High School Program
The School Programs often have the most difficult struggles with “the player”.
They have a short preparation time for their season. They often have players from many different club programs with varying philosophies and styles of teaching. Sometimes they only have a few club players and limited talent elsewhere to work with.
They often have to handle internal school problems or academic concerns.
They are bound by the rules set forth by the school Athletic director and often have limited resources available
A whole variety of issues can ensue for the school coach
Need I say “Teenagers”, hormones, emotional and mental lack of maturity.
How the IMVBTA works with the athlete and their school programs:
At the younger levels of elementary and middle school the players are generally just being introduced to the sport for the first time.
Here, we simply work on building the most solid foundation of basic all round skills for each individual. We do not pigeon-hole players into specific roles or positions at this time because it is crucial they learn all positions and skills.
Some middle school programs are highly competitive where you may see some players already forming certain habits in their skill sets. It is critically important at these stages to ensure proper technique and direction. It is most difficult to change habits or break bad ones down the road.
We look for and weed out those problem areas early on as to ensure better progress for their future training
At the High School Level it is more complicated:
Some players are fortunate and have a high level coaching staff. Others might end up with the History teacher as their coach. Some school programs favor players who play for the club they coach at.
Some coaches try to force players to change technique in a couple of weeks who have been working to perfect what they are being taught in their club program for years.
There are, at times, drop in performance levels or poor habits creep in during the course of a HS season.
We at IMVBTA help to maintain a consistency in regimen as well as sifting out signs of any unusual habits.
We offer assistance to the school programs and players to help bridge the gap between the club program seasons.
It is of the utmost importance that all of our athletes strive to attain high marks in their academic concentration.