-time gave me a lot moretime to work.

Not long after that, the CCAA added theNorthern California Conference teamsto our league. At the time, being 3-7 inconference was a huge accomplishmentbecause the teams we were losing towere all national-caliber teams. But whenthe league added more teams that wecould compete against, it allowed us toget more conference wins, which boostedour overall record and made us moreattractive to recruits. Once we startedgetting blue-chip recruits in, we madeour rise towards the top.

How do you approach recruiting foryour team?I believe strongly in recruiting the verybest athletes from my area—it allows ourkids to be followed by the communitymore voraciously, and for our athletes to

really feel a sense of pride in being here.So I focus on recruiting in the InlandEmpire, and then beyond that in SouthernCalifornia. There is some position speci-ficity involved, but in general I want thevery best athletes I can find, and once wehave them, we’ll fit them into the posi-tions we need.

Beyond that, I try to assess a potentialrecruit’s attitude and her competitiveness.Competitiveness is hard to determine,because you only get a few opportunitiesto evaluate players. But I want to know ifa kid is a hard worker. Does she display agood work ethic? Is she enjoying herselfout on the floor and dying to win?

After all the success you’ve had, howdo you keep your players hungry atthe start of a new season?The tone of our program is that we arenever going to be satisfied until we win anational championship. Beyond that, wewon’t be satisfied until we win a secondone, then a third, and so on. The CCAAis without a doubt the toughest DivisionII conference in the country, so you haveto be up to play every game. We play anationally-ranked team almost everyweekend, and sometimes two back-to-back, so that on its own keeps us going.

I never take for granted that what we haveis going to be good enough for nextyear. We go out and recruit the very bestkids that we can, regardless of whetheror not we had an All-American at their

Senior middle blocker Kim Morohunfola, the2003 Division II National Player of the Year,celebrates a point during a game againstBYU-Hawai’i. When recruiting, Coach Chernisslooks for players who are “enjoying themselveson the floor and dying to win.”

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Q A&position the year before. It’s not aboutbeing disloyal, it’s about keeping thatcompetitive atmosphere in the gym. Soin practice, kids are going at it—you cannever slow down or somebody will takeyour spot. If the kids respect each otherand trust the process by which playersare given court time, then it becomes agood competitive atmosphere, and itpushes them to learn what their limits are.

What goals do you set for your teamwhen you start a new season?For us, it’s about tiers of goals. Our firstgoal is to continue stringing together asmany conference championships as wecan—that is a great source of pride andexcitement because of the rivalries. In the

conference and regional tournaments, wesalivate all year thinking, “I can’t wait toplay those guys.”

Our next tier of goals changes each year.Four years ago, it was to get to the re-gional tournament. These last two years,it has been to win the regional tourna-ment. And we’ve always felt that we hadan excellent opportunity to compete for

a national championship,so that’s our final goal.

What do you do to keeppractices interesting foryour players?Two years ago, we hadsomething we called thecompetitive cauldron.Everything that we didhad a point value associ-ated with it. So if you

were part of a group that won a drill, orif you won an individual drill, it wasworth a certain number of points. Everytime somebody got to 30, they got a lit-tle something, like an extra pair ofsocks, some knee pads, or a new travelbag. The rewards themselves weren’t

important—we were trying to foster acompetitive atmosphere, and the dynam-ic in practice was interesting. It reallybrought out some different things inpeople. It was fun and I think it kept thegirls on their toes. The whole focus thatyear was “want to win, want to win.”

Then, for the third year in a row, we lostin the regional finals in five games, soour theme this year was “losing stinks.”Everything that we did had negativeconsequences for losing. It wasn’t overlynegative, but if your group lost, you wouldrun a little bit, or the other team got togo for a drink while you did extra push-ups—nothing big, just subtly reinforcingthe message all year long. And thatbrought out a different kind of dynamic.

It’s a matter of tweaking things and seeingif you can help your players to grow andmature competitively and cooperativelywith their teammates. I like experimentingwith that.

How do you divide responsibilitiesbetween yourself and your assistantcoach?


“Our theme this year was ‘losing stinks.’Everything that we did had negative con-sequences for losing … And that broughtout a different kind of dynamic.”

Request No. 11

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I t u s e d t o t a k e h o u r s t o r e s e a r c h p r o d u c t s . . .I t u s e d t o t a k e h o u r s t o r e s e a r c h p r o d u c t s . . .

N o w i t t a k e s o n l y m i n u t e s .

Danny [Scott] has been with me for fiveyears, and he and I work very welltogether. We have a great rapport, andwe enjoy tossing ideas back and forth witheach other, but we also approach the gamedifferently. Danny has a tendency to workwith our players from a technical stand-point—what do they need to do differ-ently with their footwork or arm speed, orwith their approach or posture? And myapproach is more mentally-based. Wherehe’ll say, “You need to raise your elbow

at a different degree,” I’ll say, “Hey, youjust need to hit higher.” So I thinkbetween the two of us, we do a greatjob addressing our players’ development.Also, since his degree is in kinesiologyand he’s pursuing a master’s in exercisephysiology, he is primarily responsible forall of our strength training and conditioning,which we emphasize year-round.

How has your coaching style evolvedin your 13 seasons at San Bernardino?

I think I’ve grown more confident in theathletes’ ability to execute whatever Ithink they need to do to win. When I wasa young coach, I would sometimes say tomyself, “This might be too difficult” or “Idon’t want them to feel like too much isbeing demanded of them.” But I’ve real-ized over the course of my career thatfemale athletes want to be challengedand they want to be respected for theirability to rise to a challenge. I reallybelieve that if we do the work in thegym, there is so much that we canaccomplish. So, over the course of mycareer, I’ve developed a great respectfor the work process and the trainingprocess.

Do you like being at a school with asmall number of sports, where you’renot competing with large programslike football?I think there are positives and negativesto that. What I really cherish about ourathletic department is how close every-one is. I’m very good friends with allthe other coaches in our program, andthe athletic director’s office is open tome any time. I don’t think you’re goingto find that in a lot of the bigger pro-grams. I love being in a smaller, moreintimate setting.

What was it like for your team to hostthe NCAA Division II Championshipsthis past year?It was outstanding. First of all, I can’texpress how great our staff was. To beable to have this tournament in front ofour home crowd was very important anda big source of pride. And the communitywas really into it—the paper ran storiesall the time, and overall it was just a veryneat experience.

What qualities do you think make agreat coach?I think you have to be driven, becausegood, successful athletes are not goingto respond to you unless they feel thatyou are truly determined to be successful.I also think you need to have the patienceto do things the right way. It’s easy tocut corners and be unethical and havesuccess in the short run, but being success-ful in the long run takes time and lots ofhard work.

Last, and probably most importantly, youreally have to love the particular arenathat you’re in, which for me is collegevolleyball. It’s not pro volleyball, it’s notclub volleyball, it’s not high school—it’scompletely different. I love everythingthat plays into college volleyball andmakes it what it is.

Q A&


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M

University of Minnesota liberoPaula Gentil was named aSecond Team All-American thispast season and helped theGophers reach the semifinals ofthe NCAA Division I nationalchampionships.

After just two years in the NCAArule book, the libero is making adramatic impact on the collegegame—but only for those coacheswho know how to choose, train,and utilize this player.

“I was completely blown away,” saysHebert, “and she’s been even betterthan we expected. She’s a great all-around player, with tremendous hittingskills—but she knows that her greatestcontribution is her play in the back row.She doesn’t just love the position, sheappreciates the impact that a greatlibero can have on the whole team.”

After designing an offense aroundopposite hitter Cassie Busse and a defensearound Gentil, Hebert led the GoldenGophers to their first trip to the NCAADivision I Final Four this fall. And a largepart of that success, says Hebert, camefrom understanding the libero position.

“Defense is the key to winning volley-ball, and the libero is the key to yourdefense,” says Hebert. “In the past, mostdefensive specialists were walk-ons. Butwith the libero rule, coaches need tomake sure they’re bringing in liberoswho can play the position at a very highlevel. The libero is your anchor, and herperformance will have a tremendousimpact on the rest of your team.”

Making the ChangeHebert isn’t the only winning coach

to notice the difference. In the two yearssince the NCAA adopted the libero,Rich Luenemann, Head Coach at Divi-

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COVER STORY

sion III national champion WashingtonUniversity (St. Louis), has also seen theeffect that the position can have. “At thebeginning, I didn’t realize how benefi-cial it would be,” says Luenemann. “Butnow that I’ve seen how tremendouslypositive it’s been, I feel much morestrongly about its impact. In fact, wealready have three potential liberos forour team next year, and we may add afourth.

“The position has evolved to thepoint where the libero is as important asanybody else on the floor,” continuesLuenemann. “You can maximize her atserve receive. Defensively, you can useyour blocks to funnel all the free balls toher. Or you can position her behind theblock to act like a center fielder, pickingup deflections and covering the seams.To be able to keep your best defensiveplayer in the back court for six rotationsis an enormously positive change.”

“The libero rule allows us to introduceanother dominant player into the game,”adds Larry Bock, Head Coach at JuniataCollege. “With the libero controllingmost of the first contacts and the settercontrolling most of the second contacts,you’ve got two people who control two-thirds of the contacts, and greatly affectthe outcome of a match.”

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COACHIING MANAGEMENT 21

Coaches see a growing gap betweenprograms that are making the most outof the position and those that aren’t.“The teams that have done well nation-ally since the rule came in all have greatliberos,” says Chris Beerman, HeadCoach at the University of Pittsburgh.“Coaches who aren’t putting an empha-sis on the libero position are really miss-ing the boat. When I watch othercolleges and see the libero tucked in thecorner, out of serve receive, I knowthey’ve got a problem. They’re defeat-ing the whole purpose of the position.”

Selecting a LiberoIn elementary school, Gentil was a

soccer goalie. In high school, she was anoutside hitter. Like a lot of liberos play-ing in the college game, she needed tobe retrained for her new position—andfor Hebert, Gentil’s athletic talent wasmuch more important than the positionhe’d seen her play.

“When you’re choosing a libero, thenumber one thing you need to see is anathlete who absolutely loves to playdefense,” advises Hebert. “Number two,she has to be fearless. Number three,she has to be technically very sound,and know how to use her body and herplatform to always keep the ball in play.And number four, she’s got to havegreat communication skills.”

Peggy Martin, Head Coach at Cen-tral Missouri State University, also valuesa libero’s innate abilities above all else.

Kenny Berkowitz is an Assistant Editor atCoaching Management.

BY KENNY BERKOWITZ

ike Hebert, Head Coach at the University of Minnesota, remembers the first time he saw his future libero in action.Paula Gentil was listed as an outside hitter at the Orlando

Volleyball Academy, but the moment she joined the back row,Hebert knew Gentil had exactly what makes a great libero: aware-ness of the game, fearlessness, and incredible technical ability.

LIFE WITH LIBERO

“When I’m recruiting a libero, I’m look-ing for athleticism,” she says. “I’m look-ing for someone who has that relentlesspursuit, the kind of defensive playerwho’s going to go for every ball. I’mlooking for quality every time she touch-es the ball, whether it’s a dig or a servereceive. And I’m looking for an attitude

that brings positive energy to the floor,because the libero is going to be outthere all the time.”

“After the setter, the libero shouldbe the best athlete on the team,” agreesBock. “You want to put your best athleteat libero, even if it means taking heraway from a hitting position.”

Carin Avery, Head Coach at Val-paraiso University, wants a libero whocan lead. “Because she’s in the back rowthe whole time and can see all of theaction unfold in front of her, the liberobecomes the person who tells the rest ofthe team what’s going on, what kind ofdefense they need to play, and wherethey need to go,” Avery says. “You wantsomeone who has good leadership qual-ities and can set a good example for therest of the team.”

“When you need to bring order out ofchaos,” adds Hebert, “you need a liberowho has the gift of understanding theaction on the court and communicatingdirections to the rest of the team.”

Beerman also looks for someonewith an ultra-competitive mentality.“The defensive specialist and the libero

are totally different roles,” he says. “Westill have defensive specialists coming infor spot duty at certain points in thegame, but the libero’s energy and focushave to be different than someonewho’s coming in off the bench. It’sabout confidence—you need a liberoyou can count on to dig every single ball

and pass it directly to the target. “If I’m out recruiting, trying to

find an athlete who’s going tobecome a great libero, I’m going tolook for that libero mentality,” con-tinues Beerman. “Does she loveplaying defense, and understandthe intensity of the position? Whatkind of focus does she have? Doesshe ever miss a play because she’snot ready? I want someone with awhole different level of mentaltoughness.”

Setting Up a SystemOnce you’ve found that great

athlete-leader with mentaltoughness, you’ll need to spendsome time figuring out how tobest utilize her skills. The key tocreating a winning strategy, saysBeerman, is to ask yourself somequestions with regard to thelibero’s role. “What’s your phi-

losophy on offense and defense?”offers Beerman. “How much of animpact do you want your libero tohave? How many serve receivers doyou have? How much court do yougive your pass? You have to decideall those things before you decideyour strategy.”

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

“Other liberos are much betterat reading the offense, adjustingtheir position, and covering a largepart of the court,” continues Luen-emann. “That’s the way we play ourlibero here, Nicole Hodgman, who’sgot great movement skills. We use arover defense. We put her in themiddle, behind the block, and tellher, ‘Get back there and read. If

you see a seam, take it. If not, take theshot we’re giving away and watch fordeflections.’”

At Pittsburgh, Beerman positions hislibero back left and has his blockersdirect every free ball to 2003 Big EastLibero of the Year Megan McGrane.“She can handle the whole left side ofthe court by herself, and that’s allowedus to set up our blocks to funnel every-thing over to her,” says Beerman. “Onthe left side, we stay inside the right-sidehitter to make her hit the ball down theline. On the right side, we put ourblocker on the pin to funnel her shotsto left back, basically taking the lineaway from the outside hitter. In both sit-uations, we funnel everything toMcGrane, knowing she’ll be able tohandle the ball.”

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

COVER STORY

A T THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA,Head Coach Mike Hebert has a pairof left-side hitters who are muchbetter at serving and attacking thanthey are at passing and defending.

He also has an All-American libero and a pairof defensive specialists who are available tosubstitute in the back row. Hebert’s solutionwas to make his libero the center of a strate-gy he calls “Save a Sub,” and it’s allowed himto strengthen his defense without running outof substitutions before the end of a game.

“We have our libero in the back row for ourleft side player, and rotate her from the rightback to the middle back,” says Hebert. “Thenour middle comes in to serve and play defensefor one rotation, and we take our libero outand put our left-side player back in. After that,we have to let one play go by before we canput the libero back in, and then we put ourlibero back in for our middle.

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

The idea, says Hebert, is to always design asolution that suits your strengths, no matterhow unconventional. “Be creative,” saysHebert, “and make the libero fit the needs ofyour team.”

S A V I N G S U B S


“THE DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTAND THE LIBERO ARETOTALLY DIFFERENT ROLES… THE LIBERO’S ENERGYAND FOCUS HAVE TO BEDIFFERENT THAN SOMEONEWHO’S COMING IN OFFTHE BENCH. IT’S ABOUTCONFIDENCE—YOU NEED ALIBERO YOU CAN COUNTON TO DIG EVERY SINGLEBALL AND PASS IT DIRECTLYTO THE TARGET.”

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COVER STORY

one position, often the middle blocker,and substitute the libero for the taller,less agile athletes as they go through theback row. “But at Minnesota, we’vedone something very different, which isto substitute our libero for our left sidehitters,” he says, “and I recommend thatother coaches do what we did: Look at the talent on your team, think creatively, and let the varying abilities of your starting players dictate the bestway to use your libero.” (See “SavingSubs,” on page 22.)

Whatever system you create, animportant part of maximizing the liberois explaining your plan to all of yourplayers—especially those who findthemselves playing with a libero for thefirst time. “In the beginning, other peo-ple on the team were asking, ‘Why is shecutting in front of me to take that ball?’”says Hebert. “And I had to sit down withthem and say, ‘Listen, Paula has thegreen light to get every ball. I want herto touch every ball she can, becauseshe’s that good.’ We had to work out the

dynamics of giving our libero the go-ahead every time she sees a chance todig or pass the ball, and the others cameto accept that.

“If Paula weren’t making the plays,then we’d have an issue,” continuesHebert. “But when she cuts in front ofsomebody, or goes into someone else’sterritory for a long ball, she winds upmaking these impossible plays. At thispoint, everyone has adjusted to lettingPaula play her style, and they’re justglad she’s on our team, not somebodyelse’s.”

The Physical GameTraining a libero for the demands of

the position is another new area forcoaches. Some have chosen to not altertheir practices much for the sake of thisplayer, while others are changing theirworkouts quite a bit.

At Pepperdine University, HeadCoach Nina Matthies trains her liberoin all aspects of offense and defense,includes her in the same drills as all herteammates, and uses practice time toemphasize teamwork. “Everybody onour team does everything, including thelibero,” says Matthies. “The whole teamworks together on passing and defense,spending an hour and a half every day,and our libero is right there with them.She needs to have a lot of touches of theball, a lot of footwork drills, armstrength drills, and tons of defense.

“But she also hits, blocks, and serves,especially from January throughAugust,” continues Matthies. “She needsto learn the whole game, and she’ll leavehere a better athlete and a better volley-ball player, not just a specialist.”

At Washington, Luenemann assignsan assistant coach to work one-on-onewith his libero and defensive specialistsduring the 40-minute team drills thatbegin every practice. “While the rest ofthe team is hitting and blocking, ourassistant coach hits balls at the libero,putting her at serve receive and lettingher dig and pass balls, just like she’llhave to do in a game. If we just ran ourhitting drill and said, ‘Go back thereand dig,’ she might only get six contactsin seven minutes. Instead, we’re maxi-mizing the number of contacts that shereceives in practice.”

When the libero and defensive spe-cialists rejoin their teammates, thewarmups benefit the entire team. “SinceN O R T H A M E R I C A

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they’ve worked on their digging, the ral-lies become more intense and invigorat-ing,” says Luenemann. “Because the ballstays alive longer, our practices are bet-ter, our scrimmages are more spirited,and our team keeps getting stronger.”

At Pittsburgh, Beerman has changedthe way he runs team practices quite abit, setting aside time to ensure that thelibero is getting 500 serve receives ateach session. “We have to separate ourlibero to make sure she’s getting enoughtouches,” says Beerman. “We feel we’vegot to maximize the number of reps shegets in practice, because we need tomatch what she sees in a game. So we doa lot of separate coach-on-one drills, andwhenever we’re doing a drill with thewhole team, we make sure she is the pri-mary person handling the ball.”

To keep the libero in top form, Beer-man tries to provide her with opportuni-ties to make hits that are even tougherthan the ones she’ll see in a normalgame. “There’s no better drill than justserving the ball up close, harder thanshe’s ever going to see in a game,” saysBeerman. “She has to keep receivingover and over and over, and you have tomix in different kinds of shots.

“You can’t allow her to be stagnant—you’ve got to make sure she’s continual-ly being pushed as a player,” continuesBeerman. “You have to run a variety ofdigging drills that attack her from all dif-ferent areas. Mix in the off-speed pursuitof the ball, and make sure she’s respon-sible for a large majority of the court.”

Martin improves the libero’s diggingskills by running her drills at closerange. “If we want our libero to reactquickly to a ball, instead of hitting theball from, say, 20 feet away, we’ll hit theball from 10 feet away,” says Martin. “Inorder to give her an additional fractionof a second to respond in a game situa-tion, we want to shorten the time spanin practice between the moment theball is hit and the moment she needs toreact. By increasing the pressure, we’reimproving her reaction time.”

At Juniata, Bock keeps his liberofocused in practice by approximatinggame situations, keeping the drills com-petitive, and concentrating all her timeon digging and passing. “We want totrain our libero with as many high-qual-ity, competitive reps as possible,” saysBock. “We want her to feel like she’s inthe middle of play, with a blocker in

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

The Mental SideAt the same time, coaches are realiz-

ing the importance of working on theirlibero’s mental preparation. “We have adrill where our libero is taking the sec-

ond ball and has to decide to set, bump,or hit, depending on whether she’s infront of the 10-foot line or behind the10-foot line,” says Martin. “She has tothink about what her options are, makeher decision, and react quickly. Andlike almost every other skill in our sport,repetition is a huge part of the learningprocess.”

At Washington, some of the mostimportant preparation Luenemann cangive his libero is to train her mind. “Weteach our libero the nuances of readingthe court,” says Luenemann. “We teachher eye-sequencing, so she knows whatshe needs to watch when the ball is in theair and when the attacker is coming.”

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

confidence. Martin does this in two ways.“First, we ask her to relentlessly pursueevery ball that comes her way, and tobelieve she can dig it,” says Martin. “Weput her in practice situations wherewe’re hitting balls that are almost impos-sible for her to get, but our expectationis that she will get every one of them, andthat becomes her expectation, too.

“Second, we are always positive whenshe makes a mistake,” continues Martin.“The whole idea of the game is for oneteam to cause the other to make anerror. Mistakes are going to be made,and as a coach, the more positive youcan be with your players when theymake an error, the more positivethey’re going to be with themselves.”

Bock says mistakes made in practicecan often be positive—as long as hislibero errs on the side of beingassertive, continually pushing herselfbeyond her limits. “To work on themental side of the libero’s game, it’simportant to stay really positive,” hesays. “As a coach, you have to talk aboutsuccesses, not failures. If she’s reallygoing to be your dominant player, the

COVER STORY

COACHIING MANAGEMENT 25

When there’s one playeron the court whoseuniform is differentfrom everyone else’s,it’s easy to see how

fans might get confused. ValparaisoUniversity rectified that problemby providing its fans with answers,while Juniata Col-lege took the oppo-site approach, usinga special jersey toprovoke even morequestions.

“Before every matchwe played duringthe first year withthe rule, we had ourannouncer explainthe position,” saysValparaiso HeadCoach Carin Avery.“It may take peopleanother year or twoto really understand it, so ourmedia relations department has

P R O M O T I N G T H E P O S I T I O Nput a note in our program, and it’sreally helped.”

“We bought the neatest jersey wecould find for our libero, just tomake sure people kept talkingabout the position,” says JuniataHead Coach Larry Bock. “It wasn’t

just a differentcolor—we bought atiger-striped jerseythat stood apartfrom both our homeand away uniforms.It is really bright,with lots of colorsand patterns, and ithas brought in lotsof questions: Whois that person?What does she do?

“And with everyquestion,” continuesBock, “we had

another chance to talk to our fansabout the game and our team.”

Juniata libero Johanna Holtan

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

At Washington, Luenemann keepslibero Nicole Hodgman positive byemphasizing her strengths. “Nicole iseasily one of the toughest athletes wehave, a 5’1” libero who plays like she’s7’4” tall,” he says. “We talk a lot about theconfidence we have in her. For example,if she shanks a ball, we’ll say, ‘Blow it off.You know you’ll hit the next 20 ballsright on top of the setter’s head.’ We

coach all of our players from a positiveviewpoint of ‘You’re a great player, andyou’ll be successful if you just work hardand continue to improve.’”

“When things go wrong, the liberoneeds to be the one who picks the teamback up,” says Avery. “So if she’s havinga bad day, she can’t afford to dwell onthe mistakes. She needs to be toughenough to lead the team and changethe tempo.”

To foster leadership skills, Averyinvolves her libero in decision-making

both on and off the court. “I like tomeet with my team leaders once ortwice a week to evaluate our program,”says Avery. “As our defensive captain,our libero is included in all our meet-ings. But I ask her to think even moreabout the game, about where our teamneeds to go, and where we need to gettougher in practice.”

To support her in that role, Averymeets with libero Sara Silcox every dayduring the season. One-on-one, Averygives Silcox feedback on her game, pos-

ing questions about strategy andencouraging her to think of solutions.Then, during practice sessions, Averydemonstrates her support in front ofthe whole team, continually underlin-ing Silcox’s role as a leader.

“I want the team to see her as thecoach on the floor,” says Avery. “Sowhen we’re in the middle of a servereceive drill, I’ll ask her, ‘What do weneed to do defensively? Where do weneed to shift?’ I expect her to look atthe situation, think about the answer,and tell us what to change.

“The libero is the heart and soul ofyour team, and what we’ve learned isthat she can change the game in a sec-ond,” Avery continues. “When she’s dig-ging every ball that comes near her andgetting the team fired up, she can total-ly shift the tempo of the match. If youlook at the top teams in the country,you’ll see liberos who can change thewhole game around, not only physicallybut emotionally.” ■


COVER STORY

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“I WANT THE TEAM TO SEEHER AS THE COACH ONTHE FLOOR SO WHENWE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OFA SERVE RECEIVE DRILL,I’LL ASK HER, ‘WHAT DOWE NEED TO DO DEFEN-SIVELY? WHERE DO WENEED TO SHIFT?’ I EXPECTHER TO LOOK AT THE SIT-UATION, THINK ABOUTTHE ANSWER, AND TELLUS WHAT TO CHANGE.”

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uring a lull at one ofyour games, you may

occasionally look up and seeme, the athletic director, in the stands.And you may wonder, what exactly is hewatching? What exactly does he do,besides making sure the officials get paid?

I am the consummate “behind-the-scenes” guy, and like most athletic direc-tors, I enjoy that role. I perform a widevariety of tasks, from checking athletes’eligibility forms to writing up coachingevaluations to answering phone callsfrom parents. No two days are alike forme, except in the fact that every day isextremely busy.

Although much of my day is spentbehind my desk, the goal

behind everything I dois helping all mycoaches perform theirjobs better. That’sreally why I’m here.

When a coach doessomething wrong, my job is stress-ful. When a coach does some-thing right, my job is the best in

the world.But I can only help

coaches avoid the mistakesand develop into better

OFF THE COURT

coaches when theypartner with me—when they under-stand my job andmy role. In thisarticle, I’d liketo share sometips on how todevelop ap a r t n e r -ship withyour athleticdirector andhow to makethat relation-ship workto yourbenefit.

ExpectationsThe first thing you need to know

about your athletic director is his or herexpectations. Obviously, if you’re a veter-an coach at an NCAA Division I univer-sity these are going to be very differentthan if you are a first-year coach at asmall high school. But as a generalguideline, I’d like to share what I expectfrom my coaches.

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

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


DBY DR. DAVID HOCH

No matter your communications system, your athletic directoris a person you want to hook up with. Here’s how topartner with this busy, behind-the-scenes boss.

Good Connections

ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRIS MURPHY

people’s lives, your actions and choicesin all situations must be at the top of theethical score chart. I expect my coachesto have integrity, be dependable, pos-sess emotional control, and have com-passion. I also expect them to set highstandards and be consistent and fair. Atall times, I need them to exhibit thecharacteristics we are proud to see inour student-athletes.

Educational Environment: Athletics issuccessful only when it has educationalvalue. Winning is secondary. I expect mycoaches to focus on helping young peo-ple mature into adults—to help our stu-dent-athletes contribute to team goals,

learn to work hard, persevere, and expe-rience life-long lessons through their ath-letic participation.

I also expect my coaches to remainpositive. Not that a coach can’t ever yell,but I really believe that positive, encour-aging coaches are best for our kids.Heck, even adults react better to thisapproach than they do to criticism.

Sportsmanship: Quite often, coachesare totally unaware of the impact theyhave on the behavior of their playersand fans at a game. Yelling at officialsgives license to the players and fans todo the same.

If there is a need to question a call, Iexpect our coaches to do it in a com-posed, professional manner. A coachshould always extend respect and cour-

tesy not only to officials, but also to theopposing team. He or she should teachstudent-athletes the nuances of goodsportsmanship and praise it at every turn.

Adherence to Policies: What manycoaches don’t understand is that admin-istrative chores are a part of their coach-ing responsibilities. When they don’tfollow through on gathering each ath-lete’s parental permission, medical, andinformed consent forms, there can beramifications. First off, it forces me tospend my time chasing down theseforms—giving me less time to communi-cate with my coaches. Second, late formscan mean the suspension of practice ses-

sions, fines, or even disqualifications andforfeits for the school.

Another important policy to follow isattending rules interpretation meetings.Athletic directors get a list of any coach-es who have missed these meetings, andbelieve me, we pay attention to whodoesn’t show up.

Coaches who don’t follow directions,turn in forms late or complete themincorrectly, or don’t follow a policy of ourdepartment are my biggest headache. Ifyou want your athletic director to supportand respect you, pay attention to youradministrative duties.

Professional Growth: It is a giventhat you know the basic techniques andstrategies involved in your sport. But Iexpect my coaches to add to these basics

every year by taking charge of their ownprofessional development.

First, they have to understand andbuy into the premise that learning is alife-long pursuit. It doesn’t matter howmany years of experience you have—there is always something else you canlearn. I attended at least one clinic ineach of my 24 years of coaching, andalways came away with a new idea or a dif-ferent way of teaching something. Nowthat I am an administrator, even thoughI have a doctorate in sports managementand many years of experience, I am stillattending seminars, taking courses, andreading professional publications in ath-letic administration. Our programs andathletes deserve that much.

What can you do besides attend clin-ics and seminars? I encourage ourcoaches to take the NFHS CoachingPrinciples Course (and consider goingon to complete the NFHS Bronze Levelnational certification program), work atsummer camps, read professionalcoaching publications or books, watchcoaching videos, and attend collegeteams’ practice sessions.

Enthusiasm: While it is essential forsports that are struggling to attract par-ticipants, I like “Pied-piper” individualsfor even the most popular teams. This isa coach who is not only positive, but alsoexudes enthusiasm and energy—some-one young people are attracted to. Thisshould not imply, however, that theydon’t run a tight ship or don’t employdiscipline.

Naturally, like all coaches, you alsowant to win. I want our teams to win, too.But, my directive is to make sure thateducational objectives are being met inthe athletic program. That is my jobdescription and that is my priority. Thatis what I’m watching for. However, if youexcel in the above six areas, I can assureyou, winning will take care of itself.

Beyond these basics, ask your ownathletic director what other expectationshe or she has. At some schools, your ath-letic director might want you to getinvolved with local youth programs inyour sport. At others, he or she mightwant you to help your athletes get collegescholarships, start an off-season condi-tioning program, fund-raise, or run asummer camp. If you don’t know, ask.

Sometimes, an athletic directorassumes you know the expectations ofyour school, but if you’re new, you can’t

OFF THE COURT


This article assumes that your athleticdirector is a professional, dedicated,hard-working leader. But what if yourathletic director is not a good super-visor? Then how do you get whatyou need?

Above all, step carefully. It is important tounderstand that this poorly functioningathletic director is still your boss and youneed to be careful about circumventingthe chain of command. In other words,do not use parents or athletes as a wedgeto enact change. These techniques couldtotally backfire and you could be brandedas a malcontent or a troublemaker.

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

requests, inventories, and tournamententries, and use e-mail or take notes onyour communication with your athleticdirector. This ensures that you have proofof your professionalism and also allows youto document those times when your athleticdirector has not followed through.

At all times, it is still best to maintain apositive, loyal front with respect to yourathletic director and continue to be cour-teous and respectful. You might need torepeatedly ask the athletic director if heor she has remembered to turn in thattournament eligibility form, but do itpolitely. You might even ask the athleticdirector if there’s a way you can help himor her. Remember, you will always bejudged by your actions, even in difficultsituations.

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know its history and culture. Askingyour athletic director what is at the topof his or her list of athletic departmentgoals can help start your partnership onthe right foot.

CommunicationThe question a new athletic director

most frequently poses to a veteran one is,“Do you ever see your family?” This isimportant for you to know because whileI’ve suggested you start a dialogue withyour athletic director on expectations,you also need to know that he or shedoesn’t have an hour to discuss the topic.He or she probably doesn’t even have ahalf-hour to do so. But a 15-minute con-versation is doable, respected, andappreciated.

Therefore, a key part of partneringwith your athletic director is knowinghow to communicate with him or her.Here are some tips:

■ If you want to talk for more than acouple of minutes, try to set up anappointment instead of just popping infor a visit. That way, your athletic direc-tor can arrange to meet at a time thatwill be free of other obligations. Ofcourse, if it is an emergency, come on in.

■ If you know there have been otherproblems that the athletic director ishandling, hold off on scheduling yourmeeting. Timing really is everything.With another problem looming, yourathletic director may not be able to giveyou the attention that you deserve.

■ Get a feel for when your athleticdirector’s down times are. Some mayprefer early mornings, before the firstbell rings, and others may like early

afternoons, right before practices start.Get to know your athletic director’s talk-ing times.

■ Use e-mail. This advice is not univer-sal, but for me, e-mail is by far the mostefficient, expedient form of communica-tion. Regardless of when something hap-pens, your message will be there waitingfor me in the morning. It is, therefore,especially important that the coach fill inan accurate subject line that, when cou-pled with the sender’s name, leads me towhich messages I deal with first in themorning. An e-mail also allows me to eas-ily save or forward your message.

Communicating well with your ath-letic director also means knowing whatto discuss and what not to discuss. Idon’t need to know how every practiceis going or what your next game plan is.But I do want to know if a problem hasarisen, or if you sense one is looming. Ialso love to hear about your successes.

The number one rule is: Alwaysinform your athletic director immedi-ately if there has been an injury at apractice session or game. Tell me thename of the athlete, the injury, how ithappened, how it was handled, and ifthe parent has been notified. No onelikes to be caught off guard when thatphone rings with, “What happened tomy daughter?”

It is important to let me know aboutany potential problems. If a parent voic-es even a small complaint, if you thinkupperclass athletes may not be welcom-ing newcomers, if any type of hazardoussituation has arisen, if the athletes seemto be disrespecting your approach—Ineed to know. Coaches sometimes don’t

want to tell their athletic directors thatsomething may not be going right forfear of seeming incompetent. However,my job is to help you through problemsituations. If you tell me before it getsbig, I can help you find solutions thatcomplement your coaching style. But ifyou don’t tell me about the problem andit gets bigger, then I may have to step inand resolve the situation my way.

Even if you know the solution youwant to use, relay your thoughts to me.Maybe there’s a way I can reinforce whatyou’re trying to do.

Of course, tell me any problems thatare my responsibility, too. If the bus dri-ver gets you to a game late, let me knowthe first time this happens—don’t waitfor the second or third time.

And because I mainly deal with fix-ing problems, I truly appreciate any andall good news. Brighten my day by talk-ing about one of our students’ displayof sportsmanship, your team’s masteryof a complicated play, or a teachablemoment that happened at your day’spractice.

What do I not want to communicateabout? Criticism and complaints arewhat I can do without. Suggestions andnew solutions are wonderful, but com-plaining about something that we’vealready discussed or simply can’t bechanged is tiresome and does little toenhance a coach’s value to the athleticdepartment.

The BenefitsYou might wonder, “Why is it so

important to keep my athletic directorin the loop? I can handle my own team.

OFF THE COURT

If you’re a conscientious coach, good things arehappening in your program every day. Why not letyour athletic director know about them? This canwork wonders for furthering your partnership.

Here are some ways to let your athletic director know you’redoing a good job—which are not time consuming for you oryour athletic director:

■ Forward or copy any congratulatory and thank you notesthat you receive. You can simply write a little note on thetop, “Thought you might be interested.”

■ Tell your athletic director about the clinics you have attendedand your other professional development activities.

SHOW YOUR STRENGTHS ■ Invite your athletic director to visit practice whenyou’re discussing team goals or when your ath-letes want to show off something they’ve justmastered.

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

■ Complete a self-evaluation at the conclusion ofyour season. Talk about some of the goals youaccomplished that your athletic director may notbe aware of.

Let your athletic director hear about all of the good,positive things that you are doing with your program! You will be surprised at what good, positive resourcesyou receive in return.


How will it help me?” There arethree ways that developing a partner-ship can benefit you as a coach.

First, it puts you on my radar. I tryto be in tune with everyone in myprogram, but to be honest, thosecoaches who communicate with meeffectively are the ones I think of firstwhen a new opportunity arises.

Being on my radar helps whenyou have a request. If you’ve alreadycommunicated that you’re workingextremely hard to upgrade your pro-gram, I will pay more attention toyour request for additionalresources.

Being in tune with what I’m doingcan also help you promote your pro-gram. For example, at my formerschool, I put out a weekly depart-ment update. I already knew theopponents, the final scores, the lead-ing scorers, and other standarddetails. However, coaches who wereon the ball would also e-mail mesome quotes or comments about thegame. Then, their team would get a

longer write-up and more prominentplacement in the weekly update.

Communicating with your athleticdirector also gives you an on-handmentor. Most of us are athletic directorsbecause we were successful coaches,and just because we didn’t coach yoursport doesn’t mean we can’t help.Unless a coach is compromising thehealth and safety of our student-ath-letes, I seldom will offer unsolicitedadvice about coaching. However, ifasked, I am happy to open up my 24-year book of coaching experience andtake the time to help. I’m also avail-able to help with ideas for dealingwith parents, planning practice ses-sions, helping college-bound athleteswith recruiting, and numerous otherthings.

My primary responsibility as an ath-letic director is to serve as the coach ofcoaches. Just as athletes need directionand mentoring by coaches, so do mostcoaches need help from an experi-enced athletic director. I’m very glad tohelp, if you only ask. ■

OFF THE COURT

What do I wish that I had known whenI was a coach that I now know as anathletic director? Hundreds of things,but you can’t rush or inject experience.Sometimes you just have to learnthings yourself and this takes time.

However, if I could condense this process,I wish that I'd known:

■ Coaches have great influence upon thesportsmanship that a team and even thefans exhibit. Athletes and fans do indeedfollow a coach’s lead.

■ A positive, encouraging approach withyour athletes will get the best results. Fearand intimidation may provide short-termresults, but will not work in the long run.

■ It is vital to make and spend time with yourfamily. Fortunately, mine still loves me, but Imissed a great deal while I was coachingother parents’ children.

NOW I KNOW

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Request No. 20

f you’ve coached volleyballfor any period of time,you’ve witnessed it. A strong,healthy player goes up for apowerful spike one minute,and the next minute she’s

on the ground clutching herknee. The dreaded ACL injurystrikes again.

It’s no secret to today’s coaches thatfemale athletes tear their anterior cru-ciate ligaments more often than males,and that volleyball is one of the sportswith a high incidence of these injuries.The good news, however, is that raisedawareness to the issue has increasedattention to prevention tactics. Fromsmall studies to large-scale NCAA-fund-ed research, clear guidelines areemerging on how to prevent thesecrushing injuries.

I’ve reviewed the studies from thelast few years and offer here some sug-gestions on developing ACL-injury-pre-vention programs for your teams. I alsoprovide a warmup protocol that incor-porates many of the most effective pre-vention exercises.


INJURY PREVENTION

Vern Gambetta, MA, is the President ofGambetta Sports Training Systems in Sarasota,Fla., and the former Director of Conditioningfor the Chicago White Sox. He is a frequentcontributor to Coaching Management and canbe reached at www.gambetta.com.

IAn ACL Defense

BY VERN GAMBETTA

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

AP/

WID

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OR

LD P

HO

TOS

Studying the StudiesThere are many theories why women

suffer more ACL injuries than men.These include:

■ Femoral-notch width differences■ Size of the ACL■ Vulnerability during a certain phase

of the menstrual cycle■ Greater joint laxity■ Landing mechanics■ Quad dominance■ Inability to recruit the hamstrings■ Wider pelvis■ Larger “Q” angle■ Greater hip varus■ Knee valgus and foot pronation■ Bracing and footwearMany of these factors cannot be

changed. But some can be mitigatedthrough training: strength, balance,proprioception, power, agility, andsport-specific fitness.

There is no question that the knee isvulnerable regardless of gen-der. It is not designed for someof the movements we ask fromit on a consistent basis. Butinstead of focusing on theknee alone, we need to addressthe entire kinetic chain to bet-ter reduce force on the joint.

An important but oftenignored fact is that 70 percent ofknee injuries, regardless of gen-der, are non-contact. The typi-cal mechanisms of these non-contact injuries are plantingand cutting, straight-knee land-ing (no flexion on landing),hard one-step stops with theknee hyperextended, pivoting,and rapid deceleration. Theseare all movements inherent insports that often occur withhigh force and at high speed.They usually happen too quick-ly for the athlete to think aboutthem. But these movements canbe trained to be more efficientas part of a comprehensive pre-vention program.

There are two commonthreads in recent studies onACL protection: the need toimprove balance, propriocep-tion, and the mechanics ofmovement, and that plyomet-rics and strength training areeffective preventatives. In sim-pler terms, these studies show

that almost anything that strengthensthe muscles around the knee and develops proprioception significantlyreduces the incidence of ACL injury.The logical conclusion is that with morefocused, longer-term, sophisticatedintervention, the possibility of preven-tion and performance improvementshould be even greater.

Making It SpecificWhile it is clear that lowering the inci-

dence of ACL injuries is possible, whatmay not be clear is how to take the pro-tocols and adapt them to your specificteams. Depending on the level of play,time factors, and the athletes, you’ll wantto alter the program accordingly.

Let’s start by examining time factors,since this is the top concern of manycoaches. The studies clearly show that asignificant time commitment is a key factor in any ACL-injury-prevention

program. Twenty minutes two or threetimes a week is not enough. Some formof training needs to occur five days aweek. However, most volleyball coachesare not willing to give up a half hour ofevery practice strictly for injury preven-tion. Therefore, I suggest breaking downthe training components into modulesthat can be completed at other times.

These modules should be designedto fit within a time frame compatiblewith the other components of trainingthe athlete must accomplish. The mostlogical place to begin is in warmup,because the warmup is a necessary com-ponent of every training session. Othersmight be incorporated into drills doneduring the heart of practice. The ath-lete can also be given some of the moresimple modules for “homework.”

After examining all the time factors,take a look at your individual athletes.What do they do on non-training days?

INJURY PREVENTION


MINI-BAND ROUTINE Side step x 20Forward walk x 20Carioca x 20Monster walk x 20

BALANCE Single-leg squat■ Sagittal■ Frontal■ Transverse

Balance Shift ■ Step to the side■ Step forward■ Step back

Note: do one rep at eachposition, hold 10 seconds.

CRAWLSJackknife x 5Creepy crawl x 5

COMBINATION LUNGES & REACHES Lunge A■ Lunge forward and reach up ■ Lunge to the side and

reach up ■ Rotational lunge and reach

up

Lunge B■ Lunge forward and reach out ■ Lunge to the side and

reach out ■ Rotational lunge and reach out

Lunge C■ Lunge forward and reach

across ■ Lunge to the side and reach

across■ Rotational lunge and reach

across

Note: Reaches should be bothto the right and the left. Dotwo reps with each leg in eachplane. Combinations of A, B,and C should be varied fromday to day.

COORDINATIONSkip Crossover skip Side step Carioca (low and long)Carioca (short and quick)Backward runHigh-knee skipHigh-knee skip w/rotation

Note: Do three reps of eachexercise the length of the court.

PLYOMETRIC PROGRAMJump in place (over line)■ Forward/back x 10■ Side to side x 10■ Rotational x 10 each side

Hop in place (over line)■ Forward/back x 10■ Side to side x 10■ Rotational x 10 each side

Multidirectional jump■ Forward/forward/side/side/

opposite side/side/back/back x 2

Restart jump■ Forward/forward/back x 3 ■ Side/side/back x 3 ■ Opposite side/side/back x 3

Rotational jump■ Land facing 180 degrees

opposite from start x 10 each side

Restart hop■ Forward/forward/back x 3 ■ Side/side/back x 3■ Opposite side/side/back x 3

Rotational boundOff one foot onto oppositefoot x 10 each side

A L O O K A T L E P P PThe following details the portion of the “Lower Extremity Prevention & Performance Program”™ thatI designed to be used as a warmup before practice. It can vary from 15 to 20 minutes in length.

INJURY PREVENTION


How active are they? What was theirprior activity level and movement back-ground before they started the sport?Athletes who have grown up playingyouth sports and spend weekends play-ing pick-up games (in any sport) withfamily and friends will have an advan-tage over those whose exposure to sportcomes only through the team’s gamesand practices.

Also look at how they condition fortheir sport. Are they conditioning byjogging and doing slow aerobic workthat detracts from explosiveness? Thispredisposes the athlete to injury bymaking her less reactive to the ground.

Injury history is also a key factor. Ifan athlete has a history of lower-extrem-ity sprains and joint laxity, start with amore remedial program. In this case,initial stages should look more like arehab program.

Another factor I’ve been looking atrecently is style of play. Although I’veseen no studies on this, anecdotal evi-dence suggests that athletes who playout of control are more likely to injuretheir ACLs. You may want to thinkabout the difference between an athletewho hustles and an athlete who playswithout regard to proper body position-ing and mechanics.

Putting It All TogetherAs mentioned earlier, all of the suc-

cessful prevention programs share a fewkey components: mechanics of move-ment, proprioception, plyometrics, andstrength training. They can be translat-ed into the following five modules:

■ strength/power, including basicstrength, core strength, elastic/reactivestrength (plyometrics)

■ balance/proprioception■ agility, including body awareness,

footwork, and change of direction■ dynamic flexibility■ sport-specific conditioning.Here’s how I combine these modules

and fit them into different parts of theyear and different sections of practice:

Off-season: One hour, three to fourtimes a week, with an emphasis onstrength training and balance/proprio-ception work at first, followed by agradual shift to include agility and plyo-metric training.

Preseason: Every day before practice,15 to 20 minutes of work as a warmupthat includes balance/proprioception,

agility, and plyometric training. Afterpractice, 20 to 30 minutes of strengthtraining three times a week.

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

In the sidebar titled “A Look atLEPPP” (on page 34), a full program isdetailed. It can be used for any level ofplay. Here are some additional tips fordesigning your own program:

■ Use minimal equipment to avoidequipment becoming a limiting factor.

■ Drills should be easy to teach andeasy to monitor.

■ Training must be progressive andvaried.

■ Teach landing and stopping mechan-ics before plyometric and agility training

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(see “Quiet Landings” at left). ■ Part of your strength training should

focus on force reduction work, whichcan be accomplished through a heavydose of strength training that emphasizesfast eccentric muscle action performedin postures and positions similar to sportmovements.

■ Remember that training is cumula-tive. It is not any one workout or com-ponent that will ensure success butrather the sum of all workouts and theinteraction of all components.

One last tip is on communication.Just as important as developing yourprogram is educating those who willbe putting their trust in the program:the athletes themselves. If you canteach the “why,” the “how” of thewhole program will be meaningful.And since compliance with the pro-gram is vital, this final point may bethe most important. ■

A version of this article appeared inCoaching Management’s sister publica-tion, Training & Conditioning.


INJURY PREVENTION

Q U I E T L A N D I N G S

Teaching landing and stoppingmechanics is a very importantcomponent of ACL-injury pre-vention. Mastery of these

mechanics should precede actual plyo-metric and agility training.

Landings should be on a “full foot.” Ibelieve it is incorrect to teach landingon the ball of the foot, or the oppositeextreme, flat-footed landing. The landingshould occur with the weight distributedalong the midfoot to take advantageof the elasticity of the muscles and liga-ments, which absorb shock.

The most effective way to teach correctfoot strike is to practice landing barefooton a forgiving surface. Start simple—juststep and hold. Cueing is important toimprove these movements, becausewords create images and images create

action. My verbal cue is a “quiet land-ing.” A “soft landing,” implies mushy,compliant action, whereas "quiet land-ing" connotes a landing that has somestructural integrity.

Provide task-oriented cues orinstructions that elicit the action you arelooking for. For example, if you wantathletes to take a longer step, providea target on the ground they have to hitthat forces them to take longer steps.

The best way to teach good landingand stopping mechanics is with a simplebalance progression. Start with staticbalance movements, progress to dy-namic balance, and finally to ballisticbalance activities. All these movementsemphasize bending the ankle, knee,and hip to spread force over threejoints rather than one.

Team uniforms, camp shirts, shoes, equipment,training aids, protective gear, coaching needs,

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Request No. 22 Request No. 23

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Volleyball Court


AIRBORNE ATHLETICS, INC.888-887-7453WWW.NETWORKSVOLLEYBALL.COM

Manage your players and your space withNetworKs. NetworKs catches and collectsvolleyballs so you don’t waste valuable

training time gather-ing volleyballs! Thefront net is 10’ wideand adjustable froma height of 6’ to 9’for all age and skilllevels from beginnersto the USAV. Practicehitting, serving, set-ting or passing intoNetworKs. Use during

the season for an extra training station orfor off-season training.

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AirCAT™ TEAM: Improve your spiking,setting, passing and digging skills! AirCAT,from Airborne Athletics, delivers volleyballs

consistently and canbe adjusted to delivera full range from softsets, shoots, passes,serves to powerfulspikes! Perfect for allvolleyball programs—youth to adult!Features include a10-ball automatic ballfeeder, remote con-trol or timer

operation, adjustable speed and trajecto-ry. The patented Consistent Air Technology(CAT) provides consistent ball placement,but doesn’t wear out your volleyballs!AirCAT is the only volleyball trainingsystem approved and endorsed by theUSAV! www.aircatvolleyball.com

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AMERICAN ATHLETIC, INC.800-247-3978WWW.AMERICANATHLETIC.COM

Founded in 1954, AAI manufactures top-quality volleyball equipment forcompetitive, recreational and physical edu-cation use. AAI’s equipment is recognizedby players and coaches alike for its sturdyand resilient design, especially when com-pared to others. AAI’s volleyball productline includes systems, uprights, refereestands, pads, nets, training equipment andaccessories. AAI volleyball systems are

used exten-sively formajornationaland interna-tionalevents. AAIis theOfficial NetSystem

Supplier to the USA Volleyball organization. Circle No. 37

AAI volleyball systems are easy to set up,adjust and transport. Uprights areconstructed of lightweight aluminum or

heavy-duty steel andare compatible withmost floor plates.AAI systems featurethe unique powdercoat paint, whichresists chipping andfading. A completevolleyball system fora single courtincludes two

uprights, protective end pads, net andantennae packages. Custom colors areavailable on referee platforms and pads.

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BISON, INC.800-247-7668WWW.BISONINC.COM

Customize your court with volleyball postpadding that sports your team or schoolname. Bison volleyball post padding meets

all NCAA, National HighSchool Federation andUSVBA rules. Padding andlettering is available for sta-tionary and portablestandards. High density, 11/2" thick foam protectsyour players to a 6' height.Padding for stationary stan-dards is available in 12school colors. While designed

to fit Bison volleyball standards, thisstationary standards padding will also covermost other manufacturers' in-floor volleyballsystems. Bison padding can be customizedwith up to 10 bright white, block style let-ters. The UV protected ink will keep thelook crisp and bright for years and promis-es a way to promote your name that’s con-siderably more durable than vinyl stick-ons.

Circle No. 39

Bison's 3" aluminum and steel CenterlineElite volleyball systems provide bowstringtight net tensioning with a 26:1 worm gear

winch and 2" ten-sioning strap toeliminatebacklash.Aluminum andsteel standardsystems bothinclude a lifetimelimited warrantyon standards andwinch. For a limit-

ed time, any complete Centerline systempurchase includes free custom paddinglettering, net height chain gauge, net stor-age bag and custom floor socketadapters. Bison is the exclusive OfficialSupplier of volleyball equipment for theNational High School Federation.

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JAYPRO SPORTS800-243-0533, WWW.JAYPRO.COM

Jaypro's new VRS-3000 Referee Standfeatures a sturdy,two-leg design and ablue, powder coatedfinish. The clamp-on1-5/16” steel tubingframe mounts tomost standards.Platform paddingadds extra comfortfor referees. Optionalpadding is available.

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Jaypro's new 3” steel volleyball system(PVB-3000) combines steel's strength(bottom section) with aluminum's light

weight (top section)in classic style.With the FlexNet,tension is putdirectly on the netheadband; no extracables, straps, ortie-offs are needed.Pin stop heightadjustments rangefrom 6' 6" to 8' 2".

Three-inch diameter uprights fit most exist-ing floor sleeves.

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

Volleyball Court


JV PRO, INC.800-962-2440WWW.JVPRO.COM

JV Pro, Inc. offers custom madefreestanding and convertible bleachermount scoring tables. Standard options

include anLED posses-sion arrowwith bonusindicators, illu-minated shat-

terproof lexan panels, and heavy dutysoft rubber casters for easy movement.The tables fold down to 16 inches foreasy storage. JV Pro offers heavy dutycourtside chairs with your logo/mascotin school colors to complement yourscoring table. They offer the perfectimage for your sports program.

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PORTER ATHLETIC EQUIPMENTCOMPANY

800-947-6783WWW.PORTER-ATH.COM

A breakthrough design for volleyballequipment, Porter's Powr-Net® System

attachesoverheadand iselectroni-cally pow-ered. Thissystem is

ideal for facilities requiring instant andfrequent court setup. The entire system,including net, judge's stand, andpadding, quickly folds to the overheadstorage position with the simple turn ofa key. Call for installation locationsacross the country.

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The Powr-Line® Professional VolleyballSystem, from Porter Athletic Equipment,

is designed to accommodate competitivevolleyball at all levels. It meets thedemands of championship play with max-

imum safety,quick set-up, andeasy storage.Porter's Powr-Linehigh-strength light-weight aluminumvolleyball systemallows micro-adjustability onnet settings.Porter's Powr-

Winch’s self-adjusting, net-tensioningmechanism is sensibly designed to pro-vide the utmost in a durable, yet safeand simple net-attachment system. Fits3", 3-1/2", or 4" diameter floor sleevesto accommodate new or existingfacilities.

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SCHELDE NORTH AMERICA888-724-3533WWW.SCHELDESPORTS.COM

Introducing the new Collegiate 4000Series, the next generation in telescopicand slide rail type volleyball systemsfrom Schelde North America. Made ofhigh-tensile-strength, lightweight

Duraluminum, theCollegiate 4000Series system sets upquickly and easily—byone person in five min-utes or less. A new,winch mechanismoffers greater rangeand smooth action foreasy net tensioning.Net heights adjust

easily and securely, thanks to Schelde’sexclusive lever lock. Simply release thelever, adjust the net height, and pushthe lever down to lock it in place.

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If you own an older Schelde CollegiateVolleyball System, you can now enjoy theadvantages of a new Collegiate 4000

System—with a sim-ple, inexpensiveupgrade kit you caneasily install in a fewminutes. Simplyremove the endcaps, slide off theold Unirail assemblyfrom your existingposts, slide on thenew state-of-the-artCollegiate 4000

assembly, and your system is nowupdated to the latest technology.

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SPORTS TUTOR800-448-8867WWW.SPORTSTUTORINC.COM

Both of the Gold and Silver ModelVolleyball Tutors, from Sports Tutor, canvary both ball trajectory and speed toproduce any desired set or pass, and

can also deliverserves at speedsup to 60 mph.The Gold Modelcan automaticallythrow sixvolleyballs atintervals rangingfrom 5 to 20 sec-onds. It iscompletelyportable, and is

available with either AC or battery power.The Silver Model has a release point 5-1/2’ high, and features a separate dialto control the amount of topspin orunderspin. Priced from $899.

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Web News

NEW & IMPROVED WEB SITE FROM SPORTS IMPORTSAs the need for immediate information grows, the Sports Imports Web site has grown aswell. Sports Imports has created an online store to make ordering new and replacementitems even easier! All of its new programs and that great SENOH equipment are detailedat: www.sportsimports.com. Please visit the site to see all the changes or to order a cur-rent catalog packet. If you are planning or remodeling a gymnasium the company hastools to help you best design the facility that you need. Visit the Facility Planner sectionof the Web site for more details.www.sportsimports.com


28 . . . . AirCAT (Airborne Athletics). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC

22 . . . . All Volleyball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

17 . . . . American Athletic (AAI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

11 . . . . AVCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

23 . . . . Ballgirl Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

20 . . . . Cramer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

14 . . . . Dynamic Team Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

26 . . . . eFundraising.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

2 . . . . Gatorade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

9 . . . . Jaypro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

19 . . . . JV Pro, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

27 . . . . Mikasa Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC

5 . . . . Moyer Sports U.S.A.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1 . . . . Networks (Airborne Athletic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC

12 . . . . NeuEdge Sportswear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

21 . . . . Portable Volleyball Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

16 . . . . Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

3 . . . . Pro Look Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

24 . . . . Pro Look Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

7 . . . . Saxon Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

15 . . . . Schelde North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

18 . . . . Smart-Hurdle (Train To Play) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

10 . . . . Sports Imports (Attack Machine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

4 . . . . Sports Imports (Senoh Volleyball) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

6 . . . . Sports Tutor (Volleyball Tutor) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

8 . . . . The Volleyball Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

13 . . . . Volleyball ACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

36 . . . . Airborne Athletics (AirCAT TEAM ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

35 . . . . Airborne Athletics (Networks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

50 . . . . All Volleyball, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

37 . . . . American Athletic, Inc. (equipment) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

38 . . . . American Athletic, Inc. (volleyball systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

65 . . . . Ballgirl Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

40 . . . . Bison (Centerline Elite) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

39 . . . . Bison (volleyball post padding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

51 . . . . Cramer (AS1 Ankle Brace) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

52 . . . . Cramer (ProShox) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

86 . . . . Dimensional Software (Pocket Volleyball Ace) . . . . . . . . . . . 48

87 . . . . Dimensional Software (TapRecorder) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

66 . . . . Dynamic Team Sports (Cypress jersey) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

67 . . . . Dynamic Team Sports (Elite Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

63 . . . . eFundraising.com (catalog) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

88 . . . . eFundraising.com (Online Fund-raising). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

68 . . . . errea (SportWise) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

89 . . . . Gatorade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

41 . . . . Jaypro (Referee Stand) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

42 . . . . Jaypro (volleyball system) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

43 . . . . JV Pro, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

81 . . . . McDavid (Body Shirts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

82 . . . . McDavid (Microfiber Shirts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

53 . . . . Mikasa Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

61 . . . . Moyer Sports (catalog) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

71 . . . . Moyer Sports (uniforms) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

73 . . . . NeuEdge (custom-dyed shorts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

ADVERTISER DIRECTORYCIRCLE COMPANY PAGE

NO. NO.

PRODUCT DIRECTORYCIRCLE COMPANY PAGE

NO. NO.

72 . . . . NeuEdge (custom-dyed uniforms) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

83 . . . . Nike (Pro Compression). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

84 . . . . Nike (Pro Vent) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

55 . . . . Portable Volleyball Co. (Block-Aid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

54 . . . . Portable Volleyball Co. (Setter's Eye). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

44 . . . . Porter (Powr-Net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

56 . . . . Power Systems (Balance Disc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

62 . . . . Power Systems (catalog) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

57 . . . . Power Systems (Power Hurdle) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

70 . . . . Pro Look Sports (sportswear). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

69 . . . . Pro Look Sports (uniforms) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

75 . . . . Russell Athletic (Match Point jersey/short) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

74 . . . . Russell Athletic (uniform) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

77 . . . . Saxon Athletic (8506 jersey) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

76 . . . . Saxon Athletic (uniforms). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

46 . . . . Schelde (Collegiate 4000 Series) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

47 . . . . Schelde (upgrade kit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

58 . . . . Sports Imports (Attack Volleyball Machine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

90 . . . . Sports Imports (Brad Underwood) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

59 . . . . Sports Imports (Senoh uprights) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

48 . . . . Sports Tutor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

79 . . . . The Volleyball Market (Custom Team Program) . . . . . . . . . . . 44

78 . . . . The Volleyball Market (Spandex shorts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Ath

leticB

id

.co

m The Most Innovative On-Line Buyer’s Guide

for Athletic Organizations

● View the complete product lines of companies listed.

● View catalog pages or spec sheets from many of the top companies.

● Read a profile of description of select companies.

● Send an e-mail directly to a supplier or make a request to be contacted by a company representative.

● Request catalog and sales literature from companies.

For Quicker Response, RequestInformation

From Advertisers On-Line at

MomentumMedia.com.

Team Equipment

ALL VOLLEYBALL, INC.800-416-4658WWW.ALLVOLLEYBALL.COM

All Volleyball, Inc., serves the specificneeds of volleyball coaches and players.Whatever the need—uniforms, camp

shirts,volleyballs, ballcarts, bags,shoes, warm-ups, novelties,gifts, etc., AllVolleyball's one-

stop volleyball shop concept is a hit withmiddle and high school, college, and clubcoaches across the country. Offering allthe top brands and many private labels,the company can work with any budget,any age group, or any level of competition.All Volleyball provides customizedlettering, numbering, and embroidery ser-vices as well as custom designassistance and pre-designed artwork tochoose from. Contact the company for allyour volleyball needs.

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CRAMER PRODUCTS, INC.913-856-7511WWW.CRAMERSPORTSMED.COM

Cramer's new AS1 Ankle Brace combinesthe support of a heel-lock strapping sys-

tem and superiorvalue versus compara-ble ankle braces. Thebrace is constructedwith a 840 D nylonshell with a soft neo-prene liner for comfortand feel. Non-stretchstraps lock in the heeland spring steel stayson each side of the

brace provide additional support.Circle No. 51

Cramer Products, Inc. offers theProShox™ Custom Mouth Guard.Professional Fit. Maximum Protection.

ProShox’s unique,professional fittingsystem providesthe same fit andprotection fromoral head injuriesas a dentist-designed mouth

guard. The ProShox professional fittingsystem uses a dental tray to ensure prop-

er fit and ultimate comfort. It also worksas a protective carrying case. The mouthguard is constructed out of a Dupontshock-absorbing material that helps pre-vent jaw-related concussions, TMJ disloca-tion and dental trauma.

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MIKASA SPORTS800-854-6927WWW.MIKASASPORTS.COM

Mikasa Sports has partnered with MistyMay. Olympic volleyball star Misty Mayhas signed a five-year contract with

Mikasa Sports. Maywill work with MikasaSports to design, devel-op and market an origi-nal line of Misty Maysignature volleyballsthat will be availablebefore the 2004Olympic Games to beheld in Athens, Greece.May will train for the

next two Olympic Games in 2004 and2008 with Mikasa volleyballs, a ball thathas been used in the Olympic Gamessince the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.

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PORTABLE VOLLEYBALLCOMPANY

720-219-0513WWW.PORTABLEVOLLEYBALL.COM

Finally a training system that givesathletes of all skill levels the chance towork on trajectory, speed, and location.

The Setter’sEye, fromPortableVolleyballCompany,comes with aremovablenet so thatyou can workon trajectory.

The Eye telescopes from 7’6’’ to 12 feethigh and the Eye can be adjusted from 45degrees to 180 degrees. Toshi Yoshidathe Head Coach of the USA Woman’sNational Team came up with the idea totrain and give setter’s the instantfeedback on any particular set andPortable Volleyball is making it available.

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Train your hitters to tool! Train your defen-sive players to play the unexpected balls

that come offthe block orthe unexpect-ed cover.Block-Aid,also fromPortableVolleyballCompany,weighs four

pounds and it rides right along the top ofthe net and it adjusts to any net on themarket! The paddles can be placed onany desired angle and this allows the hit-ters to train against the best block avail-able.

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

The Balance Disc from Power Systems isa functional air filled cushion that can beincorporated into workouts for enhanced

balance and coretraining. Build corestrength by usingone or two cushionsfor push-ups,lunges, squats orincorporate into set-ting or passingdrills. Enhance bal-ance techniques bydoing sitting, stand-

ing and lying exercises. Made of pliable,durable PVC. Contact the company formore information on other products andprograms.

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The Power Hurdle from Power Systems willenhance your volleyball plyometric andjump training program. The hurdle is

adjustablefrom 12inches to 42inches toaccommo-date anytraininglevel. Rigidhigh-impact

plastic cross board will not splinter and ismarked for each height adjustment.Unique design allows the hurdle to collapsewhen hit, for safety. Contact the companyfor more information on this or any otherPower Systems products and programs.

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Team Equipment

Catalog Showcase


SPORTS IMPORTS800-556-3198WWW.SPORTSIMPORTS.COM

The Attack Volleyball Machine, fromSports Attack and distributed by Sports

Imports, challenges profes-sional men's and women'svolleyball programs. Ballspeeds are up to 70 mphwith accuracy and repeata-bility assured in every drill.The throwing-head releasepoints adjust from 5' to9'6", from setting to men'sover-the-net serving andspiking heights. Horizontaland vertical throwing-headmovement allows the

coach to instantly target any point on thecourt, simulating real game situations.

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If your volleyball net system is falling apart,missing parts, or having difficulty maintain-

ing accurate net height, it's time to contactSports Imports, your source for Senoh.Senoh uprights adapt to all competitors’

floorsleeves, soyou canhave Senohequipmentwithout rip-ping outyour old

sleeves. Sports Imports, the exclusive dis-tributor of Senoh systems, offers incrediblecustomer support, customized solutions,new build/court design services and anunmatched equipment warranty.

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TRAIN TO PLAY608-824-0068WWW.TRAINTOPLAY.COM

Train To Play has introduced the SMART-CART TRAINING SYSTEM. The SMART-CART TRAINING SYSTEM includes six

medicine balls, six jump ropes, six MSTCable Trainers, one 30-foot ABC AgilityLadder, 30 SMART-HURDLES™ in three dif-

ferentstyles, theSMART-CART andTrainingManual.TheTrainingManualcomes with

instructions on training up to 60 athletes ina single hour! The SMART-CART, whichstands 47 inches tall and is 33 incheswide, solves storage problems and trans-ports the needed equipment to the centerof your training area. This collection oftraining equipment is the perfect combina-tion for physical education classes, teamtraining, injury rehabilitation or general fit-ness instruction.

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MOYER SPORTS800-255-5299WWW.MOYERSPORTS.COM

The Moyer Sports family has been sellingquality athletic apparel since 1981. Thecompany has a national reputation for qual-

ity custom uni-forms, sportsapparel, teamjerseys, teamjackets, teamwarm-ups andsports bags.Moyer offersmajor namebrands suchas adidas™ ,Bike™ ,andThe Game™.

along with Moyer's custom line. MakeMoyer your number one source for customathletic apparel.

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

Since 1986 Power Systems has been aleading supplier of sport training, healthand fitness products. Power Systems

prides itself inbeing the oneresource for all ofyour training needs.Its new 2004 cata-log has a new lookwith better graphicsand photos.Included areas arecore strength, med-icine balls, speed,

plyometrics, agility, strength equipment,strength accessories and flooring. You willfind the catalog full of hundreds of newproducts and dozens of products availableexclusively from Power Systems. The com-pany has also lowered some of its pricesto enable the customer to get premiumproducts at great prices. Go on-line or callPower Systems to request a free 2004 cat-alog today.

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EFUNDRAISING800-561-8388WWW.EFUNDRAISING.COM

eFundraising offers a wide variety offundraising programs that allow groupsto earn up to 90% in profits. Its

FundraisingGuide is filledwith useful infor-mation, such asprogram descrip-tions, helpfulfundraising tips,company historyand more. Findout more abouteFundraising’sproducts, includ-

ing magazines, scratchcards, chocolates,and gift brochures. You’ll see whyeFundraising is your one-stop fundraisingshop.

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Uniforms & Apparel

BALLGIRL ATHLETIC203-359-8700WWW.BALLGIRLATHLETIC.COM

Ballgirl Athletic begins and ends with thefemale athlete. It is Ballgirl's mission tobe your athletic uniform brand of choice.

You deserve thebest. BallgirlAthletic gives thefemale athlete:uniformsdesigned bywomen forwomen; uniformsthat give you thebest inperformance; fit,

and comfort; and uniforms that you canreplenish year to year; Ballgirl is a compa-ny dedicated solely to the female athlete.Try Ballgirl on and feel the difference.

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DYNAMIC TEAM SPORTS800-437-6223WWW.DYNAMICTEAMSPORTS.COM

Dynamic Team Sports offers the best inteam uniforms. The Cypress jersey isDynamic's most popular sleeveless shirtyet. Made of Dynamic's 75 percent poly-ester, and 25 percent cotton Aerofibre,the Cypress is designed with comfort and

durabilityin mind.Choosefromhomeandawaycombina-

tions in 10 stock colors, or ask about cus-tom colors for even more possibilities.

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Dynamic's Elite Series is a revolutionaryline of custom uniforms sure to make your

team stand abovethe competition.And get this—all theartwork, logos, andnumbers are subli-mated into the gar-ments' lightweight,breathable fabric.This eliminates theheavy, stickysilkscreen that

could peel, crack, or fade. You pick thecolors for your own unique look.

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ERREA SPORTSITALIAN TECHNICALSPORTSWEAR

866-584-0995WWW.ERREAUNIFORMS.COM

The complete line of Errea volleyballapparel is now available inthe United States throughSportwise, LLC. Errea's highquality, creative designsportswear is the brandselected by men’s and wom-en’s professionalorganizations in Italy andEurope. Request the volley-ball catalog or go online toview all the Errea sportswearproducts. Each new order willreceive Errea knee pads freewith each volleyball uniformset purchased.

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

Pro Look Sports, renowned for its basket-ball uniforms, makes the absolute besthigh-end volleyball uniform at an extreme-

ly modest price. Likeits basketballproducts, quality isnever sacrificed. Alluniforms carry customTackle Twill andembroidery, asopposed to competi-tors’ inferior productscontaining silk-screen.All uniforms comewith a 2-year guaran-

tee and all upgrades are free. There areno minimum order restrictions.

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Pro Look Sports has become the fastestgrowing team sportswear company in sixyears for one reason: fully custom, quality

uniforms. ProLook's uniforms aremade of the finestmaterials available;cut and sewn toyour exact specifica-tions. There are noadditional costs forembroidered logosor for soft tackle-twill names andnumbers. All work is

backed by a two-year guarantee.Circle No. 70

MOYER SPORTS USA800-255-5299 EXT. 3WWW.MOYERSPORTS.COM

Moyer Sports USA offers a full line ofstock and customuniforms. Top namebrands such as Adidas,Mizuno and Kaepa areavailable. Customuniforms come in 100%Microweave PolyesterDyna-Dry or PolyesterDazzle. Sublimation print-ing allows you to chooseany color combination,guaranteed to never peel

or crack and is never discontinued. Manycolorful designs are available.

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NEUEDGE SPORTSWEAR800-486-2788WWW.NEUEDGESPORTS.COM

NeuEdge Sportswear is a domestic sports-wear manufacturer specializing in state-of-art custom sublimated uniforms. Itscustom-dyed uniforms feature a wide vari-ety of graphics and lettering that are guar-

anteed neverto crack orpeal or fade.Jerseys areavailable inlong andshort sleeve,sleeveless,

tank, and fastback. The complete processis done in the NeuEdge manufacturingfacility in PA. This allows rapid turnaroundtime and a hands-on level of quality.Please visit the company's Web site forthe complete lineup of beautiful customdyed NeuEdge uniforms.

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Also available from NeuEdge Sportswearare custom sublimation dyed stretch

shorts.Specificallydesigned forvolleyball,these shortshave a 4 inch

inseam, inside drawstring, and come in avariety of designs.

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Uniforms & Apparel

RUSSELL ATHLETICWWW.RUSSELLATHLETIC.COM

Get your volleyball team into this sleek,form-fitting uniform featuring Russell

Athletic’s Dri-Power Stretchtechnology. the Side Out jer-sey and short set enhancesperformance and mobility forplayers around the courtbecause it wicks sweat awayfrom the body, keeping themdry and comfortable. The90% polyester/10% stretchjersey features a stylish,

piped tab v-neck along with a two-coloredversion of the compression shorts.

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The Match Point jersey andshort is a loose-fitting volley-ball uniform that featuresRussell Athletic’s high-performing pebble knit fabric,which wicks moisture awayfrom the skin, keepingathletes cool and dry. Thetextured fabric is 100% nylonand is extremely soft provid-

ing exceptional comfort for athletes.Several style elements include a femininebox neck, sleeveless cut, and optional cus-tom braiding down the leg or arm—all mak-ing this uniform stand out on the court.

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SAXON ATHLETIC866-879-8766WWW.SAXONATHLETIC.COM

For over 25 years, Saxon has been manu-facturing premium quality team uniforms.Its volleyball uniforms are constructed

using the finest fabricsthat look and feel greatallowing your team tofocus on the game! Ifyou need top qualityuniforms and you needthem fast, call Saxontoday. The company

has a wide range of styles and colorsavailable in stock and ready to ship imme-diately. It also offers custom volleyball uni-forms, available in men’s and women’ssizing in a range of styles, colors and fab-rics, ready in 4 – 6 weeks.

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Check out one of the newest additions toSaxon’s volleyball line. The 8506,

contoured fit jersey forwomen is available in arange of colors and siz-ing. Made from light-weight Soft Cell clothfor excellent breathabil-ity and comfort thatwon’t weigh you down.

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THE VOLLEYBALL MARKET866-999-3004WWW.THEVOLLEYBALLMARKET.COM

Do your girls give you grief when it's time todecide on uniform Spandex? Problemsolved. You're going to love these Spandexshorts featuring patented Dri-Release®

micro blend yarn(85% polyester microfiber, 15% cotton)plus Spandex forcool comfort and styl-ish fit. Better yet,your girls will lovethem. The silky soft

Dri-Release fabric wicks moisture away fromthe skin keeping the athlete cool and dry,and the Spandex component gives four-waystretch for complete freedom of movement.The unique low rise "California cut" and 3-1/2" inseam looks great and fits perfectly.No more rolled waistbands. ExclusiveFreshGuard® odor treatment with linedcrotch panel and smooth flat-locked seamscreate the ultimate in comfort. The shortshave no logo, which means they go with anybrand of uniform top. Designed and proudlymanufactured in Southern California. Pricedas low as $12.97 in team quantities.

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In June 2004, The Volleyball Market willintroduce its exclusive “Price Buster”

CustomTeamProgramfeaturing

multi-color screen printed heavyweight T-shirts from top quality American brandssuch as Hanes, Gildan, and JerZees. Theline includes two or three colorMotivational T-shirts (as low as $4.00);two or three color custom printedTeam/practice T-shirts (as low as $4.47);and Custom Game T’s with the schoollogo/team name and 4”-6” numbersscreen printed front/back for as little as$5.97 each.

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Request No. 26

ONE PRICE PROMISE BYPRO LOOK’S BRENT LLOYD

Brent Lloyd has beenemployed at Pro Look Sports

for 2 1/2years. Brentis currentlythe Directorof CorporateSales. BrentgraduatedfromSouthern

Utah University with aPhysical Education andCoaching degree with a minorin Sports Medicine. He is mar-ried and is expecting his sec-ond daughter in May. Brenthandles all sales and ordersfor a good portion of the coun-try. He also assists with prod-uct development in presentingnew ideas for items to sell inthe market place.

Company Q&A

The best word to describe Pro LookSports would be UNIQUE. We are trulyunique in every way—from our productsto our sales methodology. First of all,we were the first to come out withunique soft tackle twill, which we placeon every game uniform at no extracharge. We are known for our tackletwill products that are as cheap asother screened products, but we aremore known for our unique method of

selling. We don't nickel and dimecoaches. We are forthright with ourprices, which include all upgrades. Inother words, you can get any customembroidery, tackle twill, extra largesizes, etc., at one low cost. We don'tstop there. We have no minimumorders and many more perks. Go towww.prolooksports.com for more infor-mation.

PRO LOOK SPORTS37 E. CENTER ST., SUITE #304PROVO, UT 84606800-PRO-LOOK

WWW.PROLOOKSPORTS.COM


Q. WHAT IS THE ONE PRICEPROMISE?Pro Look Sports will give you everythingon your uniforms for one price. No up-charges. Everything will be included forone price. There are no hidden fees.

Q. HOW DO YOU THINK THISSETS YOU APART FROM OTHERCOMPANIES?Our competitors charge for customembroidery applications and tackle twillapplications. They are also generallylocked into stock styles. We believe incatering directly to institutional organiza-tions, in order to help give the most forthe money.

Q. WHY DO YOU THINK A ONEPRICE PROMISE IS SO IMPOR-TANT?You never have to figure out the math. Itmakes it fair. You can now afford to getwhat you really want.

Q. WHAT DOES THE ONE PRICEPROMISE GUARANTEE?It includes any style, any size, and anyartwork. It also includes all the tackletwill you can dream of with no minimumorders.

Q. WHY IS THE ONE PRICEPROMISE SO IMPORTANT TOPRO LOOK SPORTS?Early on it was our philosophy to catertowards coaches and schools. Wehaven’t wavered and we have held true.Its the one thing that sets up apart fromother companies. I honestly believe wewill give you the best service, and thebest quality, all for one price.

Performance Apparel

MCDAVID SPORTS/MEDICALPRODUCTS

800-237-8254WWW.MCDAVIDINC.COM

Product Name: McDavid Body Shirts(hDc Performance Apparel)

Features: Long sleeve,short sleeve,sleeveless(mock/crew)Fabric content: 85% nylon, 15%spandexStyles Offered:Nylon/spandex

construction with hDc Technology offerspremium compression support Single-layer or multi-layer construction?Single-layerPerspiration Wicking Qualities:hDc is a permanent compound thatabsorbs moisture and disperses it into thefabric evaporating moisture quickly. Chemical Treatments Used: Ultra hDc, hDc

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Product Name: Microfiber Shirts (hDcPerformanceApparel)Features:Long sleeve, shortsleeve, sleeveless(mock/crew). Fabric content: 100% micropolyesterStyles Offered: Microfiber

loosewear is an ultra light micro polyesterthat provides maximum comfort.Single-layer or multi-layer construction?Single-layerPerspiration Wicking Qualities:hDc is a permanent compound thatabsorbs moisture and disperses it into thefabric evaporating moisture quickly. Chemical Treatments Used: Ultra hDc, hDc

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NIKEWWW.NIKETOWN.COM

Product Name: Nike Pro CompressionFeatures: Nike Pro Compression is featured insleeveless, long sleeve, mock, and tees,

as well as shorts andtights. Nike ProCompressionprovides cool, light-weight support foryour workout. Madewith stretch Dri-FITtechnology designedto keep you dry andcomfortable while

enhancing athletic performance. Fabric Content:62% polyester, 22% nylon, 16% spandexStyles Offered: Nike Pro featured in a sleeveless, longsleeve, mock, tee, short, and tight.Single-layer or multi-layer construction?Single-layerPerspiration Wicking Qualities: Made with stretch Dri-FIT technologydesigned to keep you dry and comfortablewhile enhancing athletic performance.

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

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Product Name: Nike Pro VentFeatures: Nike Pro Vent is featured in a sleeveless,long sleeve, and short sleeve top. Nike

Pro Vent providescool, lightweightsupport for yourworkout.Strategicallyplaced vents arelaminated to Dri-FIT fabric toimprove air flowand keep you dryand comfortable

while enhancing athletic performance.Fabric Content: Body: 82% polyester, 18% spandexMesh: 86% polyester, 10% spandex, 4%otherStyles Offered:Nike Pro Vent is featured in a sleeveless,long sleeve, and short sleeve top.Perspiration Wicking Qualities: Made with stretch Dri-FIT technologydesigned to keep you dry and comfortablewhile enhancing athletic performance.Chemical Treatments Used: In addition to fiber construction there is awicking chemical finish.

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What athletes are wearing underneath their uniforms.

By Dale Strauf, Athletic Equipment Manager, CornellUniversity, and President of the Athletic EquipmentManagers Association

You don’t want to purchase any type of undergarment untilyou have had an opportunity to field-test it. In conductingthe field-test, evaluate the garment in the following areas:

� Does it perform the way it is supposed to on the athlete?� Does it hold its shape during use?� Does the fabric appear to be durable?� Are the seams finished off and reinforced so that they’ll

hold over time?� Is the waistband stitched enough so that it won’t be

abrasive to the athlete?� Does it hold its color when you wash it?

You should field-test the garment by letting one of yourmore active players—someone who’s really going to give it alot of punishment—wear it during workouts. It’s best to con-duct the testing right after the season is over during condi-tioning workouts. Have the athlete wear it for a minimumof two weeks to properly test it.

You shouldn’t have any problems getting companies to pro-vide you with product to field-test. The companies that arereally confident in their product will have no problem givingyou a sample to test. Let the company know that you willreturn the sample back to them at their request.

If the undergarment holds up to its claims during the field-testings, and the price and features meet your needs, thenyou know you are purchasing the right undergarment foryour athletes.


NET RESULTS ARE PERFECT FORNEW HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM

“I was worried enough about our first match in a new facility. The last thing I needed to think about wasequipment that was unable to attain accurate net height. I contacted Sports Imports and they quickly deliv-ered the system that best fit our program. It is comforting to know that I won’t have to worry about thisequipment and I can focus on making my team better. I know these uprights will work right -- and they willlast. We’ll never need to purchase another net system.”

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

With the volleyball season fast

approaching for Sachse HighSchool, the situation couldnot have been worse. RikkiWilliamson, Head Women’sVolleyball Coach, was desper-ate to begin team practices,

yet construction of the new high school hadbeen completed just days before the pre-season schedule. And, unfortunately, whenshe attempted to set up the team’s newvolleyball equipment, she was faced withanother serious issue. The upright systemcould not attain accurate net height or ten-sion, and therefore was inadequate for dailypractice and incapable of meeting competi-tion requirements.

During the construction process, the gener-al contractor (GC) had been given theauthority to choose all of the athletic equip-ment for the school. As with many schoolconstruction projects, the volleyball equip-ment chosen by the GC was of low qualityand was not adequate for high school-levelcompetition.

Fortunately, Coach Williamson had coachedand played on Senoh net systems andknew these products were unmatched incompetition play, durability and value. Shecontacted Sports Imports, the sole distribu-tor for Senoh, to get the quality system sheneeded, and get it within a very short time-frame.

When Sports Imports learned of CoachWilliamson’s dilemma, their representativesmade sure Sachse High School had theright system for practice and competition.Within days, custom drop-in adapters werecreated for the school’s current floorsleeves, saving the time and expense of fullsleeve replacement. The new Senoh netsystem was shipped to the school, and theteam practiced on the equipment immedi-ately, preparing the team for the school’sfirst volleyball season. Coach Williamsonwas pleased with the responsiveness andproduct quality, and the school looksforward to decades of competition on thisSenoh system.

Sports Imports has been Senoh’s sole dis-tributor in North America for over 28 years.Senoh systems are the only net systemused by the Olympic Games and they areused in over 90% of Division I College pro-grams. Senoh systems are also used inthousands of high schools, and they are theonly net system endorsed by the FIVB andAVCA. Because their systems are durable,easy to set up and backed by superior cus-tomer support, coaches nationwide turn toSports Imports and Senoh products to fulfilltheir volleyball needs.

SPORTS IMPORTSP.O. BOX 21040COLUMBUS, OH [email protected]

WWW.SPORTSIMPORTS.COM



DIMENSIONAL SOFTWARE877-223-8225WWW.ACE4VB.COM

Volleyball Ace (for Palm handhelds) andPocket Volleyball Ace (for the PocketPC) version 5 are the latest versions ofhandheld stat software fromDimensional Software. Stats include per

game andsummarystats, boxscores,serve andpass rat-ings,

points per rotation and hit charts. Newfeatures include quick subs, subreminders, custom desktop reports andHTML output for the Web. Statsautomatically upload to a Windows PC orMacintosh for printing and further analy-sis.

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The TapRecorder™ is a new handheldsoftware tool from Dimensional

Software.Combined withPracticeStats™templates for vol-leyball, theTapRecorder is anexcellent tool forrecording andsummarizing infor-mation right onthe court.

Combining a spreadsheet format and asingle tap to record data, TapRecorderapplications can be customized to quick-ly and easily to record the data youneed. Because of this flexibility, you cantrack any kinds of counts and ratingsand monitor performance on practicedrills as well as selected stats duringscrimmages.

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EFUNDRAISING866-825-2921WWW.EFUNDRAISING.COM

Try eFundraising’s new Online Fund-raisingProgram—a new way to raise money

quickly andeasily! Withyour free per-sonalized Website, completewith magazinestore, yoursupporterscan purchasemagazine sub-scriptions

online and 40% of each purchase amountwill go back to your group! Simply enterand send emails to friends and familyacross America inviting them to visit youronline store and buy, renew or extendtheir magazines subscriptions to help sup-port your group. They’ll save up to 85% offthe newsstand prices on over 650 maga-zine titles while you’ll earn 40% profit!

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GATORADE800-88GATORWWW.GATORADE.COM

Gatorade Thirst Quencher’s optimal for-mula contains electrolytes and carbohy-drates. It is based on more than 30

years of sci-entificresearch andtesting.Nothing rehy-drates,replenishesand refuels

better than Gatorade® ThirstQuencher—not even water.REHYDRATE—Gatorade has the flavor tokeep your athletes drinking—and a six-percent carbohydrate solution that’s opti-mal for speeding fluids back into theirsystems. No fluid is absorbed fasterthan Gatorade. REPLENISH—If your ath-letes don’t replace the electrolytes they

lose when they sweat, they risk becom-ing dehydrated, which can take them outof the game. By putting electrolytesback, Gatorade helps athletes drinkmore, retain fluids and maintain fluidbalance. REFUEL—Unlike water,Gatorade has the right amount of carbo-hydrates (14 grams per eight ounces) togive your athlete’s working musclesmore energy, help athletes fight fatigueand keep their mental edge.

Request No. 89

SPORT IMPORTS, INC.800-556-3198WWW.SPORTSIMPORTS.COM

Sports Imports, Inc., seller of more vol-leyball net systems than anyone in theworld, named Brad Underwood president

of the compa-ny inFebruary. "Iam excitedabout thisrole in thecompany andto continue

serving the volleyball community. Wehave a great tradition and I am honoredto be named president," saidUnderwood. "It has been an emotionaltime for all those close to SportsImports, but we are proud to carry onDave's vision and commitment,"referring to the unexpected death of for-mer president and CEO, David Dunlap inDecember 2003. Underwood has workedfor Sports Imports since 2000 andserved as COO of the corporation sinceearly 2001. He assumes the position aspresident of the company immediately,adding corporate administrative duties tohis role managing and planning all oper-ations. Company ownership remains withthe Dunlap family as it has since itsfounding in 1976. Sports Imports hasinstalled more than 17,000 systems ingyms and arenas across the country,including 90% of Division I collegeprograms.

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More Products


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

VOLLEYBALL COURT EQUIPMENT

CONDITIONING & TRAINING AIDS

PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

APPAREL

Request No. 27

1. Precise, consistent air-fedball deliveryThat’s what you getwith AirCAT ™. Its patentedConsistent Air Technology™

delivers up to 1100 ballsper hour with air, whichis much more consistentand adjustable thanthe traditional spinningwheels projection (theaccuracy of spinningwheels can vary as ballwear, age or inflation varies). With AirCAT ™ youget precise, consistent ball delivery for moreeffective drills.

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

This allows you to create virtually any situationfor game-like drills that will make every playerbetter!

3. No ball wearSpinning wheels can damage volley-balls. Besides being costly, resultingball wear means even less consistentball projection. Air does no damage to volley-balls, which means much longer ball lifeand exceptional consistency!

“AirCAT ™ is going torevolutionize volleyballtraining.”

- Karch Kiraly

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

web: www.aircatvolleyball.com

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

4. Approved and endorsed byKarch Kiraly and USA Volleyball,and used by winning coaches atall levels – Need we say more?

Other reasons to buy• Players can train by themselves• Battery operated (built-in charger; no electrical

cords on the court)• Wireless remote control or timer operation• Automatic ball-feeder• Adjustable ball speed and trajectory• Easy to use• Safe

For a FREEvideo andbrochure

call toll-free1-888-88SPIKE(1-888-887-7453)

or email request [email protected]

Hitting/Spiking Setting/Tipping Serve/Receive, Blocking Passing

“Every program in the countrycould benefit from the AirCAT ™

training machine. It’s valuablefor all levels of play.”

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

Request No. 28

Coaching Management 12.5

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Transcript of Coaching Management 12.5