By April Chapple

Okay some freshmen girl volleyball players CAN rely on pure physical raw talent when it comes to being considered for the Varsity team but there are some things you can do if you are a little less physically endowed to get the volleyball coach to notice you. Just check out these tips and apply them to your next volleyball practice.

1. Come Early, Leave Late to Practice.

For girls volleyball practice I use to come to my high school gym one half hour before practice and lay in the middle of the gym and just visualize that the court was mine. Seriously, I convinced myself that anything that happened on that volleyball court, any ball that came on my side I was personally going to be responsible for. Nothing was going to fall in defense and no one was going to dig my hits.

I think something worked because we made it to the California State Championships for the first time my senior year. I chose to to come early and/or stay late to exercise my mental skills but I also did it to practice serving and perform individual wall drills for setting and passing as well.

2. Become the most effective server on your girl's volleyball team.

Read the article the "Girl's Volleyball: Top 5 Places to Serve After a Team Timeout" to learn how to become your volleyball team's most effective server.

3. Okay its not a movie about girl's volleyball but still GO rent the DVD movie "Rudy" starring Sean Astin...Watch it...then adopt his "never quit" attitude. Period.

Yeah, it's a football movie - but it's the best one you will ever see AND you'd be surprised how many conditioning drills in football are similar to the ones we do in girls volleyball. Just watch the movie.

4. Go After EVERY volleyball in defense.

For your girls volleyball practice adopt the "Rudy" attitude in defense and make any ball in defense YOUR ball. Decide that nothing falls around you or in your immediate area. Take pride in TRYING to get every ball up so your team has another chance to play it and make a point or side out. You may not get it the first or second time but you'll get closer and closer each time and most importantly your coach will notice your effort.

5. Become the backrow quarterback for your girl's volleyball team.

Talk to your teammates before, during and after the game and give them valuable information about what you see happening. Direct traffic by calling out plays you see developing.

This isn't difficult because many times a backrow player - if she's concentrating can see a play developing just like the front row player or sooner. So if you see the Right Front player sliding over to run the "X " Don't keep this information to yourself! Call it out "Watch the X" Watch number 15 coming around" Say it Loud enough so everyone can hear it. If you see the fake "X" developing which is what a lot of setters call after running the X "Call it out" out loud..."watch number 15 coming around for the fake X".

Let the blockers here you, let your defense hear you...just commentate. Secrets?
There are no secrets on the volleyball court. Let your teammates know what to expect.

If a player goes through the front row rotation and all the points she made were by wiping off the block or hitting cross court, the next time she rotates up to the left front YOU go up and out loud and tell YOUR front row blockers in a LOUD voice "Hey that #15 the last time hit everything Xcourt. Be ready for her Xcourt attack."

Besides this being a very good way of "getting inside" your opponent's head it let's your coach know that you are a smart volleyball player, making yourself aware of what is going on in the game and you're doing what it takes to help your team win.
Question: How Tall do you have to be a good Backrow Quarterback? Answer: Size just doesn't matter!

By April Chapple

Having put the "a" in "ambitious" in regards to assisting their junior volleyball players with receiving college offers the Eastside Volleyball Club has adopted a proactive system to its college recruitment program.

Eastside VBC hosts Recruiting Combines held at various locations for the purpose of recording data for Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction, and Quickness of participating volleyball players. After the physical information is registered, players have a chance to demonstrate their positions in simulated game situations. Players are designated by a numbering system utilizing arm bands and the data compiled at each event is distributed on the player's behalf by Eastside VBC to recruiters that are present at the event or request the information from club director Tim Van de Schraaf.

Located at 1621 Highview Road in East Peoria, Illinois, Eastside VBC is considered one of the foremost junior volleyball clubs in the area and has positioned itself to be the kind of committed club volleyball program the future college volleyball player and/or the future recreational volleyball player will seek out first.

2010 Junior Events Schedule

The Eastside VBC offers a volleyball tournament series that features the use of premier venues at the University of Illinois - Activity and Recreation Center (Champaign), Illinois Wesleyan - Shirk Center (Bloomington), Hidden Cove (Bourbonnais), and River Plex (Peoria).

They also host tournaments at the River Plex (Peoria, IL), Eastern Illinois University (Chaleston, IL), and each volleyball team that participates in the Eastside VBC series is guaranteed 5-7 matches (two-day event) and 3-5 matches (one-day event).

2010 Volleyball Incentive Program, VIP Program

Eastside VBC offers a volume discount for programs that enter multiple teams and dates. Information regarding the Eastside VIP (Volleyball Incentive Program) can be found on the club website.

Players who come to Eastside VBC can expect to receive quality instruction, make new friendships, increased discipline, exposure to college recruiters, top level competition, conditioning for volleyball during practice drills, leaderships skills, education, and fun.

Eastside VBC offers volleyball to players of all ages including the youngest and most inexperienced who can sign up for VolleyKids I and VolleyKids II program for beginners. It is open to boys and girls aged 7 to 11 and offers league style play. The commitment is roughly the same time frame as the regular season, but it is the kind of league perfect for the complete novice. This program is new to the Eastside Volleyball Club and headed up by Diane Lauterbach.

Olympian and local celebrity Caren Kemner is scheduled to conduct a series of skills clinics which cover training and education on basic to advanced parts of the game on all volleyball technique.

By April Chapple

Having put the "a" in "ambitious" in regards to assisting their junior volleyball players with receiving college offers the Eastside Volleyball Club has adopted a proactive system to its college recruitment program.

Eastside VBC hosts Recruiting Combines held at various locations for the purpose of recording data for Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction, and Quickness of participating volleyball players. After the physical information is registered, players have a chance to demonstrate their positions in simulated game situations. Players are designated by a numbering system utilizing arm bands and the data compiled at each event is distributed on the player's behalf by Eastside VBC to recruiters that are present at the event or request the information from club director Tim Van de Schraaf.

Located at 1621 Highview Road in East Peoria, Illinois, Eastside VBC is considered one of the foremost junior volleyball clubs in the area and has positioned itself to be the kind of committed club volleyball program the future college volleyball player and/or the future recreational volleyball player will seek out first.

2010 Junior Events Schedule

The Eastside VBC offers a volleyball tournament series that features the use of premier venues at the University of Illinois - Activity and Recreation Center (Champaign), Illinois Wesleyan - Shirk Center (Bloomington), Hidden Cove (Bourbonnais), and River Plex (Peoria).

They also host tournaments at the River Plex (Peoria, IL), Eastern Illinois University (Chaleston, IL), and each volleyball team that participates in the Eastside VBC series is guaranteed 5-7 matches (two-day event) and 3-5 matches (one-day event).

2010 Volleyball Incentive Program, VIP Program

Eastside VBC offers a volume discount for programs that enter multiple teams and dates. Information regarding the Eastside VIP (Volleyball Incentive Program) can be found on the club website.

Players who come to Eastside VBC can expect to receive quality instruction, make new friendships, increased discipline, exposure to college recruiters, top level competition, conditioning for volleyball during practice drills, leaderships skills, education, and fun.

Eastside VBC offers volleyball to players of all ages including the youngest and most inexperienced who can sign up for VolleyKids I and VolleyKids II program for beginners. It is open to boys and girls aged 7 to 11 and offers league style play. The commitment is roughly the same time frame as the regular season, but it is the kind of league perfect for the complete novice. This program is new to the Eastside Volleyball Club and headed up by Diane Lauterbach.

Olympian and local celebrity Caren Kemner is scheduled to conduct a series of skills clinics which cover training and education on basic to advanced parts of the game on all volleyball technique.