S.P.I.K.E.™ Performance Camps

 

The S.P.I.K.E.™ difference.

 

LEARN FASTER and LEARN MORE!  The experienced and enthusiastic S.P.I.K.E.™ Performance Camp coaches blend into their teaching two critical skills needed to be a complete athlete, physical and mental.  We seamlessly incorporate the latest scientifically proven psychological training techniques (mental toughness and confidence) used by Olympic athletes to help you learn faster and learn more.  Scientific tests have proven that regardless of age, all athletes, learn faster and learn more with the aid of mental training techniques.  The most successful athletes in the world consider psychological training to be an essential component of training.  Confident athletes usually out-perform athletes who have more skill, but lack confidence and mental toughness.

As a measure of our commitment to producing mentally tough, confident athletes we have built this concept into our name.  S.P.I.K.E.™ means: Success = Positive Imagery + Kinetic Energy and is based on the principles taught in the S.P.I.K.E.™ Workshop, a sports psychology training workshop for high school and college athletes. The S.P.I.K.E.™ Performance Camp administrator developed the S.P.I.K.E.™ Workshop and loves to talk about the mental game, should you be interested.  Depending on demand, he may have an optional and informal evening session or two in the hotel theater for athletes interested in learning more of these techniques.

 

 

Why do we say Setter/Hitter “and BALL CONTROL” Camp?

Our goal is to make you the best complete volleyball player possible.  Since every hit or set is the result of some type of ball control action by a teammate, if you are a hitter, pounding balls that are tossed to you six hours a day is only going to make you good at pounding balls tossed to you.  The same goes for setting.  If you think about it, how often is your coach on the court during a game giving you perfect tosses to hit or set?  NEVER!  That is why the best ‘warm-up’ teams rarely win tournaments.  They don’t practice enough realistic game-like situations.  Their practices probably consist primarily of warm-up drills.

That is why our coaches not only teach you the basic techniques, but spend considerable time teaching you to set or hit as you would experience in game situations.  Plus, today’s setters and hitters have to be excellent defensive players as well (the 2005 NCAA Final Four is a perfect example).

Here’s another example of why we have chosen this approach.  One member of our staff once overheard a prominent coach ask a ‘setting coach,’ “You teach players how to set the ball, but why don’t you teach them to think like a setter?”  Setters and hitters must have entirely different mind sets.  Ask any good coach if that isn’t true.

 

 

S.P.I.K.E.™ Performance Camps Offer:

  • Very low player-coach ratio of less than 7-1.
  • Our small groups allow you to have the opportunity to ask questions!
  • Excellent, enthusiastic head coaches (most are college coaches AND former professional or collegiate players).
  • Our three day camps offer nearly as many hours of instruction/training over three fast-paced days as many four day camps that begin the afternoon of the 1st day and finish early on the 4th day. It's also more convenient for dropping off and picking up campers.
  • The latest scientifically proven psychological training techniques (to make you mentally tough and confident) seamlessly built in.
  • Training designed to make you a complete athlete, physical and mental.
  • State-of-the-art video replay on some courts so campers can see themselves performing skills.
  • Optional evening sessions and activities in the hotel meeting rooms.
  • Camp T-shirt.
  • On-site trainer
  • Fun!  It’s a proven fact you will play better if you enjoy what you are doing.

 

 

You will get plenty of volleyball at our 3-day premier camps

(Our two-day camps for beginners offer as much training as younger athletes can handle.)

Our sessions start just a bit earlier in the morning, allowing us to get three full sessions in by 6:00 p.m.  Feedback from athletes shows they’d rather follow this schedule than “drag ourselves back to the gym with a full stomach after supper.”  That leaves the athletes free to visit with coaches, attend optional, informal sessions in the hotel, or enjoy a relaxing swim in the pool (we provide a lifeguard) and visit with new friends and the coaches after dinner.  Another reminder:  this is a premier camp and the coaches will push you to succeed thoughout the camp, so come to camp in good physical condition!