Back in the Swing!

Well, I'm hoping my knee has recovered enough that I can get back into playing full tilt. It still hurts, but I think I am starting to show signs of being able to jump again. I just finished an intense 4 week period in the gym, working on building up my max strength. Time to coast now and get focused on upcoming events. We'll get back to practicing this weekend. We have a few weeks to get ready for the Sandia Mountain Volleyball Classic, which is going to bring fierce national competition to our backyard once again. Should be a great time, and we are looking forward to avenging our narrow losses from last year. While I've been able to get out and get some touches in Santa Fe, it will be great for Loric and I to get back together and get in sync before the tourney. After that, next big one is a trip up to Vail. Hopefully we'll keep the fire to push ourselves for more strong finishes!

'08 - Time for a new season!

OK, new season, new focus, new leaf. Last year left kind of a bitter taste in my mouth and was sort of ho-hum. There were a lot of tournaments - a whole lot. Too many, I think. Made it hard to stay enthused about the game and I think it eventually hurt the turnout locally. This season doesn't look like it will be any different with regards to the number of events in NM. I think it makes more sense to personally concentrate on big events and then play some of the local ones for fun. I might see if I can pull myself away from volley on some weekends to do some different things with my wife. We'll see. Big trips on the radar so far include SoCal in March and NorCal in May. Both good vacations, and both good timing to jump start the season and put the rest of the year into perspective. I've been working with Sonny behind the scenes to get the Sandia Mountain Classic together this year. It will be held 5/17-5/18 and should draw some excellent competition as well as be a top notch event. We'll see about how many of the CO tourneys are worth making the trip for. Time on the road gets expensive fast, so it may depend somewhat on how much I am working and how much sponsor support we can real in. BTW, thanks to Wayne Steen for jumping in and supporting us again this year through his State Farm office! I've been in the gym since mid-October or Novermber. I added about 7-8 pounds of lean body mass right away, and it hasn't fallen off yet. I've been going through the program I am studying, as I am working on getting certified as a personal trainer. This involves a phase of joint stabilization followed by strength endurance. Next I will focus on working power into the equation. I have been keying in on increasing core strength and have also been working with tools to improve eye-hand coordination and quickness. I've gotten to play indoor volley, football and now basketball once a week that it is real cold outside, that is doing wonders for my cardio-conditioning. The other piece of the puzzle I think is to develop leg strength in the tendons and ligaments to be able to absorb the force generated by playing on artificial sand surfaces. More than anything, I think the landings were causing fatigue during tournaments. My body is pretty tired on a regular basis from the training, but next comes power development, so that should hopefully add a spring to my step. Good news from Loric that he doesn't appear to have a tear in his knee, just a minor issue with his bone which should heal over time. I think the last pieces of the puzzle are skills development, which will hopefully start this week during indoor sand and mental conditioning to keep focus. I think this could be another breakout year for us!
PS: I have the 2008 NM volleyball schedule and will post it once I have time to figure out how to format it for this site!

Back from the Beach!

It was a successful outing to the heart of the world for beach volleyball - Hermosa Beach. My wife and I flew in Thursday night, and after a 2 1/2 hour delay that got us to our hotel around 1:30AM, we met up with Loric the next day on the sand. He had tested his knee out with some peppering with his wife, and it felt OK, so he was ready to give it a go. We did some peppering and drills over by the pier. The AAU beach nationals was going on, and the girls were playing this day. AAU has amateur divisions for different age groups all the way up to 20 and under. There were a bunch of kids there representing Puerto Rico that were playing in the boys division the following day and they wanted to get some games in, so we obliged. It was a good chance for us to get our sand legs in the deep Hermosa pits, and helped them to get some playing in. We went further down the beach later in the day and did some drills with just the two of us - hitting shots, jump serving, passing, etc. Back up to the pier later and tan into those kids, still playing and still wanting to challenge. To be 18 again - those kids played all day long, the day before their big tournament. Not much competition for us, but fun games. Worst part was I noticed that night that even though the sand was just warm, I had blistered my feet pretty bad. How stupid, first day and I blister. Just had to throw on some sandsocks. Next day, we met up with somebody I've know through the AVP forum and email for some games. Decent players, but Loric and I started to get our game on and had no problem adjusting to the sand. We ran the court all day, playing probably close to a dozen games, followed by copious amounts of ocean swimming. Of course, I was relegated to sand socks and my feet just seemed to be getting worse. Loric's knee, however, seemed to be holding up just fine. Sunday we went back out to meet up with the same group and continued to run the court, creating a meltdown on an opposing team that caused a partner swap and left Loric and I playing against each other. The guy I knew coaches a number of players on tour and had one of his men's players coming for a practice session later that morning. He asked if we'd stick around and help run him through some drills. We did, taking tons of swings, digging, passing, plaing things out, etc. Good workout for sure. It's amazing how many players there are in that area, and how many of them get to workout on a regular basis with a coach, train and drill. No wonder it's where the top players all go! We definitely had our fill, but could have kept going for weeks longer. The games and practice should really be a big boost to our game as we return to NM for the Taos Solar Spike Tourney, local events and of course Motherlode in Aspen. My feet got so bad by the end that they were swollen for days and could barely fit into my sneakers. Some treatments and they are back down to normal size and the blisters are healing, ready for more practice next week when Loric returns!

Training for Beach Volleyball - Train Smart. Train Hard. Notes From the Field.

One of the most recurring and sought after questions that show up on volleyball forums has to do with training and conditioning for volleyball season. In this age of information, it is common to encounter seemingly conflicting opinions that can leave and athlete scratching their head about what they can do to maximize their performance. Last year I intensified my quest for the "ultimate" program that would bring about the realization of my volleyball goals and dreams. This article is about some of what I discovered along the way.

First: Some background. I started playing volleyball as a high school freshman around sixteen years ago. Since the age of sixteen, that has meant playing at top competitive levels of local and regional tournaments on the beach. At the age of 22, I stopped playing all together, and moved from the beaches of the east coast to the desert of the south west. Six years later, I came back to the game and returned to a high level of competition. The process, involved rebuilding my physical conditioning from years of relative inactivity to being able to meet the intense demands of this sport at a high level. While competing in local and regional tournaments in the last year, I've realized a good level of success. I also realized my limitations in a very direct manner at the end of last season which inspired this quest.

It was while competing at the big Motherlode event in Aspen, Colorado that my partner and I had our best tournament in our short time playing as a team. After numerous victories in the 67 team event, we faced a very strong team to put us in position for a minimal 5th place finish. After winning the first game and dropping the second, we had a 14-11 lead in the third (game to 15) and I could not side out. It was horrible. They made some great plays, but I just didn't have enough in me to close it out. We wound up losing that game and the match 16-18. That compounded with a similar third game loss at another tournament in Arizona later in the season, and I was furiously determined not to allow the same situation to repeat itself.

After fifteen years of playing, I knew enough to know what wasn't working: my physical and mental conditioning. So began the quest. It started, of course, with the books and all the online articles. Holy contradictoriness, batman. While I certainly was able to obtain some good information and a deeper understanding of the physiology behind different approaches, developing a comprehensive and integrated approach for my personal needs seemed out of reach. Fortunately my friend, who has been training professional athletes for about a decade was willing to help me put a plan together. While it seemed counter-intuitive in some ways early on, I've been able to witness tremendous results this summer. While there is just too much to include in a simple article, I will outline some of the key points that may help other athletes out there to achieve their athletic potential.

1) Know your goals and starting point. This is where I don't think any of the pre-packaged programs are sufficient for "competitive" level athletics. They certainly are helpful in introducing fitness concepts and providing some structure, but there is no such thing as one size fits all. You get out what you put in. Ask yourself what you are willing to commit to realize your goals, and assess if it is enough. If not, you will need to change either your goals or your commitments. For me, I needed to build a better strength foundation. I've always been a natural jumper and quick, but hadn't evolved into a "power" athlete. There is a vertical test you can use to determine if you should be developing strength or response (you can read about it here: http://avp.hosttown.com/index.php?showtopic=13970&st=20)

2) Have a plan. I used to show up to the gym and go through some exercises I knew, split back and front days, etc, guess the weight I should lift. Forget it. The benefits to having a structured plan when you walk into a gym is immense. Multiply that by an effective plan and you will be well on your way. It is also critical to track the weight you lift and STICK TO THE PLAN.

3) Periodize the plan. OK, the concept sounded good, but I can see it clearly now. There is a time and a place for variations in your workout. Winter was the toughest time because it was all progressively heavy lifting. No cardio, no plyos. Spring saw the intro of plyos and cardios and more functional training, based on the foundation of strength built up over the winter. As the season got underway, reduced time in the gym with an emphasis on maintaining strength has yielded major results. Within this period there are smaller cycles, based on timing of major events.
(Note: true plyometric "shock" training should not be done until an athlete has an adequate strength foundation, the ability to squat at least 1.5 - 2 x their body weight.)

4) Warm up. I have an active stretching routine that I go through for about ten minutes when I walk into the gym. Much of it comes from the Core Performance program, which stems from a center in Arizona that trains professional athletes. Active stretching means no posture is held for an extended time, so the muscles stay active instead of relaxing as in static stretching. I also use this time to do some visualization, going through my workout for the day, imagining my game on the court, etc.

5) When building strength, just build strength. "Volleyball is about explosive movements, I should train explosively all the time." That's what I thought. Not so. Strength building phases consisted of traditional isometric exercises with progressively heavy weights. No cardio, no plyometrics, no compound exercises. I felt slow and tired. I thought there was no way I would be able to explode in the sand again. No way. All of the cardio, quickness, explosiveness came back within weeks after hitting the pre-season phase.

6) Build a strong core. This is the key to all athletic movement. A little extra attention to this area, and you will reap huge rewards during the season.

7) Rest is as important as time in the gym. Last fall, when I started, I was in the gym five days a week. I would, however, work a body part no more frequently than once every five to seven days. Muscle is built by tearing it apart, then allowing it to build back up. Working a body part too intensely and too often can not only limit results, but can result in injury that will mess up your whole training program.

8) Pay attention to your diet. My goals included adding ten to fifteen pounds of muscle. I've always been a bit on the lean side (I was 6'2" 175lbs) and this was impeding my reserves towards the end of tournaments. Eating a clean diet, high in protein, with a large caloric intake and more frequent meals made a huge difference. I added ten pounds of solid muscle, and it has been a big help during the season. Not matching your dietary needs to your efforts in the gym can become quite damaging to your body.

9) Technique is a top priority. When you are in the gym, throwing weights around, don't try and figure things out on your own. Get a personal trainer that is qualified and knowledgeable to teach and evaluate your form. This is crucial before moving to heavier weights. Establishing proper form early is essential for preventing injury and getting the results you desire.

10) Recovery at the end of a workout is important. This ties in to maintaining a full range of motion, essential for all the weird contortions the sport forces you into as well as preventing injuries and maximizing performance. I used foam rollers to help separate the fascia primarily in my legs as well as release lactic acid that has built up. I also do some static stretching, including using a rope to increase the range of my stretches.

11) Focus on the weakest links. Too often, we want to focus on our strengths. If we're big hitters, we want to practice hitting all the time. If we can bench press huge amounts, we want to keep racking up more weight. The real secret to improving is to develop our weaknesses and turn them into strengths. This is just as important in the gym as it is on the court. Going beyond our comfort zone in terms of exercises we are willing to perform and areas we are willing to emphasize. Personally, I had dislocated both of my shoulders a little over ten years ago. Developing and strengthening these points has been critical, involving working with weights and therabands. Other areas to pay general attention to are strengthening and stabilizing the ankles and knees, stretching the hip flexors (generally overdeveloped in males) and maintaining a strong core. As a final note, one ailment many volleyball players is overdevelopment of the quadriceps in relation to the hamstrings. In reality, developing the hamstring area with exercises such as squats and deadlifts will typically yield the biggest gains in jumping ability.

All along, pay attention to strengthening your mind as well as your body. Neglect one or the other and it will show clearly on the court. Developing mental toughness seems so abstract, its meaning may be hard to grasp. Yet, if you've found yourself on the court inexplicably making mistakes, giving up points or getting frustrated you've experienced the downside of the mental game. Establishing a mental edge (which happens to be the title of a great book written by Ken Baum on the subject) will make a big difference during the season.

For me, it was a matter of writing out my goals - both general and specific. I wanted us to develop into a top regional team and be competitive at the national level. I wanted to be able to side out 80+ percent of the time, and not yield more than one point at a time. I did not want to yield a lead late in a match again. There were other sub goals, but these were the majors. I visualized, everything I worked at in the gym and on the court was to achieve these goals. This single pointed focus helped me to not only reach these goals, but exceed them. My team mate and I traveled to California and placed adequately well in an open tournament. We've had a near perfect season in our home state of New Mexico. We recently won the AVP Next Rocky Mountain Regional Championships, the first time a team from outside of Colorado has won such an event. I am confident in siding out and have maintained a percentage right around my goal. I feel like we have closed out almost every game that we had a late lead in and have been able to come back from some deficits because we stayed calm focused and did what we know how to do.

Perhaps the most important achievement of the season has been the ability to go out and compete at a high level and have more fun than ever playing this game. I don't have to worry about my body holding up or think about "I hope I don't&...". Jumping higher and moving faster helps, but once I'm out on the court I know I've done all the work preparing to get to that point, and all that is left to do is go out and play the game.

Remember, set goals for yourself that are high but realistic. Be sure you can commit to doing what it takes to achieve those goals in a specified amount of time. With hard, and more importantly, smart work, you will be well on your way to accomplishing your volleyball dreams!