September Newsletter

Coming From Dartfish

Sharing video for players, staff and fans is going to get a lot easier when Dartfish Express arrives this fall.  You will be able to take video from your I-Pad and immediately upload to your Dartfish TV collection.  This will allow so many options for sharing video material.  You can take video from a training session and it can immediately be viewed by players at home.  Or, video from a match that is made available to boosters or parents the same night the match was played.  Instructional video from camps or private lessons can be viewed easily by athletes or parents for future reference.  Dartfish is leading the charge in video technology.

Tie Break Statistical Software

For coaches looking for a solid piece of statistical and video software, there may be a user friendly and reasonably priced option that is newly available in this country.  I've been experimenting with Tie Break software and can say this is a something that provides quality statistical evaluation of a match along with video tags that can be used to edit video for your team or the opponent.  Unlike other options on the market, this is actually easy to use. A student manager can get up to speed on within days.  For those in the market for statistical and video software that has a tolerable learning curve, check out Tie Break.  Their homepage is:  Tie Break Pro

AVCA and Volleyball Training Solutions

VTS will be supplying the AVCA with a Video Tip of the Week.  This video will be an instructional segment of about 2-4 minutes.  This will also be available to VTS members.  The focus of this segment is to highlight some of the top assistant coaches in the country.


 Book Review

One of the things I'm going to provide in upcoming newsletters is a pale imitation of a book review.  Not ready for the NYT Book Page, but I will kick out some thoughts and recommendations.

The first on the list is:  "The Four Hour Work Week"  by Timothy Ferriss.  This is not exactly a coaching book.  However, there is a definite crossover between the concepts of running a business and the demands of coaching.  This is the cross over that I enjoyed.  The focus is encouraging the lifestyle you desire by focusing upon time management techniques.  A teacher/coach is extremely busy.  How might time be saved that allows more free time to pursue alternative activities?  This is not your normal time management book with the same old ideas that you've heard a thousand times.  The idea is not to free up time so you can work more.  The goal is to create free time.

This book will get your creative juices flowing as to how you might streamline your operation and use sources to help free up some time for you.  I recommend this as a good read that is very thought provoking.  If you take some of these ideas and put into your routine, I'd be interested in the results.

Upcoming Video Schedule

I'm hitting the road next week and will visit the training sessions of many top programs.  Tentatively scheduled are Illinois ('11 NCAA runner up); Purdue ('11 NCAA Elite Eight); Louisville (NCAA tournament team); Dayton (NCAA tournament team); Ohio State (NCAA tournament team), finally, Ball State with Hall of Fame Coach, Steve Shondell.  This is the first of several road trips throughout the fall, just in time for the gas price hike.

Team Folders

If I were to return to the world of collegiate coaching, without doubt I would take advantage of the team folders available on Volleyball Training Solutions.   A coach can upload video of training, matches, or individual sessions.  Coaches and players can edit the video for key points, make comments and generally expedite the learning process and exchange of information.  These are private, password protected folders and can be set up within a day. Just contact the VTS office for details.

Fall Season Newsletter

Navigating Dartfish TV

If you are a VTS member and want to make sure you are taking full advantage of the tools available on Dartfish TV we can assist you.  We can arrange a Go To Meeting session that will help you to become familiar with the site.  Everyone is busy during the fall season.  If we can save you some time by assisting you with the site, that will be a good thing.

Custom Members

We will be contacting Custom or Platinum Members to make sure they know that we are available to assist their programs.  This could entail skill analysis, statistical analysis of matches, evaluating practice sessions, etc.  We will assist in any way possible.  Contact the VTS office for more information.

Strength and Agility Programs

Anthony Glass-OSU Strength Coach

We do have staff members that can assist you in developing and monitoring strength and agility programs for your team.  So often, teams have access to limited facilities that are not fully equipped.  At the same time, coaches want to develop the fitness of their players.  We can assist you in the area.  Contact the VTS office to discussion options.

Upcoming Video

As the fall season begins we will pursue the best in educational video for volleyball coaches.  We will certainly want to video the top programs in action.  However, good coaching takes place in many venues.  We will not solely pursue top Division 1 programs.  We will go where good coaching takes us.  If you want to suggest a coach at the collegiate or high school level that we should pursue, feel free to drop us a line.  We will follow up.

The basic philosophy of VTS is there are many methods that are successful.  We have avoided pursuing the thought that there is only one "correct" way to coach.  So, we pride ourselves on presenting information that "makes sense" and is innovative.  We will leave it up to you as to what information you want to incorporate into your program.   I would encourage you to be unafraid to try new things.  Maybe it works, maybe you don't like it.  But, don't hesitate to try new things.

VTS Blog

If you aren't aware, I'm doing a blog on a wide variety of topics, mostly related to volleyball.  The next one will delve into the upcoming practices that most schools are doing in advance of school beginning.  I'll kick out some thoughts as to how one might organize the sessions.
Grow VTS

The only way that VTS can continue to provide quality volleyball educational resources is to grow the site.  If you feel that VTS is a positive contribution to the effort to improve the coaching in this country, pass along the word.