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Recently Added
Elevate Your Volleyball Game: 3 Key Strategies for Performance Enhancement
Volleyball is an intense sport that demands agility, speed, and explosive power from its players. Whether you're an experienced [...]
Blog Categories
A Kentucky Club Increasing Opportunity through Mentorship
This year DeMarcus Lewis formed Lexington High Risers to make a change in the Lexington, Kentucky community. As a Personal Trainer and Sports Conditioning Coach he's had the opportunity to train athletes from all sports, [...]
JVA Welcomes Cat Dailey Minyard to the JVA Board of Directors
The JVA is pleased to announce the addition of Cat Dailey Minyard to the JVA Board of Directors. She will begin a three year term on the Board in January 2024. Cat is the Founder [...]
Risk Management Solutions: Safeguarding Athletes During Practices and Competition
*Information provided in this article should not be considered a substitute for legal advice. Readers are strongly encouraged to seek the advice of a licensed attorney familiar with youth sport laws and regulations within your [...]
News
JVA Expands Partnership with The Art of Coaching
Milwaukee, Wisconsin (September 20, 2021) – The JVA and The Art of Coaching Volleyball are pleased to announce an extension of their partnership to continue offering wide-ranging resources for clubs, coaches, directors, players and volleyball [...]
The 2022 JVA Challenge Series presented by Event Beacon and i6 Unites the Nation’s Elite Events
The JVA is pleased to announce the 31 events named to the 2022 JVA Challenge Series presented by EventBeacon and i6. All JVA Challenge Series hosts share in the JVA’s ideology to provide a high [...]
JVA Welcomes Adam Beck as the Director of Events
The JVA is proud to announce the addition of Adam Beck to the JVA staff as the Director of Events. Adam's main responsibility will be management of the JVA Tournament Series, which includes seven events. [...]
Club Directors
Business Solutions: The Responsibilities and Impact of a Director of Coaching
In 2021, Michigan Volleyball Academy was in the process of expanding to other locations and adding additional teams. Directors Craig and Mayme Vlietstra recognized the challenging task of filling many new coaching positions, so they [...]
3 Steps to Boosting Your Club’s Brand through Social Media
It’s tournament season and award season at JVA, and there’s no better time to honor the dedication and loyalty of your athletes than now. Congratulate your teams and individual award winners by giving them the [...]
The Winning Advantage: Why a Good Logo is Crucial for Your Volleyball Club
A logo is a visual representation of an organization and is considered one of the most important elements of branding. A logo can be a symbol, a wordmark, or a combination of both, and can [...]
Coaches
Pre-Season Yoga for Volleyball Athletes
An athlete’s yoga practice should change according to their season, just like their training regimen does. During the pre-season, athletes are in preparation mode. Their practice times start to increase and training starts to intensify. [...]
3 Types of Yoga to Help Volleyball Athletes Prep for Nationals
It’s the post season and your team has made it to the height of competition. Everything your athletes have worked for all season is finally here. It’s an exciting time but it can also be [...]
Coaching Without Borders
For almost 50 years I have created time in my life to grow the game together in places beyond my backyard. One of my principles in learning is that which you teach, you learn. Since [...]
Boys
Youth Volleyball: What is the Ideal Ratio of Training vs Competition?
At The Academy Volleyball Club, we have talked a lot about the ideal training versus competition cycle for the younger ages throughout the club season. We find that the most important part of youth training is keeping younger players engaged...
The Rise of the MN Boys High School Volleyball Association and Path to Sanctioning HS Boys Volleyball
Two iconic figures in the world of volleyball asked "why isn't there boys volleyball in Minnesota?" A few other passionate people got on board to help make it happen. What started as a VERY low key, casual meeting of like-minds quickly evolved into a mission, 501c3 organization, and a thriving league for boys volleyball. Learn about the rise of the Minnesota High School Boys Volleyball Association and, more importantly, how it can be replicated.
From the JVA Office: JVA Gifts $125,000 to MotorMVB to Drive Growth of Boys Volleyball
Girls volleyball has become the #1 female team sport in America for girls, our NCAA National Championship Semis and Finals are on ESPN and we are filling arenas. Boys high school volleyball is growing at a 21% rate over the last five...
Girls
JVA Proudly Releases the 2021 Ultra Ankle JVA All-National Team
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN (June 2, 2021) The JVA is pleased to announce the 79 student athletes selected to the 2021 Ultra Ankle® JVA All-National Team, which recognizes the top female indoor volleyball players competing for a [...]
One Athlete’s Vow to Change the World Because She Can
Skye (right) pictured with Cathy Noth (left) Skye McDermott insists that the word "can't" is not in her vocabulary. "Growing up, the word 'can't' was not allowed in my house," says Skye. "The rule was, [...]
JVA Announces the 2021 Ultra Ankle JVA Athleaders
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN (May 17, 2021)– The JVA is pleased to announce the 2021 Ultra Ankle® JVA AthLeaders who exemplify academic excellence, outstanding volleyball performance, leadership, responsibility, and selflessness through community service. This group of athletes [...]
Beach
Beach Solutions: 7 Important Details to Create a Business Plan
When starting a beach club, it's important to do some business planning before you roll out the balls, especially if you'd like your club to be around for a while. To create a business plan there are seven important areas that affect the budget. Here's a checklist to get your club headed in the right direction.
Beach Defensive Strategy: Pulling Down the Line
Covering the sand court with two defenders requires a balanced defensive strategy. Beach Nation shares the most common defensive strategy used among junior and collegiate programs of pulling down the line. Learn how to effectively implement this strategy and improve...
Beach Volleyball Recruiting Guidelines
Beach Volleyball is the NCAA's fastest-growing sport, starting with 15 Division I programs in 2012 and exceeding 100 collegiate programs in 2019, which means a huge influx of opportunities and scholarships for female student-athletes. Below is a brief explanation of and game plan to begin the recruiting process for girls interested in playing beach volleyball at the collegiate level. This is by no means comprehensive but should give you a good start to the process as well as some valuable information to guide your journey.
Culture
From the JVA Office: A Pro-Active Approach to Handling Over-Involved Parents
Tournament time has begun, which means club directors and coaches are beginning to identify the over-involved and over-bearing parents. It's easy to say that our focus needs to be on the kids and ignore the parents, but as we all know, the parents are as much our customers as the players are; in some cases, even more so. Here are some practices your club can apply to establish a healthy relationship between your club, coaches, and parents.
From the JVA Office: How to Score Better Officiating
January is just around the corner. Your teams will be headed off to tournaments. Do you want better officiating at your matches? Here are some ways you can make a difference.
It’s All About the Athletes
The culmination of recruiting during the club season reaches its pinnacle beginning June 19th, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. College coaches from around the country descend on the Orlando Convention Center and ESPN Wide World of Sports for the AAU Girls Junior...
Events
The Truth Behind Tournament Refunds
As tournaments and leagues around the country continue to cancel, the questions on many of our minds revolve around refunds. Will I be refunded? Will it be a full refund? Why won’t I be refunded [...]
From the JVA Office: Considerations for Planning and Hosting Competition in the COVID-19 era
Many junior volleyball clubs are coming to the realization that the large scale tournaments we are accustomed to may not be possible in the near future. In states where the phases of re-opening began earlier [...]
Virus Precautions and Recommendations
May 15, 2020 Update We are all closely following the evolution of the COVID-19 coronavirus, and based on the most recent updates, the Junior Volleyball Association is recommending that all JVA member clubs and tournament [...]
Awards
Pittsburgh Elite Wins JVA Club of the Month
Pittsburgh Elite began as Pittsburgh Golden Triangles in 1989, and was one of the first clubs in the Pittsburgh area to offer volleyball to both boys and girls. Three teams competed nationally in the [...]
An Athleader’s Journey: Innovation and Perseverance Through a Season Cut Short
As with everything in life, Hannah Behrmann has been able to learn through the help of many people, including her family, her friends, and her volleyball coaches. Hannah's parents encouraged her brothers and her to [...]
Encore Volleyball Club Wins JVA Club of the Month
Encore Volleyball Club's inaugural season was 2010-2011 and since inception has provided a home for girls to play volleyball from all over the Bay Area, even as far as Sacramento. The club has grown [...]
Training
Mental Performance Series Part One: Identifying Shared Values
Mental performance is a key aspect of sport as athletes learn and grow within the volleyball domain. We often hear young athletes describe their struggles as ‘overthinking’ or ‘focus’ but rarely can they define [...]
3 Benefits of Meditation for Volleyball Athletes
Your mental state is just as important as your physical state. In order to perform at a higher level and outperform opponents athletes can use meditation to learn to control their mental state and distance [...]
Helping Athletes Set, Monitor, and Adapt Goals
Being a youth volleyball athlete is a difficult task to manage. While others have time after school, athletes are rushing to change to attend practices. On weekends, some are bringing their backpacks to tournaments so [...]
Parents
Beyond Athletic Abilities
There are volumes of information on the How To’s for everything…especially in the recruiting realm for collegiate sports. I have even written some over the past few years with the goal of aiding athletes and parents on the...
JVA Extends Long Running Partnership with Next College Student Athlete (NCSA)
The Junior Volleyball Association (JVA) is pleased to announce that Next College Student Athlete, the largest NCAA-compliant collegiate athletic recruiting network that matches student-athletes with college coaches, will continue to supply much-needed recruiting education and resources to JVA members. This...
3 Things to Consider When Switching Clubs
The rising stakes in collegiate volleyball also ratchets up competition among clubs. Whereas one club may have distinguished itself in a region, more and more are cropping up — and players aren't shy about making the switch. Just as college coaches aggressively recruit elite players, many club coaches and administrators are also constantly working to upgrade their teams.
Recruiting
6 Facts About Junior College Volleyball and Why It Might Be a Smart Move
While many student-athletes focus on playing for a big-time Division 1 sports program, there are actually many reasons why junior college might make sense instead. With more than 300 junior college women’s volleyball programs in the US, research shows that many...
6 Tips to Boost Your Volleyball Recruiting Success
Volleyball recruiting is incredibly competitive. Out of 447,000 women’s and 61,000 men’s high school volleyball players in the United States, just 5.7% and 3.9% go on to play at the college level, respectively. To get discovered by college coaches and earn a...
From the JVA Office: The Impact of the D1 Recruiting Legislation Changes
With new recruiting legislation comes a host of adjustments for both the student-athletes, the clubs and the college coaches; and this isn’t a static thing. The challenge is to figure out how it affects the athletes' recruiting timelines and how coaches can put young athletes in a position to be successful and empowered given the current rules. Here is information on the most recent changes to NCAA Division I recruiting legislation as of August 2018, and the proposed changes that, if approved, could take effect in 2019, and some points of emphasis to communicate with the student-athletes in your club who are pursuing the opportunity to play at the collegiate level.
