A New Volleyball Gym

By Coach Chijo | May 5, 2023

Let's build a volleyball gym in our area.

Likely in the West Linn/Tigard/Tualatin/Wilsonville area. We need a space.

The Vision

Get lots of kids in the gym. Build their love of volleyball. Have FUN. Teach them teamwork, discipline, and hard work. Things that they can take with them for the rest of their lives.

Volleyball courts are a must, sure. But let's add a training area for agility, conditioning, weights, and plyometrics.

Let's not stop there.

Envision a community component to it. Sort of a volleyball “Bonus room.” A space with comfy couches, drink machines, snacks, and games where volleyball kids can hang out in a positive safe place. Talk volleyball. Grow a community.

In addition to lessons and camps let's have training sessions and open gym times. Maybe a membership format where members can drop in to use the training area or have open court times. Volleyball parents could have memberships too and drop in while their kids are at school.

There are plenty of parents with fun memories of when they played volleyball back in the day. A Volleyball Mom's League?

Let’s have fun with this place. Crank up the music. How about we swap out volleyballs with a beach ball and have a game or two?

High demand for volleyball

As for demand, it’s nonstop. It’s increasing. I am amazed at the daily requests. Phone calls, texts, emails. Morning through the night.

Can you open another camp? Run training sessions? Do you have any more lesson slots opening? Can you run more during the fall? What are you going to have available during the club season?

We launched one summer camp. Now we have five. Most have filled up within days of going public. I have a waitlist.

A waitlist!

With all this coming my way and the long hours in the gym, I’m feeling more alive than I’ve felt in a very long time. Someone joked I should have a bed in the gym. Call me nuts. But after a long day of 6 lessons and a 2-hour practice, I come home energized believe it or not.

What is the meaning of volleyball?

At the end of the day, volleyball is not about the scoreboard or bad ref calls. It’s about the kids and their smiles.

I am thinking of one of my 12U players. Her name is KK. She is inspirational. She lost her dad this past Monday. KK is strong. That night in the ER she told me she still wanted to come to practice Wed…with a smile. What do you in that situation? I gave her a humongous hug.

We need a volleyball space for KK. I want to give her a lifetime pass. As I stood in that ER with her I decided it has to happen. For her and all the kids like her.

The space

I’ve been having discussions about finding land, getting investors, and building an amazing built-from-scratch facility. That could take a couple of million dollars at least. That would be amazing.

But I’m beginning to wonder if that is too long of a timeline. Those of you who know me realize that I take imperfect action. I get a great idea and I have to make it happen. When I get a great idea for a team strategy or training method I run with it. I don’t like analysis paralysis. If there’s a way to help kids I want to get it done. Now, today.

I have a vision. Get kids in the gym. Generate smiles.

I’m itching to find a warehouse or shell, put in some sport court, pop up a net, and open the doors. Maybe it’s not totally pretty. Maybe the airflow sucks. I’ll get some pink paint and lots of big fans. I wonder how many dollars it would take right now to make this happen. I have some savings. Not enough for the whole thing but it’s a start. There's got to be a way.

Along the way maybe we continue to explore a custom-built facility with more "Wow!" factor. But in the meantime, I need a space to get more smiles on kids’ faces….now.

What I need is your support and a team to help me.

Who’s IN?

With excited vision,
Coach Chijo
coachchijo@gmail.com

P.S. Join my new Facebook group to chat about this project, show your support or throw some amazing suggestions or ideas my way.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/905874714037702/

Join facebook group a new volleyball gym

Posted in Blog

Heidi Dyk

My daughter felt Chijo’s hitting clinic really broke down the skills necessary to become a more effective hitter. She was excited to play and practice what she’d learned!

Wendy Young

My daughter has worked with a few different coaches. Not one has taught her as much as Chijo and Monica do in a single hour long lesson. Their style and method is fun and effective. I have seen my daughter improve with just a few lessons and clinics. They push her to work hard and she is loving volleyball even more.

Jennifer Johnson

Coach Chijo was truly fantastic. In just one hour, my daughter's hitting improved remarkably. His knowledge of the game is next level and the way he coaches is really sensational.

Jennifer Nelson

Great coaching for improving technical volleyball skills. Would highly recommend.

Celia Howes

Our daughter is new to Coach Chijo, but after only two practices, she is energized to learn! Coach C runs his practices in a way that keeps the players engaged and ready to learn. We are excited to see what comes of a season of working together!

Justin Lang

So far I have been very pleased with Coach Chijo’s private Volleyball lessons for my 12 year old… and so has she as his athlete in training! His sessions are energetic from beginning to end, and tailored to match her level of play perfectly.

Eric Wilcoxen

We were referred to Coach Chijo by a friend when searching for technical volleyball training for our daughter. We’ve only been training with Coach Chijo for 5 or 6 sessions and we are already noticing a huge improvement in her technique. He is very detailed and is quickly finding technical deficiencies and getting them fixed for her. He uses video to help her understand what she is doing versus what she should be doing and this visual aid is very helpful. He is patient and at the same time, keeps her on task. We are extremely happy we found him!

Monica Whiteley

We are so lucky we found Coach Chijo and his training program. Chijo has a warm demand for excellence with his players which is highly motivating. Our player made HUGE growth in just the first four lessons and continues to train with him now. Chijo has a wealth of technical knowledge and successfully explains skills in a way youth players can understand, often connecting the skill to something they already do well. We also love that Chijo takes the time to develop mental toughness in his athletes. We highly recommend investing in Coach Chijo’s training.

Jestin Woods

Coach Chijo is fantastic! My daughter has taken several private lessons and really enjoys his coaching style. He teaches in-depth techniques and drills that she can practice at home. This style and level of focus on the foundational skills are so beneficial and often hard to get with other camps and leagues which focus mainly on repetitions. I could not recommend coach Chijo enough!!

Elliot Joo

Coach Chijo came recommended from a few of our friends when my daughter showed interest in playing volleyball. I was immediately impressed with his ability to build rapport with the athlete, quickly assess their skill level, and then create a program that has led to immediate on-court dividends. It’s truly amazing how far my daughter has progressed with just a few lessons. More importantly, she now exhibits the confidence to play during some of the most nerve-wracking times of the game. When all the parents are collectively holding their breaths, my daughter along with her friends also coached by Chijo has shown a confidence to step up to some of the biggest moments, something that I must give credit to Coach Chijo and his training. I would highly recommend him if you want your child to level up in their volleyball playing.