Volleyball is one of my absolute favourite sports of all time. I have been playing in teams since 12 years of age. I remember the first time I was introduced to the sport; being quite a bit taller than all of the other girls, I thought, yes, this will be easy. I found out that there is a lot more to volley than just being taller and bigger than the competition. With a lot of hard work and passion for the sport, I have managed to be a part of my local volley teams for the past 16 years – and have added the use of an arm band for my cell phone during the past 2.
During training,I have gotten accustomed to wearing an arm band for my cell phone. I mention this only because I was once adamantly against the use of an arm band during training – however, I have found it to be a big help in centring my concentration.
Plugging in my headphones and zoning out
In Volley, there is a lot going on at any one time; noise from the opposite team trying to throw your game off, noise from your team shouting directions to each other, spectators, other teams playing simultaneously, all of this mixed together can really hinder how well you play. However, my arm band holds my android, which isn’t as heavy as I thought it would beon my arm, and actually forget it’s there after just 30 minutes of wearing it during training. Plugging in some music really drowns out the extra distractions and actually slows my heartbeat, giving me an extra boost during my game.
Try using a heart rate monitor during your training to see the difference with noise cancelling music and without. Mine showed a significant and steady drop – which not only helps me play for longer without getting fatigued, but also helps me concentrate a lot better than those who do not use music to zone out from the noise.
Restrictions by wearing an arm band, the truth
Since Volley is a sport that requires a lot of upper body and arm movement, I was worried that it would restrict my movements in some way, but I have found that, putting it on my weaker arm actually helps me make it stronger.
Think about weight training, there is always one side of your limbs that is the weaker one and harder to build up. Mine is definitely the left, and I always try to give myself an extra rep on my left arm and leg, just to build up extra strength to match my right side.
How you can boost your training sessions
There are many natural ways to help boost performance in the sport, and finding what works best for you will be a trial and error. What I have found helps me, might also work for you
- Stay focused –cancel out noise by using headphones with music that works for you
- Stay hydrated, most games go on for approx. 45 minutes. You will lose a lot of water during this time, keep hydrated at regular intervals
- Wear the right shoes. Even if volley is an upper body sport, your legs are your launching pads, without the right shoes, you will feel tired quicker and might risk injury
- Stay cool, however the game is panning out (for or against you) keep cool and focus on the now rather than the scoreboard