Be honest. Objective consideration and honesty are required to make this decision. It is important to attend a camp with a curriculum and skill requirements that will challenge but not overwhelm the athlete. We encourage athletes and their parents to discuss the athlete’s level of ability with us when in doubt.

Age. While age is important to choosing a training level, it is not the principle means VbDC uses to determine which course will be of the most benefit to an athlete. Volleyball experience and athletic ability are the main determinants. Some players are more experienced and skilful than their age would suggest, while others are latecomers to the game and their skills may not be as developed as others of their age or younger.

Experience. An athlete will have been playing at the level defined in the camp curriculum for at least 2 years in order to get the greatest benefit from the curriculum. Athletes who attend Skills level camps are beginners and early intermediate players focussed on mastering basic individual ball-handling techniques. These must be consistent in order for the athlete to progress into a mainly team-based training regime. Athletes who attend Performance level camps are advanced intermediate to expert players who will have been training and competing year-round for a minimum of 24 to 36 months without break (i.e. not seasonally) and will have competed in multiple tournaments in the previous 2 years.

Ability: consult the athlete’s coach. It is a big help for the athlete’s coach (who should have volleyball coaching qualifications) to provide us with an assessment of the player and his/her potential. We have a simple, multi-language coach questionnaire that can help you do this. Video recordings of the player in training or competition may be required for the Rising Elite Camp, are expected for the Emerging Elite Camp, and are mandatory for the Elite Camp. If you do not have videos of the athlete you can read our guidelines on taking them here. Attending a camp in top physical condition is necessary in order to get the most out of the event. We have prepared an easy-to-follow training programme to help you prepare for our camps.