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Recently Added
3 Tips for End of Season Practices
As season winds down and the National Championship approaches, it's important for coaches to run deliberate practices, designed to [...]
Blog Categories
Elite Volleyball Training Center Wins JVA Club of the Month
Elite Volleyball Training Center was founded in 2007 by current club co-directors and husband/wife team, Randy and Jackie Cline. The club started with only 10 girls and quickly grew from one team to [...]
Business Solutions: The Responsibilities and Impact of an HR Position
VCNebraska is entering its 14th club season, and has seen tremendous growth in participation. As the number of teams, athletes, and programs have grown, so has the need for qualified staff. Most club directors would [...]
Beach Volleyball Clubs of America (BVCA) and JVA Forge Transformative Partnership with Volleyball Life
Milwaukee, WI, January 3, 2024– The Beach Volleyball Clubs of America (BVCA) and the Junior Volleyball Association (JVA) are thrilled to announce a groundbreaking collaboration with Volleyball Life, ushering in a new era of excellence [...]
News
2022 JVA Boys Watch List powered by Fivestar is Released
(Milwaukee, Wisconsin) The JVA proudly announces the 2022 JVA Boys Watch List powered by Fivestar featuring nearly 500 boys indoor junior volleyball athletes from 55 JVA member clubs. The players nominated are among the best [...]
2022 JVA Watch List powered by Fivestar is Released
(Milwaukee, Wisconsin) The JVA proudly announces the 2022 JVA Watch List powered by Fivestar featuring over 2,800 girls indoor junior volleyball athletes from 200 JVA member clubs. The players nominated are among the best in [...]
JVA and Fivestar Announce a Partnership to Enhance the Recognition for Junior Volleyball Athletes
(Milwaukee, Wisconsin) The Junior Volleyball Association (JVA) is pleased to announce a partnership with Fivestar that will enhance the recognition given to all junior volleyball athletes during the JVA awards process. Fivestar is the first [...]
Club Directors
Club Training Model: End of Season
Teams who are attending Nationals in June have the month of May and much of June to prep for a Championship. However, the girls' indoor season can take a toll on the mind and the [...]
Business Solutions: 5 Ways to Boost Your Volleyball Club’s Bottom Line
Club Directors understand the importance of efficiently managing your organization and striving to improve your club's financial performance by reducing expenses and increasing revenue. To help you reach these goals, check out the five strategies [...]
Matchbox Volleyball Club Wins JVA Club of the Month
Matchbox Volleyball Club, based out of Aberdeen, South Dakota, is one of the largest club volleyball organizations in South Dakota and provides athletes ages 8-18 with a developmental and competitive volleyball experience. The club was [...]
Coaches
Coaching Mental Performance: The Neurobiology of Development and a Coach’s Impact
As coaches, our goal is to facilitate a “safe” environment not just so the athlete does not get hurt, but so they learn healthy attachment, which in turn helps them positively adapt their game to [...]
2022 JVA Club Management Track and Convention Highlights
Competition makes us better, but collaboration is the glue to success. JVA Club Directors and Coaches compete against one another across the net all season long, but behind the scenes they are working together to [...]
Are your volleyball athletes doing the wrong kind of yoga?
All athletes, no matter the sport, have a training program that changes throughout the year. There is a base period (pre-season), a build period (in-season), a peak/competitive period (post-season), and an off period (off-season). Strength, [...]
Boys
How to Tell If a College Coach is Recruiting You
It can be tricky for a volleyball athlete to understand if and when he/she is being recruited by a college coach. Do recruiting questionnaires count? How about camp invites? A phone call? Not every coach is going to show...
5 Yoga Poses that Benefit Volleyball Athletes
Yoga is oftentimes only thought of as a way of calming down and relaxing, but it has many more benefits than those two, especially for volleyball athletes. Here are five yoga poses that will directly benefit a volleyball athlete's performance on the indoor and sand court.
Basics to Start a Boys Program
Is your club passionate about starting a boys program? One misconception is that a boys program should field travel teams immediately. However, here's an example of a boys program that began simply as a development league, with very low overhead cost. Learn how KIVA's boys program went in year one, and some easy steps your club can mirror.
Girls
Best Practices for Rest and Recovery in Junior Volleyball
The human body is built to withstand intense periods of physical strain and pressure. When a tournament runs multiple days, and into the late evening hours, players can rally and perform to their best abilities. [...]
Functional vs Dysfunctional Breathing for Volleyball Athletes
Athletes that practice breathwork can take their game to the next level. Similar to training volleyball skills to perform at your best in a match, athletes should practice breathing so it comes naturally to you [...]
2 Steps to Improve Mental Resilience for Volleyball Athletes
If we are not in the right state of mind before major changes happen, how do we mentally handle shifts and changes with ease and keep our eyes on our overall goals? Characteristics of [...]
Beach
Steps to Navigate the Transfer Process and the NCAA Transfer Portal
The landscape of the volleyball recruiting process continues to evolve, and the relationship that the junior volleyball coaches and recruiting coordinators have with the student athletes is as valuable as it has ever been. Recruiting [...]
2020 JVA Beach Sponsor Clubs Announced
The JVA is pleased to announce another record breaking year for the JVA Sponsor Program as 16 beach clubs are named 2020 JVA Beach Sponsor Clubs. In the fifth consecutive year of the JVA Sponsor Program, the 16 beach clubs join the 64 indoor...
2020 BVCA Club Challenge Series powered by JVA
The JVA is proud to announce the 15 events in the 2020 BVCA Club Challenge Series powered by the JVA. After a successful 2019 inaugural season, the excitement has increased for the club vs club format, and more beach clubs are adapting to...
Culture
Keep Your Team Engaged to Avoid the Mid-Season Slump
As the midpoint of the season nears and the weather starts to warm, club directors and coaches can find themselves facing the challenge of keeping athletes engaged. From setting new goals to re-evaluating coaches and players -- or even taking...
7 Player-Run Drills to Make Practice More Efficient and Effective
There are many philosophies and opinions out there about what makes practices efficient and effective, but in this instance, let's focus on removing the coaches from running the drill. That might sound crazy to some because the person running the drill, in many ways, controls its efficiency and effectiveness; but by placing the responsibility of controlling the pace, energy level, and the amount of effort on your players, you are accomplishing many things. To better understand, here are examples of player run drills.
Engaging Your Team Through Communication
How many countless times have you yelled, “TALK!!!!” at your players after an error? Maybe your players aren’t communicating because they don’t know WHAT to say! Have you spent time teaching your players HOW to communicate? Communication is...
Events
Technology Solutions: Setting up Live Stream for Your Club
Junior volleyball club directors and program administrators are shopping around for the best solution to live stream practices and matches. You do not necessarily need to spend thousands of dollars to make it happen. Zoos, [...]
From the JVA Office: Modifications and Considerations for Fall and Winter Competition
We are all anticipating that this club season will look different from years past. Typically, club directors map out a 6-8 month club season with 8-12 tournaments on the calendar by the end of September. [...]
West Coast Volleyball Association Plans for Inaugural Junior Volleyball Season
This spring and summer many volleyball clubs across the country were forced to shut down and end their seasons abruptly. Directors were faced with so much uncertainty about what the next club season could look [...]
Awards
JVA Announces the Recipients of the 2021 JVA Junior Club Service Award
“Coaching is something that takes place only when learning does. No matter what you are doing in your practices, if your players are not learning something significant, you're really not coaching. If a player [...]
JVA Selects the 2021 JVA Best in Beach
(July 7, 2021. Milwaukee, Wisconsin) The JVA is pleased to announce the 2021 JVA Best in Beach that recognizes the nation’s top female JVA beach athletes for outstanding achievement during the competitive beach season. [...]
2021 JVA Beach Watch List Announced
(June 28, 2021. Milwaukee, Wisconsin) The JVA is pleased to announce the 2021 JVA Beach Watch List that recognizes the top female beach athletes from JVA member clubs across the country this season. This year's [...]
Training
How to Talk to Volleyball Athletes About Nutrition
I recently asked a few coaches how they approach nutrition and healthy eating habits with players. The responses: “Specific, very important and sometimes sensitive subject.” "I don’t talk about it with players very often for [...]
2 Ways for Volleyball Athletes to Prevent and Relieve Lower Back Pain
It is common for volleyball athletes to suffer from chronic back injuries, herniated discs, and overuse injuries. Strengthening the lower back and the core are two keys to preventing and relieving lower back pain. Let's [...]
4 Tips for Volleyball Athletes to Improve Posture
A powerful swing and serve directly relates to posture. Having poor posture can seriously limit the capability of your thoracic spine. I don’t know about you but the word “posture” makes me cringe. As a [...]
Parents
When Should Volleyball Athletes Start the Recruiting Process?
One of the most frequently asked questions is “When should we start the recruiting process?” And the answer is: It really depends on the athlete. Here is some guidance for athletes and parents who are considering navigating the recruiting process...
4 Ways to Keep Volleyball Athletes Engaged
Researchers estimate that in the United States there are between 21 and 28 million youth, ages 8 to 17, that participate in organized sports. According to a poll from the National Alliance for Youth Sports, around 70 percent of kids in the United States stop...
Here Comes the Boom: The Real Facts on Concussions and 4 Ways to Minimize Head Injuries in Your Gym
Concussions in volleyball are an all too common occurrence. According to a 2015 study in PT in Motion News, volleyball players report a rate of 3.57 concussions per 10,000 exposures. An exposure is equivalent to one practice or one match. This number may...
Recruiting
Are volleyball scholarships guaranteed for four years?
It’s no secret that the volleyball recruiting process can get complicated, especially when it comes to athletic scholarships. One question many athletes wonder is whether volleyball scholarships are even guaranteed for four years. Find out the answer to this...
How to Tell If a College Coach is Recruiting You
It can be tricky for a volleyball athlete to understand if and when he/she is being recruited by a college coach. Do recruiting questionnaires count? How about camp invites? A phone call? Not every coach is going to show...
4 Recruiting Tips for Parents
Parents don’t always know when they’re being evaluated by college coaches. And it's important to make a positive impact on their child’s recruiting process without getting in the way. To help you embrace your supporting role and assist your child in their quest to play college volleyball, here are some recruiting tips for parents.
Travel
JVA SummerFest Arrives in Columbus: The City That Does Volleyball
Columbus, Ohio does volleyball. The popular hashtag #cbusdoesvb fills a Twitter feed with articles, photos, and volleyball moments captured in the heart of the Ohio Valley Region, one of the largest regions of USA Volleyball. The JVA is excited to...
The JVA World Challenge Lands in Metropolis of Sports
For more than a hundred years, Kansas City, Missouri, has been known as the City of Fountains, and it is widely known for serving up some of the world's best barbecue. But in the last few decades, Kansas City has added a new nickname to its list: City of Fanatics—sports fanatics, that is. How fitting that the 2016 JVA World Challenge makes its debut in Kansas City, as the JVA embarks upon it's 10 year anniversary, a huge milestone for what once was a very small organization with a very large purpose.
5 Strengths of Japanese Volleyball
A few JVA members recently traveled to Tokyo, Japan to observe and learn from different volleyball groups. After more than 20 hours of watching elementary to high school players train, there were 5 aspects of the game that differetiated Japanese volleyball and...
