Reduce Injuries and Increase Effort during the Pre-Season

Again, we all have our own favorite program-so I will share our philosophy only. I have found that doing these ‘little things" helps make the unbearable a little more enjoyable for your team. They will certainly appreciate your efforts!

1. Break it up-we do about 30 mins. after stretching and then another 20-30 at the end of practice. Do not wipe them out before they ever touch a ball-it’s hard to improve skills or build confidence that way.
2. Produce mini-breaks by stopping to ask a question or cover announcements. Many times taking a few seconds to make your players laugh as they struggle to catch their breath before the next whistle is a great elixir-as they chuckle it takes their mind off their "woes."
3. Mix it up-use different exercises from day to day. This cuts down on boredom-which gives them more time to focus on those "woes’ again. It also cuts down on over-use injuries and helps to ensure the ‘whole body’ is being conditioned.
4. Give the team a way of earning their way "out" of an exercise each day. I allow the girls to "karaoke" a song of their choice each day to earn a little relief. It is a good team-bonding exercise. Besides, it puts a little fun into the part of practice they hate the most.
5. Turn it up-let them play their favorite music while they condition. Again, this gives them something else to focus on besides those ‘dag-gone woes".

RATIONALE:

Our players are just that-volleyball players-not decathletes! We all know conditioning is necessary if our team is going to perform well but why do they have to feel they just walked into a ‘boot camp"? If we make it as fun as we can for them by doing the little things I have mentioned above you will find that they will actually push themselves harder. Why? Because you are providing ‘distractions’ to take their minds of the pain they are experiencing. We all know that, in any athletic endeavor, as soon as the athlete starts focusing on the "pain," or how "tired’ they are an immediate drop-off in exertion is experienced. They "focus" on the negative and it overpowers them. The will to push is lost. Try these ideas and I am sure you will see the benefits of an appreciative team focused more on the exercises than their own personal fatigue.

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