All of the performance programming at Jax Skyline is planned, implemented, and monitored by professionals. Alan Edwards holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary and secondary physical education. He has also earned certifications in personal training and performance training from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Assistant Director Wes Brasseal holds bachelor’s and master’s degree in exercise science and served for 6 years as the head strength coach at the University of North Florida.

Every athlete’s progression through our performance program is carefully planned and overseen to ensure that the athlete is safe while maximizing his or her athletic potential.

All Skyline athletes who participate on travel teams have two training hours each week included in their fees, and those training hours will never interfere with an athlete’s practice times. It is highly recommended that athletes schedule at least one additional workout per week. The strength staff makes additional hours available on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, as well as during the week when necessary during the school year.

In the summer, weight room hours are expanded to allow athletes and their families more flexibility with training times. The appropriate number of training days per week will vary depending upon an athlete’s age, experience level, and the time of year.

It is also important for athletes and parents to understand that strength and performance training should be a year-round piece of the athlete’s development. When an athlete stops strength training it only takes about 2 weeks to begin losing strength with significant  losses occurring at the 4-week mark. We have seen big decreases in vertical jump, even in our top-tier athletes, when they neglect the weight room through the high school season. For this reason, we strongly encourage Skyline athletes to make our program a year-round part of their training.

Yes! Our training is designed to improve vertical jump, explosiveness, lateral movement, and overall court speed. These are the key performance metrics that college coaches watch closely.

Our strength and performance program offers Skyline athletes the unique advantage of having a coaching staff with over 40 years of experience in training volleyball players at a high level. Coach Alan spent 18 years as a head volleyball coach, a first assistant, and a recruiting coordinator at the NCAA Division I level, He performed double-duty for 4 of those years as the strength coach and the other 14 years as the direct link between the volleyball staff and the strength staff. Coach Alan put in eight years as a high school and club coach and has served as the director of performance and strength at Jax Skyline since the 2022-23 club season. Coach Wes has 10 years of experience working in NCAA Division I strength programs training volleyball players. In addition to his wealth of experience in strength and conditioning, Coach Wes is also a registered dietician.

The second factor that separates our program from the alternatives is the direct link between our strength staff and the athletes’ court coaches. The understanding of the skill set necessary to perform within the Skyline system, an intimate understanding of the specific physical demands of the sport of volleyball. They personally monitor the on-court progress of the athletes, and are being in constant contact with each athlete’s team coaches and club leadership, that gives us an edge that no other gym or trainer can provide.

Absolutely! According to the Mayo Clinic, strength training is not only safe and beneficial for young athletes, but it is recommended as part of a fitness regimen. Even children who aren’t involved in sports benefit from strength training beginning as early as 7-8 years of age. Strength training helps maintain healthy body weight, builds strong bones, and promotes general health. For young athletes, it adds strength, balance, and coordination that lead to better performance on the court or the playing field.

In short, the old wives’ tales about weightlifting stunting growth or being too dangerous for young athletes have been thoroughly and completely debunked. As long as the strength program is programmed, implemented, and overseen by professionals, the benefits for young children yield both long-term and short-term health and performance advantages.

The answer to this couldn’t be more clear or more emphatic. Yes!!! Strength training helps build stronger bones. Developing proper jumping and landing mechanics will protect your athlete against soft tissue injuries to ligaments, muscles, and tendons. Strengthening around joints makes athletes less susceptible to these types of joint injuries that are common in volleyball like knee, ankle, and hip injuries. Strength training addresses muscle imbalances, helping to prevent overuse injuries.

Our programming will improve your athlete’s level of conditioning, which will decrease fatigue. Spending less time in a fatigued state reduces the likelihood of injuries that can be caused by a breakdown in proper form and technique.

Yes! We highly encourage every athlete to continue to do modified workouts if they are injured. Remaining in the weight room on a modified training plan will help an athlete maintain strength and will help him or her be more ready to return to the court at the highest possible level when the injury is healed. We would prefer to meet with parents and have documentation from the athlete’s physician and/or physical therapist outlining the limitations of the injury. The more advance notice we have prior to the athlete’s scheduled training time the better so that the staff can make modifications to the athlete’s training plan.

Everything that we do in the strength and performance program is measured and recorded. We are constantly tracking the progress of all our athletes. In each training block, athletes have opportunities to set new personal records on multiple exercises. We track one-repetition maxes and estimated one-repetition maxes on multiple exercises in each training block.

In addition, we take advantage of available technology to measure and track bar speed and power output across a range of exercises. We measure a volleyball specific jump touch from a standing position and an approach. We also regularly measure 20 -meter sprint times and times in multiple agility tests. We recognize and reward benchmarks in strength, jump touch, speed and agility by displaying record holders in each age group and offering free T-shirts to athletes who reach specific benchmarks.

The short answer is yes, but it’s not that simple. It’s dishonest to make the claim that every athlete who works hard in the weight room will have a chance to play in college. It would also be incorrect to say that only athletes who work hard in the weight room will have opportunities to play at the college level. However, there are two claims that we do feel comfortable making.

First, time and time again we see our strength and conditioning program is a vital piece of our athletes taking the next step in their development. For some of our kids, that has meant the difference between not making a travel team to making a travel team. For other athletes that has meant the difference between making a White team one year and making a Black or a Royal team the next year. For other athletes, the weight room has been the difference between offers from NCAA Division II schools and mid-major NCAA Division I programs. Especially our athletes who take advantage of additional days and year-round access to quality programming see profound changes in their level of performance on the court.

Second, our strength and performance program has done an outstanding job of preparing athletes who advance to the next level for the demands of a college level strength program. We hear over and over again from athletes who show up for their freshman year of college and roll right into their new strength program without missing a beat. All have said that they were prepared for the environment of a college weight room, and many have set new records for freshmen.

This isn't general fitness. It's built specifically for volleyball by people who understand the sport. We also coordinate directly with your athlete’s coaches to align with team goals and workload. 

No. It is not mandatory that every athlete take advantage of our performance and strength program, but it is highly encouraged.

All of our workouts are delivered to the athletes’ cell phones through an app called TeamBuildr. Athletes will need to know the email address that is connected to their cell phone so they can download the Teambuildr app and have access to their workout data. Athletes who do not have a phone can bring an iPad with internet access. In the absence of a cell phone or an iPad, it is required that athletes bring a notebook specifically for use in the weight room and a pen or pencil.

Volleyball shoes aren’t designed or built to perform well or hold up well to the demands of the weight room, but each athlete is required to show up for each workout in appropriate attire with athletic shoes. Athletes will not be allowed to lift while barefoot, in slides, or in Crocs.

Athletes should come with water, court or training shoes, and a willingness to work hard. All equipment is provided, but attitude and effort are always required.

Due to the number of athletes in the room each hour, parents are not allowed in the weight room while we train teams. However, it is not typically a problem for parents to observe workouts on the weekends or during non-team training times. Be advised, there is no seating space in the weight room. For safety reasons, movement around the room by non-athletes is restricted. The staff reserves the right to restrict access for parents or athletes who aren’t actually training.