Avoid These Mistakes in Off-Season Volleyball Training

Off season training is vital for volleyball players to improve their skills, build strength, and improve teamwork. However, there are certain hazards that players should avoid to ensure they train effectively and safely. Here are some key things volleyball players should steer clear of during training:

1. Skipping Warm-Ups and Cool-Downs

Warm-ups prepare your body for intense physical activity, reducing the risk of injuries. Cool-downs help your muscles recover and prevent stiffness. Skipping these over and over can lead to strains, sprains, and other injuries. Make sure you establish a solid pre and post training routine to get the most out of your training.

2. Overtraining

While dedication is important, overtraining can lead to burnout and injuries. Kids still need to do other things outside of volleyball to develop other skills. Another thing to mention is cross training (playing other sports and learning new coordination) is extremely beneficial to improving overall athleticism. Either way, it’s essential to listen to your body and allow adequate rest and recovery time. Overtraining can cause weakness, decrease performance, and increase the risk of overuse injuries.

3. Ignoring Proper Technique

Using improper techniques can lead to injuries and hinder performance. Always focus on maintaining proper form, whether you’re serving, passing, setting, hitting or blocking. If you’re unsure about your technique, ask your coaches during training. If you feel pain during a certain exercise or skill, you could very well have an incorrect technique causing it.

4. Neglecting Strength and Conditioning

Strength and conditioning are vital for improving performance and preventing injuries. Neglecting strength and conditioning training can lead to muscle imbalances and weakness, making you more susceptible to injuries. Depending on athletes age (if you are under 18) you can, but most don’t even need to weight train to be in optimal shape for volleyball. Make sure to do your research before signing up for any programs and what is best for you.

5. Not Staying Hydrated

Dehydration can significantly impact your performance and increase the risk of heat-related illnesses. Make sure to drink plenty of water before, during, and after training sessions. If you don’t already, getting a clean electrolyte is vital to replenishing your minerals after you sweat them out during your training.

6. Avoid Coaching/ Camps with Brand New Techniques

Many camps and clinics will brag about new techniques, but the fundamentals of volleyball never change. So often these camps (many with big, recognizable names) create a lot of hype, but in the end mess up athletes’ proper form. It’s important to note that it will take time to fix skills that are taught improperly, and just because you play does not mean you know anything about coaching or technical skills.

7. Playing Through Pain

It’s crucial to listen to your body and not ignore pain. Playing through pain can intensify injuries and lead to long-term damage. 

8. Neglecting the Mindset side of Training

Mindset health is just as important as physical health. Stress, anxiety, and burnout can affect your performance and overall well-being. With tryouts coming up, learn how you can get more playing time this season with mindset tips you can use at practice and at games.

By avoiding these common pitfalls, volleyball players can train more effectively, stay healthy, and enjoy the game to its fullest. Remember, training smart is just as important as training hard!