The Golden Rule: "Listen To Your Body"

When it comes to sports injuries, or most problems in life, prevention is the best strategy.  So when it comes to nipping problems in the bud, there has been one guideline among others that has been my fail-safe.  This same rule has helped me progress through my conditioning and be in better shape in the late summer months of August and September.  Of course when we were young during our high school years (when we still had much of our cartilage in tact) it never seemed like we would reach that stage where stuff just started to hurt for no reason, or that we couldn't play when we wanted because our body just told us "NO."  But every athlete succumbs to the laws of nature, so if you want to continue to pursue your passion you gotta know when to ease off the gas, put on the brakes, and shift to a higher gear.

When it comes to volleyball, range of motion is so crucial, an the more flexible you are, the more torque and power you can produce.  With that in mind, if at any point you are unable to perform the same range of motion the day after a workout or day of playing, then put up the stop sign.  You may be tempted to power through it, but with volleyball being a non-contact sport (as long as you don't get six-packed or domed), chances are that any injury is going to result from fatigue and wear and tear.  To give you the best chances to avoid injury, let your body be as close to 100% as possible before you play or do any conditioning.  This is especially true of knee injuries, when the muscles that give support to the area around the knee start to fatigue, basic movements can now become a serious threat to sidelining you.

On the flip side, if parts of your body are feeling fine, don't let them off the hook just because others still need time to recover.  For the most part this means your upper body and your core.  Unless you are in real pain, you can still muster up a few sets of push-ups, sit-ups, leg lifts, planks, and v-sits.  Your core is so active during volleyball and when it is the first domino to fall, all others will follow suit so be sure to keep this strong.  You are only as strong as your weakest link, and for most people, they ignore their back and obliques, but if you stay on top of them everything will seem easier.  If you have shoulder injuries then you should be make a habit of doing resistance bands exercises.   

It should go without saying that once something in your training becomes easy, make it harder, or you may plateau mid-season right as you want to bring your game to the next level.  This doesn't necessarily mean adding more weight.  There is a variety of ways to challenge yourself, whether if it is less down time during circuit training, more reps, or just expanding on your simple exercises, like my personal favorite of taking the squat and making it more advanced by only using 1 leg.  Use your imagination but remember to use good form.

Just remember:  1 bad habit won't make you fail, but 1 good habit won't make you succeed either, it is the consistent work ethic or lack thereof that will determine how strong of a player you will be.  Be disciplined and develop as many good habits as you can, early and often.