What to Expect at a GMS Volleyball Camp: A Coach's Perspective

Everything you need to know from the first email to the final whistle.

If you've never hosted a Gold Medal Squared camp before, it's natural to have questions. What exactly happens each day? Will my athletes actually get better? What does my staff need to do? And is it worth it?

Those are the right questions to ask. After more than 40 years of running camps for junior high, high school, and club programs across the country, we've heard them all. So instead of a sales pitch, here's an honest, coach-to-coach breakdown of what a GMS volleyball camp actually looks and feels like from the moment you reserve your week to the final whistle on the last day.

Before Camp Begins: We Handle the Heavy Lifting

One of the most common things we hear from coaches who host their first GMS camp: "I didn't realize how easy you make it."

From the moment you reserve your dates, our team takes care of all staff logistics, flights, hotels, ground transportation, and meals. You don't need to coordinate housing or arrange pickups. The only things we ask of you are straightforward: reserve a gym, provide volleyballs, and point your athletes to our registration link.

We'll send you a camp manual for your coaching staff in advance. It outlines what we'll cover, how we run drills, and what we'll expect from your coaches on the court. We want your staff learning alongside your athletes from rep one.

Payment is flexible too. Athletes can pay directly through our registration portal, or your program can cover the cost through booster funds. Either way, we make it simple.

Day One: Laying the Foundation

Whether you've chosen our 2.5-day or 4-day camp schedule, Day One sets the tone. For 2.5-day camps, we typically start with an evening session beginning around 5:30 PM. For 4-day camps, we're in the gym by 8:30 AM.

Either way, the first day is built around establishing a common language and attacking the fundamentals your team will carry through the rest of camp, and the rest of their season.

Here's what Day One typically covers:

• Warm-up drills designed to get athletes touching the ball immediately — no laps, no standing around
• Passing fundamentals and serve-receive responsibilities
• Spiking keys and principles
• Transition footwork
• Small group drills with high repetition and game-like intensity

Your coaching staff won't be watching from the sideline. From the first day, our GMS coaches will put you to work, running drills, giving feedback, and learning how we build our teaching progressions. The goal isn't just to train your athletes. It's to train your entire program.

Day Two: Skills, Systems, and Real Competition

By Day Two, your athletes have a foundation to build on. Now we go deeper.

In the morning, we move into serving principles, blocking mechanics, and for our 4-day camps, setter-specific tutoring that gives your setters targeted coaching they rarely get in a team setting. In the afternoon, we introduce defensive systems at the team level, not just individual technique, but how your six players work together to cover the court.

Then comes one of the most important sessions of camp: compete time.

We close Day Two with competitive volleyball. Not scrimmage-for-the-sake-of-it volleyball. Structured competition designed to put the skills and systems we've worked on under pressure. Athletes get to experience what it feels like when the things they've been drilling actually work in a live game situation.

That moment, when a team runs their serve-receive pattern correctly in a real rally,  is when coaches start to see it click.

Day Three (and Four): Transfer to the Game

The final days of camp are where everything comes together.

We review the skills and systems from previous days, reinforce individual defense keys, and spend the majority of time competing. Small group tournaments, six-on-six, rotation work under pressure, this is where athletes prove to themselves what they're capable of.

For 4-day camps, Day Three is heavily competition-focused, and Day Four wraps with team systems and a final tournament format. By noon on the last day, your athletes will have accumulated thousands of quality reps. More importantly, they'll have done most of them in game-like situations that transfer directly to how they'll perform when the season starts.

Our curriculum is built on the science of motor learning: the idea that the most valuable reps are those that look and feel like real volleyball. We don't run athletes through lines. We don't have them shag balls for extended periods. Every drill is designed to maximize time on task.

What Your Coaching Staff Gets Out of Camp

A GMS camp isn't just a player development event. It's one of the most efficient ways to develop your coaching staff.

Throughout the week, your coaches learn how to run our drills, how to score them, how to give concise and effective feedback, and how to run a practice that maximizes reps and minimizes lines. Every session includes coaching reps where your staff is actively teaching alongside our coaches.

You'll also leave camp with free access to GMS+, our online coaching platform, where you can continue developing your staff and program all year long. Courses, community, and certification tools are available the moment camp ends, so the learning doesn't stop when we drive away.

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What Makes a GMS Camp Different

Coaches who have attended other camps often notice the same things about ours:

• Athletes are moving from the first minute. No standing in long lines, no non-sport activities to fill time.
• The focus is on reps that transfer, drills built on the science of motor learning, not just drills that look impressive.
• Your coaching staff is treated as learners, not spectators. We believe better coaching is the fastest path to better teams.
• The language your athletes learn at camp is the same language you'll use all season. Uniform terminology up and down your program makes teaching dramatically more efficient.
• Our staff are SafeSport certified, background-checked, and bring genuine coaching expertise, not just collegiate playing experience.

We also offer flexibility for programs of different sizes. Year-round scheduling means summer, fall, and winter camps are all available, not just a single window in June.

From Coaches Who've Been Through It

We'll let the coaches speak for themselves.

"I just wanted to say thanks! Since Gold Medal Squared started running our volleyball camps two years ago, our record has gone from 3-26 to 20-14 this past season. Additionally, this was the first time in school history to have a team reach 20 wins!" — Michelle, Varsity Volleyball Coach

"This was my first year coaching so having this training before our season was invaluable to both our staff and athletes." — Merry, High School Volleyball Coach

"GMS has been the BEST investment of time and money for our program. I know I am a better coach because of you." — Karen, High School Volleyball Coach

These aren't isolated stories. They reflect what happens when a program commits to building a better foundation — for their athletes and their coaching staff.

Ready to Reserve Your Camp?

Coaches who book early lock in their preferred dates before summer fills up, and many choose to register athletes at full price well in advance because they know the value is there.

If you're ready to see what a GMS camp can do for your program, the next step is simple: reserve your dates and let us handle the rest.

Reserve Your Camp Today  |  Explore GMS+ Online Resources

goldmedalsquared.com/volleyball-camps   |   goldmedalsquared.com/gms-plus

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