Is it just me or does time fly quicker when autumn begins? It must be the combination of an increased numbers of hours spent in a gym and the cooler weather but now that high school seasons are drawing to a close and the club season is right around the corner, we can take a second to take stock of our blessings and write down a few new year's resolutions. Oh! But before we do that, we have much to celebrate with the season of giving upon us! Here are a few practical gifts that are not only thoughtful but useful as well! Happy holidays to all.
Foot Scraper
The ugly truth of being an athlete, calluses on calluses. If you are looking to splurge then a pedicure is super thoughtful! But if you are looking for a gift that will keep on giving then invest in a scraper and some nail polish, if you are so inclined.
Comfy Socks
After a long day or weekend of volleyballing, win or lose, it is time to load into the car/plane for the commute home. As wonderful as it would be to run around in a pair of Uggs or slippers, there is the issue of smelly feet. The easiest way to avoid this is with comfy socks! All of the comfort + the ability to run them through the washing machine. Go team!
Sound-Canceling Headphones
Time on the road can really wear you down, especially with the added complications of school work and college prep, it is necessary to escape with music, a podcast, or just the sound of silence. I got a pair of these headphones a couple weeks ago and am actually pretty impressed, especially considering they took a trip through the washing machine unscathed. They are comfy and are actually perfect to work out in (because cardio without a distraction sucks). P.S. the little wings are removable and it comes with three different bud sizes.
"Adult" Coloring Book
The stress of being a student-athlete, the importance of mental health in athletics is now getting more attention than ever before. I am personally a big fan of coloring not only because it takes me back to the joyful childhood years, but also because it is a form of active meditation that can bring a sense of calm at a time when there is a lot going on. And there is always a lot going on.
Leave-in Conditioner
Ohhh the athlete life of endless pony-tails/braids/buns/whatever else. The toll it takes on hair looks different on everyone and there are lots of different tips and tricks you can find online about wearing your ponytail in a different spot and using certain types of hairties without the metal part. Breakage, split ends, blah blah blah. Straight from my hairdresser she suggested leave in conditioner as a type of shield to the endless hair torture. I like this one because it works for me and smells pretty, but feel free to shop around for one that works.
One more thing! If you are looking for a few extra karma points while you do your online shopping, make sure to do your Amazon shopping through Smile.Amazon.com , this program allows you to select a non-profit to receive a commission (at no cost to you) from your purchase.
P.S. Silver State Youth Sports (non-profit) is the parent company of Silver State Volleyball Club and the Silver State Volleyball Academy! If you choose Silver State Youth Sports as your charity, any money made through the Amazon Smile program goes directly to the scholarship program which helps extend the opportunity of club volleyball to a young athlete that otherwise would be unable to compete.
(not applicable through the Amazon App)
So, oh my goodness I love the holidays! Family time, relaxation, dreaming of dream chasing and goal getting. I hope these gift ideas let the holidays be a little more relaxing for you and also help your favorite volleyball player take on the world! Or you know travel well and have pretty feet and hair (all baby steps to world domination). Happy holidays friends!
If there was one position in volleyball that gets a bad rap, it is the Defensive Specialist. While it is easy to write-off these players, just as Setters, Pin Hitters, Middles, and Liberos have roles to take care of, so do Defensive Specialists! Check out our volleyball dictionary definition for Defensive Specialist, intangible qualities a coach wants to see on the court and the 1 key to being a great Defensive Specialist.
We can all agree that volleyball in the United States is on the up and up. With increased participation numbers, national team success and TV-visibility of collegiate teams, what do we need to do in order to continue the upward growth? I see way too many coaches, at all pre-college levels, plugging players into what they view as their 6 player roles. I love Stone’s 4 player, badminton sized court play…
I have had many players ask what they can do this summer to improve their volleyball game. It is a great question to answer because it means that our players are taking their development seriously outside of the regular club season. To be great, or even good, there is no true “off season”. The months outside of the club season are more like a different phase of training. Everyone has a limited amount of time and energy, so it is important to recognize how/what you can do to achieve your goals.
Let’s speed up our recovery. Consuming protein rich foods will aid healing and are essential in coming back from a sports injury. The body makes millions of new proteins daily to replace worn-out proteins who make connective tissue, red blood cells, and muscles. There are two types of proteins...
If you are in need of a little Monday motivation after what I hope was a rockin' relaxing Thanksgiving, then look no further. In case you missed it, yesterday the bracket for the post-season tournaments were revealed and we've tracked down some of the amazing videos that show teams reactions as well as articles that explain how the committee made the decision on the last four teams into the NCAA Division I National Championship Tournament. And did you know there is a second post-season tournament?
Vitamin A is the name of a whole group of fat soluble vitamins called retinoids (retinol, retinal and retinyl esters to be exact). Vitamin A has been shown to be a valuable piece in the injury healing puzzle. When your body starts to heal, it needs to grow new tissue to fix the damaged pieces. Cells are used to reproduce and create this new tissue.
I dub this article the post tryout autopsy. The hard part is over you think -- you made it through tryouts with the drills and the physical tests, all while acting as if it was just another day at the office. You take off the sweaty knee pads, walk out of tryouts and wait… wait… wait to see what team you made. Maybe you check every day even though results are not supposed to be for another five days, but just in case you check. And then finally the link is up...
While I may not have been able to watch as much volleyball as I would have liked recently, there has been plenty volleying all around the country. For most if not all conferences, November brings the back half of conference play which means a lot of teams meeting for the second time.
These rematches are fun to watch because you can make predictions based on the last matchup and still be surprised!!
Healing foods aid with muscle recovery, tendon injuries and help decrease time to get back into rotation. Your body is built to heal from the inside out. Eating foods to support recovery is extremely important in the healing process.Omega-3 fatty acids are important to normal metabolism, the breakdown of food and use of nutrients in our bodies. This helps our bodies utilize nutrients needed for the body to repair an injury.
We have made it to the 1st October week of volleyball. Check out the recent big upsets, what it means for the teams. What's going on in conference play and the big milestone that was hit by one of the best volleyball coaches in the nation...