A Look Back: First Ones In. Last Ones Out
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We deeply appreciate the unwavering dedication needed to achieve athletic aspirations, and at PrepDig, we’re excited to showcase athletes who embody such remarkable commitment. This article delves into the journeys of those promising prospects who served as sources of inspiration,…
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Continue ReadingWe deeply appreciate the unwavering dedication needed to achieve athletic aspirations, and at PrepDig, we’re excited to showcase athletes who embody such remarkable commitment. This article delves into the journeys of those promising prospects who served as sources of inspiration, offering a glimpse into their incredible determination and hard-earned success.
We are excited to introduce these exceptional athletes to you and share their training routines in their own words!
As a student athlete there are lots of actions, I take outside of practice to keep myself in the best condition for volleyball. Keeping my body healthy and strengthened is an important aspect to me.
Physical recovery and training:
For many years, the person that has helped me recover from injuries or growing pains has been Ryan Guzman PT, DPT, CSCS from Prosport in Laguna Hills. He always knows exactly what to do to get me healthy and how long it will take to be 100% again.
Chris Vu from Training Matrix is a trainer that I go to and he is awesome. He knows so much about volleyball specific training and he works to keep me healthy, make me stronger, and expand how I perform as an athlete.
Mentality training:
Mental training is something I do before every practice and before tournaments. I use the app NeuroFuel. I do visualizations for goal setting and also do deep breathing. I feel that doing work on visualizations is just as important as work done on the court. I am also listening to the book “The Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon on my drives to practice. Quote provided to Michelle Bamford @ PrepDig
Photo: @tilted_pics
Highlights
Highlights
Addison Coady
My workout schedule is always adapting to my current situation and needs, so I don’t really follow a specific routine. I do however, make sure I’m in the weight room 3-4 times a week with my private trainer @training_matrix, who is just incredible and always makes sure I’m strong and healthy. I also lift 2-3 times a week at my high school while I also try to get in 1 at home workout, just a quick 20-30 minutes of polymerics to work on increasing my vertical. On the volleyball aspect, I practice 3 times a week with my incredible team while also lifting 1-2 times a week before or after practice as a team. I try to also get in a private or two during the week to really dial in my game and work on my target goals. On the nutrition side I really try to make sure I’m eating good, clean, healthy foods But especially before tournaments and games I really strive to have very little to no sugar during the week so I can make sure I’m at my best when I play. Another extremely important part of my routine is SLEEP!! It’s so important to how I play and really affects my power and ability to track the ball. I strive for 8-9 hours before tournaments. My final key part of my routine is recovery. I always make sure to stretch before and after anytime I play. I also use my massage gun and normatec recovery pants constantly to get my muscles prepared to play, and to loosen knots I might have after.
Highlights
Sahasra Vellanki Sahasra Vellanki 5’5″ | DS/L University Preparatory Academy | 2025 CA , 2025
5’5″ Libero/DS Encore Volleyball Club 17 GT #5University Prep Academy Varsity Volleyball #5 X: @sahasravellanki
“Thank you so much for featuring me in this article, honestly a year ago if someone had told me I would be here today the low-confidence athlete I was wouldn’t have believed them. This past year I’ve grown tremendously physically and mentally as I’ve tapped into what it truly means to be an athlete. I focus on training my mind, taking each rep and each pass and focusing in on one thing at a time. Outside of team practices, I spent this past summer at various volleyball camps, including overnight college camps, skill development camps and positionals, I went weeks where I played around 6 hours a day for 6 days a week. Recently, I’ve done private lessons honing on serve receive and passing consistency and have been conditioning consistently around 4 days week. I focus on sprints and building endurance, and also lifting with a trainer, working each muscle group for injury prevention.
For example, squatting with two plates and focusing on resistance on my way up for 25 reps and then immediately transferring that resistance to box jumps to translate the explosive movement in athletic training. My volleyball club, Encore, also offers in house recovery and I have been able to use our cryotherapy machines in order to give my muscles the recovery they need. I have also been consistently implementing steam therapy into my routine at least once a week, especially after tournaments. With my team, I practice 3 nights a week and additional lessons 1-2x a week. I watch a lot of film as well, trying to analyze my mistakes, even when it’s hard to watch myself mess up but ultimately it’s the only way to push past my mistakes.” Quote provided to Michelle Bamford @ PrepDig
Highlights
My volleyball journey began in my freshman year of high school when I joined the freshman volleyball team. Before then, I had never stepped foot on a court nor watched any volleyball games; it was a completely new sport to me. After the high school season, I joined a local club team for more playing time, but I didn’t learn much from that season. Over the summer before my sophomore year, I realized my passion for volleyball and my desire to play in college, but I also acknowledged that I was behind other girls who had years of experience playing libero. Feeling demotivated, I even considered switching to golf, a sport I also love, but it didn’t excite me as much as volleyball.
Recognizing my passion, my parents helped me find different camps and training opportunities. During that summer, I attended camps at Coast and Wave volleyball clubs in San Diego almost daily for two weeks, dedicating 4-6 hours each day to volleyball. These camps helped me learn the basics and get plenty of practice in setting, hitting, and passing. By my sophomore year, I made it onto the JV team. Although I performed well, I knew I needed to improve to compete with other liberos. So, after the high school season, my parents arranged for a personal trainer whom I see 3–4 times per week. With my trainer, I focus on plyometrics, weight training, speed training, and agility, which has shown significant improvement in my speed, endurance, and power.
On weekends or days without training, I incorporate runs into my routine, aiming to beat my previous times. Running helps me control my breathing and prepares me physically for long games.
Additionally, I have 2-4 private sessions each week with a volleyball trainer who pays attention to detail and helps correct my technique.
Nutrition is also crucial to me, as my parents emphasized its importance in maintaining energy levels on the court. With guidance from sources like Training with Coach Kiy and the Libero Academy, I’ve developed personalized meal plans focusing on protein for muscle strength, carbs for energy, and fruits and veggies for overall health. Proper hydration is also a priority.
I find it helpful to rewatch my games along with other players, analyzing my performance to identify areas for improvement. I’ve watched each game about 20 times, focusing on my technique and reactions to plays. I take both physical and mental notes, aiming to improve by 1% each day.
Moreover, I’m participating in the Zoe Fleck Film Study Masterclass Mentorship to enhance my game awareness, mental preparation, performance analysis, and skill development.
Additionally, I read self-help and leadership books, watch YouTube videos, and listen to podcasts to improve myself mentally. Some of the books I’ve read include “Atomic Habits,” “The Power of Now,” “The Tipping Point,” and “Seven Secrets of Highly Effective Teens.”
Finally, I’ve created an Instagram page to share and document my journey, inspire others, and build a community of individuals passionate about hard work, commitment, and dedication to reaching their goals.
Here is an overview of my weekly activities. It may seem like a lot, but I prioritize listening to my body and taking breaks or rest days as needed:
Agility, Mobility, Strength, and Conditioning Training: 1-hour sessions 3-4 times a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Examples:
Agility Training:
- t
- Cone Drills (to increase the ability to rapidly change directions)
- 2 Foot and 1 Foot Plyometrics (to develop strength and joint stiffness for handling higher forces seen in games)
Mobility:
- t
- Deep Squat/Leg Press (targeting key muscles needed to maximize leg strength and mobility)
- Hip CARS (isolating hip stabilizers to assist in gaining more range of motion, which can improve efficiency and prevent injury)
Conditioning:
- t
- Interval Sprints and Bounds (sprinting at full speed to train the body and nervous system at high velocities, with long breaks to allow ATP restoration and optimal recovery, improving overall speed)
Private Volleyball Skills Training: Usually 1-hour lessons 2 times a week, sometimes more based on the availability of coaches and courts, totaling 3-4 times a week on Tuesday & Thursday, and occasionally on Friday and/or Saturday.
Club Practice: 1-hour sessions 3 times a week on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday.
Meal Prep: Spending 15-30 minutes daily to prepare 5-7 meals depending on activity, including breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, pre-workout/practice snack, and post-workout/snack.
Mindset: Devoting 2-3 hours a week, or more when time permits, to reading, watching videos, listening to podcasts, and engaging with positive and motivational social media posts. I often do this during downtime or free time, including reading during travel to and from practices.
Film Review: Conducting one session per month via Zoom with Zoe Fleck, spending 5-6 hours reviewing post-game films, and watching online training courses/videos for 30 minutes every other day.
Online Training Courses: Libero Academy, Volleyball University, SM Nutrition for High School Athletes.
Highlights
Allie Yeargin
Allie Yeargin
Since discovering a love of indoor volleyball while playing on my school’s 4th grade volleyball team, I’ve come a long way from serving underhand and running sprints races against my brothers at the beach. After 7+ years of playing competitive indoor volleyball, I’ve found that a multifaceted program results in the greatest benefits and performance on the court. In addition to team practice 2 hours a day, 3 days a week, I really enjoy working with my private volleyball trainers 2 – 3 times a week, ideally on days when I don’t have club practice so I can implement what I learn in training in our next practice. Performance training, using a combination of plyometrics, agility, jump, speed and strength training at least twice a week, has helped me grow on the court, minimized injuries and boosted my athletic confidence. Beach volleyball is another activity I use to get additional reps and it’s a great workout!
To give me the energy to function at my peak performance level, I eat a lot of protein rich foods and protein shakes with bananas after strenuous workouts. Before tournaments, I typically eat a strawberry banana protein smoothie and toast with sunflower butter drizzled with honey. For a quick pick me up, I will often eat a mini almond snickers or salted pretzels.
For recovery, I try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Epsom salt baths, massage, ice therapy, and heat therapy also are key for recovery after rigorous training or a multi-day tournament. Stretching, using bands and rolling out with a foam roller or ball before practice and play is also key.
To continue improving my skills, I watch film after each private training session and tournament, to reflect on what I did well, what I can improve on and what I need to share with my trainers and coaches to advance my skill.
As the level and speed of play has increased, I’ve recently added in Sports Vision Enhancement Therapy 3 – 5 days a week. This has really helped with reading the ball in dim or shadowed lighting, improving my reaction time and my overall performance on the court.
Living in Southern California, I’ve also had the benefit of attending numerous college camps and skill clinics. The overnight camps are really fun and give one a chance to experience a day in the life of a college level volleyball player and to meet people from all over the country. The camps are great opportunities to learn from many different coaches and get great tips for improvement.
As a scholar athlete, with a 4.5 GPA, to balance sports and academics, I utilize a planner to organize academics and schedule out my training and practices. I plan my training and workouts monthly which helps me stay on top of things and results in a stress free me!
To grow in the mental side of volleyball, I read inspiring books by athletes (such Kobe Bryant and Chris P. Austin). Watching videos and reading articles from inspiring coaches, especially by coaches and trainers that I’ve had the privilege of learning from in the last 7 years is extremely beneficial. I also listen to upbeat music and motivational podcasts (often on the drive to tournaments or practice).
All of the things I do make me a better athlete, student and overall person. The sense of accomplishment, knowing that putting time in off the court leads to improvement and success on the court is one of the greatest and most rewarding aspects of training. Of course, the exhilaration of winning, the laughter and encouragement from teammates and coaches, and just the pure fun of competition is why I love volleyball and what motivates me to strive for improvement each day.
Ari James
Ari James
Ari James
Our club practices 3 days a week and those practices generally are late in the evening on weekdays and early weekend mornings. This is where most of our team’s technical work is done. I’m lucky that everyone on our team is a hard worker and takes practice seriously. But, I am also really lucky because the majority of my team, including myself, also seeks out extra work with various volleyball trainers in the area. Knowing that my teammates are so interested in being their best makes me want to be my best as well.
Maximizing technique is only part of the process. Another really important aspect is the fitness component. I am fortunate or maybe unfortunate to have a dad that has been a trainer for nearly 20 years LOL. Whether I want to or not, weightlifting, agility training, and endurance work is something that we work on 4-5 days a week. In the weightroom, we primarily focus on force development and multi joint lifts, such as hex bar deadlifts, squats, hang cleans, push press, and Romanian deadlifts. We also do a lot of balance and coordination work using water tanks for balance training.
The goal in any physical training that I do is to get comfortable being uncomfortable. When I am training, as difficult as it may be, I know that I have to embrace the pain. After all, not every point in a volleyball game is going to be easy. Sometimes we have to play out of system, and in other uncomfortable settings. In addition to training my body in a training session, I am also training my mind to handle those times that are uncomfortable.
I would say the hardest part about training and developing is knowing when to take a break to recharge and rest. I think that the most growth happens during the rest and reflection period. After training hard and working toward a tournament or event, I think we all should take some time to reflect on how it went. For me, as soon as our team videos are up, I like to watch the full games and not just the highlights. It’s always fun to watch the highlights, but watching the full tape and the moments where you might NOT have done something well is where the real adjustments can be made.
As a setter, I may have had several good assists that made the highlight reel, but looking at the full game I can better see when I missed a set or when I misread a blocking scheme. When I can see on film things that I missed in a game, it allows me to be intentional in the work I need to focus on in our next practices. And again, this is not always comfortable. Sometimes I feel like face-palming at a play that I missed, and while this is uncomfortable I know that there will be opportunities to get better. I’m committed to getting better. I would say overall, the most important piece of advice I could give to anyone would be that you don’t have to be THE best at everything to do YOUR best in anything. Everybody’s best is different, and if we all strive to do OUR best in all the things we do, we help ourselves and our teams get better.