Volleyball has been a sorely neglected sport in the East Valley—until now, that is—thanks to Red Mountain Ranch resident John Wright, who has filled this athletic gap with the High Impact Volleyball Training Center.
John, a chief financial officer for a leading credit union by day, becomes a passionate volleyball coach after hours. He created the High Impact Volleyball program, propelled by frustration about limitations his daughter experienced as she tried her own volleyball prowess.
When 16-year-old Emily started playing club volleyball in junior high school, John helped coach her. He also tried to get her enrolled in additional programs.
“I started to see a lack in what was offered out there,” John said. “There were only private lessons available or very large group sessions in the summer. Neither combined specific skills-based training with conditioning exercise, disregarding age levels, as well.”
However, the Wrights and their collaborators were serious about volleyball from the start. Together with Dewayne Thompson and Brian Brinkerhoff, John started a girl’s volleyball club program, Club Fusion, of which John is co-director.
Club Fusion provided superior coaching, with Wade and Krissy Tanner at the helm, and soon encountered success. This girls’ team, founded in November 2011, played in the Colorado and Anaheim national qualifiers in the 17-and-under age group. The highlight of their season, however, was winning the regional championship tournament.
After this whirlwind victory through top performance, John refocused his attention on extending this excellent training format to other volleyball clubs and school programs in the East Valley. This May, the High Impact Volleyball Training Center, located at 2942 Greenfield Road, was formally opened, and now is actively marketing to the volleyball community.
“I arrived at a new concept, and combined four or five things that are somewhat unique,” John explained. “One principle is the mid-size classes, eight to 10 players.” John found summer camps with up to a hundred kids not conducive to learning.
Another aspect is age stratification. The spectrum at High Impact Volleyball includes beginners (Junior Skills Development), as well as competitive level players, but each in their specific age/ability group.
“Our unique system is well structured,” John said. “The introductory sessions emphasize having fun by learning skills, but with increasing age and mastery, advanced units shift into performance enhancement through intensive conditioning.”
John, who is the owner-manager at High Impact and an avid player, has coached volleyball at Skyline High School, Molten Volleyball Club, in Gilbert, and Smith Junior High School. What is his motivation behind High Impact Volleyball?
“At this stage of my life,” John remarked, “I want to develop an interest for volleyball among young kids, and help them increase their abilities, especially among those with limited opportunities.”
“Volleyball is a great sport where players can learn much about themselves, working together as a team, as well as emulate life lessons,” John stated. Proficiency in this sport also could lead to athletic scholarships.
“My permanent goal,” John conceded, “is to help increase the level of play and competition in the East Valley. Competitive play in Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek and Apache Junction needs to be at the same or higher level as other places in the Valley.”
“People drive many miles to be able to play at high-end clubs and high schools. I want to keep the excellent players that we have here close to home.”
High Impact Volleyball, a 5,900-square-foot training facility, with full court, partial court and a wide variety of exercise equipment, is located at 2942 N. Greenfield Road, Suite 124. A new cycle of programs will start on June 4. For schedule information, registration purposes and other questions, call John Wright at (480) 686-1998, or send him an e-mail at john@highimpactvolleyball.com. You also can go to the Web site at www.highimpactvolleyball.com.
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High Impact Volleyball offers summer training programs for all levels. It targets very specific skills development for the more experienced players. High Impact Hitting, for example, is offered at the junior high and high school levels. Starting in June, players also can selectively hone passing, serving, digging and blocking techniques. For beginning players, with limited exposure to volleyball, High Impact’s introductory programs focus on fundamental skills. High Impact’s experienced staff includes coaches Wade and Krissy Tanner, who led Club Fusion to victory, as well as two seasoned high school trainers, Dr. Diane Gillen (Red Mountain High School) and Dr. Nancy Corea (Skyline High School), both with a PhD in exercise science. During the summer, most program units are taught twice a week (1- to 1.5-hour units) over a four-week period. The comprehensive hitting program will be taught over eight weeks. High Impact is open to clubs, school teams and individuals.
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