The info campaign #365volley continues! Every day we will post interesting facts from the volleyball world, for 1 year, on our Facebook page. The materials have been researched by the international volunteers Alexandra (Portugal), Azer (Azerbaijan) and Alejandro (Spain) and prepared by Andreea (Romania). Follow us on Facebook to find out more about its history, variations, playing rules and more about this world!
Here are the May facts!
1. Ankle Sprains - Ankle injuries are the most common injury to volleyball players and responsible for the most lost playing time. Ankle sprains should be immobilized for as short as time as possible to allow for quicker rehabilitation.
2. Every ankle sprain needs an 8-week course of daily rehabilitation exercise to decrease the risk of re-injury. Usually, injuries can be treated non-operatively with bracing and physical therapy or home rehabilitation exercises.
3. Occasionally, though, ankle sprains can be associated with subtle fractures or cartilage injuries. Continued pain after several weeks should prompt further evaluation, including X-rays and/or MRIs. Return to play is usually allowed once players have no pain and are able to support their body weight while standing on the toes. Surgery is reserved for those with recurrent ankle sprains that have not responded to conservative measures or those with specific associated fractures
4. Dennis Hare and Jill Esteras wrote the first book on the subject of beach volleyball: “The Art of Beach Volleyball”, published in 1981.
5. Patellar tendonitis - it is inflammation of the tendon that connects the kneecap to the tibia (or shin bone). Patellar tendinitis is common in any athlete subjected to repetitive, forceful jumping activities, such as spiking and blocking. Patellar tendon straps are helpful in unloading the stress to the patellar tendon and are often the first line of treatment. Physical therapy and athletic training services focused on stretching and strengthening are also helpful.
6. Specific attention to landing from jumping (eccentric contraction of the quadriceps muscles) in rehabilitation is often beneficial. Occasionally, patellar tendinitis persists despite therapy and surgery is required.
7. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury – like ankle sprains, most ACL injuries in volleyball players occur when a player lands awkwardly after jumping.
8. Usually ACL tears are associated with a “pop” and immediate knee swelling. Examination by a physician and MRI are often used to confirm the ACL injury. Because ACL tears do not heal, those wishing to return to sports activities are encouraged to have the ACL reconstructed. Recovery time is usually at least six to nine months. There are training techniques that may decrease the risk of ACL injury in jumping athletes, especially females.
9. The low back is a common source of chronic pain among volleyball players. The cause of most low-back pain is related to muscle or ligament strain. The pain usually resolves with rest, physical therapy and athletic training services.
10. If low-back pain is accompanied by pain that radiates down the legs and numbness or weakness in the foot or ankle, the culprit may be a herniated disk. In cases of radiating pain, an MRI may be helpful in evaluating the presence of a disc herniation. In most cases, volleyball players can return to play once the pain, numbness, and weakness resolve.
11. “Volleyball Fundamentals” is a book with instructions on how to play volleyball for students. The book was written by Joel Dearing and published in 2003.
12. Volleyball players may also be at increased risk for a sort of stress fracture in the low back called spondylolysis. If pain persists more than a month and is worse with bending backwards, consider consulting a physician
13. Many volleyball injuries can be prevented by following proper training guidelines and these tips:
Use proper strength training techniques for the lower back, shoulders, and legs
Use external ankle support, such as an ankle brace or taping, to prevent the ankle from rolling over, especially if you have had a prior sprain
Minimize the amount of jump training on hard surfaces
Warm-up muscles with stretching and light aerobic exercises
Be sure to properly cool down after practice
If you are having pain, visit your doctor and follow instructions for treatment
The athlete should return to play only when clearance is granted by a health care professional
14. More tips to prevent injuries, are to take care of:
Warm-up/Cool-down
Flexibility
Strength training
Aerobic training
Anaerobic training
Sport biomechanics
Treatment of each muscle injury
15. If injuries occur use the RICE method to treat
Rest
Ice
Compress
Elevate
16. There is a difference between being in shape and being in volleyball shape. Volleyball is a game of speed, agility, strength, and power. The following workouts are all things that you can do and they'll help you reach the needed level of fitness in no time. The workout contains in physical exercises for warming-up, increasing strength and endurance, and stretching afterwards. We’ll recommend a couple of workouts that could help you work specifically for volleyball.
17. Do a light 5-minute warm-up to get the blood circulating and tissues of the body ready for the workout. Do this each day before the workout begins.
Warm up with a cardio exercise, such as biking, jogging, or getting on a stair climber for 10 minutes. This will get your blood flowing and wake up your muscles. Then stretch, focusing on your shoulders, quadriceps, hip flexors, hamstrings, and calves.
18. Workout programme for off-season 1: 3 x a week
Dumbbell Squat: 3 sets of 15 reps
Dumbbell Alternating Bench Press: 3 sets of 15 reps
Straight Arm Pulldowns: 3 sets of 15 reps
Dumbbell Front Raises: 3 sets of 15 reps
Reverse Flyes: 3 sets of 15 reps
Overhead Triceps Extensions: 3 sets of 15 reps
Dumbbell Bicep Curls: 3 sets of 15 reps
Jackknife Crunches: 3 sets of 20 reps
Oblique Crunches: 3 sets of 20 reps
External Rotation: 3 sets of 15 reps
19. Volleyball: Steps to Success” it’s a book with sports instruction series to learn key components of volleyballs. Written by Bonnie Kenny and Cindy Gregory it was first published in 2006.
20. Workout programme for off-season 2: 2 x a week
Dumbbell Lunge: 4 sets of 12 reps
Hip Bridges: 4 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Chest Flyes: 4 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Pullovers: 4 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Lateral Raises: 4 sets of 12 reps
Preacher Curls: 4 sets of 12 reps
Triceps Pushdowns: 4 sets of 12 reps
Crunches on Stability Ball: 3 sets of 20 reps
Box Jumps: 3 sets of 10 reps
21. Workout progamme for pre-season (5 weeks before): 2 x a week
Bench Press: 3 sets of 8 reps
Lat Pulldowns: 3 sets of 8 reps
Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 8 reps
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extensions: 3 sets of 8 reps
Crunches on Stability Ball: 3 sets of 15 reps
Jack-knife Crunches: 3 sets of 20 reps
Jump Squat: 3 sets of 10 reps
22. Workout progamme for in-season maintenance: 1-2 x a week
Lunges: 2 sets of 12 reps
Lying Hamstring Curls: 2 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Chest Press: 2 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Pullovers: 2 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Front Raises: 2 sets of 12 reps
Reverse Flyes: 2 sets of 12 reps
23. Stretching
Upward Stretch
Shoulder Stretch
Hug Yourself
Kneeling Forearm Stretch
Hamstring Stretch
Quadriceps Stretch
Calf Stretch
Spinal Twist
24. Let’s see through what types of activities we could improve certain skills of volleyball players, starting with the agility
Jump rope is an easy way to get a full-body workout - it strengthens the lower and upper-body muscles - and it's a great cardiovascular exercise.
One minute: two feet
One minute: single leg (30 seconds per leg)
One minute: crossover
One minute: speed
Repeat this series three times.
25. Coaching Volleyball for Dummies” - this book first published in 2009 written by the National Alliance for Youth Sports, shows parents and other adults how to coach young players by focusing on the fundamentals of play and basic strategies.
26. Lower Body Exercises – lunges. Lunges strengthen the glutes, hips, hamstrings, and quads. They also require the activation of calf, abdominal, and back muscles in order to stabilize the body during the exercise.
27. To do a lunge, stand up straight and extend your left leg out in front of you, lowering down into a split stance. Bend your back knee until it almost touches the ground. Your front leg should be bent at a 90-degree angle, with your knee right above your ankle. Push yourself back up and out of the pose using your front leg. Switch legs and repeat.
Lunge - Perform four sets of 20 repetitions (10 per leg)
28. Squats require the use of the knees and hips. They target your back, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. There are many variations of squats. One of the simpler ones is to do a basic body weight squat.
29. To do this, stand evenly with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and cross your hands in front of your chest. Keeping your chest up, bend at the knees and lower toward the floor, stopping when you've reached the extent of your range of motion. Without letting your knees collapse in, push through your heels and extend your hips to stand up.
Body squat - Perform four sets of 10 reps.
30. Romanian deadlifts strengthen the glutes and hamstrings and increase flexibility and mobility in the hips, hamstrings, and lower back. To perform an RDL, hold a pair of dumbbells or a barbell, hinge at the hips with your knees slightly bent, pushing the hips back, while keeping your abs in and chest proud. At the bottom of this move, you should feel your hamstrings activate. Use the hamstrings and glutes to extend the hips and return to standing.
Romanian deadlift (RDL) - Perform four sets of eight per leg
31. Wall sits strengthen your quads, hamstrings, and adductors. To do a wall sit, find a flat wall and press your back flat against it, then bend your knees until they reach a 90-degree angle, with your ankles directly under your knees. Hold for the entire 45 seconds.
Wall sit - Perform three sets of 45 seconds.