<![CDATA[OKLAHOMA PREMIER VOLLEYBALL - Blog - Premier Gems]]>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:29:42 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[The Benefits of Off-Season  Sand Volleyball]]>Tue, 09 Jun 2015 02:55:04 GMThttps://www.okpremiervolleyball.org/blog---premier-gems/the-benefits-of-off-season-sand-volleyball
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Playing just one sport year round can limit an athletes competitive experiences and overall athletic training. But we know volleyball players are passionate about the game and want to continue to get touches year round. If you are looking to improve your game this summer we encourage you to check out sand volleyball. 

There are many benefits of playing sand volleyball that will improve your indoor game. Here are just a few:

• Helps you with your all around game - with only two players on the court, you have to be able to pass, set and hit the ball.

• Forces you to work on your weaknesses, and not rely on your     strengths.

•  You will find out the true meaning of "laying out" for a for a ball. Many times in indoor, a player is hesitant to fully lay out and instead collapses. Sand gives you the confidence to truly launch forward when diving for a ball.

• More deceptive as a blocker.

• Strength and conditioning gains, assuming you spend the same amount of time on hard court and on sand, you'll end up stronger and more fit. 

Check out what John Kessel, USA Volleyball Director of Education, says about sand volleyball:

"The beach game is GREAT for improving your indoor skills / game.Whatever your weaknesses are, you get to work on them a ton. Unlike the 6 person game, you touch the ball every rally, and with just two of you covering the court , you learn to read and anticipate much better. Dealing with the sun and wind helps you be more adaptable. Player height is less important outdoors–ball control and skill is more important ... Most top level coaches encourage their players to play as much as they can on the beach ...” 

Click here to learn more about Premier's Summer Sand Tournaments or email us about our Sand Conditioning Program.

Have a Great summer!!!
Pete Mills


]]><![CDATA[Sportsmanship--Christian Values]]>Fri, 15 Aug 2014 13:37:23 GMThttps://www.okpremiervolleyball.org/blog---premier-gems/sportsmanship-christian-valuesPicture
Christian Values and sports. What is the connection?

As the Director of OK Premier volleyball I feel there is a strong connection between our Christian values and sportsmanship. The design of the ball with the cross on our clothing is there to remind us our Christian values are so intertwined with good sportsmanship as to be inseparable. To "be the best we can be", "the best team mate we can be", "to give thanks in all things" and so much more.
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"We should all seek to compete to the best of our ability, treating ourselves, our fellow teammates, and our competitors with dignity and honor". Strive to be the best you can be.

When our players embrace this attitude, they become more than good players, they become strong young ladies ready to take on the "Game of Life"

Below are some verses about competition and how we should act. There is also a short article from "Christianity Today".

2 Tim 4:7....
I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.

Romans 12-8:10....
The one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Proverbs 27:2....
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.

1 Corinthians 9:24......
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

Sports with a Deeper Purpose Christianity Today

Wheaton College's new athletics director, Julie Davis, perspective reflects the unique place athletics has at a Christian school.
Yes, our goal is to be growing kids to be whole and effective Christians through their athletic experience. Sports provides a unique opportunity because of the idea of competition and team and working together for a common purpose and a common goal. There is something unique about our world that enables us to shape students pretty effectively.

What's so unique about the spiritual dynamics in sports?

Athletics provides deeply emotional experiences, so it's in the context of an emotional experience that the teaching point can be made. When you have competed and lost, for example, the teaching point is, How do you handle disappointment [in other arenas]? How do you handle huge success? Where are we directing our joy as the result of success? Another notion that's powerful is working together for a purpose, and that you can't achieve that goal without your teammates. That deep sense of needing each other and leaning on one another is a powerful example of the body of Christ. And the fact that you are working for something beyond yourself, you are working on behalf of the team, in the same way that much of our Christian walk is modeled in a parallel fashion. So translating that from an experience on the field into kingdom work is the goal.

Does competition—at the very core of athletics—undercut those spiritual lessons? Sports puts athletes who are Christians in the position of wanting to smash their opponents.

Yes we do! [laughs] That question lurks around the edges of conversation; CT recently wrote about that. We compete within a set of rules and we need to be fair in that, but we also need to not be afraid to honor God by being really good. I don't think it does us or the name of the Lord any good to be less than excellent. So our competitiveness is driven to really be all that we can be for the glory of God. We are out there representing him, and to be less than excellent is not a positive thing.

Please let us know your schedules! We would love to try to come watch all of our girls play.
Pete Mills

link to entire  story; http://www.jasonstaples.com/blog/2010/sports-and-christianity-how-should-christians-handle-competition-580
]]><![CDATA[Parenting Behaviors... "Forbes" magazine]]>Sun, 20 Apr 2014 21:45:58 GMThttps://www.okpremiervolleyball.org/blog---premier-gems/parenting-behaviors-forbes-magazine As part of OK Premier's philosophy of growing strong young women through participation in competitive sports, parents are a key ingredient in this success. Below is an article I came across recently.

From "Forbes Magazine"...
Kathy Caprino Contributor I cover career growth, leadership & women’s professional development "FORBES"

7 Crippling Parenting Behaviors That Keep Children From Growing Into Leaders
While I spend my professional time now as a career success coach, writer, and leadership trainer, I was a marriage and family therapist in my past, and worked for several years with couples, families, and children. Through that experience, I witnessed a very wide array of both functional and dysfunctional parenting behaviors. As a parent myself, I’ve learned that all the wisdom and love in the world doesn’t necessarily protect you from parenting in ways that hold your children back from thriving, gaining independence and becoming the leaders they have the potential to be. 

I was intrigued, then, to catch up with leadership expert Dr. Tim Elmore and learn more about how we as parents are failing our children today — coddling and crippling them — and keeping them from becoming leaders they are destined to be. Tim is a best-selling author of more than 25 books, including Generation iY: Our Last Chance to Save Their Future, Artificial Maturity: Helping Kids Meet the Challenges of Becoming Authentic Adults, and the Habitudes® series. He is Founder and President of Growing Leaders, an organization dedicated to mentoring today’s young people to become the leaders of tomorrow.

Tim had this to share about the 7 damaging parenting behaviors that keep children from becoming leaders – of their own lives and of the world’s enterprises:

1. We don’t let our children experience risk

We live in a world that warns us of danger at every turn. The “safety first” preoccupation enforces our fear of losing our kids, so we do everything we can to protect them. It’s our job after all, but we have insulated them from healthy risk-taking behavior and it’s had an adverse effect. Psychologists in Europe have discovered that if a child doesn’t play outside and is never allowed to experience a skinned knee, they frequently have phobias as adults. Kids need to fall a few times to learn it’s normal; teens likely need to break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend to appreciate the emotional maturity that lasting relationships require. If parents remove risk from children’s lives, we will likely experience high arrogance and low self-esteem in our growing leaders.

2. We rescue too quickly

Today’s generation of young people has not developed some of the life skills kids did 30 years ago because adults swoop in and take care of problems for them. When we rescue too quickly and over-indulge our children with “assistance,” we remove the need for them to navigate hardships and solve problems on their own. It’s parenting for the short-term and it sorely misses the point of leadership—to equip our young people to do it without help. Sooner or later, kids get used to someone rescuing them: “If I fail or fall short, an adult will smooth things over and remove any consequences for my misconduct.” When in reality, this isn’t even remotely close to how the world works, and therefore it disables our kids from becoming competent adults.

3. We rave too easily

The self-esteem movement has been around since Baby Boomers were kids, but it took root in our school systems in the 1980s. Attend a little league baseball game and you’ll see that everyone is a winner. This “everyone gets a trophy” mentality might make our kids feel special, but research is now indicating this method has unintended consequences. Kids eventually observe that Mom and Dad are the only ones who think they’re awesome when no one else is saying it. They begin to doubt the objectivity of their parents; it feels good in the moment, but it’s not connected to reality. When we rave too easily and disregard poor behavior, children eventually learn to cheat, exaggerate and lie and to avoid difficult reality. They have not been conditioned to face it.

4. We let guilt get in the way of leading well

Your child does not have to love you every minute. Your kids will get over the disappointment, but they won’t get over the effects of being spoiled. So tell them “no” or “not now,” and let them fight for what they really value and need. As parents, we tend to give them what they want when rewarding our children, especially with multiple kids. When one does well in something, we feel it’s unfair to praise and reward that one and not the other. This is unrealistic and misses an opportunity to enforce the point to our kids that success is dependent upon our own actions and good deeds. Be careful not to teach them a good grade is rewarded by a trip to the mall. If your relationship is based on material rewards, kids will experience neither intrinsic motivation nor unconditional love.

5. We don’t share our past mistakes

Healthy teens are going to want to spread their wings and they’ll need to try things on their own. We as adults must let them, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help them navigate these waters. Share with them the relevant mistakes you made when you were their age in a way that helps them learn to make good choices. (Avoid negative “lessons learned” having to do with smoking, alcohol, illegal drugs, etc.) Also, kids must prepare to encounter slip-ups and face the consequences of their decisions. Share how you felt when you faced a similar experience, what drove your actions, and the resulting lessons learned. Because we’re not the only influence on our kids, we must be the best influence.

6. We mistake intelligence, giftedness and influence for maturity

Intelligence is often used as a measurement of a child’s maturity, and as a result parents assume an intelligent child is ready for the world. That’s not the case. Some professional athletes and Hollywood starlets, for example, possess unimaginable talent, but still get caught in a public scandal. Just because giftedness is present in one aspect of a child’s life, don’t assume it pervades all areas. There is no magic “age of responsibility” or a proven guide as to when a child should be given specific freedoms, but a good rule of thumb is to observe other children the same age as yours. If you notice that they are doing more themselves than your child does, you may be delaying your child’s independence.

7. We don’t practice what we preach

As parents, it is our responsibility to model the life we want our children to live. To help them lead a life of character and become dependable and accountable for their words and actions. As the leaders of our homes, we can start by only speaking honest words – white lies will surface and slowly erode character. Watch yourself in the little ethical choices that others might notice, because your kids will notice too. If you don’t cut corners, for example, they will know it’s not acceptable for them to either. Show your kids what it means to give selflessly and joyfully by volunteering for a service project or with a community group. Leave people and places better than you found them, and your kids will take note and do the same.

Why do parents engage in these behaviors (what are they afraid of if they don’t)? Do these behaviors come from fear or from poor understanding of what strong parenting (with good boundaries) is?

Tim shares:

“I think both fear and lack of understanding play a role here, but it leads with the fact that each generation of parents is usually compensating for something the previous generation did. The primary adults in kids’ lives today have focused on now rather than later. It’s about their happiness today not their readiness tomorrow. I suspect it’s a reaction. Many parents today had Moms and Dads who were all about getting ready for tomorrow: saving money, not spending it, and getting ready for retirement. In response, many of us bought into the message: embrace the moment. You deserve it. Enjoy today. And we did. For many, it resulted in credit card debt and the inability to delay gratification. This may be the crux of our challenge. The truth is, parents who are able to focus on tomorrow, not just today, produce better results.”

How can parents move away from these negative behaviors (without having to hire a family therapist to help)?

Tim says: “It’s important for parents to become exceedingly self-aware of their words and actions when interacting with their children, or with others when their children are nearby. Care enough to train them, not merely treat them to a good life. Coach them, more than coddle. “

Here’s a start:

1. Talk over the issues you wish you would’ve known about adulthood.
2. Allow them to attempt things that stretch them and even let them fail.
3. Discuss future consequences if they fail to master certain disciplines.
4. Aid them in matching their strengths to real-world problems.
5. Furnish projects that require patience, so they learn to delay gratification.
6. Teach them that life is about choices and trade-offs; they can’t do everything.
7. Initiate (or simulate) adult tasks like paying bills or making business deals.
8. Introduce them to potential mentors from your network.
9. Help them envision a fulfilling future, and then discuss the steps to get there.
10. Celebrate progress they make toward autonomy and responsibility.

How are you parenting your children? Are you sacrificing their long-term growth for short-term comfort]]><![CDATA[Connection with your Teammates]]>Sun, 16 Mar 2014 22:49:32 GMThttps://www.okpremiervolleyball.org/blog---premier-gems/connection-with-your-teammates 
We are now well into our club season and I am reminded of the article below;
Please share,
Pete

Small Victories By Chris Beerman

I’m struck by as I attend their training sessions is how excited the players are, how much fun they have with each other and how much they’ve improved.  It reinforces to me the idea that volleyball is really the ultimate team sport, one of the most difficult to coach and the sport that creates very long-lasting personal relationships with your teammates. 
As a former high school football player, I have often compared volleyball to football, which is often called “the ultimate team sport”.  I believe volleyball mirrors football in three ways.  First, complete reliance on a teammate for success; second, the anaerobic + stamina nature of the sport: explode, relax, explode, relax, etc. over the course of a couple hours and finally the similarities in the physical, mental and emotional responsibilities of the various positions.  
  1. Setter (leader, distributor) = quarterback
  2. Passer/digger (dirty work) = linemen
  3. Hitters (home run, scorers) = skill positions 
Where volleyball differs and makes it an even tougher sport to be good at as a team is the ball can’t be held, thrown or caught, your team is confined to a small court and there is no contact with the other team. Therefore, there has to be a “connection” with your teammates.  The ball cannot touch the floor, therefore using your body parts to rebound the ball to teammates requires constant focus, trust and execution from everyone In order to be successful.
As I watched the regional players advance through their season, the vast majority in their first year of club or any kind of advanced training, those psycho-social elements of the game were most notably improved upon.  In some ways, they began to grasp the “soul” of the sport which I’ve always contended is what makes volleyball so different.   I believe above all else our regional players began to learn this part of volleyball that separates it from other sports and makes it such a popular sport for those who learn to play it on a team.  The excitement I see coming from them is that they are not only learning how to play the game, but also discovering how important their individual role is to the success of their team.  Definitely fun to watch develop.~~~~]]><![CDATA[Start with a pass. And then you can FLY!]]>Wed, 26 Feb 2014 22:29:02 GMThttps://www.okpremiervolleyball.org/blog---premier-gems/start-with-a-pass-and-then-you-can-flyA picture is worth a thousand words. Here are two pictures that are the Blog.
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Start with a Pass!
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And then you can FLY!
]]><![CDATA[Tips from a "Team Mom"]]>Wed, 27 Feb 2013 01:39:59 GMThttps://www.okpremiervolleyball.org/blog---premier-gems/tips-from-a-team-momThis post is from last year and I thought it might be helpful again.
Pete

Tips from a team mom
 
My name is Terri and my daughter, Hannah plays on the 14's National team.  This is my first year as team mom and it has been a blast. 
 
The way I think about team mom is that I am NOT responsible for doing everything.  My main jobs, as I see it (and the way that it has worked for our team) is communication, organization,  delegation, and team morale.
 
Communication:
I think this is the most important part of my job.  If I can be in charge of team communication, it frees the coach up to spend more time with our girls.  It can help the coach by having one person to go through rather than having the same conversation with 10 different families.  Our coach is still accessible to the families, but doesn't have to worry about the small details.  I talk to our coach a couple of times a week to find out if she has anything she wants to communicate to the team and ask questions that may have come up during the week.  Our team communicates primarily through e-mail, but before our first out-of-town tournament this year, I am going to look into a group text app for my phone.  I think that will help if there are last minute changes.  I will let you know how it goes.
 
Organization:
I spend a lot of my time organizing things for the team.  This could mean keeping food lists for tournaments, fun activities for the kids, organizing volunteers for when you host a tournament, etc.
 
Delegation:
I am extremely fortunate that on our team I have a lot of really great parents who are eager to pitch in and help.  This is most evident when we plan lunches for our tournaments.  Everyone signs up to bring something and the girls have plenty.
 
Team morale:
The girls spend a lot of time together playing volleyball, but how they get along together off the court is a big part of the game, too.  Our team has a non-volleyball activity every month-6 weeks.  We have done a team dinner and a lock-in so far this year.  We also try to plan an activity for the out-of-town tournaments.  This can be as simple as getting ice cream or watching a movie in one of the girl's hotel rooms (or ding-dong-ditching the coach, shhh don't tell).  A part of team morale is also being positive and excited about your team.  Make a point to include every girl and each family.
 
Some other important reminders:
  • As team mom you should stay in close communication with your coach and families.  If a family member is unhappy, you should refer him/her to the coach or Director.  It is not your job to solve personal conflicts and it is better to let a staff person handle that.
  • Most tournaments allow you to bring in a table for lunch/snacks.  You will have to check with each tournament ahead of time.  We have had several tournaments say they would not allow outside food and drink that actually were fine with team tables.  I think it is better for the girls to eat some healthy things that we provide rather than eat out of the snack bar all day.  These tournaments can last ALL DAY and the girls play really hard.
  • If a tournament doesn't allow a team table, then we tailgate in the parking lot or have the girls put waters and snacks in their bags so they always have something.
  • Start a bag with stuff that you bring to every tournament.  Ours includes:  hair ties, rubber bands, first aid kit, feminine hygeine stuff, wet wipes, ziplocks, hand sanitizer, paper towels, etc.
  • Smaller tournaments or really large tournaments sometimes are lacking places for the girls to sit and hang out between games.  A big blanket is nice to keep them up off of the floor.
  • Tournament results are important for OKRVA regional tournament
We asked Terri for her suggestions last year and we are republishing them.
Have a great week!


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