Dearing’s iBelieve Making a Difference

Pakmen legend Daniel Dearing continues to make a difference in volleyball with his iBelieve foundation. Combining athletic activity, social engagement and inspiration, iBelieve is about ensuring that youth in the Rexdale community have a better pathway to a healthier and sustainable future. The money raised through projects they organize is ... More

Mentally Strong Kids Have Parents Who Refuse to do These 13 Things

By Alexander Ketrzynski As a youth volleyball coach and parent of volleyball players, I see sharp contrasts in the ways athletes handle stressful situations during practices and matches. Amy Morin, in her article, “Mentally Strong Kids Have Parents Who Refuse to Do These 13 Things,” provides sensible guidelines for parents aiming to raise ... More

SiX AXLES Turn the wheel- The Positions in Volleyball

By Shayaan Aziz and Kaushik Chatterjee Research Staff Pakmen Volleyball Club Volleyball is more than just a game consisting of skills; it requires positioning, awareness, and communication. Every player is a core component of the team. They each have their own role, which bears its own importance. And when every position is played correctly, ... More

Declining Youth Athletic Skills

By Alexander Ketrzynski In the article “Senators strength coach alarmed over declining youth athletic skills,” Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen interviews Chris Schwarz, the strength and conditioning coach of the Ottawa Senators. According to Scanlan, Schwarz helps “world-class athletes” stay “finely tuned.” Schwarz laments the ... More

3 Reasons Why Volleyball Players Need Strength and Conditioning

January 29, 2018 By Alexander Ketrzynski The article, “3 Reasons Why Volleyball Players Need Strength and Conditioning,” is written by BridgeAthletic and appears on the website, Junior Volleyball Association. It provides three broad reasons for strength training and conditioning, along with a link that includes more detailed descriptions ... More

Tryouts and Our Deepest Fear

By Alexander Ketrzynski The article, “Tryouts and Our Deepest Fear,” by Coach John Kessel is worth reading. Although the article was written in 2009 and commented on youth sports in the United States at the time, I believe it is still highly relevant and informative.  In his article, Coach Kessel describes and advises on the oftentimes ... More

The Value of Chaos and Failure

By Alexander Ketrzynski Recently I read an interesting blog by Coach John Kessel entitled "The Value of Chaos and Failure."  Coach Kessel discusses the importance of  "creating randomness in the learning process, and its imperfections," which leads to the creation of  "both better retention and creative play at any level." I find this ... More

Volleyball Organizations

By: Mohamed Gasm Elsied and Abrar Mughal Pakmen Volleyball Club Research Staff European Volleyball Confederation The European Volleyball Confederation is a volleyball league whose headquarters are located in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. It is made up of three teams and two of the three teams are from Istanbul, Turkey. It was found on ... More

Reality of Volleyball Scholarships: Myth of the full ride

By Prateek Yadav u18 Girls Head Coach Pakmen Volleyball Club Just read a great article in The Buffalo News by Dan Zakroczenski entitled, The Myth of the full ride: Why College Scholarship dollars are hard to come by. Getting a scholarship, either academic or athletic is the goal for many young people. As a student athlete in your senior ... More