WELCOME TO VOLLEYBALL DEVELOPMENT CAMPS
Forthcoming Events
All of our camps comply with strict COVID guidelines.
In the event that the government “Road map” to easing of restrictions is delayed the following camps will be rearranged.
Following on from our Sold-Out Easter series of camps we are happy to be able to offer a further return to volleyball camp over the early May Bank Holiday weekend.
What do we mean by RETURN-REFRESH-REVIEW?
Aimed at Intermediate level young players who have some playing experience, RETURN – REFRESH – REVIEW will develop and fine tune basic individual ball-handling skills, then move on to applying those skills in game-like drills and matches, and finish with a review of the next steps each player needs to take to be match-ready for the start of the season.
Who it’s for?
Athletes who are playing regular volleyball. You will get the most out of this camp if you are able to serve and attack consistently.
Age
12-18
When and where is it?
Saturday and Sunday, 1-2 May 2021 – 10am to 3pm each day
ACS Cobham International School, Cobham, Surrey, Portsmouth Road, KT11 1BL
We aim to complete the second day of this camp as soon as we are able, we will be in touch with a revised date.
The concept behind these camps is that volleyball matches are won and lost in a series key battles on the court such as attack versus defence and service against reception. Athletes attending the camps will be armed with the weapons necessary to gain the upper hand in these battles. Our Head Coach Carol Gordon will be covering areas such as: –
- Serving to get the opposition out of system.
- Passing all types of service
- Attacking with range and disguise.
- Getting a head start on reading the attackers intentions.
Saturday we will look at the service against reception battle, while on Sunday we will concentrate on the attack versus defence battle.
Both days will follow a similar format starting with a warm-up of course, moving into individual technique and group drills then progressively applying what has been learnt into a series of wash drills and ending the day with a mini tournament.
Sunday will also provide setters with an opportunity to develop their skills in running their teams offence.
To get the most out of the camp we suggest that athletes are able to serve and attack with consistency and are not afraid of taking on the challenges of floor defence.
The camps can be booked individually or as a pair for a discounted price.
- Saturday 19th December – Server v Receive – 10am to 3pm
- Sunday 20th December – Attack v Defence – 10am to 3pm
Emerging Elite is VbDC’s entry level Performance camp, with a curriculum designed for athletes who have been training and playing competitive volleyball seasonally for three or four years, or year round for at least two years. Athletes will have sufficiently competent ball-handling skills to enable them to participate in team drills that simulate game situations.
THIS CAMP IS NOW FULL
Recognising the unique circumstances we find ourselves in, this camp will provide a fast paced curriculum to either bring athletes up to speed for those that may have been missing out on their usual training regime or to further hone the skills of those who have been able to train since the summer.
A combined First Stepz and Next Stepz Camp will be held Saturday 12 December at the ACS Cobham International School in Cobham Surrey starting at 10AM.
Volleyball Development Camps created its First Stepz and Next Stepz camps specifically to introduce youngsters aged 8 to12 to the sport, and then to show them the process of playing organised volleyball once they have had their introduction.
The day-long camp will consist of about two hours of structured tuition followed by two more hours of organised game play in which the athletes will continue to receive instruction from the coaching staff. The camp ends at 2PM.
The Pathways Camp is designed for the new volleyball player who, having had an introduction to the game, has decided to participate in a competitive school or club programme. The curriculum features drills to develop each of the basic actions required to play the three-touch game: the dig, set and spike, and the action that initiates a rally, the serve.
8 Simple Rules is an innovative two day volleyball camp designed for intermediate level players competing at a local league level, it covers 8 key areas of the game in an enjoyable, practical and rewarding programme.
The concepts will be presented in an easy to digest format covering techniques, theory and tactics of the game that participants can take back to their clubs and teams.
The complete syllabus will be delivered over the two days and to get maximum benefit from the camp we strongly recommend attending both days, however recognising that it might not be possible for everyone to attend both days we are offering a one day option.
The flagship VbDC event, the Elite Camp is designed to help refine the skills –both mental and physical – which committed elite players have been acquiring through their participation in the highest level of volleyball. It is is a limited enrolment camp to which athletes must apply to determine their eligibility. Enrolment is restricted to 24 athletes who submit videos, coach recommendations and an essay with their application. Most athletes are members of their national team, but those who play for a university or in the top division of their national league may also be considered.
For players who want to “hit the ground running” for the new season.
An intense 5 day camp for players who are serious about their pre-season preparations whether it is for a National League, school varsity or even university teams. The camp will ensure that all the fundamental skills are in place while refining techniques before match preparation.
A structured training camp which combines individual skill work with group drills and team play. This camp runs over 4 days during the Easter holidays and is suitable for athletes between 13 and 18 years old who have had some experience of playing volleyball in a team setting.
The aim of the camp is around improving the way that the athletes link skills together especially the anticipation, preparation and movement. The framework for this will be working on the various forms of “Transition”.
Emerging Elite is VbDC’s entry level Performance camp, with a curriculum designed for athletes who have been training and playing competitive volleyball seasonally for three or four years, or year round for at least two years. Athletes will have sufficiently competent ball-handling skills to enable them to participate in team drills that simulate game situations.
Talented athletes will, at some point in their volleyball career, have to make a choice whether or not to play at the elite level. It can be a life-changing decision, since the move to elite sport involves not just an increase in on-court training, but affects almost every aspect of their life: mental discipline, diet, off-court physical conditioning and regular long-distance travel are just some. The most physically demanding of all VbDC camps, Pre-Elite is designed for athletes whose coaches have identified them as being capable of elite performance, but who have yet to experience the elite training regime.
Volleyball Development Camps ran its first event in 2005, a week-long day camp for two dozen local athletes ranging from beginners to teens who practiced with their parent’s club. Two years later there were more camps, for introducing the sport to first-timers, for adolescents who needed help learning to handle the volleyball, and for teen-agers who were beginning to play year round at higher levels.
Today there are seven levels of training in the VbDC curriculum, along with one-day workshops for positional players, programmes to help mature recreational players enjoy the game more, English language tuition for athletes from abroad, and outreach activities for schools and leisure centres. A VbDC event takes place every month. Young athletes aged 8 to 22 participate in training tailored to a particular level of ability. Aspects of the game covering players’ technical form and game tactics are introduced from early ages. Guest speakers discuss the game during lunch breaks, professional and national teams have joined the training sessions, and sports science specialists analyse individual performance. Many athletes return year after year and progress through the range of camps. Some have become friends in whom VbDC has taken an active involvement in helping them chart their sports future.
Activities have grown off court, too, with VbDC assisting athletes in their search for scholarships to US and Canadian universities, organizing courses for the qualification of game officials, and sponsoring local clubs. A sister company, Top Flight Volley, retails training equipment, balls, shoes, accessories and clothing.
But the founding guideline on which VbDC was founded has not changed over time: Assemble highly qualified coaches in the best facilities available and create a course of instruction that will help disciplined, dedicated volleyball athletes take their performance to a higher level.
Welcome to the VbDC website. Please explore it and read about our approach to volleyball training, how we structure our camps and when various programs are scheduled, who we are and the support services we offer, and the latest developments in the lives of VbDC athletes of note. You’ll quickly see how VbDC has become not only a good training programme, but a community of volleyball enthusiasts.
Enquiry Form
Would you like to learn more about Volleyball Development Camps programmes, or about one camp in particular? The form below can be used to send us an enquiry.
The form asks for a few general details, which help us be more accurate in our response to your enquiry. This information is kept only for the purpose of providing a reply. In keeping with new data protection regulations, it will not be shared with any outside organisation. It will be removed from our database after our initial contacts if you wish it to be removed.
Why do we ask for this information?
- Very general personal details, such as age and gender, enable us to know who we are discussing.
- If we know the athlete’s location and dates of availability, we will have an idea whether the athlete is likely to require a residential or language option, and for us to be prepared to help with transport and tutoring arrangements, if necessary.
- Some questions we ask about the athlete’s playing history and club association enable us to make a better recommendation on the type of camp they will benefit most from attending.
Please take the time to fill out the form if you wish to learn more about VbDC activities. The data will be used only to help you make the right choice for the athlete on whose behalf you are enquiring.
ONLINE ENQUIRY FORM
WELCOME TO VOLLEYBALL DEVELOPMENT CAMPS
Forthcoming Events
All of our camps comply with strict COVID guidelines.
In the event that the government “Road map” to easing of restrictions is delayed the following camps will be rearranged.
Following on from our Sold-Out Easter series of camps we are happy to be able to offer a further return to volleyball camp over the early May Bank Holiday weekend.
What do we mean by RETURN-REFRESH-REVIEW?
Aimed at Intermediate level young players who have some playing experience, RETURN – REFRESH – REVIEW will develop and fine tune basic individual ball-handling skills, then move on to applying those skills in game-like drills and matches, and finish with a review of the next steps each player needs to take to be match-ready for the start of the season.
Who it’s for?
Athletes who are playing regular volleyball. You will get the most out of this camp if you are able to serve and attack consistently.
Age
12-18
When and where is it?
Saturday and Sunday, 1-2 May 2021 – 10am to 3pm each day
ACS Cobham International School, Cobham, Surrey, Portsmouth Road, KT11 1BL
We aim to complete the second day of this camp as soon as we are able, we will be in touch with a revised date.
The concept behind these camps is that volleyball matches are won and lost in a series key battles on the court such as attack versus defence and service against reception. Athletes attending the camps will be armed with the weapons necessary to gain the upper hand in these battles. Our Head Coach Carol Gordon will be covering areas such as: –
- Serving to get the opposition out of system.
- Passing all types of service
- Attacking with range and disguise.
- Getting a head start on reading the attackers intentions.
Saturday we will look at the service against reception battle, while on Sunday we will concentrate on the attack versus defence battle.
Both days will follow a similar format starting with a warm-up of course, moving into individual technique and group drills then progressively applying what has been learnt into a series of wash drills and ending the day with a mini tournament.
Sunday will also provide setters with an opportunity to develop their skills in running their teams offence.
To get the most out of the camp we suggest that athletes are able to serve and attack with consistency and are not afraid of taking on the challenges of floor defence.
The camps can be booked individually or as a pair for a discounted price.
- Saturday 19th December – Server v Receive – 10am to 3pm
- Sunday 20th December – Attack v Defence – 10am to 3pm
Emerging Elite is VbDC’s entry level Performance camp, with a curriculum designed for athletes who have been training and playing competitive volleyball seasonally for three or four years, or year round for at least two years. Athletes will have sufficiently competent ball-handling skills to enable them to participate in team drills that simulate game situations.
THIS CAMP IS NOW FULL
Recognising the unique circumstances we find ourselves in, this camp will provide a fast paced curriculum to either bring athletes up to speed for those that may have been missing out on their usual training regime or to further hone the skills of those who have been able to train since the summer.
A combined First Stepz and Next Stepz Camp will be held Saturday 12 December at the ACS Cobham International School in Cobham Surrey starting at 10AM.
Volleyball Development Camps created its First Stepz and Next Stepz camps specifically to introduce youngsters aged 8 to12 to the sport, and then to show them the process of playing organised volleyball once they have had their introduction.
The day-long camp will consist of about two hours of structured tuition followed by two more hours of organised game play in which the athletes will continue to receive instruction from the coaching staff. The camp ends at 2PM.
The Pathways Camp is designed for the new volleyball player who, having had an introduction to the game, has decided to participate in a competitive school or club programme. The curriculum features drills to develop each of the basic actions required to play the three-touch game: the dig, set and spike, and the action that initiates a rally, the serve.
8 Simple Rules is an innovative two day volleyball camp designed for intermediate level players competing at a local league level, it covers 8 key areas of the game in an enjoyable, practical and rewarding programme.
The concepts will be presented in an easy to digest format covering techniques, theory and tactics of the game that participants can take back to their clubs and teams.
The complete syllabus will be delivered over the two days and to get maximum benefit from the camp we strongly recommend attending both days, however recognising that it might not be possible for everyone to attend both days we are offering a one day option.
The flagship VbDC event, the Elite Camp is designed to help refine the skills –both mental and physical – which committed elite players have been acquiring through their participation in the highest level of volleyball. It is is a limited enrolment camp to which athletes must apply to determine their eligibility. Enrolment is restricted to 24 athletes who submit videos, coach recommendations and an essay with their application. Most athletes are members of their national team, but those who play for a university or in the top division of their national league may also be considered.
For players who want to “hit the ground running” for the new season.
An intense 5 day camp for players who are serious about their pre-season preparations whether it is for a National League, school varsity or even university teams. The camp will ensure that all the fundamental skills are in place while refining techniques before match preparation.
A structured training camp which combines individual skill work with group drills and team play. This camp runs over 4 days during the Easter holidays and is suitable for athletes between 13 and 18 years old who have had some experience of playing volleyball in a team setting.
The aim of the camp is around improving the way that the athletes link skills together especially the anticipation, preparation and movement. The framework for this will be working on the various forms of “Transition”.
Emerging Elite is VbDC’s entry level Performance camp, with a curriculum designed for athletes who have been training and playing competitive volleyball seasonally for three or four years, or year round for at least two years. Athletes will have sufficiently competent ball-handling skills to enable them to participate in team drills that simulate game situations.
Talented athletes will, at some point in their volleyball career, have to make a choice whether or not to play at the elite level. It can be a life-changing decision, since the move to elite sport involves not just an increase in on-court training, but affects almost every aspect of their life: mental discipline, diet, off-court physical conditioning and regular long-distance travel are just some. The most physically demanding of all VbDC camps, Pre-Elite is designed for athletes whose coaches have identified them as being capable of elite performance, but who have yet to experience the elite training regime.
Volleyball Development Camps ran its first event in 2005, a week-long day camp for two dozen local athletes ranging from beginners to teens who practiced with their parent’s club. Two years later there were more camps, for introducing the sport to first-timers, for adolescents who needed help learning to handle the volleyball, and for teen-agers who were beginning to play year round at higher levels.
Today there are seven levels of training in the VbDC curriculum, along with one-day workshops for positional players, programmes to help mature recreational players enjoy the game more, English language tuition for athletes from abroad, and outreach activities for schools and leisure centres. A VbDC event takes place every month. Young athletes aged 8 to 22 participate in training tailored to a particular level of ability. Aspects of the game covering players’ technical form and game tactics are introduced from early ages. Guest speakers discuss the game during lunch breaks, professional and national teams have joined the training sessions, and sports science specialists analyse individual performance. Many athletes return year after year and progress through the range of camps. Some have become friends in whom VbDC has taken an active involvement in helping them chart their sports future.
Activities have grown off court, too, with VbDC assisting athletes in their search for scholarships to US and Canadian universities, organizing courses for the qualification of game officials, and sponsoring local clubs. A sister company, Top Flight Volley, retails training equipment, balls, shoes, accessories and clothing.
But the founding guideline on which VbDC was founded has not changed over time: Assemble highly qualified coaches in the best facilities available and create a course of instruction that will help disciplined, dedicated volleyball athletes take their performance to a higher level.
Welcome to the VbDC website. Please explore it and read about our approach to volleyball training, how we structure our camps and when various programs are scheduled, who we are and the support services we offer, and the latest developments in the lives of VbDC athletes of note. You’ll quickly see how VbDC has become not only a good training programme, but a community of volleyball enthusiasts.
Enquiry Form
Would you like to learn more about Volleyball Development Camps programmes, or about one camp in particular? The form below can be used to send us an enquiry.
The form asks for a few general details, which help us be more accurate in our response to your enquiry. This information is kept only for the purpose of providing a reply. In keeping with new data protection regulations, it will not be shared with any outside organisation. It will be removed from our database after our initial contacts if you wish it to be removed.
Why do we ask for this information?
- Very general personal details, such as age and gender, enable us to know who we are discussing.
- If we know the athlete’s location and dates of availability, we will have an idea whether the athlete is likely to require a residential or language option, and for us to be prepared to help with transport and tutoring arrangements, if necessary.
- Some questions we ask about the athlete’s playing history and club association enable us to make a better recommendation on the type of camp they will benefit most from attending.
Please take the time to fill out the form if you wish to learn more about VbDC activities. The data will be used only to help you make the right choice for the athlete on whose behalf you are enquiring.
ONLINE ENQUIRY FORM
Welcome
Forthcoming Events
Welcome to the Volleyball Development Camps website. Please explore it and read about our approach to volleyball training, how we structure our camps and when various programs are scheduled, who we are and the support services we offer, and the latest developments in the lives of VbDC athletes of note. You’ll quickly see how VbDC has become not only a good training programme, but a community of volleyball enthusiasts.
Enquiry Form
Would you like to learn more about Volleyball Development Camps programmes, or about one camp in particular? The form below can be used to send us an enquiry.
The form asks for a few general details, which help us be more accurate in our response to your enquiry. This information is kept only for the purpose of providing a reply. In keeping with new data protection regulations, it will not be shared with any outside organisation. It will be removed from our database after our initial contacts if you wish it to be removed.
Why do we ask for this information?
- Very general personal details, such as age and gender, enable us to know who we are discussing.
- If we know the athlete’s location and dates of availability, we will have an idea whether the athlete is likely to require a residential or language option, and for us to be prepared to help with transport and tutoring arrangements, if necessary.
- Some questions we ask about the athlete’s playing history and club association enable us to make a better recommendation on the type of camp they will benefit most from attending.
Please take the time to fill out the form if you wish to learn more about VbDC activities. The data will be used only to help you make the right choice for the athlete on whose behalf you are enquiring.
ONLINE ENQUIRY FORM
Shop
All of our camps comply with strict COVID guidelines.
In the event that the government “Road map” to easing of restrictions is delayed the following camps will be rearranged.
Following on from our Sold-Out Easter series of camps we are happy to be able to offer a further return to volleyball camp over the early May Bank Holiday weekend.
What do we mean by RETURN-REFRESH-REVIEW?
Aimed at Intermediate level young players who have some playing experience, RETURN – REFRESH – REVIEW will develop and fine tune basic individual ball-handling skills, then move on to applying those skills in game-like drills and matches, and finish with a review of the next steps each player needs to take to be match-ready for the start of the season.
Following on from our Sold-Out Easter series of camps we are happy to be able to offer a further return to volleyball camp over the early May Bank Holiday weekend.
Who it’s for?
Athletes who are playing regular volleyball. You will get the most out of this camp if you are able to serve and attack consistently.
Age
12-18
When and where is it?
Saturday and Sunday, 1-2 May 2021 – 10am to 3pm each day
ACS Cobham International School, Cobham, Surrey, Portsmouth Road, KT11 1BL
We aim to complete the second day of this camp as soon as we are able, we will be in touch with a revised date.
The concept behind these camps is that volleyball matches are won and lost in a series key battles on the court such as attack versus defence and service against reception. Athletes attending the camps will be armed with the weapons necessary to gain the upper hand in these battles. Our Head Coach Carol Gordon will be covering areas such as: –
- Serving to get the opposition out of system.
- Passing all types of service
- Attacking with range and disguise.
- Getting a head start on reading the attackers intentions.
Saturday we will look at the service against reception battle, while on Sunday we will concentrate on the attack versus defence battle.
Both days will follow a similar format starting with a warm-up of course, moving into individual technique and group drills then progressively applying what has been learnt into a series of wash drills and ending the day with a mini tournament.
Sunday will also provide setters with an opportunity to develop their skills in running their teams offence.
To get the most out of the camp we suggest that athletes are able to serve and attack with consistency and are not afraid of taking on the challenges of floor defence.
The camps can be booked individually or as a pair for a discounted price.
- Saturday 19th December – Server v Receive – 10am to 3pm
- Sunday 20th December – Attack v Defence – 10am to 3pm
Emerging Elite is VbDC’s entry level Performance camp, with a curriculum designed for athletes who have been training and playing competitive volleyball seasonally for three or four years, or year round for at least two years. Athletes will have sufficiently competent ball-handling skills to enable them to participate in team drills that simulate game situations.
THIS CAMP IS NOW FULL
Recognising the unique circumstances we find ourselves in, this camp will provide a fast paced curriculum to either bring athletes up to speed for those that may have been missing out on their usual training regime or to further hone the skills of those who have been able to train since the summer.
A combined First Stepz and Next Stepz Camp will be held Saturday 12 December at the ACS Cobham International School in Cobham Surrey starting at 10AM.
Volleyball Development Camps created its First Stepz and Next Stepz camps specifically to introduce youngsters aged 8 to12 to the sport, and then to show them the process of playing organised volleyball once they have had their introduction.
The day-long camp will consist of about two hours of structured tuition followed by two more hours of organised game play in which the athletes will continue to receive instruction from the coaching staff. The camp ends at 2PM.
The Pathways Camp is designed for the new volleyball player who, having had an introduction to the game, has decided to participate in a competitive school or club programme. The curriculum features drills to develop each of the basic actions required to play the three-touch game: the dig, set and spike, and the action that initiates a rally, the serve.
8 Simple Rules is an innovative two day volleyball camp designed for intermediate level players competing at a local league level, it covers 8 key areas of the game in an enjoyable, practical and rewarding programme.
The concepts will be presented in an easy to digest format covering techniques, theory and tactics of the game that participants can take back to their clubs and teams.
The complete syllabus will be delivered over the two days and to get maximum benefit from the camp we strongly recommend attending both days, however recognising that it might not be possible for everyone to attend both days we are offering a one day option.
The flagship VbDC event, the Elite Camp is designed to help refine the skills –both mental and physical – which committed elite players have been acquiring through their participation in the highest level of volleyball. It is is a limited enrolment camp to which athletes must apply to determine their eligibility. Enrolment is restricted to 24 athletes who submit videos, coach recommendations and an essay with their application. Most athletes are members of their national team, but those who play for a university or in the top division of their national league may also be considered.
For players who want to “hit the ground running” for the new season.
An intense 5 day camp for players who are serious about their pre-season preparations whether it is for a National League, school varsity or even university teams. The camp will ensure that all the fundamental skills are in place while refining techniques before match preparation.
A structured training camp which combines individual skill work with group drills and team play. This camp runs over 4 days during the Easter holidays and is suitable for athletes between 13 and 18 years old who have had some experience of playing volleyball in a team setting.
The aim of the camp is around improving the way that the athletes link skills together especially the anticipation, preparation and movement. The framework for this will be working on the various forms of “Transition”.
Emerging Elite is VbDC’s entry level Performance camp, with a curriculum designed for athletes who have been training and playing competitive volleyball seasonally for three or four years, or year round for at least two years. Athletes will have sufficiently competent ball-handling skills to enable them to participate in team drills that simulate game situations.
Talented athletes will, at some point in their volleyball career, have to make a choice whether or not to play at the elite level. It can be a life-changing decision, since the move to elite sport involves not just an increase in on-court training, but affects almost every aspect of their life: mental discipline, diet, off-court physical conditioning and regular long-distance travel are just some. The most physically demanding of all VbDC camps, Pre-Elite is designed for athletes whose coaches have identified them as being capable of elite performance, but who have yet to experience the elite training regime.
Success for our sponsored teams …
It’s a successful time at the business end of the season for two of the teams that we sponsor.
In addition to sealing a place in the Final 4 Super League Play Offs at Crystal Palace over the weekend of 5th & 6th April London Malory men and women have both clinched Cup Final places at the end of April in Kettering.
At the other end of the scale with youngsters taking their first steps in a competitive tournament the Under 15 girls at the VBDC-Club won the Volleyball England Grand Prix Gold Cup at the National Volleyball Center in Kettering, beating local rivals Richmond in the final.
In addition to sponsoring the team, two of our directors, Deb Pickens and John Biddiscombe, also coach the team which comprises of some of the youngsters who have attended previous camps.
Malory Eagles Super League teams return to Surrey
Youth Tournament of SV Dynamo Apeldoorn
The team had been training hard ahead of the tournament as well as undertaking some fund raising including running a raffle at the recent Super League match between Malory Eagles and Essex Rebels which was hosted at ACS Cobham.
While the boys will be looking to take what they have learnt from this tournament into their respective teams for the second half of the season, VbDC are activly seeking out a suitable tournament for our girls to compete in.
Former VbDC Coaches do battle in CEV Champions League
A rematch between former VbDC coaches is shaping up for early in the new year in Belgium as Greenyard Maaseik Volleyball Club plays host to visitors PGE Projekt Warsaw in the CEV Champions League Mens Pool A. Massiek will be looking to over turn a 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.
Outsider hitter for Masseik is Cody Kessel, who has been an assistant coach at an Elite Camp, and the coach for Warsaw is Piotr Graben, who co-led an Elite Camp with Carol Gordon.
Incidentally another team in Pool A has a British connection with Joel Banks, former GB assistant coach now coaching Berlin Recycling also one of Cody’s former teams.
Tickets for the match on Wednesday 15th January can be ordered on the Maaseik website.
Summer camp alumns reunite at air base tourney
A recent tournament of Europe-located US Department of Defence high school teams held at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk brought several VbDC camp alumni back to England. Coach Brian Swenty, who has led two summer camps, brought his girls varsity squad from the US Army base at Vilseck, in southern Germany.
Swenty’s team, listing several freshmen starters from a school of just over 400 students, held their own against schools more than twice that size, including a tight-scoring three-set loss to the tourney’s dominant team from Kaiserslautern Germany, which had two more VbDC camp veterans on its roster: Bella and Marlee are ow in their freshman year, the athletes – who have attended two summer camps each – are already sharing starting setter duties for their varsity team.
The K-Town–Vilseck game was described as Kaiserslautern’s toughest match of the two-day event. Swenty and other coaches expressed an interest in partnering with VbDC to form an all-star travel team for a summer youth tournament in Europe in 2025.
Pre-Teen Volleyball
Volleyball is one of the fastest growing team sports in England, but there are few opportunities for athletes under the age of 12 to receive training from qualified coaches. Volleyball Development Camps aim to do something about it this autumn.
A new programme will address that gap in order to introduce youngsters to the game and prepare them for participation in new youth leagues being created across the country. Volleyball’s value as a high energy sport is just beginning to be appreciated in the UK for it’s demands on physical development in movement and coordination, and it’s requirement for teamwork and communication.
The programme consists of short periods of training in basic ball-handling skills, followed by structured small-sided games. The days’ activities last one and half to two hours and will start in early November running through to December.
A New Way
A new way to learn about Volleyball Development Camps programmes has been introduced.
Called Open Court, it is an invitation to attend a regularly scheduled video conference at which VbDC representatives can answer questions about the camps, seminars and workshops, where people thinking about attending can meet former campers, and where ideas for new programmes or additions to current ones can be shared.
Open Courts will be scheduled for different days of the week and at differing times, so people from time zones around the globe can participate. The dates of forthcoming Open Courts will be announced on the VbDC website. Click HERE for an invitation to an Open Court session; or you can also email us at vbdc.volley@gmail.com
The first series will run until mid-summer 2024. After that they will take place with lower frequency until the start of the winter 2024-25 when they will again start a fortnightly or weekly schedule.
Summer 2024 Residential Camps
How does a summer volleyball camp sound where you train with other volleyball players from around the world, receive five days of top quality coaching and stay in one of England’s oldest universities.
Oh, and how about staying for a few extra days to be part of our innovative and immersive English Language programme.
Don’t for a moment think that this is a typical Summer Language School with days spent in the class room – oh no !! Students will be out and about putting their language skills into practice in a variety of locations and situations. For example if the group is heading into London to visit a museum, the tutor will expect the students to look up the opening times and plan the train and underground journey as well as navigating their way there.
On the way to and from London (just over 40 minutes on the train) the group may pick up a newspaper and with prompts from the tutors discuss one of the stories.
Over the weekend our language campers will be joined by our week long residential campers at Royal Holloway university where they will enjoy dinner getting to know each other ahead of a week of hard training. Various evening activities are organised for both groups which could include a cinema trip, an evening bowling or scrimmage matches against local clubs.
Residential options are currently available for the Emerging Elite and Elite Camps
Of course we always welcome day campers who will travel to the venue each day for training.
Volleyball England Junior Grand Prix
One of the unexpected side effects of the Covid pandemic has been a surge in interest for playing volleyball among youngsters, certainly fuelled in part by a certain Japanese cartoon series.
Credit must go to Volleyball England and in particular to their Competitions Commission for first of all recognising the need for a competitive outlet for both the new comers to the sport as well as catering for the existing players and secondly devising a structure that pretty much addressed the needs of both groups.
Over 300 junior teams have signed up for the Grand Prix series which is split into two tiers and played over 3 rounds in the Under 15, 16 and 18 girls and boys competitions. This structure should see teams playing at least a minimum of 9 matches, with Tier 2 events arranged to keep traveling distances down while also playing against a variety of different teams.
In Tier 1, after the first round of matches teams are split into Gold, Silver and Bronze pools, with movement between these pools also possible after the second round of matches depending on results.
We have been fortunate to have attended (and indeed hosted) several of these events and the feedback has been positive across the board
Photographs of VbDC camp athletes in action
One of the leading volleyball photographers in the country, Steve Smith, attended our week-long summer camps in August to shoot hundreds of photos of the athletes. As usual Steve captured some superb images of the athletes in action and maybe one of them is of your child that you would like to have for the family album.
Steve has posted these photos on his website, and Volleyball Development Camps is making a request: if the sport of volleyball has given something to your child, could you give something back to volleyball? Even though Steve offers the photos free to download, our request is that if you download one could you please make an on-line donation to the Volleyball England Foundation, the fundraising arm of Volleyball England, our sport’s national governing body.
Funds raised by the Volleyball England Foundation are used to assist new volleyball clubs, established clubs which are launching youth programs, or schools that are beginning to offer volleyball as one of their after-school activities. It is all a part of helping the sport of youth volleyball grow in this country and your donations will play a big part in supporting the effort.
Our suggestion is that a donation of £5 per photo is made to the Volleyball England Foundation.
First, go to Steve’s website: www.sandsphotos.co.uk
- In the menu on the left is a link marked Portfolio, and when you hover over that you will come to a dropdown menu which includes a link for Sports.
- Click on that and you will come to a page with a number of photo collections. Click the one marked Volleyball 2021.
- That will take you to a page where you will find the VbDC camp your child attended; click that and you will find the photos. If you want to download one, there is a download icon in the lower right corner.
Once you have downloaded your photo files, you then go to this hyperlink DONATE and follow the on-screen instructions.
Thank you for helping the Volleyball England Foundation raise funds needed to expand the sport in this country.
Welcome
Welcome to the Volleyball Development Camps website. Please explore it and read about our approach to volleyball training, how we structure our camps and when various programs are scheduled, who we are and the support services we offer, and the latest developments in the lives of VbDC athletes of note. You’ll quickly see how VbDC has become not only a great training programme, but a community of volleyball enthusiasts.
Enquiry Form
Would you like to learn more about Volleyball Development Camps programmes, or about one camp in particular? The form below can be used to send us an enquiry.
The form asks for a few general details, which help us be more accurate in our response to your enquiry. This information is kept only for the purpose of providing a reply. In keeping with new data protection regulations, it will not be shared with any outside organisation. It will be removed from our database after our initial contacts if you wish it to be removed.
Why do we ask for this information?
- Very general personal details, such as age and gender, enable us to know who we are discussing.
- If we know the athlete’s location and dates of availability, we will have an idea whether the athlete is likely to require a residential or language option, and for us to be prepared to help with transport and tutoring arrangements, if necessary.
- Some questions we ask about the athlete’s playing history and club association enable us to make a better recommendation on the type of camp they will benefit most from attending.
Please take the time to fill out the form if you wish to learn more about VbDC activities. The data will be used only to help you make the right choice for the athlete on whose behalf you are enquiring.
ONLINE ENQUIRY FORM
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Forthcoming Events
The weekend Pathways Camp is designed for the new volleyball player who, having had an introduction to the game, has decided to participate in a competitive school or club programme. The curriculum features drills to develop each of the basic actions required to play the three-touch game: the dig, set and spike, and the action that initiates a rally, the serve. This is the first VbDC camp in which the athlete will be expected to exhibit self-discipline and communication with the coach.
Those young athletes who enjoy their introduction to volleyball via First Stepz will then be able to sign up for the Next Stepz Camp, a half-day course that introduces the athlete to the fundamental rules of volleyball, and initiates drills to teach the basic ball-handling techniques. A little game-time fun rounds out the day to encourage use of the newly acquired skills.
In Autumn 2018 VbDC intends to convert its First Stepz Camp to an outreach programme in which primary schools, leisure centres, clubs, churches or social groups introduce volleyball to young athletes, usually of (but not limited to) primary school age. Interested organizations can contact VbDC to set up a session, and VbDC will provide the coaches and equipment for a four-hour session at a venue chosen by the host organization.
Emerging Elite is VbDC’s entry level Performance camp, with a curriculum designed for athletes who have been training and playing competitive volleyball seasonally for three or four years, or year round for at least two years. Athletes will have sufficiently competent ball-handling skills to enable them to participate in team drills that simulate game situations.
Talented athletes will, at some point in their volleyball career, have to make a choice whether or not to play at the elite level. It can be a life-changing decision, since the move to elite sport involves not just an increase in on-court training, but affects almost every aspect of their life: mental discipline, diet, off-court physical conditioning and regular long-distance travel are just some. The most physically demanding of all VbDC camps, Pre-Elite is designed for athletes whose coaches have identified them as being capable of elite performance, but who have yet to experience the elite training regime.
The flagship VbDC event, the Elite Camp is designed to help refine the skills –both mental and physical – which committed elite players have been acquiring through their participation in the highest level of volleyball. It is is a limited enrolment camp to which athletes must apply to determine their eligibility. Enrolment is restricted to 24 athletes who submit videos, coach recommendations and an essay with their application. Most athletes are members of their national team, but those who play for a university or in the top division of their national league may also be considered.
A transitional camp with a curriculum designed to take the athlete from individual ball-handling drills into team-based game simulation drills. Skillz Plus doubles the hours of training as preparation for the stamina and attention required for the Performance camps. The curriculum includes revision on closed-ended ball-handling skills, but also puts the athlete into open-ended situations where they gain a fuller understanding of how competence in performing individual skills contributes to a successful team effort.
The highest level of the weekend VbDC Skills camps, in which drills are designed to train the individual athlete how to play the ball in its most basic actions: the serve; the underarm pass, or dig; the overhead pass, or set; and the attack, or spike. The curriculum calls for some scrimmaging to emphasize the importance of good ball-handling technique, but most of the camp is devoted to refining the skills needed to effectively move the ball around the court.
Success for our sponsored teams …
It’s a successful time at the business end of the season for two of the teams that we sponsor.
In addition to sealing a place in the Final 4 Super League Play Offs at Crystal Palace over the weekend of 5th & 6th April London Malory men and women have both clinched Cup Final places at the end of April in Kettering.
At the other end of the scale with youngsters taking their first steps in a competitive tournament the Under 15 girls at the VBDC-Club won the Volleyball England Grand Prix Gold Cup at the National Volleyball Center in Kettering, beating local rivals Richmond in the final.
In addition to sponsoring the team, two of our directors, Deb Pickens and John Biddiscombe, also coach the team which comprises of some of the youngsters who have attended previous camps.
Malory Eagles Super League teams return to Surrey
Youth Tournament of SV Dynamo Apeldoorn
The team had been training hard ahead of the tournament as well as undertaking some fund raising including running a raffle at the recent Super League match between Malory Eagles and Essex Rebels which was hosted at ACS Cobham.
While the boys will be looking to take what they have learnt from this tournament into their respective teams for the second half of the season, VbDC are activly seeking out a suitable tournament for our girls to compete in.
Former VbDC Coaches do battle in CEV Champions League
A rematch between former VbDC coaches is shaping up for early in the new year in Belgium as Greenyard Maaseik Volleyball Club plays host to visitors PGE Projekt Warsaw in the CEV Champions League Mens Pool A. Massiek will be looking to over turn a 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.
Outsider hitter for Masseik is Cody Kessel, who has been an assistant coach at an Elite Camp, and the coach for Warsaw is Piotr Graben, who co-led an Elite Camp with Carol Gordon.
Incidentally another team in Pool A has a British connection with Joel Banks, former GB assistant coach now coaching Berlin Recycling also one of Cody’s former teams.
Tickets for the match on Wednesday 15th January can be ordered on the Maaseik website.
Summer camp alumns reunite at air base tourney
A recent tournament of Europe-located US Department of Defence high school teams held at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk brought several VbDC camp alumni back to England. Coach Brian Swenty, who has led two summer camps, brought his girls varsity squad from the US Army base at Vilseck, in southern Germany.
Swenty’s team, listing several freshmen starters from a school of just over 400 students, held their own against schools more than twice that size, including a tight-scoring three-set loss to the tourney’s dominant team from Kaiserslautern Germany, which had two more VbDC camp veterans on its roster: Bella and Marlee are ow in their freshman year, the athletes – who have attended two summer camps each – are already sharing starting setter duties for their varsity team.
The K-Town–Vilseck game was described as Kaiserslautern’s toughest match of the two-day event. Swenty and other coaches expressed an interest in partnering with VbDC to form an all-star travel team for a summer youth tournament in Europe in 2025.
Success for our sponsored teams …
It’s a successful time at the business end of the season for two of the teams that we sponsor.
In addition to sealing a place in the Final 4 Super League Play Offs at Crystal Palace over the weekend of 5th & 6th April London Malory men and women have both clinched Cup Final places at the end of April in Kettering.
At the other end of the scale with youngsters taking their first steps in a competitive tournament the Under 15 girls at the VBDC-Club won the Volleyball England Grand Prix Gold Cup at the National Volleyball Center in Kettering, beating local rivals Richmond in the final.
In addition to sponsoring the team, two of our directors, Deb Pickens and John Biddiscombe, also coach the team which comprises of some of the youngsters who have attended previous camps.
Malory Eagles Super League teams return to Surrey
Youth Tournament of SV Dynamo Apeldoorn
The team had been training hard ahead of the tournament as well as undertaking some fund raising including running a raffle at the recent Super League match between Malory Eagles and Essex Rebels which was hosted at ACS Cobham.
While the boys will be looking to take what they have learnt from this tournament into their respective teams for the second half of the season, VbDC are activly seeking out a suitable tournament for our girls to compete in.
Former VbDC Coaches do battle in CEV Champions League
A rematch between former VbDC coaches is shaping up for early in the new year in Belgium as Greenyard Maaseik Volleyball Club plays host to visitors PGE Projekt Warsaw in the CEV Champions League Mens Pool A. Massiek will be looking to over turn a 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.
Outsider hitter for Masseik is Cody Kessel, who has been an assistant coach at an Elite Camp, and the coach for Warsaw is Piotr Graben, who co-led an Elite Camp with Carol Gordon.
Incidentally another team in Pool A has a British connection with Joel Banks, former GB assistant coach now coaching Berlin Recycling also one of Cody’s former teams.
Tickets for the match on Wednesday 15th January can be ordered on the Maaseik website.
Summer camp alumns reunite at air base tourney
A recent tournament of Europe-located US Department of Defence high school teams held at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk brought several VbDC camp alumni back to England. Coach Brian Swenty, who has led two summer camps, brought his girls varsity squad from the US Army base at Vilseck, in southern Germany.
Swenty’s team, listing several freshmen starters from a school of just over 400 students, held their own against schools more than twice that size, including a tight-scoring three-set loss to the tourney’s dominant team from Kaiserslautern Germany, which had two more VbDC camp veterans on its roster: Bella and Marlee are ow in their freshman year, the athletes – who have attended two summer camps each – are already sharing starting setter duties for their varsity team.
The K-Town–Vilseck game was described as Kaiserslautern’s toughest match of the two-day event. Swenty and other coaches expressed an interest in partnering with VbDC to form an all-star travel team for a summer youth tournament in Europe in 2025.