Once a young athlete gets turned on to a sport, they want to eat, sleep and breathe that sport! Volleyball is a wonderful sport because it’s both physically challenging, and just plain fun. Lots of young athletes catch the bug and can’t think about anything but volleyball.

And they want to get REALLY good, REALLY fast!

The Key to Better Volleyball

There is a direct correlation between body control and ball control. The simple truth is that you get better faster when you have body control. And you get body control through good core strength.

Unfortunately, we often don’t teach our young players to be aware of their body. Without body control, their ball control is going to suffer.

If we just train in a specific volleyball technique, it takes much longer to get better because their body isn’t doing what they’re being trained to do. They have to figure out their body!

Body Awareness

If players can be taught to be aware of their body, and learn to control their bodies, they will get better faster – because they will be able to perform the skills they’re being trained to do!

You may have heard the stories about the college football recruit that shows up to training camp in poor shape – or more commonly, the NFL player who was busy enjoying their big salary and didn’t stay in shape in the off-season. Volleyball coaches at the collegiate level keep an eye on prospective players this way too. An athlete that shows good core strength and a propensity to keep in shape has an advantage for several reasons:

1. They are more likely to stay in shape during their college career
2. They are less prone to injuries
3. They are easier to train in advanced techniques

And don’t count out the intimidation factor of a player – or entire team – that walks on the court in top physical condition.

Make Fitness A Recruiting Edge

Getting recruited to play volleyball in college is like a part-time job. There are academics to keep up, coachability, skill development and team dynamics. But don’t count out your own fitness and body control. If you’ve progressed through High School with steady improvements, your core strength and conditioning are what will help you get better faster at the collegiate level.