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Girls celebrating winUSA Volleyball Education is focused on improving developmental and educational opportunities across the sport of volleyball from grassroots to the national team level. Our goal is to provide the opportunity to access, complete and apply high-quality information and methods in the technical, tactical, physical and emotional aspects of the game for athletes and coaches while providing training, support and resources for other key stakeholders including officials, parents and clubs.


USA Volleyball Development Model

For years, the focus of volleyball in many areas and across various levels shifted to a mindset of winning at all costs.

What we now know is that the most successful teams in the world have developed a model of training and a culture that supports a holistic approach to athlete development which not only sets them up for competitive success on the court, but values and emphasizes the important of athlete health, well-being and long-term involvement in the sport.

The USA Volleyball Development Model was created based on the idea that volleyball in the U.S. could be taught differently, resulting in long-lasting positive outcomes across all measures of performance while keeping kids involved and loving the game longer.

USA Volleyball Development Model

Know Better, Do Better

The five pillars of the USA Volleyball Development model provide the basis for a holistic approach to the core elements that are vital to supporting development at every level and across age groups.

  • Craft: Mastering the skills and strategies of our game
  • Heart: Becoming your best self through connection, gratitude and emotional well-being
  • Mind: Training our minds to maximize performance
  • Body: Developing the physical capacity to train and compete at the highest level
  • Team: Building a culture of excellence that honors ourselves, our team, our game and our country

Role-Based Education

USA Volleyball Education is committed to providing support for the volleyball community with a role-based approach to education and training. Whether you’re planning practices, cheering from the stands or making the right call, we provide the tools and resources to help you succeed.

Coach Education

Athlete Education

Parent Education

Officials Education

Club Director Education

Drills for Sports Imports Volleyball Trainer+ and The Vertec

USA Volleyball partner Sports Imports has provided USA Volleyball coaches with drills for use with their Trainer+ and The Vertec.

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Sports Imports

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January 20, 2012

Coaching the Human Animal

An advance heads up to start this blog, it is going to cost you the price of buying a movie, which you likely have not seen and which has become one of my favorite movies ever – documentary really – as it teaches huge lessons to all those wanting to be a better coach, teacher, or…

January 15, 2012

Cameras, Athletes and Role Modeling

Some of you may know that during my time at Colorado College and after, I worked as a summer hiking guide, did winter ascents, and Outward Bound courses, river rafting thru the Gates of the Ladore.

December 14, 2011

Videos and Principles Worth Many Thousands of Words

If a picture is worth a thousand words, those who have heard me speak know that I love to use video and images to say far more, during the always too short time I find I have to...

October 26, 2011

The Rare Find

I just finished one of those books that I feel all readers of this Growing the Game Together blog should also take the time to read. Then re-read. Long ago, then US Olympic team coach Terry Liskevych, told me of a study on talent, done with the National Football League general managers at that time. As I recall it now, they were asked what was the one thing an NFL team needed to win the Super Bowl. Since I work to teach socratically, I then ask coaches what they think the NFL GMs said. Answers such as “Communication…” and “Teamwork…” and many others pour in, but what over 25 of the 32 NFL GMs said was “Talent.”

October 21, 2011

STOP Teaching Setting

After the dialogue from my blog called “Stop Teaching Passing” - I felt as this junior season starts up that it is important to give all you teachers of the game a few more titles to chew on.

October 17, 2011

Random Observations on Coaches…

I have observed thousands of coaches presenting skill and drill ideas to others – both players and coaches – in the last 40 years of my coaching career, and have come to some observations to consider.

May 16, 2011

Bionic Warriors and Heroes

This week begins one of the more special annual events held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, the Wounded Warrior Games.

May 9, 2011

Summer Volleyball Options

So with Regionals done for every USAV player, congrats are in order to those advancing on to Nationals, or on to USAV High Performance programming.

April 27, 2011

A Change of Seasons

So dear team, our club season has come to an end, including my time to be in practice and competition guiding your development and training.

March 2, 2011

STOP Teaching Passing!

No matter where I go in the world to teach, the traditional coaches mantra of “Can’t pass, can’t hit” is one of the first statements I hear in any language.

February 24, 2011

Quantum Hoops II

You may have already read that one of the more fascinating documentaries I own and sometimes share with players and coaches is about Cal Tech Basketball, titled Quantum Hoops.

February 23, 2011

Stats for Parents and Players

I oft speak of the impact a Discover magazine article long ago had on me, on how we are fooled by randomness, in helping me be a better parent and coach.

February 22, 2011

I Just Need a Line

The dawn drive to the Santo Domingo airport to begin my all day journey home to Colorado, goes mostly along the coast of ragged lava rocks - no beaches on this stretch, but lots of palm trees.

February 15, 2011

Choosing the Right Words

I have been reflecting on the lack of specificity in most coaches’ teaching, as well as the choice of words we often make by habit.

February 7, 2011

Creating and Training Resilient Athletes

What a great IMPACT webinar last week, with Andy Pai answering the 200 coaches’ written questions that poured in, while Phil Shoemaker, head coach at University of Alaska Fairbanks, and I shared about 100 total years of collective insights for these new coaches to learn from.

January 17, 2011

Top Ten Serving Secrets

I spent the last four nights in Hartford, Connecticut. Snowfall of a greater amount in the storm than any other time in recorded history.

December 18, 2009

No More Drills, Feedback or Technical Training…

OK coach, hopefully this title has made you click through to this blog to see what the heck I could be thinking here.

November 20, 2009

May We Please Leave a Court Up?

Over 20 years ago I was working with the University of Colorado program, working with several club teams to merge them into a single varsity program.

November 18, 2009

CAP Article: Game-Like Training

Originally published in 2009 About the Author: Rick Swan is the head women’s volleyball coach at Colorado College. He is a CAP Level II coach in USA Volleyball’s Coach Education Program. Game-like training is a simple idea. It is the notion that athletes will learn to play the game of volleyball better by practicing the...

November 11, 2009

Tryouts and Our Deepest Fear

Tryouts can bring out our deep fears, as the talent pyramid begins its inexorable narrowing. From six elementary schools teams, to a couple or so junior high 7th grade teams.

November 9, 2009

Reflections on Open Gym

My son Cody is a senior at the oldest high school here in Colorado Springs. We decided together to start a volleyball club at his school this year, to help grow the boy's high school club program.