PLAYERS BLOG

Day 1 - Sunday 15th July

Today was the first day where we all met. The players from Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Scotland are all very nice. The coaches very funny, and everyone is very hospitable.

Breakfast was at 8.30, which is a very decent time, as we had a very long day of travelling yesterday. When we were at breakfast the different nationalities sat in their own groups, however, when we hit the volleyball court we had to separate. 
We had to introduce ourselves to other players, a lot of people were shy at first, but are no longer.

We trained for a couple of hours, had lunch and then trained for 2 more hours before having a coffee break. We don't have Coffee breaks during training in Scotland so this was very new to us. We then trained for two more hours before finally getting dinner. All of the food was good :)

We then all took showers, and then went to the theatre where everyone had the opportunity to introduce themselves, where they are from a d what position they play. Calum and I got to talk for 5 minutes about Scotland to the rest of the group.

The group had a little bit of free time which we went to the lounge and played Billards (we call it snooker.) I learned a few German words like 'Flugzig' and I taught some new English words to the other girls too.

We went to bed around 11, looking forward to tomorrow.

Marsail Hood

Day 2 - Monday16th July

The day started with a big breakfast buffet as usual before going straight into our first warm up with shuttle runs and dives to prepare for an intense day of defensive training. We then started some defensive drills and this progressed into two on two defensively focused games to finish the mornings session. These games continued as 4 v4 mixed for the afternoon session and really helped with our skills as well as being a really enjoyable.

Finally, in the evening we had a very interactive team building seminar with lots of physical exercises which emphasised how to create a winning team. All in all a great day.

Calum Connelly

Day 3 - Tuesday 17th July

We had been training very hard for two days and had earned a well deserved break. We had breakfast as normal and then the group headed to the swimming pool. On top of swimming we had a shot at the diving boards!

Marsail, Calum, Matthew and I all jumped but Katie did not want to.

In the afternoon we played Quattro mixed tournament. Where boys and girls played together for the rest of the day. Katie and the rest of her group won the tournament! Mark's team came last...

Later on in the evening we had dinner which was Spätzle with Chicken and we all had an early night.

Claudia Hendry

Day 4 - Wednesday 18th July

Our day started at 7.30am for a 8.30 breakfast but everyone was very tired so breakfast was very quiet.  We trained 10 until 12.30 then stuffed our faces at lunch. Around 2.30pm we headed to the ‘amphitheatre’ (we just call it a theatre) for a motivational speech from a team building specialist, which was very inspirational.

In town we had two hours to see the centre of Luxembourg City and shopping was optional.

We had training 8 until 10pm at night with video feedback control and ball machine which fired balls at you at a fast speed to defend. The video feedback control allowed you to play but watch your actions after to see which area you could improve.

After a long day we came back to our rooms for showers and bed so we could get up early in the morning ready for another day of volleyball!

Katie Barbour

Day 5 - Thursday 19th July

Thursday morning was our 5th and final day of training. Everyone in the camp felt tired but also quite sad that it would soon be coming an end. The morning training session began with Graeme, who worked on our defence with some drills where we were not even allowed to open our eyes!

The other group worked on Video Analysis in the bottom halls. After lunch, everyone was put into teams of 6 and played against each other in a tournament, in which Margaret Ann Fleming paid a visit and gave a few words. After that, everyone received a "Letz Volley" t-shirt and we got ready for the evening activity.

We played a huge game of Stratego around the hotel, in which everyone had fun and enjoyed themselves. All in all, a great ending to a great week!

Matthew Berry

Day 6 - Friday 20th July (REVIEW)


I was given the opportunity to travel to Luxembourg by the SVA with 5 other players from around Scotland. I choose to take advantage of this opportunity to experience being coached by new coaches to see if I could improve my skills. I left Scotland on Saturday the 16th July and returned on the 20th.


Through the week we trained 8 times which takes it out of you and it was fair to say we were all feeling the effects. The training involved a lot of defensive work which meant I also had to hit! Being a setter that doesn't usually go well and this was no exception as I ended up dislocating someone's thumb. I was given the opportunity to use a ball machine which was a new experience for me and the other Scottish players. It helped to improve my passing as it could be set to various power modes. Although we trained most of the day we still had time to socialise with the other players some of which played in the SCD European Championships.


Now that I am back in Scotland I have had time to reflect on the experience and I am sure that I have developed my skills through new coaching advice and playing 24/7. I hope the camp becomes an annual occurrence so I can go again next year!

Mark McLaughlan