Training Teams
FAQ's
Q What are Training Teams?
Training Teams were created
to help bridge the gap between recreational leagues and JO
volleyball. We require our select team coaches to give
their time to this activity when they can and you'll see varsity
high school coaches as well as JO coaches each session. The
nice thing for the players and instructors is that there is no
travel involved so you can still schedule other activities and
other sports without missing the boat on volleyball.
Team concepts and individual skills are taught by qualified
coaches who you would usually not see in these age groups or
activities elsewhere.
Q: When will
practices be held?
A: Training Teams have a set practice schedule which is always
posted on the website. We usually hold 1 hour and 50
minute practices from 4:40-6:30 either once or twice a
week. Younger age group may practice for an hour
only. Each session is different due to the instructor's
schedules and court availability.
Q: How do you pick the
teams?
A: Training Teams will be formed through
tryouts/evaluations due to the number of registrations we
receive. We need to even the skill level out to make
practices more productive. The question then becomes
"how many teams are you forming?" This will vary
from session to session and again goes back to the instructor's
schedules and court availability. We will be releasing a
clinic and league schedule that coincides with the training teams
schedule to hopefully offer something for everyone.
Q: Will my daughter get
to play games during the session?
A: Yes. We want to teach team concepts as a part of
the offering and need at least 12 players at practice in order to
accomplish this. This is why we have 16 players on a
roster. As stated in the initial information, these are not
teams that travel for weekend events. We will be "slow
teaching" our games at practice which means scrimmaging in
this case. Having the ability to stop a scrimmage and teach
proper technique or positioning is one of the great parts of this
activity. At 10, 11, and 12 years of age, this type of help
is key to later success. Watching the ball drop at a
league game is no fun for anyone. We learn something
new every session and we will once again be implementing new
drills and practice periods during the fall. We understand
that there will be some variance in skill level but the
instruction will always be geared toward pushing the better
players and helping the others catch up.
Q: Shouldn't my daughter
get involved in JO's early so she gets connected to the system?
A: Maybe. Junior Olympic volleyball is definitely where you
are headed if your daughter is going to be a high school
volleyball player. At 10, 11, and 12 years of age it
is not necessary to make that commitment assuming you can find
the proper instruction to keep pace. At 13 and 14 years of
age you will want to consider JO seriously and we can give you
information about area JO clubs so you can pursue it anytime. Players
develop at different speeds and JO teams change every year at the
younger ages. It's not until the U14 age group that
teams become more fixed and spots in a club become more
limited. There are tryouts every year for most every JO
club. Our head instructors are very well connected in
JO volleyball and have coached at the highest levels. It
would be in your favor to have your daughter get started with
them. You never know , they may be coaching your daughter
in high school or JO ball in the upper age groups later.
Q: When is express
Training offered?
A: We have 3 main sessions a year (March-May, June-July, and
September-October). We are considering ways to fit a smaller
offering in over the winter but court time is extremely
tight. Each year may be different for winter.
Q: What if I have to
drop out of the group?
A: Please don't sign up if you think you may have to drop
out. We certainly will refund players who are injured or
have extenuating circumstances that arise. However, once we
commit to you, your entry fee is spent, and other players get
left out. We post all practice times before tryouts take place
so you know the commitment.