Indoor Club Tryouts

Last updated: 11/21/22

Sections:
1) Tryout Dates & Schedule
2) Pre-Tryout Events at Club One: Definitions
3) Pre-Tryout Events at Club One: Schedule
4) Club One Athlete Evaluation Criteria
5) Steps to Prepare for Club One Tryouts
6) FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

2) Pre-Tryout Events at Club One: Definitions

We recommend attending multiple pre-tryout events (at multiple clubs) to determine the best fit for you. As you do so, please take note of these warnings from the AZ Region of USAV:

Discount the badmouthing of one club by another. If one club has to badmouth another club to convince you to join their club, what does that tell you about that club? Is that the type of people that you want to deal with all season?

Beware of clubs promising starting positions, college scholarships or other flattering come-on’s. All players in the 12’s & 14’s should be developed in all positions and not concerned with scholarships. Find out if the club will develop your son/daughter to their potential no matter what their place on the team. Some offers of camp scholarships or other financial arrangements can be a violation of the NCAA or AIA Paid Athlete Policies and would jeopardize your child’s status for school or collegiate play.

OPEN GYMS: Competitive, coach-facilitated game play. Players pick their own teams and compete in a variety of games facilitated by our awesome club coaches.

TRYOUT PREP CLINICS: Specifically designed for athletes who are preparing for club tryouts. These clinics feature all-skills review and position-specific training, led by Club One coaches.

OPEN HOUSES: During the 10 day period prior to each age group’s tryout date, a club may host up to three evaluation sessions (Open Houses) with each different age group. This is an opportunity for athletes & families to meet and evaluate clubs and their coaches, and for coaches to meet and evaluate athletes. Players are not limited to how many clubs they may choose to visit, but clubs are limited to the three Open House sessions (up to 2 hrs each) for each age group.

Per the AZ Region: During the Open House Period, clubs may evaluate potential players by running them through skills or physical tests, talk to players and parents about their club, host Q&A sessions, and give players an idea of where they may fit into their club based on the evaluation process. Open houses do not constitute a tryout, and at no time prior to the initial tryout date or during the Open Houses may player contracts be offered.

What to Expect from a Club One Open House:

• PLAYERS will do a pre-tryout run-through, with approximately 45min of skills assessment stations, followed by game play. This is a great time to get ready for tryouts, get some feedback from the coaches, and get to know Club One. Court time will wrap up about 15 minutes before the second hour ends to allow for some player Q&A time with coaches.
• PARENTS will have an Informational Meeting starting 15 minutes after the start time of select Open House dates. Club One directors will talk about the upcoming season, team structure, and our Club One culture. This is a great time to get your questions answered! At the end of each Open House, parents may enter the gym with their players to meet the coaches and see the facility.

3) Pre-Tryout Events at Club One: Schedule

OPEN GYMS | concluded

TRYOUT PREP CLINICS | concluded

OPEN HOUSES + Parent Meetings

11U-14U Athletes | concluded

15U-18U Athletes | concluded

4) Club One Athlete Evaluation Criteria

Teams in each of the different age groups will be selected based on the following criteria as evidenced before and during the tryout day:

• Dynamic Volleyball Skills: Passing, setting, hitting, blocking, defense, serving
• Volleyball IQ: Game & court awareness, transition, and knowledgeable execution of volleyball skills in a game situation
• Athleticism: Speed, strength, agility
• Attitude: Individually and with others; coachability
• Work Ethic: Effort, determination, desire, and competitiveness

Though prior experience should provide an advantage for many, it is not a requirement to make one of the Club One teams. Our coaching staff will evaluate each player, and team coaches will make selections based on the above criteria, position specifications, and the number of girls that will be carried on each team (usually 10-12, depending on the team).

The tryout process in the AZ Region is much like last season, and all the details have been posted on the Region website for your review (here). In general, there is an Open House period leading up to the AZ Region designated Tryout Dates, with team commitments being offered at that time.

5) Steps to Prepare for Club One Tryouts

Tryouts for Club One begin during the Open House period of the AZ Region. We have the opportunity to host three evaluation sessions that provide both you and us the ability to get to know each other and determine if we are a good fit for each other. We will provide an honest assessment of where we see you fitting into our club based on what we’ve seen so far, but no promises can be made!

On tryout day, we will culminate our evaluations with the selection of teams for the coming club season.

1. Come meet us at a Tryout Prep Clinic, Open Gym, or Club One Open House (see schedules above).
2. Register for USAV Membership by clicking here.
3. Collect and compete all the necessary forms prior to tryouts (listed on our Forms & Resources page).
4. Register for Club One Tryout (link coming soon). You will need your USAV membership number.

Complete these steps and you’ll be ready to join us on the designated tryout date for your age group (determine your age group by clicking here)!

**Further details below for each of the above steps**

1. We offer a number of opportunities for you and your daughter to prepare for tryouts, meet our staff, and get all your questions answered. We host Tryout Prep Clinics to work on specific skills, Open Gyms  to allow your daughter to put those skills into practice in a controlled game-like environment, and an Open House period for us to evaluate their skills and answer questions about Club One and where we think your daughter may fit in our club. Take advantage of any and all of these opportunities to help us determine the best fit for your athlete on a team at Club One. Study the AZ Region website and study our website. We want you to be well informed so you can make an educated decision on where you want your daughter to play, before tryouts begin.
2. Each player must be registered with USAVolleyball in order to tryout for a club team. The fee for membership is $55, and you will pay this to USAV during the online registration process. Whether you are a returning player OR a new player, everyone must go through the process to purchase a new membership through the Region’s SportsEngine MMS. One parent for each child must have a SportsEngine account before they register their child. The system requires a SportsEngine account for the parent to sign the waivers and purchase the membership for their minor child. However, the parent does not need a paid membership. To determine what age group you daughter is able to play based on USAV Age Eligibility guidelines, use the easy Age Calculator on the AZ Region website. Athletes should tryout for the youngest age group team for which they are eligible. The club tryout process and evaluation process will allow coaches to determine if it may be appropriate for an athlete to “play up.” Please note: You should print your Registration Confirmation and Membership Card at the end of the registration process.
3. There are many “t’s” to cross and “i’s” to dot to ensure a smooth start to the club volleyball season! Below is a list of the forms you will need to have filled out and ready to submit during tryouts in order to be placed on a team. Please start now so you can ensure you get all the signatures done (yours and your daughter’s, in many cases). These forms are located on our Forms & Resources page as well as the AZ Region website:
   • Signed USAV Medical Release Form
   • Signed USAV Concussion Acknowledgment Form
   • Signed SafeSport Acknowledgment Form
   • Club One Tryout Registration Confirmation Email (check your spam folder after registering)
   • Copy of USAV Membership Registration
   • Copy of your daugter’s birth certificate (only for new players)
4. When you register for the Club One tryout, please complete all fields prior to submission. You will need to enter your USAV Membership number on the Tryout Registration Form, so be sure to complete that first. The Club One tryout fee is $30 and includes a Club One practice t-shirt.

6) FAQs

What are Club One Player Fees?

At Club One, we make every effort to be very straightforward in our pricing so that there are no surprises. Each team’s Player Fees vary depending on the age and level of play (National or Region play).

Once a player makes a team and accepts that offer (at the conclusion of the tryout process when teams are formed), the Player Fee is collected to secure your spot on the team. If you choose to pay your Player Fee over the course of the season, we will collect an initial Commitment Fee followed by monthly installments (as indicated on the Program Pricing sheet for each team) due on the first of each month beginning in January.

Should a team choose to play in a tournament that is not on their schedule, additional fees will be incurred and collected prior to the tournament (e.g. Festival Fiesta, Volleyball Festival, etc). Payments can be made by Cash, Check, ACH (bank bill pay), or Credit Card (with no additional fees).

We post our Program Pricing by age group and Proposed Tournaments for each team on our Forms & Resources page for your review.

What is included in the Player Fees?

For ALL teams, the player fees include:

• Uniforms, which minimally includes: Two practice shirts, two pair of Spandex, two jerseys, kneepads, socks, shoes, backpack, warm-up pants and jacket
• Gym Rental at Arizona’s premier indoor volleyball facility, Court One Athletics, with additional space as needed
• AZ Region Tournament Entry Fees
  • Club and Championship Division Teams: Region Power Tournaments (6) and Region Championship
  • Open Division Teams: Region Power Tournaments (5) and Region Championship
• AAU Player Membership
• Coaches’ Salaries (minimum of two USAV Impact Certified coaches per team)
• Continuing Education for Coaches
• Player Referee and Scorekeeping Training
• Administrative Costs

National Team Player Fees also include:

• Additional Travel Jersey
• Sports Performance Training (SPT): Comprehensive training geared exclusively for volleyball athletes, twice a week with Certified trainers at Court One Athletics
• Additional Practice Time one to three times a month depending on team/time of season
• Positional “Tutor Time” Training
• Leadership & Success Coaching for 15U-18U National teams
• Recruiting Tools for 15U-18U Travel team players, including upgraded University Athlete features and Hudl Assist.
• All In-Season Travel Tournament Entry Fees
• AZ National Qualifier Entry Fees
• All Hotel Fees
• All Rental Car Fees and Parking, when needed
• Chaperone Travel and Hotel Expenses for Two Chaperones per team.
• Coaches Travel and Hotel Expenses, and daily tournament per diem
• Seeding Prep Tournament in late December
• Specific National Championships Expenses:
  • 18Platinum and 18Gold: All expenses associated with USAV GJNC in April is included in the player fees
  • 17Platinum, 17Gold, 16Platinum, 16Gold, 15Platinum, & 15Gold: With the exception of travel, all other expenses associate with participation the USAV GJNC are included.

What is NOT covered in the Player Fees?

• With the current volatility in the airline industry, we are choosing to allow our families to secure all transportation for their athletes this season, rather than including flights in the player fee. Transportation associated with driving-distance tournaments (e.g. Las Vegas and SoCal) will also not be covered, as usual.
• Player tournament food, both local and travel—though we try to book at hotels that provide breakfast, we cannot guarantee it
• Expenditures for souvenirs and/or outings during travel tournaments
• Additional tournaments—there are various tournaments offered throughout Arizona, during the regular and post-season (ex: Festival), that teams may choose to enter at coaches’ and parents’ discretion
• 14/13/12 Platinum & 14/13Gold: Each of these teams include the cost of Volleyball Festival as part of their season should they not qualify for GJNC. If they do qualify, then the amount allocated for Volleyball Festival would instead be applied to the cost of GJNC, and the remainder would be invoiced separately in May/June.

We post our Program Pricing on the Forms & Resources page for your review.

When and where are practices held?

All teams practice a minimum of two times a week, primarily on Tuesdays and Thursdays with some Fridays, at Court One Athletics in Tempe. Most practices are two-hour blocks, between the times of 4:00pm and 9:30pm. Teams with one-and-a-half hour T/Th practice times will have additional Friday practices approximately once a month. Additional gym space may be secured to be used throughout the season for regular and extra practices as needed.

Do National teams practice more than Region teams?

Yes, National level teams will often practice three times per week, especially during the first half of the season. Generally, Platinum & Gold teams will have an additional Friday practice two to three times a month. Once travel begins and the tournament schedule becomes more rigorous, the Friday practices taper a bit to allow the student-athletes to keep up with schoolwork, travel demands, etc.

National teams will also have an additional 30 minutes of Sports Performance Training (SPT) every Tuesday and Thursday (over and above their court-time practice).

What is Sports Performance Training?

SPT (as we call it) is volleyball-specific physical training, geared toward increasing the athlete’s speed, agility, strength, vertical jump, and overall stamina and physical condition. Club One has certified personal trainers on staff who work alongside Court One Certified trainers to put together weekly training regimens for all National team athletes. SPT training is scheduled either before or after team practices. For athletes participating in SPT prior to their practice time, there will be a 15-20min recovery-time window, where athletes are encouraged to re-fuel with some protein and carbs.

SPT is mandatory for all National team players, and the cost of SPT is already built in to their player fees.

All Region team players have the option to opt in to a SPT session that coordinates with their practice schedule. There is an additional monthly fee associated with that and space is limited.

What is Tutor Time?

Tutor time is position-specific training held in small groups throughout the season. A lead (master) coach for each position will take a group of four to ten players through 30 minutes of on-court, age-specific technical training.

What is Leadership & Success Coaching?

• Team dynamics
• Common goal setting and achievement
• Leadership and team cohesiveness
• Conflict resolution
• Visualization and resilience through adversity

These are all topics that will be covered during our Leadership & Success Coaching sessions. Kelsey Girts, our Associate Club Director and Certified Academic Leadership & Success Coach, will work with our 15U-18U National teams throughout the year to develop mental tools, team adaptations, and on-and-off-court strategies to accelerate and elevate the team’s volleyball success.

What tournaments will each team participate in during the season?

We post an overview of the various tournaments (Region Power, National Qualifiers, and Post-Season) that teams will participate in during the season on the Forms & Resources page. Note that there is a chance that our proposed schedule may change based on availability, cost, cancellations, etc.

We post our Program Pricing on the Forms & Resources page for your review.

How many athletes will be on each club team?

We will select 10-12 girls for each team, at the coaches’ discretion.

What is the difference between each of the AZ Region Divisions?

Each of the Divisions (Club, Championship, and Open) offer varying levels of competition and tournament formats. In general, Club level teams provide less experienced players the opportunity to learn and grow within their age group; Open level teams provide the greatest competitive environment and highest commitment level in their age group; and Championship level teams land somewhere in between the two.

What age group should my daughter tryout for?

We encourage parents to have their athletes tryout for the age level for which they are eligible. You can use this Age Calculator on the AZ Region website to determine the eligible age level based on the athlete’s birthdate.

Will all teams participate in the Arizona National Qualifier Tournament?

All our 15U-18U Platinum teams (and selected others) will compete in the AZ National Qualifier (NQ) for a bid to represent Arizona at the USAV GJNC. This is not the only NQ these teams will compete in throughout the season, but this tournament is specific to only the teams in our AZ Region.

Does Club One help athletes through the college recruiting process?

Yes—this is a significant activity for our athletes and we will partner with each of them to help achieve their goals. Every Club One athlete with the desire to compete at the college level has gone on to achieve that goal. Some of the tools we prove our 15U-18U National teams include upgraded University Athlete functionality as well as Hudl Assist video analysis tools to make capturing athlete video content simple.

Check out our Alumni page to see where our athletes have gone on to play over the years, and follow our Club One Alumni News updates on the blog during the college season!

Does Club One have a strong alumni presence?

Yes! We pride ourselves in bringing back so many of our alumni each year to train with our club teams and encourage them along their journey. Check out our Alumni page to see where our athletes have gone on to play over the years, and follow our Club One Alumni News updates on the blog during the college season!

Does Club One offer private or small group lessons?

Yes—just fill out our Private Lesson Request Form and we’ll connect you with a Club One coach who will be a good fit based on the skills you’d like to work on.

Where does Club One Train?

Club One indoor athletes train at Court One Athletics in Tempe, Arizona. The space touts 45,000 square-feet of solid maple flooring with nine volleyball courts. We’re privileged to practice on one of best flooring systems in the country, made with a one-inch foam sub-floor that allows for softer landings and fewer injuries. Court One Athletics is located at 
9100 South McKemy Street, Tempe, AZ 85284.

How do I get started in volleyball?

Check our Events page for upcoming events in our One U program! One U is the perfect training program for athletes looking to build their foundational volleyball skills so they can ultimately enjoy successful game play.

Do you offer beach volleyball as well?

Yes! One Beach offers the highest-quality values-driven beach volleyball training in the state. Find out what they’re all about on our Beach page.