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Recently Added
Turning Survival into Service: A Soccer Club Director’s Second Calling to Increase Accessibility to Volleyball
Diego Garcia began playing soccer at age eight, just before the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. As a child, [...]
Blog Categories
Serving Up Opportunity: How Epic Volleyball Club Is Changing Young Lives
The city of Racine, Wisconsin has a strong athletic legacy but faces real socio-economic barriers. Over 20% of the population lives below the poverty line, and many families struggle to afford traditional pay-to-play club [...]
An Athleader’s Journey: Turning Expectation into Joy
Caitlin moved to a new school during the COVID-19 pandemic, and did not have many close friends. Her parents both played volleyball when they were younger, and suggested that she try out for the [...]
10 Tryout Tips for Volleyball Players: The Skill Checklist
Trying out for a volleyball team can be both exciting and nerve-wracking—for players eager to show their skills and for parents hoping to see their child succeed. Whether you're stepping onto the court for [...]
News
Niagara Frontier Volleyball Club Wins JVA Club of the Month
Back in 2005 a number of local girls clubs merged together to establish the Niagara Frontier Volleyball Club. The goal was to expand Junior Club volleyball in the Western New York region by offering [...]
The 2022 JVA All-National Team powered by Fivestar is Released
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN (June 6, 2022) The JVA is pleased to announce the 84 student athletes selected to the 2022 JVA All-National Team powered by Fivestar, which recognizes the top female indoor volleyball players competing [...]
JVA and AAU Join Together to Host the Chi-Town Boys Challenge
The JVA is pleased to announce a collaboration with the AAU to co-host the Chi-Town Boys Challenge November 19-21, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. The event is expected to bring over 350 boys volleyball teams from [...]
Club Directors
One-Day Tournament Formats to Fit Your Volleyball Club’s Competition Needs
One-day volleyball tournaments can be a game-changer for many boys and girls volleyball clubs and families. Here are some compelling reasons why they should be considered, especially for younger and less experienced teams, along [...]
Technology Solutions: 5 Things to Look for with Cyber Insurance Coverage to Protect Your Volleyball Club
Digital technology streamlines the operations of your volleyball club, but it also means that everyday activities ranging from the collection of information and website usage to promotions on social media can leave you open [...]
Make the Game of Volleyball More Accessible by Establishing a Middle School Training Program for Underserved Communities
In August of 2019 Queen City Volleyball Academy formed as a nonprofit organization with the goal of making the game of volleyball more widely accessible to young athletes by breaking through systemic barriers that [...]
Coaches
5 Benefits of Yoga for Volleyball Athletes
Yoga designed for volleyball athletes is not “athletic” or “powerful” yoga – it is a method of recovery used to balance out the physical demands, repetitive actions, and mental stress of the gym/court/field. When practiced [...]
Recruiting Solutions: 7 Expectations of Commitment
"College coaches aren’t looking for kids who just want a scholarship, but for kids who want to PLAY in college. Signing isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning. Continue to grow, to work & commit [...]
Coaching Mental Performance: Effective Feedback During Training
When we look at how coaches are specifying feedback to the athletes, we can engage in a conversation of what stage of learning the athletes are in for any given skill. Sometimes we find that [...]
Boys
9 Ways to Elevate Boys Volleyball in Your Club
Boys volleyball isn’t one of the first, let alone tenth sports that comes to mind when discussing boys athletic programs in the south. But those that have played or watched men’s volleyball, have witnessed first hand the excitement...
4 Ways to Improve Your Team’s Volleyball Game Without a Ball
On average, a volleyball player spends only 1% of the time in a match actually playing the volleyball. The rest of the time is spent tracking the ball, moving around the court, and communicating with teammates and coaches. Here are four...
A Letter to High School Athletes,
This is an exciting, yet stressful time for you. One sport, two sports, three sports, National Honors Society, mock governments, club or travel ball, SAT, ACT, GPA, and more – you have or will put a lot into your four years...
Girls
Why Ankle Mobility is Critical to Preventing Injuries in Volleyball Athletes
Athletic performance is an impressive combination of muscle contractions guided by the central nervous system that cause joint actions to move in a specific manner, therefore accomplishing specified tasks. These tasks can be as [...]
2 Reasons Why Dynamic Yoga is Essential for Volleyball Athletes in Preseason
Yoga in its simplest form literally means to “yoke” the breath with the movement. To join them together. We all breathe innately. Our bodies are awesome machines that function well without our help. However, by [...]
Beach Solutions: Is there still space for the hybrid volleyball athlete?
At the collegiate level, the dual athlete is becoming extinct. Only a handful of athletes can handle the rigor of two sports during a collegiate year, especially at the Division I level. The trend [...]
Beach
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...
5 Considerations to Create a Sustainable Beach Program Tailor-Made for Success
Beach volleyball is rapidly growing across the country and the demand for beach offerings has never been greater. With this momentum comes challenges in finding the right structure for sustainable success at your club, as well as creating a model...
Culture
Events
JVA Announces the Line-Up for the 2021 JVA Challenge Series
The JVA is pleased to announce the 20 events named to the 2021 JVA Challenge Series presented by i6. These events share in the JVA’s ideology to provide safe, high quality events and a great [...]
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. [...]
Awards
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 [...]
Lexington United Wins JVA Club of the Month
Lexington United was founded in 2011 by Chris Beerman as a Munciana satellite club, fielding 20 teams in the first season. Beerman had just completed his 3rd year at Kentucky as an assistant coach [...]
Training
3 Reasons Why Volleyball Athletes Need Strong Glute Muscles
Volleyball athletes use their glutes for almost every movement whether on the hard court or in the sand. Every skill incorporates the glute muscles to perform the volleyball movements correctly. It’s no wonder, because the [...]
From the JVA Office: How We Can Help Players Learn to Take Ownership of Their Mind and Motivation
As many know, coaches are already overextended in their duties. Many give their time freely and work with players because they are passionate about the sport and youth development. A Mindset Coach is there [...]
Mental Health Guidance and Resources for Coaches, Athletes, and Parents
Youth sports create a wonderful opportunity for young athletes to learn and grow. Sports have been associated with many positive outcomes and opportunities such as creating active living habits, setting goals, providing social support, forming [...]
Parents
There’s More to Collegiate Sports than Division I
This time of year, the sports media attention is focused on March Madness and NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championships. A couple of months ago, it was the Bowl Season. NCAA Division I athletics have become synonymous with collegiate sports; so many student-athletes and families are raised upon DI sports and understandably feel DI is the best choice for being a collegiate athlete. Let's shine a light on why Division II, III and NAIA are also excellent options for junior volleyball athletes.
What Parents Need to Hear
Over the past year, I have been leading 'Recruiting Sessions' for parents whose athletes attended various college showcases. As I was planning these sessions, my goal was to simplify the process and give parents 'real tools' to pass on to their athletes. Below is an outline that I use to begin each session, I like to call it 'Recruiting 101'.
From the JVA Office: Building Great Sports Parents
When I talk to Club Directors and ask them "What keeps you up a night?" The #1 response I hear most often is "Parents". I had the good fortune to meet and talk with an amazing woman, Ruth Nelson, this past...
Recruiting
Finding Success in the Evolving World of Collegiate Recruiting
Over the past few months there has been much conjecture regarding the decision to exclude Freshman/Sophomore volleyball recruits from taking unofficial visits to Division I programs until September 1 of their Junior year of High School. As a Recruiting Coordinator...
4 Ways to Find the Best Division for Your Talent Level
One of the most important—and difficult—parts of the recruiting process is projecting the right division level for you based on your athletic talent. Finding the right division level early on will help you focus on the right schools...
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...
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