Conditioning for the girl whos trying out for the 1st time

Question
Hello, I'm not sure who to ask, but I'm going to spend my summer training for volleyball for next year's team. This will be my first time going in for volleyball. What exercises should I do (like lunges, or squats) to get prepared?

Answer
Good morning and welcome to www.allexperts.com!  It's great to hear from you.

a) Cardio.  Most coaches have tryouts in August.  And in most parts of the USA, it's pretty hot in those gyms.  So you need to be in pretty good shape, not only to be able to do the drills, but to be safe!  Heat strokes often occur when you ask your body to do more in hot weather than it's been trained to do!  So train it.  :)  And do much of your workouts in the heat.  NO, DON'T OVERDO IT!  But if you're trying to prepare yourself for 3 hour tryouts in an 85 degree gym, then don't camp out in that air-conditioned athletic center watching TV.  haha  Run 15 miles a week, ride a bike 60 miles a week, etc.  Do a lot of this away from air-conditioning.  If you have access to machines, you can do your miles on a tread mill.  My stepdaughter. just ran 2 miles yesterday in a HOT gym, even though she's on summer vacation.  But she's a college volleyball player at Radford (www.radford.edu.  She's #5) Yes, even though her team doesn't start back for 10 weeks, she's STILL concerned about her conditioning.

b) Get Stronger.  Sure lunges and squats will help.  But, if you're a 7th or 8th or 9th graders, just get on a general program of weight lifting.  Go to a coach or a professional at the athletic club and have them give you a sheet of exercises to do.  "Strong people make plays," and that's what you want be.  Within 1 month, you'll see a difference in your play!  After 3 months, you won't believe how much better you can serve and spike and dig, and how much stronger you are in general.  In addition, weight lifting 4 or 5 times a week is GREAT for someone's self esteem.  It'll make you feel like you're a BEAST!!!   

c) Also, don't forget to learn to play the game!  If you're trying out for a team with a lot of other girls who have playing experience, then all your strength won't make any difference.  You'll probably get cut.  In other words, if you're trying out with a bunch of experience players, yet you can't return a serve well, you can't serve well, you can't set well, you're not a good spiker, etc., then you have very little chance of making the team.  

ON THE OTHER HAND, haha, if the team is a middle school or JV team where many of the girls are rookies, all your conditioning will help you some, but you still MUST learn to play the game in order to ensure that you make the team.  So, find some time to either attend a lot of camps, or attend a lot of private lessons. Playing 4 on 4, 3 on 3, 6 on 6, etc. is fun, but not what you really need.  You need to LEARN the correct ways to pass, set, spike, etc.  This is MUCH more important than any conditioning that you do.  Remember:  Volleyball is a sport where skill matters, like tennis or badminton or bowling.  If you don't have the skills, then your strength and conditioning don't matter.  You'll lose the game.  Basketball are wrestling are the opposite.  They are games of conditioning, where if you are out of shape, you lose.   

d) Jump.  This is a low priority.  A very low priority.  Many parents will be concerned if their daughter can't jump.  But how high you jump is worthless unless you can do the skills I listed in (c) above.  Don't spend ONE MINUTE worrying about your jumping until you do everything else above.

I hope you have a great weekend!
And please take a moment to visit www.coachhouser.com.
I think you'll like the smiling faces.