Rally Together - North Country Region Volleyball

Today is our Friday Finale - the last daily entry of our Rally Together blog.  We hope that you have found some helpful and inspiring posts here over the last couple of months, as we all were thrown into a temporary new normal.  As we sign off for now, let's take a look back at and compile here in our final post all of the information highlighted in Rally Together NCR:  CONDITIONING WORKOUT VIDEOS Workout with Kalei Mau Workout with Daly Santana Cross Training with the HomeCourt App Workout with Dalianliz Rosado Workout with Milton Marrero Performance Workout with Sara Macek Workout with NDVR Fitness & Coach K Workout with Coach Marie Zidek 3 Outdoor Workouts TECHNICAL TRAINING VIDEOS Ball Control Movement with Coach Alfe Reft Blocking Transition with Coach Alfe Reft 5 Skills Training Video Links AVCA Homeschool  12 Technical Training Video Links 3 New Skills Training Video Links Technical Training for Setters MENTAL TRAINING Creating Mental Cue Cards Volleyball, the Unknown an

Today marks our final Thursday Technical Training post, and we've saved an important one for last - this one's for you, Setters!  Making time to get those reps in daily will elevate your level of play and finding that rhythm and consistency will put you a step ahead of your competition.  Grab your volleyball and check out some of these setter training videos:  Setter U shared a challenging Setter Medicine Ball Warm-Up   on their Instagram feed.  If you're a setter, definitely give them a follow - the Setter U Instagram page is loaded with tips, inspiration and training ideas - some of which include the following training tools we've posted about here on our Rally Together blog: Rebound Board & Setter Target ! Olympian Alisha Glass (and former Penn State setter!) demonstrates two at-home setting drills that she uses.  Find them on the Art of Coaching Volleyball website HERE ! Team USA setter, Lauren Carlini (and former Wisconsin setter!) walks you through some side

Summer is truly just around the corner, and the warmer weather also brings along the opportunity to move our workouts outside!  Nothing lifts our spirits like sunshine, so when it's shining bright let's enjoy it, the warmth it brings, and get moving with an outdoor condition and strength training session.  Here are a few to get you started as spring rolls into summer:  Be Tiger Fit posted a great Outdoor Stair Workout on their Instagram feed.  This workout is challenging but fun, and all you need to find is a set of stairs.  You will for sure want to give this workout a try! Sarah Pavan, former Nebraska and Canadian National Team player and current Canadian beach volleyball player shared her 25 Minute Outdoor Strength & Conditioning At-Home Workout .  No equipment needed! AVP beach volleyball players, the McKibbin brothers, shared an Outdoor Strength & Cardio Beach Workout .  Find a nice open sandy beach area or an area in your yard and challenge yourself with this wor

As we look forward to the future, a great motivator to keep us focused and driven is a vision board.  Check out the following post from our friends in the Badger Region on creating a student-athlete vision board:   "Focus on the future Create a student-athlete volleyball vision board. (From our friends in the Arizona Region of USA Volleyball) What are your goals? What are your academic goals? What are your volleyball goals? A vision board helps you clarify and concentrate on the realistic goals most important to you. Do you want to make your high school team or the region’s high performance team? Do you want to reduce errors and improve your kill percentage? Maybe you want to jump higher. Olympic athletes have used vision boards for decades to help them improve their performance. How to create a vision board: Create a list of goals Find pictures representing your goals from old magazines or your favorite websites Make a collage of your photos on a large piece of construction paper

Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and with the forecast not looking very outdoor friendly, how can we still connect and compete with all our friends and family while still complying with our socially distanced group margins?  Here's one answer: Organize a Zoom Game Night!  By now, we have all pretty much become Zoom experts, as it has been the go-to app for staying in contact while we have been staying home, and all sorts of ingenious ideas have been borne in the last several months so that we don't all have to just stare at each other on Zoom - instead, we can  play some games and compete  -  YES!    While I'm certain the possibilities are endless, we are sharing again just a few of the games that work great with Zoom to get you started: PICTIONARY : I'm certainly partial to this game, as this was a family favorite while growing up.  So fun and super simple to play on Zoom!   Divide the group into teams.   Everyone uses a website with a Word Generator, like this one fro

Thursday means the weekend is in sight, and we don't want a whole week to go by without sharing some technical training ideas or videos with all of you.  The worldwide volleyball community really has come together during COVID-19, sharing both volleyball specific conditioning training and technical skill training workouts that can be completed at home.  Here are a few skills training videos that popped up on our radar this week:    10 Solo Volleyball Drills to Try at Home :  This video was created by former Nebraska and Canadian National Team player and current Canadian beach volleyball player, Sarah Pavan, and includes some excellent ball control reps, arm swing reps, jump float serving practice, and even some blocking work.  All you need is a ball and a wall! Home Volleyball Skills Training - COVID 19 Workout :  A skills training video created by Elevate Yourself walking you through a variety of skills from passing to attacking to serving and downballs.  For this workout, you jus

It's time to get moving with a Wednesday Workout!  DePaul University Coach Marie Zidek has created a five day series of volleyball specific at-home workouts focusing on the upper body, lower body, core, shoulders and stabilization--all valuable for a competitive volleyball player!  The following workouts have been shared on the Art of Coaching Volleyball website:  Day 1: Bodyweight Conditioning and Strength     "Grab a coffee table or chair, a towel and some water, and let's get to work with this short but effective bodyweight strength and conditioning routine!  Marie Zidek leads you through a dynamic warmup to start the workout with squats, hip bridges, knee hugs, planks and jumping jacks." Day 2: Jumping, Stability and Agility "We'll start with a dynamic warm-up consisting of a few a few plyometrics to lubricate the muscles, spike the heart rate and warm up the joints.  Next, we'll work on a series of jumps using a surface to jump off of that will help

We have heard over and over during the past couple of months that we are smack dab in the midst of an unprecedented experience, and it's absolutely true - you are living through a unique moment in history!  You will want to remember what you're experiencing and how you're feeling, so why not take some time to put together your own personal time capsule.  The process is simple, and when you open it up years down the road, you will be grateful you took the time to create such a poignant memory.  The Art of Coaching Volleyball has shared a fun document to walk you through creating a My 2020 Covid-19 Time Capsule.  Some pages to spur your creative ingenuity include . . .  Pictures of people you are social distancing with All About Me - including age, a list of favorites, friends & what you want to be when you grow up How I'm Feeling My Community What I Am Doing to Keep Busy Handprints Special Occasions Celebrated  Letter to Myself Interview Your Parents Letter from Your

For some reason, Monday often brings with it a serious case of the munchies!  Let's start this brand new week off in the right direction, as we find a way to satisfy those Monday cravings with some delicious but  healthy snacks that you can create right in your own home.  For some inspiration and guidance, we turned to the incredibly talented Team USA Chefs, who graciously share these mouth-watering recipes with all of us:  100-Calorie Peanut Butter Cups 2-Ingredient Cookies Almond Butter Granola Balls Chocolate Chip Bars Cinnamon Raisin Cookie Balls Coffee Buzz Bites Date and Oat Crisp Edamame Salsa Frozen Yogurt Blueberry Bites Fruit and Yogurt Popsicles Lemon Delicious Pudding Lemon Thyme Protein Balls Orange Apricot Recovery Bars Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Protein Mug Cake No-Bake Peanut Butter Crunch Bars Peanut Butter Protein Balls Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats Roasted Chickpeas Strawberry Nut Crunch Balls Valentine Chocolate Bark Walnut Brownie Bars That's a whol

TGIF!  Looking forward to the weekend, and no better way to spend the weekend than another fun family volleyball project!  Just like the last project we posted ( a Setter Target ), this rebound board will provide hours and hours of volleyball fun and valuable reps!  The plans for this particular rebound board were created by engineer by day/volleyball dad by night and weekend, Greg Samson, who graciously agreed to share them with all of us!  These plans include diagrams and detailed instruction, making them easy to follow, and the board itself is made to last.  This is definitely a volleyball project worth investing time and effort into building.   The rebound board can be used by one or more players as demonstrated in the videos below.  Using the board with the Setter Target is a great way to get setting reps off of a "live" ball - it's about as realistic as we can get right now!   A genuine "thank you" to Greg for not only creating these plans but also for sh

Over the past couple of months, many at home training opportunities have been shared across social media and the web relating to both physical conditioning and volleyball skills.  Perhaps the most important aspect of our athlete's welfare at a time like this, however, is their mental well being.  As coaches, parents, and club directors, the mental health of our players is something we simply cannot overlook and then "hope" for good results.  We need to educate ourselves and then provide practical tools to those in our circle of influence.  Fortunately, there are multiple opportunities and practical tools provided to us - we just have to look and then actually spur ourselves into action.  Here are a few to get you started:  AVCA Educational Timeout Webinars : These webinars feature industry experts and tackle topics to help us navigate our current situation including these:  The Coaches Compass to Covid-19: How to Engage and Lead the Most Anxious Generation of Athletes So

As coaches, we are always looking for ways to connect and engage with our players, and the set of circumstances we all find ourselves in at this moment presents a whole new set of challenges in this realm.  Thankfully, the world of volleyball has really banded behind the #BetterTogether theme, and everyone is sharing valuable information.  If you're looking for some fresh ideas, here's a great place to start TODAY! The Art of Coaching Volleyball just announced that they will be hosting a live session on their Facebook page today featuring Virtual Training Ideas to Keep Players Engaged.  The session will include, "New ideas for online training to help keep players connected, in top form, improving their skills and learning new things about the game from home."  Check out the AOC Facebook page at 2 PM CST to participate live or watch it after the fact on the AOC Facebook feed. AOC has also announced the following schedule of free Virtual Training Sessions:  Wednesday, M

It's Tuesday and the sun is shining - the perfect opportunity to get in some volleyball skills training reps.  While conditioning is extremely important, we don't want to let those specific volleyball skills fall to the wayside, even though we are on our own while we #StayHome.  The great news is that there are a lot of really great training tools right here at the tips of your fingers - you just have to click and get started! Coach Alfred Reft's Ball Control Movement Training Coach Alfred Reft's Blocking Transition Training AVCA Homeschool Chapter 1: Serving AVCA Homeschool Chapter 2: Eye Work AVCA Homeschool Chapter 3: Setting AVCA Homeschool Extra Credit: Bonus-Setting AVCA Homeschool Chapter 4: Attacking AVCA Homeschool Extra Credit: Bonus-Attacking AVCA Homeschool Chapter 5: Blocking AVCA Homeschool Chapter 6: Defense AVCA Homeschool Chapter 7 - Launching this week! Art of Coaching Volleyball - April Ross Challenge Art of Coaching Volleyball Home Drills & Skill

In partnership with the AVCA, North Country Region will be hosting our second AVCA College Coach Recruiting Panel on Tuesday, May 12th @ 5 PM CST.  All coaches, players and parents are welcome and encouraged to participate in this free webinar!   Our first College Coaches' Panel was excellent!  That recruiting panel included experienced coaches from Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA and the NJCAA:  Division I: Geoff Carlston - Former Big 10 Head Coach at Ohio State University Division II: Wayne Chadwick - Former Head Coach at Bemidji State University  Division III: Beth Wilmeth - Head Coach at University of Northwestern - St. Paul NAIA: Brigitte Greywater - Head Coach at Valley City State University NJCAA: Jane Peterson - Head Coach at Central Lakes College The panel was enlightening from a coach and parent perspective with insight as to how many and what type of scholarships are available at each level, what coaches are looking for in recruiting videos, how to get a play

This weekend we have the opportunity to celebrate some of the most important people in our lives - our Moms and Grandmas.  These ladies love us, support us, laugh with us, cry with us, pick us up when we can't get up on our own, tend to our wounds, wait up for us at night, show us grace when we make mistakes and are without a doubt some of the very best volleyball fans on earth!  As we reflect on how grateful we are for our Moms and Grandmas, let's share their beautiful faces with the world!   Post a picture with your Mom or Grandma. Tag North Country Region. NCR will share your post.  One Mom and one Grandma will receive some North Country Region swag. Instagram: @northcountryregionvolleyball Facebook: @NCRVolleyball Twitter: @ncrusav George Washington said, "All I am I owe to my mother," and perhaps no truer words have ever been spoken.  Let's not bypass the opportunity to show some love to the Moms and Grandmas who have invested their li

Did you know that as a North Country Region member you are able to nominate other NCR members whose dedication and impact has inspired you to receive nationally recognized awards?  Nominations are only open through Monday, May 18th, so take a close look at the awards below and decide who you believe deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated for being exceptional and going above and beyond, and then show your appreciation by nominating them!  Click on the name of an award to take you to the simple nomination form.   CLUB DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR • One (1) nominee will be selected for Club Director of the Year. • Please note: The nature of this award requires that nominees and the award winner be a current  USA Volleyball - North Country Region  member . • Nominations close Monday, May 18th at 5:00 pm CDT COACH OF THE YEAR • One (1) nominee will be selected for Club Coach of the Year from each of the following categories: 12U, 13U, 14U, 15U, 16U, 17U, 18U, Beach, and Boys - 

North Country Region wants to encourage all of our members who missed out on your prom this Spring.  Prom is a big deal, and we are truly sorry that all of your prom plans were blown apart by what is happening in our world right now, and because we in turn missed out on seeing all of your fabulous prom posts, North Country Region announces our very own virtual VolleyProm - beginning today through next Friday, May 15th.    We know that many of you already had your dresses and suits, and we want to give you a reason to pull those out of the closet and get all dressed up for a photo shoot if you haven't already done so.  Our goal is to put together a VolleyProm Photo Gallery of all of you in your fancy prom duds side-by-side with one of your favorite personal volleyball pics.  So grab that stunning dress or suit, get all fancied up, and take a picture for us to share in our gallery - we want to celebrate you! Moms and Dads - you can participate, too!  How amazing would it be s

Tuesday Technical Training - it's what today is all about!  AVCA has partnered with Kyle Mashima from SoloStats Live to create AVCA Homeschool - a site filled with volleyball skills training ideas while we all #StayHome.   These chapters include brief explanations followed by specific video examples showing how to get those valuable reps while you practice at home.  Technical skills covered include the following:  Chapter 1: SERVING Chapter 2: EYE WORK Chapter 3: SETTING Extra Credit: BONUS-SETTING Chapter 4: ATTACKING Extra Credit: BONUS-ATTACKING Chapter 5: BLOCKING Chapter 6: DEFENSE Pop on over to the AVCA Homeschool site by clicking on any of the links above and maximize the quality of your volleyball training while you #StayHome.  You can do it!   #RallyTogether  #BetterTogether

This beautiful morning indicates it's time for some Monday Motivation!  Stepping in to provide just that is Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach Ricky Kothenbeutel - Coach K, who has created a challenging volleyball specific workout utilizing items you have right in your home.  The video linked below is one you do not want to miss - definitely add it to your repertoire and give it a try today! The ideology surrounding NDVR Fitness is perfect for the world we find ourselves in right at this moment.  The focus is on a trek through a mountain range where sometimes the path is well worn and easy to tread, while at other times we find ourselves facing a steep incline looking for the will to push through; and then there are the moments where we stand in a deep valley unsure of where to even take our next step - but no matter which of these paths we find ourselves on at this moment, we can be assured that an incredible mountain top view awaits if we just press on!   Coach K is

It's Friday which means the weekend is here - yay!  This weekend how about spending some time on a fun family project - building a setter target that will provide hours of volleyball practice while we #StayHome.   I've heard a few great things about this particular target:  Relatively simple and inexpensive to build on your own Target basket is adjustable to different heights and angles Not too heavy to move and transport   Families who have used the below plans to create a target have tailored them to their specific needs - one following the plans exactly and one varying slightly the target shape and adding a net (see Hally's video above).  Both devices work well for their individual purposes.   The plans are even simple enough for players to help build themselves with a little supervision!   Shalyn building her own setter target! "Measure twice, cut once!" And here's the finished product in action . . . .  The plan