Please note that registration for the 2009-2010 season will begin on August 15, 2009. Details for our upcoming season are listed below. Have a great summer everyone!
2009-2010 Season:
The Mini-Volleyball Program is separated into two distinctive fall and winter sessions. The fall session is a mini-volleyball development camp where certified instructors teach parent-volunteer coaches how to instruct children in the fundamentals of the sport. The session ends with a friendly tournament where athletes are placed on a team and compete with parent coaches.
The winter session is a league with a season ending Championship Tournament.
Dates: Saturday, October 17 – March 20, 2010.
Start times: Alternate between 8:30am;10:00am; and 11:30am.
Venue: River Osborne Community Club, 101 Pembina Hwy. (confusion corner).
Two Groups:
10 & under: children born in 2000, 2001, 2002 (grades 2-4).
12 & under: children born in 1998 & 1999 (grades 5 & 6).
Registration information include:
Registration fee: $185.
Early bird registration fee is $175: from August 15 - 28, 2009.
Registration deadline: October 02, 2009.
IMPORTANT: Our registration form does not list programs that are unavailable. Please respect our registration dates.
Mini-Volleyball:
The JrB Mini-volleyball program targets children 12 & under (grade 6 and under). The program is not strict on age class and will move players up an age class or down depending on their general skill level. Mini-volleyball is held as a camp with certified instructors during the fall session and as a league during the winter session. Parents interested in coaching their children volunteer as assistant coaches during the fall camps to learn how we train young athletes in the game.
Please note that most mini-volleyball camps and leagues are held on Saturday mornings at River Osborne Community Club, 101 Pembina Hwy. Additional practices are also available and are posted on our "Practice Schedule" page when we start receiving them. For details on practice times in your area you may wish to contact your regional convenor. See our "
Contact List" page for the regional convenor in your area.
Why Mini-Volleyball?
Development Camps: Our Fall Sessions are Skills Camps run by certified instructors. Parents interested in becoming coaches assist the instructors so the ratio of coaches to athletes is very high. These Skills Camps are held at River Osborne Community Centre, 101 Pembina Highway (confusion corner). They run from early October until mid-December when the Fall Session ends with a Mini-Volleyball Tournament. This is a 9-week Program with a tournament on the tenth week. Camps last an hour and a half. Children 10 & under (see below for age classes) start at 10:00am every Saturday while children 12 & under rotate between 8:30am and 11:30am starting times. New in 2008: We are now offering a fall camp on Friday evenings from 6:15-7:30pm at Shamrock School, 831 Beaverhill Boul. These are for children 10 & under.
Instructor: Certified instructors are responsible for providing the practice plan for each mini-volleyball development camp.
Coaches: Parents interested in becoming a volunteer coach/assistant coach participate in the development camps as assistant instructors to learn the principles of teaching the fundamentals of the game.
Fall Practices: All parent volunteer coaches of children 12 & under run practice sessions during the week for all children in their area (without confirming teams). That is, by following the principles outlined in the Development Camps. Children in the 10 & under age class may participate in practice sessions with children 12 & under, however, these are optional during the fall session.
December Tournament: An end-of-session mini-volleyball tournament is held at River Osborne Community Centre on the first Saturday of December. Players are then be placed on teams and their parent coaches will bench coach their teams during this event. Teams in the 12 & under age class are expected to be tiered into: Tier 1 & Tier 2. Children in the 10 & under age class are not expected to be tiered.
League Play: Winter league-play is held Saturday mornings from mid-January - early March. This is a nine-week schedule that is followed by a league championship tournament. Matches are a race to 25 (Rally point scoring). Teams play two matches. Game start times will rotate from 8:30am - 11:30am.
Winter Practices: All teams should be practicing once a week.
League Championship Tournament: A League Championship Tournament is held in mid-March. The tournament is generally also held at River Osborne Community Club.
Game Venue: River Osborne Community Centre, 101 Pembina Hwy. (confusion corner).
Mini-Volleyball schedules at... "League Schedules" Page.
What is Mini-Volleyball?
# of players: 4 on 4 (co-ed).
A four- player field allows children to participated mover actively in every rally.
Age Class: 10 & Under: Boys & Girls born in 1998, 1999 & 2000.
Age Class: 12 & Under: Boys & Girls born in 1996 & 1997.
Courts size: Badminton doubles court.
Reducing the court size has resulted in young participants increasing their ability to play defensively. Better defensive play means more rallies and that means... more fun for everyone.
Net height: 2 meters in height.
Reducing the height of the net allows players to attempt "smashes" more frequently and with more confidence.
Ball contact: 3 ball contacts are obligatory.
This ensures all players have frequent contact with the ball.
Official Ball for Mini-Volleyball:
Tachikara Volley-Lite/Baden Volley Lite.
Note:
Mini-volleyball is a game for children 7-11 years of age. It is a co-ed, 4-on-4 game played on badminton courts. These simple changes provide younger players with a better opportunity to develop the skills which are necessary to excel at volleyball.
LEVELS OF PLAY:
LEVEL 1: First and second ball contacts are caught and tossed to the assigned player. Third player hits the ball over.
LEVEL 2: Second ball contact is caught and tossed (underhand) to assigned hitter.
LEVEL 3: Second ball contact is caught, tossed to oneself and set to assigned hitter.
LEVEL 4: Ball cannot be caught.