Have you ever wondered what other parents think about High Performance programs? USA Volleyball's national High Performance program invites players from all over the nation to attend HP Camps and play on USAV HP teams. Players come to these HP events and get an opportunity to play and compete with other high level players, becoming better players themselves!

The Iowa HP program is similar to the national program, but on the Regional level. Here is an article, written by a parent, about a national HP program, courtesy of USA Volleyball. A Parent's Perspective by High Performance National Programs / October 12, 2009 by Paul Sullivan, Arizona, 2009 Girls' Training Camp- Colorado Springs (parent) My daughter attended the USA Volleyball HP Select Training Camp in Colorado Springs.

I attended most of the training sessions and I would like to share my thoughts with other parents and athletes regarding this camp. At the initial practice Coach Scott Blackmon laid out his behavioral expectations from the participants, letting them know that they represented USA volleyball and there would be zero tolerance of any actions that could blemish the program, its players and staff. He also let the players know of his high expectations of them on the court during this camp. After this initial meeting everyone was on the same page and knew what was expected. This was not going to be your typical run of the mill camp. This was more like a volleyball academy, the participants are serious about the sport and so are the coaches and they are here to do their job. I thought the 2 practice sessions during the day were ran very efficiently. Good warm ups, core strengthening, proper stretching, and good intense drills that got the players moving and testing all their skills.

The evening practices were a little more fun for the girls more games like queens, survivor and other drills that kept them working but let them have a little fun at a point in the day they were all exhausted. During all this, I noticed all the coaches were constantly evaluating each player for strengths and weaknesses, most importantly they were teaching these young athletes. Every side of the 2 active courts had an assistant coach and when they saw improper technique, they would pull that player aside and explain what they were doing wrong and then show them the proper way to do it and explain why it makes a difference. The knowledge shared with them comes from coaches who understand what it takes to get to the next level of play. Instead of just showing them what to do, explaining how it could affect the ball/game play it seemed to sink in a little more.

After the first 3 training sessions, my teenage daughter actually admitted she had learned a lot! I believe at many other camps my daughter has attended, coaches saw a high level of performance and left her alone feeling she didn't need any additional instruction and therefore focused on players that needed coaching on a fundamental level. Most of these athletes who attended the HP camp are probably the top athletes at their school or club program and are fundamentally sound, however they might need a little fine tuning in certain areas of their game. Even areas they feel are their strengths these coaches may point out tendencies that could hurt them in the future and show them ways to correct it.

The level of coaching provided at this camp and the focus on evaluating and improving each athletes skill set made this camp a great experience. It will definitely help my daughter grow her skills and improve in the sport she loves.