Becky SchmidtBecky Schmidt

A new book by Becky Schmidt, head volleyball coach and assistant professor of kinesiology at Hope College, provides a step-by-step guide for players and coaches that has been informed by a coaching career that has included more than 300 wins since 2004 and a national championship.

Schmidt’s book “Volleyball: Steps to Success” has been published by Human Kinetics.  It is written for club and high school volleyball players and their coaches or instructors, as well as for college students and instructors in volleyball activity classes.

The 216-page book covers serving, passing, setting, attacking and blocking, as well as tactics for playing various offensive and defensive schemes at all positions.  Dozens of drills featuring a self-scoring component allow players to chart progress and accelerate improvement.

“Becky Schmidt’s ‘Volleyball: Steps to Success’ is a wonderful guide for those seeking an understanding of the sport, its history and the skills,” said Kathleen J. DeBoer, executive director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association.  “Coach Schmidt shares her extensive knowledge of volleyball in an accessible fashion.”

Sam Shweisky, head men’s volleyball coach at Princeton University, has said of the book, “Leading her team to the NCAA Division III National Championship is testament to Coach Becky Schmidt’s acute knowledge of volleyball and approach to coaching.  In ‘Volleyball: Steps to Success,’ she provides a game plan for improving skill level, mastering the fundamentals, and achieving success.  This book will make any volleyball player or coach better.”

Schmidt is in her 12th year teaching and coaching at Hope.  Under her leadership, the Flying Dutch won the NCAA Division III national championship in volleyball in November 2014, culminating a season that included her 300th victory while coaching at Hope.  Her teams have made multiple appearances in NCAA tournaments through the years, and have placed first or second in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) every year from 2005 through 2014.

She is a 1999 graduate of Hope, where she majored in kinesiology and was a standout member of the volleyball team.  She subsequently completed a Master of Science degree in sports behavior and performance at Miami University 2003.

Immediately prior to returning to Hope, she was head coach at the University of Redlands in California.  She has also coached volleyball club teams in Michigan, Ohio and California.  In California, she coached the Redlands Dragons 18s team and helped establish a volleyball development program for 12-year-olds.  In 2002, she coached a USA Athlete’s International volleyball team to a gold medal in the “Down Under Games” in Australia.

“Volleyball: Steps to Success” is available for $21.95 at the college’s Hope-Geneva Bookstore.  The Hope-Geneva Bookstore is located on the ground level of the DeWitt Center, 141 E. 12th St., and can be called at 800-946-4673 or 616-395-7833, or emailed at bookstore@hope.edu.