Something for Everyone!
The 2023 Academy Coaches Convention will feature over 30 sessions ranging from entry level to advanced and on-court to classroom. Check out the agenda below with descriptions about each session, including the presenter and location.
Questions about the sessions? Contact Jack Lesure at jack@theacademyvolleyball.com or call our office at 317-545-3880.
9:00 AM
Building Team Culture
Team culture can make or break a team. A healthy team culture fosters motivation, relationships, and is a direct line to the team’s success. Why is it so important and how to do you build it?
Moderator: Katelyn Storms
Panelists: Dave Barr, Josh Hill, and Chloe White
Time: 9:00 am
Location: Main Stage
Click to learn more about our moderator and panelists.
- Katelyn Storms
- Dave Barr
- Josh Hill
- Chloe White
Develop a Setter
Speaker: John Shondell
Time: 9:00 am
Location: Court 8
Dynamic Warm-up and Pre-Match Drills
Create a consistent routine for your team that you will utilize prior to practices and games to instill the same preparation and focus.
Presenter: Jack Lesure
Time: 9:00 am
Location: Court 10
Click here to learn more about Jack.
Ball Control Development for Youth Teams
Making modifications for youth teams allows for athletes to properly execute the
movements and skills in the drill and establishes a great foundation at an early age. Learn how to execute drills to fit any age and skill level.
Presenter: Abbe Huffer, Master Youth Coach
Time: 9:00 am
Location: Court 12
Practice Planning: Painting the Big Pic
Creating a plan for your season is the first thing you should do as a coach. We can’t forecast all the problems we will run into, but with good planning we can provide the necessary tools to create a strong foundation. This presentation will work through season long and daily planning tools
Presenter: Travis Fuller
Time: 9:00 am
Location: Upstairs in Suite B
Click here to learn more about Travis.
10:00 AM
Middle Middle Defense- Part 1
Great defenses solve problems. This presentation will dive into the application of the most popular defense at the collegiate and international level. The Middle Middle defense is backed by years of statistical information and can meet the needs of a variety of levels in the game.
Presenter: Travis Fuller
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Main Stage
Click here to learn more about Travis.
Develop an Opposite and Middle
Training blocking and attacking mechanics. Understanding the triangle movement pattern andadapting blocking systems with your own team.
Presenter: Michael Ortman
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Court 8
Team Eye Sequencing
Eye sequencing is an essential and underrated part of creating an offensive & defensive system. Without knowing what part of the game to look at and when, a player’s timing, reading and location on both offense and defense can break down even the best offensive and defensive systems. In order for all players to move in time with each other and to the right places, they must all be watching the same actions at the same moments. We will breakdown what they need to be looking at and when for each phase of the game.
Presenters: Olivia Goldstein and Doug Alexander
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Court 10
Youth Passing Progression
Presenter: John Shondell
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Court 12
Giving Athlete Feedback
Making modifications for youth teams allows for athletes to properly execute themovements and skills in the drill and establishes a great foundation at an early age. Learn how to execute drills to fit any age and skill level.
Presenter: Steve Florio, Head Women’s Volleyball Coach at Purdue University- Fort Wayne
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Upstairs, Suite B
Click here to learn more about Steve.
Line-Up Optimization
Learn how to maximize your roster in a line-up and get the most out of your team! We will discuss priorities to consider, rotations to start in, and adjustments to make within a match.
Presenter: Sean Keeve, Director at The Academy Monon Select
Time: 3:00 pm
Location: Upstairs, Suite B
Click here to learn more about Sean.
11:00 AM
Coach & Player Relationship
Effective coaching runs deeper than wins and losses, it also includes reaching athletes on an individual level. The challenge of coaching is balancing logic and skills along with empathy and awareness. A strong coach-athlete relationship is important not only for the athlete’s growth as an individual, but for the team’s performance as a whole.
Moderator: Katelyn Storms, Director of Marketing and Communications at The Academy Volleyball Club
Panelists: Chris Underwood, Carrie Underwood, Doug Alexander, and Sharri Bittles
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Main Stage
Attaching Progression for Youth Players
It’s incredibly important to develop a solid foundation when learning the game. John will go through an attacking progression for youth teams to teach the correct techniques.
Presenter: John Shondell
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Court 8
Middle Middle Defense- Part 2
In the second part of Middle Middle defense you will see the practical application of conceptsdiscussed in Part I. This presentation will walk you through the pieces you need to get in place to start implementing Middle Middle defense.
Presenter: Travis Fuller, Director of Player and Coach Development at The Academy Volleyball Club
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Court 10
Click here to learn more about Travis.
Develop your Serve Receive
Serve receive sets the tone for your team’s offense. A strong serve receive allows for a more effective and terminal offense by having multiple options for attacking and by helping the setter create more seams and one-on-one situations with the block.
Presenter: Jasmine Fullove, Director at The Academy Boiler Juniors
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Court 12
Click here to learn more about Jasmine.
Managing Difficult Players
Having a difficult player on your team can be challenging but knowing how to connect and manage them can make a huge difference. Learn different ways to foster these relationships while developing a good environment for all your athletes.
Presenter: Ashlee Pritchard, Head Volleyball Coach at Indiana State University
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Upstairs, Suite B
Click here to learn more about Ashlee.
Acing Team Communication
Great communication is more than just telling families a place and a time. Coaches with great team communication can empower parents to share their beliefs, understand their decisions, and prevent gossip.
Presenter: Jack Lesure
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Downstairs, Suite D
Click here to learn more about Jack.
Keynote
Growing Your Team
As coaches we spend a lot of time on skill development, strength training, and mental toughness yet oftentimes end our season is under performing. What does it look like to grow a team? How does growing a team affect performance?
Keynote Speaker: Heath Eslinger, CEO and Co-Founder of a Better Way Athletics
Time: 12:00 pm
Location: Main Stage
Click here to learn more about Heath.
1:00 PM
Motivating Athletes
7 “Broken Soundtracks” (lies) that discourage and demotivate athletes and how to overcome them…
Presenter: Jason Thompson, Founder of The Mental Edge, Certified Mental Performance Coach
Time: 1:00 am
Location: Main Stage
Click here to learn more about Jason.
Wash Drills
Presenter: Jasmine Fullove, Director at The Academy Boiler Juniors
Time: 1:00 am
Location: Court 8
Click here to learn more about Jasmine.
Develop an Offensive System
A team’s offense will be the most dominant characteristic that it develops. The team that is able to maximize its opportunities will have the greatest advantage, independent of their first ball contact. Learn how to be in your offense more often and make it difficult to take away.
Presenter: Travis Fuller, Director of Player and Coach Development at The Academy Volleyball Club
Time: 1:00 pm
Location: Court 10
Click here to learn more about Travis.
Thinking and Talking the Game
Communication is key to any team and learning how to train the skill is vital to any team’s success. Learn basic drills to improve individual processing, awareness, and communication while on the court.
Presenter: Steve Florio, Head Women’s Volleyball Coach at Purdue University- Fort Wayne
Time: 1:00 pm
Location: Court 12
Click here to learn more about Steve.
Youth Team Culture
Moderator: Katelyn Storms, Director of Marketing and Communications at The Academy Volleyball Club
Panelists: Michael Ortman, Chandra Hepler, and Melissa Jump
Time: 1:00 am
Location: Upstairs, Suite B
Managing Conflict
In this session we will look at the who and what surrounding conflict and how we as leaders can navigate the emotional waters in a way that leads to over achieving teams. We will identify our conflict style and the key components of how we can manage situations effectively.
Presenter: Heath Eslinger
Time: 1:00 pm
Location: Downstairs, Suite D
2:00 PM
Developing Player Leadership
Moderator: Katelyn Storms, Director of Marketing and Communications at The Academy Volleyball Club
Panelists: Jasmine Fullove, Tak Arakawa, and Sarah Stair
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Main Stage
Attacker Mechanics: Approach, Arm, and Hand Contact
Train proper approach and attack mechanics to improve timing. Learn how to train arm swing and to increase power and hand contact to develop consistency.
Presenter: Michael Ortman, Head Coach for The Academy 12 Elite Bobcats
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Court 8
Sharing a Court
Sharing a court has a negative stigma because coaches feel they have to sacrifice development for compromise. Learn how to plan, communicate, operate, and get the most out of this experience for you coaches and players.
Presenter: Travis Fuller, Director of Player and Coach Development at The Academy Volleyball Club
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Court 10
Click here to learn more about Travis.
Drill Modification for Youth Teams
Making modifications for youth teams allows for athletes to properly execute the movements and skills in the drill and establishes a great foundation at an early age. Learn how to execute drills to fit any age and skill level.
Presenter: Lauren Clendenden, Youth Coordinator at The Academy Monon Select
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Court 12
Identifying Dangerous Landings in Volleyball
Neuromuscular Training (NMT) has been shown to dramatically reduce injuries and improve performance in middle and high school athletes through numerous peer-reviewed studies. Unfortunately, most young athletes don’t have access to proper NMT classes. This seminar will train coaches to deliver effective NMT programming to the players on their teams.
Presenter: Jimmy Russomano, Hospital for Specialized Surgery
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Upstairs, Suite B
Being a Parent and a Coach
Presenter: Mick Oppy
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Downstairs, Suite D
3:00 PM
Tactics, Trends, & Adjustments
Understanding what to change and when can be the difference between winning a match and losing. In this presentation we will look at how you should approach the adjustments and what kind of return you can expect.
Presenter: Travis Fuller, Director of Player and Coach Development at The Academy Volleyball Club
Time: 3:00 pm
Location: Main Stage
Click here to learn more about Travis.
Develop a Blocker
Train your blocking system in both a controlled and swing block. Understand the ball-setter-ball-hitter connection and develop your blocking scheme to match your defensive scheme.
Presenter: Michael Ortman
Time: 3:00 pm
Location: Court 8
Develop your Out of System Offense
Teams need to develop their out of system game to get comfortable in these situations. Teams find themselves out of system when (1) the setter digs the first ball, (2) a non-setter needs to take the 2nd ball due to the quality of the dig.
Presenter: Jasmine Fullove, Director at The Academy Boiler Juniors
Time: 3:00 pm
Location: Court 10
Click here to learn more about Jasmine.
Running a Private Lesson
Private training can make a huge difference in an athlete’s development. Find new ways to train while learning how to set goals, incorporate processes, and maximize the duration of a private lesson.
Presenter: Sean Keeve, Director at The Academy Monon Select
Time: 3:00 pm
Location: Court 12
Click here to learn more about Sean.