PREP Performance

Programs

Camp Info

Volleyball Hitting Camps

The spike. There is almost no debate over what is the most spectacular play in volleyball. Great hitters put fans in the seats and are sought after by every coach. Nearly every high-level volleyball match is decided at the net, by the team which attacks the ball most effectively.

So why are most young athletes not learning proper attacking skills?

There are myriad reasons for this. Some coaches think that athletic ability is what makes a great hitter and neglect the skill aspect. Many more do not have a sound grasp of the bio mechanical aspects that come into play when hitting the ball. However, the greatest factor is simply that young volleyball players never engage in a systematic program designed to develop the knowledge, technique and motor skills necessary to become a high level attacker.

Hitting is a skill that must be built; piece by piece, from foundation to peak.

Over the past several years I have spent time developing a system for building hitting skills and have implemented it with the players I have coached. I now want to bring this system to an off-season hitting school to help as many athletes as possible reach their highest potential. Any player I've coached has heard me discuss the three aspects of a successful attack:

Footwork
Arm swing
Contact

These three aspects have several different sub-skills involved and each must be trained systematically. My system starts at building the fundamental motor skills involved in each aspect and progresses to the advanced skills needed to be a collegiate-level hitter. In many cases, kids are taught to "just hit the ball" with no thought to developing technique. This is akin to putting a pitcher on the mound and hoping he figures out how to throw a curveball on his own! What is the result of this philosophy? The best and most talented kids figure it out while the rest are left in dust. Furthermore, some of the talented kids who figure it out on their own wind up injured because of a bio mechanical flaw developed through poor technique or muscle imbalance.

This hit home for me when I found out I had a torn labrum. My choices were season-ending surgery or taking a hard look at my own mechanics and adjust them to create a safer, more efficient arm swing.

The Prep Performance Hitting School consists of two camps:

The Prep Performance Fundamental Hitting School

For athletes aged 12 to 14, the Prep Performance Fundamental Hitting School focuses on building foundational skills and establishing proper technique. Participating athletes will learn the correct footwork necessary to attack the ball in all areas of the court, the basics of a safe and efficient arm swing and will develop their ability to contact the ball with control and power. Each session will be approximately 90 minutes long and the school will consist of 10 sessions.

The Prep Performance Advanced Hitting School

For athletes aged 15 to 18, the Prep Performance Advanced Hitting School aims to develop the advanced attacking skills necessary to become a collegiate-level hitter. This camp is designed for athletes who already have developed fundamental skills and are ready to learn more. Sessions will focus on refining arm swing technique and contact skills in order to increase hitting power. Emphasis will be placed on learning a multitude of shots and the ability to hit to all areas of the court.