We are what we repeatedly do.

Excelence, terefore, 


i not an act but a habit.

Cougar Volleyball
2010-2011

Please viit or blog:

http://campbellsporthighschoolvolleyball.blogspot.com/

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 TEAM PHILOSOPHY

PHILOSOPHY Volleyball played well is a thing of beauty. Few athletic endeavors require as much teamwork; rarely
does a sport reward hard work so completely. Athletes who study the game and apply the lessons
learned relish every opportunity to practice and play. Spectators who watch competitive volleyball for
the first time are easily hooked.

Your Campbellsport coaches love volleyball. We are committed to you as students, as athletes and as
young women. It is our goal to provide every opportunity for you to become as good as you want to be.
More important, we will strive to help you and your teammates become the best team you can be.

THE TEA M As a Campbellsport volleyball player, you agree that the team is paramount. Your individual goals and
your team’s goal do not necessarily conflict, but when they do, you accept that decisions are made for
CO M ES FIRST the good of the team. Successes are sweeter – setbacks sting less – when they are shared.

That said, the best way to improve your team is to improve as an individual. Competition is not just
healthy, it is mandatory.

RU LES H ELP
OUR TEA M RUN Each player must decide if she buys into our system, and is willing to commit to this team. Every
S MOOTHLY expectation and rule is for the benefit of the team, and you have to decide, in advance, whether you
want to follow them. If not, you should not be a part of the team.

OUR TEA M
THR IV ES ON You must trust your coach and your teammates, and behave in a way that earns their respect. You
TRUST AND must do everything reasonably necessary to make yourself and your team better.
R ESPECT

OUR ATHLETES There is often more than one way to do things correctly. In some cases, however, your coaches will
select a specific strategy for the benefit of the entire team, even if it may not seem to benefit a
L EA RN TO BE particular individual. You must be willing to make changes according to your coaches’ suggestions. If
COAC HAB LE coaches seem to be “riding” you, it is usually because they think you are capable of a higher level of
performance.

OUR TEA M Winning matters. But winning is hard. There is nothing easy about becoming great.
WO R KS HA RD Everyone wants to win, but few make the sacrifices to do it. No one will give you anything in life, you
must earn it. You cannot cut corners. If, for example, you don’t have a consistent, killer serve, you
should work long and hard to get one.

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ON OUR TEA M, As a Campbellsport volleyball player, you maintain the same focus and enthusiasm whether you are
between the lines or on the bench. You accept that playing time is decided by the coach for the good
BENCH TI M E IS of the team in the circumstance of the moment. You know that Campbellsport’s bench will be its secret
PLAYING TI M E weapon: every player has her head in the game at every moment, and is ready to come in at any
opportunity.

That said, you have a big say in your playing time. Campbellsport coaches will establish standards,
and those who meet those standards and have a good attitude will get the most time in matches.

OUR TEA M Your coaches want you to know that almost any obstacle can be overcome with hard work.
Commitment, perseverance and responsibility will be rewarded.
W I LL BE
SUCCESSFUL

OUR TEA M HAS Volleyball is one of the most fun sports in the world. You know you’ve chosen the right sport if you
simply can’t wait to get back in the gym, and absolutely love stepping on the court with your friends and
FUN teammates every chance you get.

OUR TEA M As you move through high school, share your new skills and insight with new or younger players. Be
generous with your time. Consider helping out at the youth, middle school or club level as an assistant
PASSES IT ON coach or referee. We want to establish a strong tradition. Be an active and involved Cougar Volleyball
alumnus.

" Love the game. Love the game for the pure joy of accomplishment. Love the game for everything
it can teach you about yourself. Love the game for the feeling of belonging to a group endeavoring
to do its best. Love the game for being involved in a team whose members can't wait to see you do
your best. Love the game for the challenge of working harder than you ever have at something and
then harder than that. Love the game because it takes all team members to give it life. Love the
game because at its best, the game tradition will include your contributions. Love the game because
you belong to a long line of fine athletes who have loved it. It is now your legacy. Love the game so
much that you will pass on your love of the game to another athlete who has seen your dedication,
your work, your challenges, your triumphs... and then that athlete will, because of you, love the
game."

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 TIME COMMITMENT FOR VOLLEYBALL

PHILOSOPHY Like all worthwhile extra-curricular activities, high school sports require a substantial commitment.
Volleyball – the ultimate TEAM sport – demands that diverse individuals work as one, in a fast-paced
test of coordination, concentration and – above all – cooperation. Building a team requires a
commitment of everyone’s TIME.

Our season is short ….tryouts begin August 16, 2010 and – just two and a half months later – the
State Tournament is. Focus during this brief period is incredibly important.

ATTEND E VERY Skills, training, practice plans and game preparations are all interrelated. Coaches will not have the
opportunity to help players “catch up”. If you know you must miss a practice, you must call the
PRACTI CE coaches in advance.

ATTEND SCHOO L The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) and Campbellsport School District prohibit
any athlete from participating in an athletic contest unless, on the day of the match, they attended
ON MATCH DAYS scheduled classes, or receive written permission from the Athletic Director, Ms. Kristen Langer.

ATTEND E VERY On match days (primarily Tuesdays and Thursdays), the Varsity and JV teams are encouraged to
attend each other’s matches as well as their own. Freshmen are encouraged to attend the Varsity
MATCH match. The team not playing helps record statistics and helps the other team during warm-ups and
clean-up.

R I DE THE TEA M For most road matches at other high schools, all Varsity, JV and Freshman players must ride the
team bus to the game. A player should be prepared to do homework during the bus rides. A player
BUS may, however go home from the opponent’s gym with her parents if the required paperwork is filled
out. All other players must return to Campbellsport High on the team bus. A player may not drive her
own car to or from road matches.

" Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation

determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you
do it.

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 PARENT EXPECTATIONS

WE L CO M E Parents are central to the success of the Campbellsport Volleyball program. We welcome the chance to
begin a strong tradition of support.
PARENTS!

CO M M UN ICATING Campbellsport coaches have been in your shoes: some of us are parents of student-athletes and know
first-hand the joys and frustrations that can accompany that relationship. We are glad to speak with you
about your daughter, but ask that you:
W ITH
COA C HES 1. Insists that your daughter try to work out volleyball-related issues directly with her coach before
enlisting your assistance. Learning to deal with authority figures is one of the supreme benefits
of participation in organized sports.

2. Discuss all concerns with the volleyball coaching staff first before contacting the school’s Athletic
Director or administrators. We will only discuss your daughter's development as a player. We
will NOT discuss playing time.

3. Avoid jumping to conclusions. Remember that some teenagers tend to exaggerate both when
praised and criticized, and that decisions about complicated issues like playing time are usually
the product of many facts.

4. Remember that independence through athletics is crucial in a child’s development. Parents

should consider the value of stepping back to “release their child” to their sport, except where
there is clear evidence of physical or emotional concerns.

24-HOUR RULE If you are concerned about a volleyball-related issue that requires you to speak directly with a coach, we
ask that you wait at least 24 hours after the triggering event. Cooler heads are inevitably more productive.
We always enjoy chatting with parents at the conclusion of matches, but cannot address non-emergency
issues at that time. We also cannot interrupt practice sessions.

SPORTS MANSH IP All parents (and players) are expected to demonstrate the highest level of sportsmanship while
representing Campbellsport Volleyball. Please cheer for our team’s efforts and successes.

1. While in the gymnasium, keep all comments positive – remember, you are sitting among
parents from the other school. Please do not compare the skill or attitude of your
daughter out loud with other members of the team.

2. Volleyball officials are off-limits for parents. Refrain from yelling at the referees – before,
during and after the match – no matter what the perceived error or injustice.
Campbellsport’s coaches believe players must learn to perform under adversity, and to
not waste emotion or effort on things not within their control.

3. Take time to learn more about volleyball rules and strategy. What sometimes seems like
a blown call or a poor coaching decision often looks much different if you have a more
detailed appreciation for the nuances of this sometimes-complicated sport.

4. Consider it a sign of trouble if a player looks into the stands repeatedly for parental
approval or disapproval during a game.

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PLAYING TI M E For coaches, delegating playing time is a zero-sum exercise: the decision to give one player more time on
the court means another player will get less. As such, all good coaches know that with each decision,
however well-considered, comes the likelihood that someone will be disappointed.

1. Strong teams have strong benches. Players who keep focused on the match while not on the
court greatly increase their chances of success once they enter the game. Spirited bench
players almost always infect their teammates with optimism and extra energy.

2. Lineup decisions are primarily the result of careful consideration about our own team’s
chemistry, and our opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. Playing time is earned by hard work,
proven performance, having a good attitude and an occasional hunch. Coaches take a season-
long view about each player’s time on the court.

Parents should resist measuring their daughter’s volleyball experience solely by the amount of her playing
time. We strive to inject each player with a love for the sport, teacher her to value the opportunity to be
strong and confident, whether in practice or a game.

WO RDS OF
W ISDO M “There are four positions on the athletic
field: spectator, referee, coach, and player.
You get to choose one and only one.”
- Bruce Bowen

Volleyball 631.
Six players.
Three touches.
Won.

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 Volleyball Mission Statement
What will make us successful is having a clear mission, and honoring
athletics as one part of the educational process. When you walk into the
gym and see banners hanging from the rafter, that’s one sign of
accomplishment. But we haven’t been successful unless 10 years from now
your children can look back and say, ‘Because of my athletic experience,
I’m a better mother, a better citizen, and I’m contributing to society.’ If
they can’t say that, then whether or not they won five championships as an
individual or a team, we have not been successful.
We strive to create an environment where extraordinary female athletes
have the opportunity to compete with such athleticism and grace that if
another exceptional athlete walked into our gym she would want to join
them.

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 THE UNIQUENESS OF VOLLEYBALL
by - John Kessel, USA Volleyball Director, Membership Development & Disabled Programs 4/12/07

This article should be explained to (and understood by) all parents in your program, as volleyball is known
as a sport that is not a "parent-pleaser."

In volleyball, the game is so unique because, first and foremost, players must rebound the ball. All other
major American sports allow the player either to hold or pause with the ball during the game action. Look
at the balls skills of a football player - when someone drops the ball, people flop and flail all over the field
trying to...just land on top of the ball. In basketball if you are confused or the play breaks down, you just
hold on to the ball to collect your thoughts before passing it along. Imagine volleyball hitters, confronted
by a big block, being able to say to themselves, "Whoa!, way too big a block," and then tip it back to their
own team to try again, for hits number 4,5,6 or whatever it takes...Volleyball players have no option, but
learn to "better the ball," improving on the preceding teammate's contact, without complaining about it. No
matter what happens on the second contact, the third one has to get over the net and into the opponents
court, no chance to reload and try again if things are not perfect.

Nearly all other rebound sports give the player an implement to rebound the ball accurately. My mom has
a new tennis racquet. It is about twice as big as her older one and she is "playing lots better..." What can
you buy to be a better passer, new passing arms? To be a better setter, some of those new model setting
hands? To be a better blocker, can you go out and get the extended model, since you are short, of the
National Team blocking arms? Nope, the only thing you can "buy" to get better is time contacting the ball,
playing over the net.

Another unique element to be aware of is that the game at the lower level will often be won by the lesser-
skilled team! Yep, at this level, the worst team wins...You should be working on three contacts per side,
not one, as part of the process. Beginners who strive for three touches will lose on the scoreboard to
teams who seek only to get the ball back over. Patience, therefore, is paramount.

It is the world's biggest court...as once the ball is put into play with the act of service, the court boundaries
extend beyond the actual court lines, limited only by walls or other off- court interferences. Most other
sports confine the players to an area. We are expected to pursue and save an errant ball for yards and
yards off the court, and then hustle back to keep playing At the same time, players must learn to adapt to
lower ceilings and bright lights, which may not interfere with any other gym game but volleyball. We
volleyball players are the only ones who know where the lost badminton birdies and prom balloons are.

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Meanwhile, the one item that keeps opponents apart, the high physical barrier called a net, can never be
touched while the ball is in play. To make sure you don't touch it not one, but TWO people stare at the net
watching you and your teammates...On this court, which is smaller than any other team sport, you have
the highest density of players, making volleyball the most crowded in sport. Well, maybe chess is more
crowded with all those "men..." but with 12 players on 162 square meter court, things are tight. So you
need to get along...Imagine our game if we had fouls...oh, nice stuff block by you, WHAP, and you hit the
blocker in frustration, then get to say...foul #1, I can do that 4 more times...

It can be played on virtually any surface-sand, grass, asphalt, wood and even mud or snow! Of course, at
the same time, the ball can never touch the floor, something that is legal in every other sport played! What
to get a funny perspective on how gravity works to bring the ball to the floor every second you are
playing? Watch a game upside down...you can see from this new perspective how the ball keeps rushing
to hit the floor.

The range of contact by each player, from just off the floor to the top of an individual's jump, is exceeded
only by the range of play of the ball, which may go as high as the playing area allows. You are expected
to be able to dig a ball just off the floor, then just a couple of seconds later, jump as high as you can and
hit the ball at the top of your reach. Meanwhile, the speed of the ball between contacts also ranges from
very slowly to more than 100 kilometers an hour for international players. Yet, volleyball players wear only
optional protection, such as kneepads, to protect themselves from the floor. How many volleyballs hit you
in the kneepads?

One of the neatest things about our sport is that you must do TWO consecutive maximum efforts in row,
to be a good spiker. You must jump as HIGH as you can, and while up there, unsupported, you are
expected to hit the ball as HARD as you can. Imagine a pro baseball/softball player having to jump as
high as they could, then bat at the ball...that is what you are expected to do every third hit!

What about the great challenge of serve reception...compare it again to baseball/softball. There stands a
pitcher (the server) sending curve balls and knuckleballs and fastballs at you, the batter (passer) is seen
as a great success if he or she hits .300 percent. Would you make the team if you did not succeed in
passing 2/3rds the serve coming at you? Now, imagine this...in serve reception and digging, we get to
add - balls and strikes!..."wow, great serve, strike one...dang, that one is too far away, ball one....." It
would make us all more successful, but the reality, it will never happen. Even if the ball hits the net on the
way to you, you are expected to get your arms to a place and time to send the ball to the setter. And oh,
by the way, don't be sending the ball over the net (to the outfield), or straight up (to the infield), as
everyone expects it to go right to the setter (the shortstop).

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Having a limited number of contacts (a maximum of three) often forces beginners and skilled players alike
to return the ball to the opponents in a less-than-ideal form. At the same time, every single contact is
judged by the referee. Most of the contacts are intermediate, not terminated, so "ball control" is very
important. Imagine basketball

players having to shoot, no matter where they are on the court, after the second pass is received.

The number of different skills required is also large, no matter what the court position of a player, with
players having to rotate to new positions after the change of possession of the ball (sideout in previous
scoring methods). Think about what would happen in baseball/softball..."OK that is an out, now everyone
rotate," and the pitcher goes to catcher, the catcher to outfield...or after a touchdown, the center rotates to
running back, the quarterback moves to tight end...Volleyball makes you be a player who can play all over
the court, doing different positions...and the best players spend time playing and getting good
everywhere.

While the ball is fighting gravity, the players get very limited positive feedback. Only service aces and
spiking kills are seen as "rewards." You must help keep the focus clear, especially on defense, when a
desired contact is made. There is one skill, blocking, where you can be doing a GREAT job, and yet never
touch the ball! Instead you channel the ball to your teammates, or intimidate the hitter to make errors of
hitting out or into the net. Feedback here in this skill is vital from a coach - yes, you jumped at the right
place and time, the hitter just hit out!

The game is played currently with no time limit. You just cannot win by one point, like other American
sports, you must win the game by two points, or if really close, by just one! In other sports, when the
coach gets a huge lead and the clock is near run out, everyone can come in, even the lowest skilled
player. In our sport, I have seen teams lose a lead of 20 points, after subbing in some bench players, and
the team loses. At the most recent Olympics, one of the top 12 players in the USA (as a player must be
that good to make the final roster), played one point total. That was done to allow her to officially be an
Olympian by "playing." Yet it was only for one point, after years of training and playing.

In addition to the six key skills you need to teach, there come the complications caused by rotation. One
of the strengths of learning fundamentals through two, three and four person youth volleyball teams is
that there are only about half the number of rotation positions to learn, as compared to regular six-person
volleyball. Most importantly is that these smaller team sizes give you the chance to contact the ball, for
THAT is how you learn, not by watching. So with all these skills, you have to play on the defensive and
offensive team, with the time to switch between those to sides of the sport, taking less than a second, and
often shifting back and forth multiple times in a few seconds. Wouldn't the game be funny to watch if you

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had 6 players on offense, and 6 on defense, and each team ran off and on the court after a spike (ok
Defense, run on!) and a Dig (OK offense, we dug it, you run on and attack it!).

Then there is scoring. Every time the ball is put into play, it starts with the same skill, serving. Not many
coaches understand that concept, that no matter what happens within the rally, you ALWAYS return to
being good at serving to get the next point. Plus, in our sport, virtually every time the ball is put into play, a
point is scored. However, in other

sports, you win if you get a lead of one point...surprise, not in volleyball, you must win by TWO!

When you add the demands placed on any volleyball player to the fact that the ball must rebound, the
sport becomes a complex challenge for any beginner of any age. The ball never comes perfectly to a
player, even in the teammate-to-teammate skills. Reading and anticipation skills are THE most important
skills, not the six skills we know so well. Proper reading must be incorporated into every drill, for even
cooperative actions will not place the ball in the perfect spot for skill execution. Ninety-nine percent of the
game is spent not touching the ball; rather, it is spent moving to be in a better place and to touch the ball
better.

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