Testimonials

CAP TESTIMONIALS

What Coaches are Saying about CAP.

NFHS VOLLEYBALL SPECIFIC
IMPACT
CAP Level I

Dear Diana, Andy, and Amber,

I want to take a quick moment to thank you all for the outstanding work you have done in such a short time to ensure that this course could run.  The overwhelming response from the participants is that of sheer astonishment.  Not one coach thought they could get so much out of a single clinic, myself included.  We were challenged to rethink our techniques and processes, encouraged to ask “Why?”, and given the confidence and opportunity to challenge the experts.  Being able to walk away from this clinic with the experience of learning the techniques of an Olympic gold medal coach such as Hugh McCutcheon in itself is beyond amazing; but to be encouraged to question why someone as successful as him does things a certain way, and to recognize that it is not always the right approach, was nothing short of outstanding.  The Cadre, Tom Tait and Don Burroughs, were masters of their craft.  Never for a second did I doubt their abilities or knowledge in the sport.  Each new technique, topic, or approach was presented with poise and clarity.  Nothing was left unclear.  My only complaint with the course is the length.  It was too short!  I wanted more!  I cannot wait to take my CAP II and subsequently my CAP III courses.  Thank you again for everything you did to make this happen, it was well beyond expectation.  I hope you continue to help facilitate growth and education for coaches in our sport.

Sincerely,

Matthew Cribbin
Sarah Lawrence College

CAP Level II
CAP Level III
General Comments
Cadre Comments

When attending coaches were asked "What did you like most about this USAV- CAP course", responses included:

• "Exposure to top coaches and their experience"
• "Interaction with Cadre and peers"
• "Hearing different ideas and modifications for drills and skill development"
• "On-court demos"
• "Interactive learning"
• "The instructors were always available for questions"
• "Networking"
• "Drills from other coaches and feedback"
• "Energetic and interesting coaches"
• "Discussion of ideas"
• "Presentations- there was never a dull moment"
• "Good mix of necessary written/classroom along with great hands on activities"
• "Hands-on teaching"
• "Excellent tools and concepts to modify my program"
• "Presenter enthusiasm and practical tips/drills/activities"

NFHS VOLLEYBALL SPECIFIC COURSE

I also wanted to say that I'm very happy that certification is required by USAV.  Although I am a volunteer coach and don't have a lot of time for taking classes and tests, I can now say that it was definitely worth it.  I have been a little league coach for 15 years (basketball, baseball and softball), but I really learned a lot through the IMPACT process and from the NFHS course.  I know many coaches at the high school level that could benefit greatly from certification of this type, if only they would take the time.  I am a firm believer in life-long learning, and you folks who have been responsible for putting together IMPACT should be commended for your insight in continuing improvement and your caretaking of the sport of volleyball.

Rick Blum
Green Wave Volleyball
Walnut, Iowa

 

I have taken all three courses from National Federation High School (NFHS), Basics of Coaching, First Aid, and the Volleyball Specific course.  All of them are very helpful and absolutely necessary.  The volleyball specific course from NFHS is a great tool.  I am coaching both genders at a DIII college and coaching players that have never played before.  This course gives you the instruction on how to approach and break down the skills (Cues), so that those inexperienced players can understand what I want to teach them.  It showed me how to break down the instruction to teach different skill levels at the same time—new players and advanced players—so to keep each level from getting frustrated and to continue to have fun.

 

The Impact webinar was great.  Hearing someone explain the material and providing their wealth of experience made the webinar fun and instructional.  The Question and Answer box is a great tool.  Live help!  This webinar really taught me how to coach girls.  I was coaching girls as if they were guys and OH my surprise when the instructors explained how each gender took the same information and situation differently.  It was fun and I was totally hooked.  It really got my attention and I just wanted to keep hearing more and more.  All of the information is relevant, helpful, and eye opening.  I'm glad that the IMPACT Manual has a detailed breakdown on offensive systems, serve receive, and defensive systems for it will really help me teach and better explain the systems to my players; because this is really a place where we are struggling on my girl’s team. My first language is Spanish so I might get them confused in the wording I use.  This will definitely bring my coaching to a higher level, and I thank you!

 Regards,

 Omar Ramirez 

Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Assistant Coach
Albertus Magnus College
New Haven, CT 06511

IMPACT Comments

"My husband and I are first year OVR coaches and are coaching an 18's team this season. We were required to attend the IMPACT Clinic in December 2006, which involved a 4-hour round trip to Columbus, plus the 4-hour clinic...Both of us thought that the IMPACT Clinic conducted by Don Burroughs was an extremely worthwhile use of our time and an eye-opener. We have always coached with the best interest of our player's at heart, but we were selling them short by not knowing everything we could possibly know about relating to them as female athletes, and how they think, feel and learn. Thanks to the IMPACT clinic we now know how to deal with situations to improve our player's learning and work with relational issues. ...We took a lot of notes as we went through the manual, and wished there were more hours in the clinic so we could have finished addressing more topics that were in the later parts of the manual. Don did not teach straight out of the manual. Reading the manual alone would not give one the full benefit of the clinic. Don used many stories, examples and word pictures that related the material in the manual to real life. We find this very useful as we come up against similar situations quite often when we work with our team. In fact, we found Don Burroughs to be such a wealth of knowledge and insight, that I have contacted him on a couple of occasions since the clinic to pick his brain about skill correction, coaching issues and personnel issues - where again, he has great insights that help solve problems. And, he is willing to take the time to help teach us more. ...I believe that you have to go into everything with an open mind, or you won't learn anything. If you care about the people that you are serving by your coaching, then take the IMPACT clinic because it can help you affect lives in a positive way as well as improve your team in the sport of volleyball."

Michelle Fox, 18's Coach from the Ohio Valley Region, IMPACT - 2007

  

Dear Andy,

 

Thank you for your quick reponse to my matter concerning the certificate.  I really appreciate it.  I  enjoyed the clinic and found the material to be very informative. 

 

 I have been teaching PE and coaching high school, middle school, club volleyball, and rec. sports since 1979, and I think all coaches should have to take a clinic like this every couple of years.  We try to keep our kids safe but sometimes we forget the little things.  I also like the part about positive coaching.  So many times I see coaches humiliate the kids in front of everyone at games.  These are just kids who are playing something they enjoy doing.  They are going to make mistakes.  We have to teach them how to learn from these mistakes and become smarter players. 

 

I am also planning to use the section about parents responsibilities.  We are adding some of it into our school athletic code of conduct.  Over the years, I have seen more and more parents getting more aggressive.  They are beginning to "expect" playing time for their kid just because they are on the team.  Never mind, that you have to work hard, learn the skills necessary and be ready to play. 

 

Thanks again for your help

 

Coach Jennifer Bundrick

  

Physical Educator/Volleyball Coach
White Knoll MIddle School
Lexington School District One 

Excellent job by you and your group. I am relatively new to the sport - this is my first year coaching vball - and I learned a great deal. It was organized, extremely informative, and entertaining (especially the music!!!).

Dan Fitzsimmons

CAP I Comments

 

Dear CAP and Education staff at USAV,

I want to express my thanks and appreciation for your excellent courses of instruction and the work you do to improve the quality of coaching and the overall volleyball experience for millions of players across our country!  I have thoroughly enjoyed the IMPACT, CAP I, and CAP II programs that I've experienced through USA Volleyball.  The recent course that you provided in McLean, Virginia, was excellent, and I think we had a great time with Stu Sherman, Tom Tait, John Kessel, and Steve Colpus.

 As a retired Army officer and West Point graduate, I've attended numerous military training courses--including Army Ranger School and Airborne School--and I place great value on professional education and training.  In the military, we leave a lot of room for initiative, personal judgment, creativity, and risk, but we think it absolutely critical that our leaders and soldiers all understand the same doctrine and operate by its tenets (as well as understanding our opponents' doctrine).  We have training and education to teach the proper methods for strategy, tactics, leadership, physical fitness, logistics, training, intelligence, and many other subjects.  Soldiers are professional students AND instructors, constantly improving our professional knowledge.  We learn and then coach and teach what we've learned to our subordinates and peers.  I have a deep appreciation for professional instruction, and I admire those who do it well.  Your instructors do it well.

 I have been a coach in a number of sports--boxing, track, cross-country, soccer, basketball, volleyball--for a few dozen years now, and I also have been a college instructor at West Point, teaching Chinese language, culture, and history.  Moreover, I was a training officer for my regiment, and set up annual programs that started with individual soldier skills and progressed through small unit training to large unit, opposing force exercises.  I'm not "tooting my own horn," but simply stating that I know what I'm looking at: I recognize in your program the same systems and patterns that we use in the professional education of the US military, which is a pretty decent professional measure.  

 Let me also state that your program is by far the best education and training I've received in my sports career.  I love how you tie all the foundational knowledge received in the IMPACT course into the CAP I and CAP II, and promote constant learning and improvement.  I've had a hard time getting many of the youth programs I've been involved with to develop or participate in such a system, which makes me all the more appreciative of your efforts to ensure it continues to get out to the courts where our sport is played--only the Boy Scouts, in my experience, have as good a program. 

 I also know that most teachers and coaches labor out of love for their students and athletes and a passion for their subject.  It's a largely selfless, thankless, and arduous task, and is a sacrificial undertaking--a servant's role.  You all have been there, and now you serve the servants.  Well done, good and faithful servants!  Thank you.

Very respectfully,

John Shultis,

Member, Chesapeake Region

Metro American Juniors Volleyball Club of DC, Northern Virginia

 

"I just wanted to thank you again for what was one of the best weekends I've ever spent. I arrived enjoying the game of volleyball and left Colorado absolutely loving the game...Penny and Joan were unbelievably brilliant with their knowledge and the skill with which they put their points across. My only regret was that the experience came to an end. I honestly am looking forward to taking the CAPII soon, and short of that I may even take the CAP I again if we end up hosting a course in the near future, because my experience was so tremendously positive. Thanks again!"

Jon Stocking - Assistant Coach, Southern Oregon University Women's Volleyball and Director, Southern Oregon Volleyball Club, CAP Level I - 2007

"I want you to know that for my two hour drive home from Bethlehem to Philadelphia this past Sunday following our CAP I course, I drove without the radio on because I was mentally reviewing everything that we covered this weekend. GREAT STUFF...What CAP taught me was how much there is to learn and how my coaching experiences are similar to what others have experienced. Your wealth of knowledge, presentation of material, and commentary, not to mention your preparation, is the gold-standard for me. You made the course interesting, informative and fun...Again, well done and thank you."

Joe McCloskey, Fox Chase, PA, CAP I - 2007

"Thanks for teaching the CAP I course this past 7/2 - 7/4 in Atlanta.  I enjoyed the entire class and I will be taking much from the course to enhance my impact on players and others in the volleyball world."

Paul MacDonald of Francis Marion University - Head Volleyball Coach, CAP Level I - 2006

"Just want to thank you again for putting together a great course to better learn about volleyball.  I literally have 10 pages of great notes and so many things I can POSITIVELY apply to my teams and club.  Your efforts will pay me great dividends throughout my coaching career...I appreciate it. 
After a 4 hour drive home and time to reflect on the course, I really enjoyed the opportunity to watch the JO Tournament while listening to the Cadres comments.  Thanks again...it was an excellent experience.  I look forward to taking the CAP II course in the future."

Chuck Rey - 18s Head Coach, Low Country Volleyball Club - USAV Palmetto Region and Assistant Coach, Bluffton High School, CAL Level I - 2006

"You were really out to help us better our coaching abilities and I appreciate that so much. . . You took some things and made them so clear I almost don't know how I didn't understand them before."

Coach Melissa Baccari, of Downstate Volleyball Club, CAP Level I - 2006

"Thank you, by the way, for running an excellent CAP Clinic. Both that clinic and the HP Clinic were well worth the trip!!! Great job!"

Stafford Barzey, CAP Level I - 2006

"Your clinic really opened my eyes and changed my approach to coaching."

Keith P. Hock, of Ameren Corporation, CAP Level I 2003

"I had a tremendous time at the training this weekend. There were so many interesting people and theories. I made several great contacts for help next season. Your group was outstanding."

CAP Level I 2003

CAP II Comments

"The clinic was awesome! Bill Neville and Russ Rose were full of interesting stories and humor, to complement the instruction. The modules were a great way to get more individualized instruction, with a smaller group. I would be interested in going to something like this every summer. It was well worth the time and expense. Thanks for all your help and assistance!"

B.K. Brinkley, CAP Level II - 2004

"Thanks as well for sharing your wealth of knowledge of -- and enthusiasm for - the sport of volleyball this past weekend. As I reach the midpoint of my season, I feel a well-timed surge of energy and am already reworking my practice plans and match strategies to take advantage of what I learned about designing effective drills and maximizing my team's strengths. . .I also felt privileged to learn from some of the best in the business. Aside from the great stories and valuable information they shared with us, the fact that they are still actively participating in advancing the sport of volleyball by coaching other coaches was inspirational."

Coach Christine Fitzgerald of Kaepa Whoosh USAV Juniors Club, CAP Level II -2006

"We have learned so much especially once combining it with what we had learned in CAP I. We can already see the changes in our players and with starting our own volleyball club this year it has helped us start a great base for hopefully many years of educating young athletes and coaches as well as encouraging them to take CAP as well."

Andy Gass, of Nitro Volleyball Club, CAP Level II 2004

Thanks so much... I had a very hard ‘07 season, and I was contemplating quitting coaching because I felt I was a negative influence on my girls. These CAP course certifications have inspired me become more than I am. I found that all coaches go through hard times and tough choices. Knowing that I was not alone has made both certification courses an empowering experience. Since then I have gotten my Sport Club Coach certification, and run with an off-season conditioning program. I'm using the tools that all my CAP Cadre taught me, and my girls are loving the changes I made.

Thank you again, and I hope to see again in Colorado Springs next year.

Forever Grateful

Coach Ray, Skyline College

"Thank you truly for the help, the great ideas, the humor and the inspiration! I just loved it!"

CAP Level II 2003

CAP III Comments

"Excellent Panel, best collection of individuals I have ever experienced"
CAP III 2006

"All speakers enjoyed their topics, and were open to ideas from others"
Rich Drake, CAP III- 2006

"Thank you so much for making the CAP III course exciting and well defined. I have been craving this information for years and I am grateful that USA volleyball is dedicated in educating all of us. As an educator, I am thankful that the top coaches out there, including Doug Beals are humble enough to want to spend their time doing this."
Linda Gomez, CAP Level III - 2006

CAP General Comments

"All your help and advice paid off from your emails, to phone call, to the IMPACT coach's clinic in September.  I am very proud to say that our ‘A" team has captured the region 20 regular season crown with a 17-1 record!  Thanks...for helping me get things happening in volleyball at MMR!"

- Lorraine Lasorsa Ford, Mary Mother of the Redeemer Girl's Volleyball, IMPACT 2006

"The CAP I class was excellent! The ‘keep it simple' concept has been very effective...I tried it on my two kids and they appear to be learning exponentially. Hopefully it will work with my club team in the winter/spring..."

Eric Gillespie

"I don't know that I can put my finger on it, but I think you walk away feeling energized and as if you can do it better. I felt that after CAP I there was a ton I could bring to my next practice. Everything was presented so logically that you sit there thinking, "Well, that makes perfect sense; why didn't I think of that?" Which is just the point - it isn't rocket science and doesn't need to be, and having people who can present it that way makes you feel like it really is easy to do this better."

Mary Wands, Brick City Volleyball Club

"Just a quick email to say how much I enjoyed the HP Coaching clinic last weekend in Colorado Springs. It was truly well organized and very interesting. Doing the clinic at the OTC is an awesome idea. Combining the CAP courses with HP Clinic makes it easier for coaches. . .I got a lot of information and ideas from all the speakers and other coaches. It's good to know how much USA Volleyball cares about coaches' competence. Thanks again!"

"Our season has ended and I just wanted to dash off this quick note to thank you again for all your help and suggestions at the Willmar CAP clinic last December. I have found your tips at the CAP clinic to be a major factor in making our experience fun and competitive. Your positive approach and efficiency tips were major factors in making our team's season the best yet."

Lynn & John Betcher, 2005

"As a teacher by trade and a coach with limited playing experience, I am always anxious to learn new philosophical approaches to coaching that focuses on engaging the player to love the game first, and learn it second."

Kirk Spitler

"I just wanted to thank you and compliment you on what you are doing and the way in which you do it.I found your sessions to be informative and educational.

Mike Shearer, North Penn High School Volleyball, Synergy Volleyball Club

"Thank you for your support and dedication to the best sport there is and for sharing your insight, knowledge and expertise all over the country. What you are doing matters!!!"

"Just wanted to thank you for the time you spent sharing and teaching all of us at Stonehill last weekend. I heard a lot of feedback and all your sessions were very enjoyable and informative."

"Our entire staff enjoyed the clinic and each of look forward to attending another in the near future."

Cadre Comments

"The CAP program is committed to assisting in the development of the sport of volleyball from the coaches who interact with the players and then on to the players.  My goal is to assist the coaches by not stating why things are done in a certain way, but how best they can succeed in helping their individual athletes."

Russ Rose

"At a single course, CAP attendees will often have the benefit of sharing the Cadre's more than 100 years of combined coaching knowledge and experience.  It is a unique chance to learn and share with the best teachers of our sport."

John Kessel

"The opportunities we have to impact the lives of young people in a positive way are phenomenal.  Teaching fundamental life skills through our sport is a great reward of coaching."

Laurel Iversen

"Volleyball is a profession and coaches must be trained professionally to work in this arena.  The CAP program offers the opportunity to learn from highly experienced and successful Cadre and most importantly be a part of a "think tank" where ideas can be shared, discussed, argued and created to put a "punch" behind your coaching."

Sue Gozansky

"We live each day just once.  It is a coach's obligation to provide a learning environment that allows an athlete to get better daily."

Bill Neville

"Coaching is about teaching someone about life using a volleyball.  Coaches have the opportunity to help people learn how to have fun and experience success in their sport."

Cecile Reynaud, Ph.D.

"There are so many experienced coaches who teach the CAP courses who have a walth of knowledge and an abundance of experiences to share, all in the framework of a well-designed, comprehensive course.  I find each CAP weekend to be tremendously rewarding and thought-provoking for everyone involved."

Shelton Collier

"We must have responsible coaches out there who, based on sound principles, teach effectively and efficiently."

Bill Neville