25-26 HS Prep Camp / Clinic Reviews

[Anonymous]

Tidal Beach VB clinics are good especially if you can be consistent in attending. It helps to have a goal of competing in a tournament or tournaments, even if you don’t intend for beach to be your sport. Something to work for. The owner is very invested and supportive of recruiting efforts and has a solid game plan each practice. Former college beach player. If you pay in advance for the non national team clinics you can save some $. Not sure it’s worth it to sporadically drop in terms of value for the player (not the $). Small group feel but good energy and a lot of coaches who know their stuff. They also offer some conditioning for like $5 before or after your practice and extra weekday morning games. They plan to offer clinics and training into the fall / colder months a weekday and on weekends. It’s down at Franconia rec center which gives them 2 courts but can be a bit of a drive depending on where you are coming from. Though met some folks from all over who make the drive. Something different than indoor that makes a huge difference with speed, vertical, etc. when you hit the indoor court. They also offer a national team that does more intensive training and tournaments that focus more heavily on recruiting. Of the clubs that offer more intensive training in Va, Tidal was definitely the best value for $.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paramount position clinics are expensive and basic unless you are high level and get pulled aside. In the past they’d have 30+ on a court with one coach directing traffic and yelling at them to do better as the form of coaching. He seems hit or miss at clinics. Their gym is odd shaped so viewing is hard and the gentleman at the front desk can be rude. There haven’t been many players who have gear identified from the club. Players may be elsewhere or different invite events. Like their business, designed to profit not train.

Not designed to train? I guess they qualified 9 teams for Nationals without quality training? Blind luck?

Training in a clinic is very different than training club players. Though, to the point made above, taking player’s developed at other clubs doesn’t take a lot of great coaching or training. The private / 1:1 sales job at paramount is strong. That’s where individual development is happening there.

A review is a review. You don’t have to like it. By all means offer your own first hand account and review, don’t just complain about the other person’s post.

If those players have been developed at other clubs and are already such standouts, why aren't the teams they are coming from getting open bids? And you mean to tell me that the 2's teams at Paramount that are getting bids to Nationals are standout players from other clubs? As you can see from Metro's 15 and 16 Travel teams that were super talented but did not get Open bids, getting an Open Bid requires elite coaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paramount position clinics are expensive and basic unless you are high level and get pulled aside. In the past they’d have 30+ on a court with one coach directing traffic and yelling at them to do better as the form of coaching. He seems hit or miss at clinics. Their gym is odd shaped so viewing is hard and the gentleman at the front desk can be rude. There haven’t been many players who have gear identified from the club. Players may be elsewhere or different invite events. Like their business, designed to profit not train.

Not designed to train? I guess they qualified 9 teams for Nationals without quality training? Blind luck?

Training in a clinic is very different than training club players. Though, to the point made above, taking player’s developed at other clubs doesn’t take a lot of great coaching or training. The private / 1:1 sales job at paramount is strong. That’s where individual development is happening there.

A review is a review. You don’t have to like it. By all means offer your own first hand account and review, don’t just complain about the other person’s post.

If those players have been developed at other clubs and are already such standouts, why aren't the teams they are coming from getting open bids? And you mean to tell me that the 2's teams at Paramount that are getting bids to Nationals are standout players from other clubs? As you can see from Metro's 15 and 16 Travel teams that were super talented but did not get Open bids, getting an Open Bid requires elite coaching.

Nice, you have your own thread for Metro vs. Paramount, but you cannot help it, can you? You have to go in every thread and make sure everybody knows that Paramount is better than Metro. I wouldn't be surprised if you are a club representative who needs to drive the message, no matter how awkward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paramount position clinics are expensive and basic unless you are high level and get pulled aside. In the past they’d have 30+ on a court with one coach directing traffic and yelling at them to do better as the form of coaching. He seems hit or miss at clinics. Their gym is odd shaped so viewing is hard and the gentleman at the front desk can be rude. There haven’t been many players who have gear identified from the club. Players may be elsewhere or different invite events. Like their business, designed to profit not train.

Not designed to train? I guess they qualified 9 teams for Nationals without quality training? Blind luck?

Training in a clinic is very different than training club players. Though, to the point made above, taking player’s developed at other clubs doesn’t take a lot of great coaching or training. The private / 1:1 sales job at paramount is strong. That’s where individual development is happening there.

A review is a review. You don’t have to like it. By all means offer your own first hand account and review, don’t just complain about the other person’s post.

If those players have been developed at other clubs and are already such standouts, why aren't the teams they are coming from getting open bids? And you mean to tell me that the 2's teams at Paramount that are getting bids to Nationals are standout players from other clubs? As you can see from Metro's 15 and 16 Travel teams that were super talented but did not get Open bids, getting an Open Bid requires elite coaching.

Nice, you have your own thread for Metro vs. Paramount, but you cannot help it, can you? You have to go in every thread and make sure everybody knows that Paramount is better than Metro. I wouldn't be surprised if you are a club representative who needs to drive the message, no matter how awkward.

Never said that Paramount was better than Metro. My point was that both clubs are obviously doing something well if they are getting Open Bids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paramount position clinics are expensive and basic unless you are high level and get pulled aside. In the past they’d have 30+ on a court with one coach directing traffic and yelling at them to do better as the form of coaching. He seems hit or miss at clinics. Their gym is odd shaped so viewing is hard and the gentleman at the front desk can be rude. There haven’t been many players who have gear identified from the club. Players may be elsewhere or different invite events. Like their business, designed to profit not train.

Not designed to train? I guess they qualified 9 teams for Nationals without quality training? Blind luck?

Training in a clinic is very different than training club players. Though, to the point made above, taking player’s developed at other clubs doesn’t take a lot of great coaching or training. The private / 1:1 sales job at paramount is strong. That’s where individual development is happening there.

A review is a review. You don’t have to like it. By all means offer your own first hand account and review, don’t just complain about the other person’s post.

If those players have been developed at other clubs and are already such standouts, why aren't the teams they are coming from getting open bids? And you mean to tell me that the 2's teams at Paramount that are getting bids to Nationals are standout players from other clubs? As you can see from Metro's 15 and 16 Travel teams that were super talented but did not get Open bids, getting an Open Bid requires elite coaching.

Nice, you have your own thread for Metro vs. Paramount, but you cannot help it, can you? You have to go in every thread and make sure everybody knows that Paramount is better than Metro. I wouldn't be surprised if you are a club representative who needs to drive the message, no matter how awkward.

Never said that Paramount was better than Metro. My point was that both clubs are obviously doing something well if they are getting Open Bids.

Where did I read: "As you can see from Metro's 15 and 16 Travel teams that were super talented but did not get Open bids, getting an Open Bid requires elite coaching"? Doesn't that imply Paramount - unlike Metro - offering elite coaching?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paramount position clinics are expensive and basic unless you are high level and get pulled aside. In the past they’d have 30+ on a court with one coach directing traffic and yelling at them to do better as the form of coaching. He seems hit or miss at clinics. Their gym is odd shaped so viewing is hard and the gentleman at the front desk can be rude. There haven’t been many players who have gear identified from the club. Players may be elsewhere or different invite events. Like their business, designed to profit not train.

Not designed to train? I guess they qualified 9 teams for Nationals without quality training? Blind luck?

Training in a clinic is very different than training club players. Though, to the point made above, taking player’s developed at other clubs doesn’t take a lot of great coaching or training. The private / 1:1 sales job at paramount is strong. That’s where individual development is happening there.

A review is a review. You don’t have to like it. By all means offer your own first hand account and review, don’t just complain about the other person’s post.

If those players have been developed at other clubs and are already such standouts, why aren't the teams they are coming from getting open bids? And you mean to tell me that the 2's teams at Paramount that are getting bids to Nationals are standout players from other clubs? As you can see from Metro's 15 and 16 Travel teams that were super talented but did not get Open bids, getting an Open Bid requires elite coaching.

Nice, you have your own thread for Metro vs. Paramount, but you cannot help it, can you? You have to go in every thread and make sure everybody knows that Paramount is better than Metro. I wouldn't be surprised if you are a club representative who needs to drive the message, no matter how awkward.

Never said that Paramount was better than Metro. My point was that both clubs are obviously doing something well if they are getting Open Bids.

Where did I read: "As you can see from Metro's 15 and 16 Travel teams that were super talented but did not get Open bids, getting an Open Bid requires elite coaching"? Doesn't that imply Paramount - unlike Metro - offering elite coaching?

The poster was saying that "taking players developed at other clubs doesn't take a lot of great coaching or training." In other words, the poster was implying that Paramount only gets open bids because they have this swarth of talent that they have taken from other clubs. They were implying that coaching isn't even necessary with that level of talent. Well, Metro 15 T and 16 T each had a ton of talent (at least as much talent as Paramount, but most likely more, especially at 15s), and neither of those two teams got open bids (by the same token, Metro 14, 17, and 18 all got open bids in age groups Paramount didn't). My point is that talent does not guarantee open bids. Getting an open bid requires great coaching and development of a team. Remember, to get an open bid you have to displace the best teams from all across the country, not just our area. You don't displace those teams without great coaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paramount position clinics are expensive and basic unless you are high level and get pulled aside. In the past they’d have 30+ on a court with one coach directing traffic and yelling at them to do better as the form of coaching. He seems hit or miss at clinics. Their gym is odd shaped so viewing is hard and the gentleman at the front desk can be rude. There haven’t been many players who have gear identified from the club. Players may be elsewhere or different invite events. Like their business, designed to profit not train.

Not designed to train? I guess they qualified 9 teams for Nationals without quality training? Blind luck?

Training in a clinic is very different than training club players. Though, to the point made above, taking player’s developed at other clubs doesn’t take a lot of great coaching or training. The private / 1:1 sales job at paramount is strong. That’s where individual development is happening there.

A review is a review. You don’t have to like it. By all means offer your own first hand account and review, don’t just complain about the other person’s post.

If those players have been developed at other clubs and are already such standouts, why aren't the teams they are coming from getting open bids? And you mean to tell me that the 2's teams at Paramount that are getting bids to Nationals are standout players from other clubs? As you can see from Metro's 15 and 16 Travel teams that were super talented but did not get Open bids, getting an Open Bid requires elite coaching.

Nice, you have your own thread for Metro vs. Paramount, but you cannot help it, can you? You have to go in every thread and make sure everybody knows that Paramount is better than Metro. I wouldn't be surprised if you are a club representative who needs to drive the message, no matter how awkward.

Never said that Paramount was better than Metro. My point was that both clubs are obviously doing something well if they are getting Open Bids.

Where did I read: "As you can see from Metro's 15 and 16 Travel teams that were super talented but did not get Open bids, getting an Open Bid requires elite coaching"? Doesn't that imply Paramount - unlike Metro - offering elite coaching?

The poster was saying that "taking players developed at other clubs doesn't take a lot of great coaching or training." In other words, the poster was implying that Paramount only gets open bids because they have this swarth of talent that they have taken from other clubs. They were implying that coaching isn't even necessary with that level of talent. Well, Metro 15 T and 16 T each had a ton of talent (at least as much talent as Paramount, but most likely more, especially at 15s), and neither of those two teams got open bids (by the same token, Metro 14, 17, and 18 all got open bids in age groups Paramount didn't). My point is that talent does not guarantee open bids. Getting an open bid requires great coaching and development of a team. Remember, to get an open bid you have to displace the best teams from all across the country, not just our area. You don't displace those teams without great coaching.

Ooops, misunderstood the idea. Both Metro and Paramount have very good coaching, otherwise they would not be able to earn their bids. Raw talent is nice to have, it is also nice to learn the basics from other clubs, but the work continues after U15. We went to some Metro tryout clinics a couple of year back and they were brutal (unlike anything we've seen in other clubs). My DD didn't benefit much because she ended up on the second court, but watching the top court was eye-opening. The level of engagement of both the coaches and the players were outstanding. Paramount is too far from us, so we never signed up for any clinics with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If those players have been developed at other clubs and are already such standouts, why aren't the teams they are coming from getting open bids? And you mean to tell me that the 2's teams at Paramount that are getting bids to Nationals are standout players from other clubs?

Getting an open bid is hard, agreed. And yes, it takes very good coaching to get one of those bids. Winning a regional bid is a little less hard but still a great accomplishment. And it requires good coaching too.

But all that can be true and your success can also rely on taking players from other clubs. Its not an either or. Its an AND. That was the poster's argument.

The reason other top clubs aren't fighting for open bids is because a lot of them have other priorities. All of them want to win, but most of them won't sacrifice player development and culture to do so. Sometimes they get a coach who is capable of coaching open level, but they find out quickly that the coaches approach and behavior doesn't fit their culture and they let them go. Other clubs are more focused on getting more players on the court, and some just don't want to deal with the types of families and players that see open level volleyball as the only measure of a teams success.

Can you imagine what could happen if MVSA pursued the same approach as Paramount? The coaching is there, even without a lot of college commits. They have a consistent track record of bids. At 1/4th the cost families would be lining up to get on one of their teams. But to do that they would need to cut most of their players, recruit heavily and probably raise prices. They choose not to. But that doesn't mean they couldn't do it if they wanted to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If those players have been developed at other clubs and are already such standouts, why aren't the teams they are coming from getting open bids? And you mean to tell me that the 2's teams at Paramount that are getting bids to Nationals are standout players from other clubs?

Getting an open bid is hard, agreed. And yes, it takes very good coaching to get one of those bids. Winning a regional bid is a little less hard but still a great accomplishment. And it requires good coaching too.

But all that can be true and your success can also rely on taking players from other clubs. Its not an either or. Its an AND. That was the poster's argument.

The reason other top clubs aren't fighting for open bids is because a lot of them have other priorities. All of them want to win, but most of them won't sacrifice player development and culture to do so. Sometimes they get a coach who is capable of coaching open level, but they find out quickly that the coaches approach and behavior doesn't fit their culture and they let them go. Other clubs are more focused on getting more players on the court, and some just don't want to deal with the types of families and players that see open level volleyball as the only measure of a teams success.

Can you imagine what could happen if MVSA pursued the same approach as Paramount? The coaching is there, even without a lot of college commits. They have a consistent track record of bids. At 1/4th the cost families would be lining up to get on one of their teams. But to do that they would need to cut most of their players, recruit heavily and probably raise prices. They choose not to. But that doesn't mean they couldn't do it if they wanted to.

Back to the thread topic, have you attended any MVSA clinics or camps? If yes what did you think? Be great to offer up a review.