Inside AVA: Philosophy | Facilities | Administration
AVA was founded in October of 2004. The intent was to put together a club that would be run differently than any other club in Arizona. An emphasis was placed on high-level training with a systematic approach. This meant that players on all teams would receive the same type of training, no matter their previous skill level. From the beginning, we have believed that training every player to become their best would enable our teams to compete at the highest level.
In our first season we were able to form teams at every age group, from 12U to 18U. Those nine teams set a high standard for all future AVA teams to live up to as five of the nine finished in the top 14 in the state in their respective age groups. Five of our teams traveled out of state to participate in National Qualifiers, the highlight being a 4th place finish for the 14 Black at the 2005 Colorado Crossroads. At that point we knew we were onto something exciting. The stage was set for an exciting year to come.
For the 2006 season, we anticipated a higher level of interest but never could have imagined the turnout at tryouts. Over 200 athletes attended our tryouts. 146 athletes chose to make AVA their home as we formed 13 teams. In addition, a new partnership was formed with our sponsor, Mizuno USA, and our name for our top teams was changed from Black to Mizuno. While we can’t predict how our teams will fare in our second season, we do know the future looks bright as we were able to retain 12 of our original 13 coaches and 45 of a possible 59 returning players.
PHILOSPHY – Why chose AVA?
AVA is different from other clubs in Arizona that you may have been involved with for several reasons. We are set up as a complete program that allows players to develop and grow as they continue with the club. The AVA program is completely dedicated to providing its athletes with the technical, tactical, and physical training needed to reach their highest possible potential. We strive to help each and every player, regardless of age or ability, to achieve maximum performance. For the youth player, we want to develop a solid base of fundamental skills, as well as a passion for the sport. As players get older and progress through our program, we want to provide the path to a level of excellence that allows each and every athlete to test their own limitations. We understand that we are providing a service to you, the players and parents, not the other way around. This understanding is what drives us to provide the best possible club experience for everyone involved. For those that have been with AVA before, we have explained several important aspects below that make AVA the only club volleyball choice.Focus on Skill Development
The best reason for choosing AVA is that we understand and embrace the idea that the purpose of club volleyball is to assist players in training and developing their individual skills and techniques. That is why we focus the majority of our training time on developing the player, rather than developing the team. Yes, we want our teams to be successful but not at the expense of the individual player. We feel that good players can and will become a good team if trained properly and given the opportunity to succeed. When athletes are young, it is easy for players and parents to make the mistake of getting caught up in trying to find the best team to play on or trying to play with their friends. In the search to play on the best team, parents and players often overlook the most important element of long-term growth in the sport of volleyball, the training and development of individual skills. College coaches recruit elite players with elite skills, not elite teams. By providing the best available training and developing the skills of each athlete, we can provide the best possible club experience for our athletes. As written above, AVA is completely dedicated to providing its athletes with the technical, tactical, and physical training needed to reach their highest potential.
Master Coach Concept
This type of training allows each athlete to receive the same comprehensive training as everyone else in her age group regardless of individual or team skill level. In most clubs, each athlete is at the mercy of her individual coach, in regards to that coach’s technical, tactical, and physical understanding of the sport of volleyball. If this is the case, practices can be poorly organized, inefficiently executed and often fail to give each player the chance to reach their full potential. At AVA we have adopted the master coach concept to ensure that this does not happen. The master coach is in charge of developing and implementing the practice plan for all of the athletes and making sure that all of the involved coaches understand the practice plan, thereby assuring each athlete the same high quality of training during practice.
Systematic Approach to Training
We have developed a volleyball program, not just a club with a collection of teams and coaches. One of the many problems that exist in youth volleyball, especially in this area, is the lack of consistency in regard to teaching the basic skills. It is not uncommon for young players to have several different coaches teaching them the skills many different ways over the course of their youth and junior playing days. In our program, all of the coaches, in every age level must learn to teach all of the basic skills with the same techniques and methods. In doing so, players can continue to develop and improve each year and build on what they learn each season instead of starting over each year with a new coach. We understand that player development is an ongoing process over a period of time and we try to teach each skill systematically and efficiently with the player’s long-term growth and development as primary objectives. Our program is modeled after the Sports Performance Volleyball Club’s (SPRI) training program, which is recognized by many as the premier volleyball club for developing youth and junior volleyball players.
AVA will use 3 training facilities during the 2006/2007 season.
Horizon High School --- Paradise Valley High School --- Vista Verde Middle School
Administration:
AVA is directed by Matt and Julie Cohen. Matt is responsible for coaching staff assignments, organizing practice locations, times and sites, establishing and maintaining coorporate sponsors, enforcing policy, and the Elite Program. Julie is in charge of registration and all financial matters. Assisting Matt and Julie this year are Nancy Halverstadt, Jeannette Aller, Shawn Fuller, and Lynn Blevins. Nancy handles all club travel. Jeannette handles uniform and attire orders and distribution. Shawn is the Director of the Youth Program and Lynn is the Director of the Club Program.
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