HP Camps
USA Volleyball High Performance Camps
USAV HP Camp Logistics and Information
USA Volleyball High Performance offers a number of different programs for athletes of all ages and varying skill levels. Placement into programs is determined by the tryout results from all of the more than 50 boys and girls tryouts located in cities all over the country. While many volleyball players dream of representing the United States in competition internationally or at the High Performance Championships, the Athlete Pipeline constitutes a much larger HP family than just the National, A1, A2, and Continental Teams.
USAV High Performance Camps are held throughout the country each summer for players who have been identified as having the potential to travel up the Athlete Pipeline as their careers progress. USAV HP Camps feature High Performance training modeled after our U.S. National Team's practice sessions, some of the country's top coaches, and camp teammates from diverse areas of the country.
Coaches
High Performance Team and Camp coaches are selected and trained by USA Volleyball in a Pipeline process similar to athletes. Most are current college and top high school and club coaches, and many of these coaches have been involved with High Performance for a number of years. None of USAV HP coaches are student-athletes like you will find at most collegiate camps. All USAV HP coaches are experienced, knowledgeable, and highly-trained teachers of the game of volleyball.
All USAV HP Programs feature a 1:8 coach to athlete ratio, meaning that players receive hours of personal instruction during training sessions. The criteria that USAV uses for selecting, ranking, and promoting High Performance Coaches can be found here. Competition is just as fierce for coaching positions as it is for athletes in the Pipeline - everyone wants the opportunity to represent USA Volleyball and USAV only hires the best.
Teammates
All levels of USA Volleyball High Performance Programs are based on HP tryout results and selection. Through the HP tryout process, athletes are placed in HP Programs at their highest evaluated level. This means that HP camps for more experienced players are not diluted with beginning players. Comparably-skilled players are assigned to each HP Program providing the optimal environment for learning and improvement. This is so important as a volleyball player at a camp. This makes for very advanced volleyball for a camp experience and rapid improvement by all players. Athletes attend camps from across the country, offering opportunities for diverse new friendships and relationships with players you may eventually play against in college.
Locations
Athletes who are selected for a particular level of camp are not committed to attending camp in one particular location. Each camp level (A3, Training, and Development or A1 and A2 for the Future Select Age Group) is located at a number of sites across the United States. Host sites (usually college campuses) provide identical volleyball curriculum for each site, but with a unique camp location and experience at each camp. This helps with planning travel to camps for the athlete and potentially for the family, who may choose to pair the camp with a family vacation or visit of a relative. You can find a list of the USAV High Performance programs here.
Entrance into the USAV High Performance Athlete Pipeline
DID YOU KNOW that 100% of the Men's and Women's USA Olympic Team members in Beijing participated in the USA Volleyball High Performance Program as junior players?*
Attending a High Performance Program at any level gains an athlete access to the USA Volleyball High Performance Athlete Pipeline. USA Volleyball High Performance tracks the progress and development of Pipeline Athletes throughout their HP careers. It is in this way that USA Volleyball High Performance discovers and trains the Olympians of tomorrow. HP Coaches, at all levels, are charged with not only training the players, but also identifying high-potential athletes for advancement consideration.
As the HP Camp coaches provide a comprehensive evaluation for tracking in the Pipeline, those evaluations are also provided to the athlete in the weeks following camp. Athletes can use these evaluations to monitor their current ability and identify the areas of needed growth and training throughout the year.
High Performance Systems and Technique Training
High Performance coaches teach the systems and techniques used by our USA Volleyball National Teams created by Head Coaches Hugh McCutcheon and Alan Knipe. In addition, the drills and games used at the camps are modeled directly from the daily training sessions of our National Teams. The volleyball activities in which you will participate at a USAV HP Camp will often be exactly the same as what the National Team members are doing in their practice the very same day in Anaheim, California.
HP Coaches work multiple levels within the HP Program and are well-versed in the specific needs required for athletes to advance up the Pipeline. While the USAV HP camp plan is identical for each camp level, it is geared towards the skill level of the players at each camp, either A3, Training, or Development (or A1 and A2 for Future Select).
Recognition
College coaches recognize that USAV programs are based on national level invitations and it is something that can be included on a volleyball player’s athletic resume. In addition, the opportunity to train with USA Volleyball is an honor in and of itself. The USA Volleyball logo that appears on your camp t-shirt is the same logo on the jerseys of our USA Olympic Team members. Being a part of USA Volleyball High Performance at any level makes you a part of something much bigger - the chance to make Olympic dreams a reality.
* Olympic Team members who were of Junior age since the inception of USAV HP's current model.
