I had my first practice with my 17's today. Overall I think it went pretty well. The good thing here is that the entire team is actually drawn from our two 16's teams from last year, so they more or less know each other. Combine that with the fact that most of them come from really good high school teams and I can see getting to the hard work quickly. A few of them were on the 14's team that went to nationals.
This is the third group I've tried to teach the swing offense to. As expected, some kids really embraced it, and others might still be a little skeptical. I think they'll come around. One of my middles is a repeat from last year (she played up), and she volunteered a testimonial that really helped.
It's an interesting proposition because the first thing you need to do is get them to forget everything they know about timing and get them to just approach strong and fast, jump as high as they can and get their arms in the air. Outside hitters in particular have such a hard time trusting that the setter is going to simply put the ball in their hands.
So begins this year's journey. What can I expect? Top ten in the region? A trip Salt Lake City? Anything is possible...
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