JUNIOR JOURNAL Don’t just play the game — own it
VolleyballUSA’s newest columnist, a high school senior from Colorado, offers tips on how you can make the most of your training sessions
my main drive is centered around beach doubles.
I love volleyball, all aspects of volleyball. I think it’s truly one of the most beautifully played team sports. A great quote that I’ve learned to live by – really, I have learned to own it – is, “Take chances, make mistakes and get messy.” Take chances. Never be afraid to train in all positions. Don’t limit yourself. Own the game. Your coach is looking for hard workers who won’t be shy about missing a ball or players who are eager to play middle even if they’re only 5-foot-7.
Make mistakes. If you’re ag- gressive, you will make mistakes. But you need to be aggressive, and you need to make mistakes. Mis- takes help you learn what you’ve done wrong so you can correct the problem and continue to be aggressive.
by Emily Podschweit I
love quotes. Ever since I can remember, my family has always had mottos, or picked up great quotes from great athletes, coaches, teachers and even shows like “The Magic School Bus.”
But one thing I had to learn about quotes is that they are just words until you work to make them part of who you are. Before we go any further, let me introduce myself. My name is Emily Podschweit. I live in Parker, Colo., and I have been playing USAV club volleyball since age 8, when I fell in love with the beach game during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. I’m a senior at Chapar- ral High School, where our team won the 5A state championship the past two years and was ranked fi fth in the nation this past year. I have accepted a scholarship at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami for beach volley- ball. I train and play beach volleyball at The Island in Denver with my coach and beach partner, Kris Bredehoft. My goal is always to be invited to train and play for the USA High Performance Beach Volleyball team. Although I still play indoor at any given opportunity,
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Get messy. This is the fun part. Make crazy plays. Go for every ball like it’s match point. Dive, lunge, jump high, swing hard, run the ball down, hit the fl oor and scuff up those kneepads. When you’re sweating and your body aches and you have fl oor burns and bruises, smile. These are all indications that you know how to get messy. And once you know how to get messy, you can reward yourself with an oc- casional break. Do a few dance moves, laugh with your team- mates. Then, get back to work.
Practice the way you want to play Be honest. How many of you have seen parents cry or get angry because their kiddo isn’t on the court playing? How many athletes have you watched sit on the bench pouting because they’ve been taken out of the game or haven’t seen much playing time? How many times have you met players and/or parents who act as if they have a greater understanding of the game than the coach and gladly share what they would do with the team? These are all common emotions, and they’re understandable.
Everybody wants to play, everybody wants a chance to prove themselves, everybody wants to win. But it’s important not to just think these thoughts – you’ve got to do something about them.
Remember, what you’re feeling is good.
You want to play. Now take that feeling and begin understanding the strong feeling of “I WANT,” and fi nd it inside of you. If you “WANT IT,’’ you have to “WORK IT.” If you “WORK IT,” you will “BECOME IT.” When you “BECOME IT,” you “OWN IT.” And that is when you become the player you desire to be – through hard work and practice, practice and training, training and preparing, watching and learning, listening and applying.
Chase the rabbit
“When you’re in the gym,
be in the gym” – quote on the wall outside the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Growing up, I had a great coach who always told us that we were chasing the rabbit. Our practices were planned for the best players on the team, and the rest of the team had to move fast to catch up. It worked. We all wanted to be the best player. The “WANT IT” is the easy part. It’s something that lives inside of you. A hunger, a desire, a longing. It’s the beginning of the process. “WORK IT.” This is where “Take Chances, Make Mistakes and Get Messy” comes in. Work at practice. If the coach says sprint, sprint with the idea that you should come in fi rst. Come early, stay late. Work. When positional training begins, mix it up. If you’re a middle blocker, jump into the libero line. If you’re a libero, don’t be afraid to set. Setters, learn to swing. “BECOME IT” means that you practice when you’re
not at practice. Jump in front of a mirror to work on your cushion landing. Set to yourself while watching TV. Set a goal of how many sets or passes you will do by yourself each day. “OWN IT.” You’re in charge of how much you give of yourself to fulfi ll your dream. Training is the key. Find a way to love the feel- ing of getting better.
And always remember this: What happens concerning playing time is decided only by the coach. What happens during training time is up to you. It’s all part of the game. Own it, live it, love it.
PHOTO: © KEYSER IMAGES
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