 Hey what's up you guys, welcome back to my channel. My name is Coach Coco and I love volleyball. So much to my channels, but with tips, tricks, hacks and everything you can ever need to know about volleyball. So today, I know that a lot of you guys are new to my channel and if you're new, welcome. Welcome to my volleyball club. Welcome to my channel. So I want to really talk to you guys about some things that you need equipment wise when you first start playing volleyball and you make your team. Now a lot of you guys give me a lot of questions about what do I need when I'm trying out and what do I need to wear to try out. And I know that I did a video before about exactly kind of a tryout outfit that is the most optimal, but I want to talk about when you make the team, what are some things you can expect to purchase, where you can purchase them and some of the requirements that volleyball has in terms of uniform and looking like you want to look as a volleyball player with this certain equipment. So I'm gonna bring you some products that I think are really awesome, that I've seen are really great starter products and beginner products and are beginner friendly for a lot of you guys, especially since a lot of you guys are new to the sport and you're in middle school and growing to high school. So I want to give you things that you're gonna be able to use a long time. I used my first volleyball shoe until I was in 12th grade. So making sure that those things last and that's important for me that you guys have something that will not only last but keep you good for a long time. So make sure to like and comment and subscribe for this video. Let's get right into it. So when you're trying out for your volleyball team, there are some things that are required for volleyball that will not only protect you, but keep you looking completely uniform. I don't recommend buying a lot of things for volleyball before you make your team or make whatever you're looking to do, club recreational because if you decide that you don't make the team or you don't want to play anymore, then you're out of some dollars, right? So it's important to be able to not only talk to the coach about what the uniform looks like because as you know, that I had those really, really colorful volleyball shoes, but on my high school team, those shoes probably wouldn't fly because we had school colors that we had to stay with. So it was important for me to talk to the coach about kind of what color coordination we're doing because a lot of teams like to coordinate their players and look the same. So that's why that's another reason why you should definitely wait to talk to the coach before you end up buying something that you don't know if you're gonna really need or use. So that's why it's important to talk to your coach. Also, knee pads, knee pads are essential. Now, when I was in high school, I was not the smartest in wearing my knee pads and I thought that I was so above wearing knee pads, but later on in life, you do regret not wearing knee pads because it is important to protect your knees. I thought to myself, I'm a little blocker. I'm not even diving. I don't have to wear knee pads, but then when I would dive, I would always ask myself, why is this happening? Why are my knees hurting? Because, Co, you weren't wearing your knee pads. So am I a big believer that you need to wear knee pads now? Yes, absolutely. I wear knee pads now. It was something I should have done that and I can admit that. But I want you to understand that wearing knee pads is essential because we want to protect your body so that way you can play forever. So wearing knee pads. But also, knee pads are also something that can be a little finicky. You don't want them to be too tight to cut off your circulation, but you don't want them to be too big where you're not actually getting any protection. So I'm gonna show you two of those things and then talk a little bit about them. So let's get right into it. Okay, so first starting to talk about knee pads. Right now I have these Adidas Elite Knee Pads and I'm gonna open them up so that way you guys can see exactly what they look like and why I really like them. So opening up the package, I'm gonna open these up and let's take all volleyball for sending me these knee pads because listen, they are awesome guys. Like I wish, I wish that I could have gone somewhere when I was in high school and get all this different volleyball wear so easily accessible because I swear to you, I was like looking in stores and couldn't like find anything and I was looking over spandex and knee pads and I was so confused that everything is categorized so well that I can see everything and know exactly what I want to wear. So with these knee pads, they come like this, they're wrapped together, but you can definitely pull them apart and I know I did a knee pad video before and I can do another knee pad video if you guys want something like that, but this is why it's important for the knee pad. The knee pad has a shell on the outside and this shell on the outside will protect you when you are diving, when you may have to transition and you fall. It's important as a beginner player because you need to protect yourself at all times because when you're a beginner, you're more likely to fall because you're learning and those things so that's why it's important to have a knee pad. Now some teams do white but I've seen a lot of teams do black. Make sure that you talk to the coach and ask what kind of knee pad you need ahead of time and that way then you can order it. But this is a knee pad that I really like because it has a really stretchy fiber on the back and it fits really well around my knees and I'm not just cutting off my circulation or anything like that. So it comes with two. Now knee pads are one of the things that tend to stink the fastest. I know there's a lot of memes online about, oh, my knee pads stink so bad. I pull my knee pads on my back, they stink so bad and so one thing that I like to do is I put this in a video before. I like to put a dryer sheet in my knee pad between practices so it keeps it a little bit like a little fresher, little fresher. So that's what I like to do with my knee pads and these knee pads are really, really great. So I'm gonna leave a link in the description box below where you can get these knee pads and it can be something that you can start to look at already and if you know that your team wears Adidas knee pads and that way you can go ahead and order some. Now the one thing to know about knee pads and all of that, I highly suggest that before you order some knee pads you go and try some on in the store and then order them because like I said, they're sizing to it. So look on the All Volleyball website to see the sizing so that way you order the appropriate size for you. So they're small, medium and large. So when they're looking at the small, medium and large they're looking at their circumference of your knee cap that way you know exactly how they wanna fit because you want it to fit comfortably. You don't wanna get a knee pad when you're like set me and your knees are just like buckling, right? So make sure you look at the size chart on the back before you order them. Now here I have a pair of shoes that I think are really, really great for beginners. I highly suggest, I highly recommend these are the beginner shoe. If you were a beginner playing volleyball this is the shoe that you want. I swear to you, I'm not joking. This is the shoe that you want. I honestly think that instead of buying like a very, very, very advanced shoe in the beginning I think you need to get a beginner pair of shoes that you break in and become your old besties, okay? I still have my old bestie. Now, these are A6. I like A6 because I am a wide-footed lady and I have a large foot size 11 game, okay? So I like this shoe because it is not only the basic shoe but it is very, very durable, very, very durable. So I'm actually going to leave a link in the description box below so where you can get these shoes. But this is the A6 gel rocket. This shoe has been made many times. They have many different additions but this is the latest one. If you look at this A6 gel rocket the one thing I really like about it is it is a very clean cut shoe. I also like that it comes in black. My first shoe was yellow which was my high school colors and it got dirty so quickly because it was yellow and white and oh, it got dirty. But this A6 gel rocket is really great because it not only is black but it's very clean cut and I like how flexible and durable it is. Now you want to get a volleyball shoe that you're going to scuff up, that you're going to mess up, that you're going to get stepped on, your feet are going to get stepped on, all of that so you don't have to buy them over and over again. So this is a really, really great shoe and I love this shoe. So these are the gel rockets. Now the gel rockets come in a variety of colors. I think that a lot of the times some players tend to do game day shoes, some players tend to do game day shoe practice shoe. I think you should practice and have game day in the shoes that are most comfortable for you that you're going to perform the same. But these gel rockets are really great addition to a lot of you guys' volleyball bag and volleyball equipment because it is such a durable shoe. So I just want to recommend this shoe for beginners. Make sure to look in the description box below because I'm going to have this shoe down there below where you can see how to order these shoes and also understanding that when you're trying for volleyball shoes, it is important once again to see how it's going to fit on your foot. Volleyball shoes have a specialized bottom for indoor that it's really optimal for helping you with your game and the type of court that you're playing on. A lot of times you want to make sure that you order true to size and make sure it's not too big so your feet don't cram any, you stub your toe or not too small where you feel like your feet are getting really tight. So make sure you order true to size and all volleyball has a really great selection online of different volleyball shoes that you can try to look at. But this is my favorite beginner shoe. So thank you so much all volleyball for sending me this beginner shoe. It's lit, okay? So those are two pieces of equipment that you definitely need when you first start playing volleyball. And I'm going to just remind you that when you first start playing volleyball and you finally make your team, it's important to protect yourself, get the right equipment, making sure that you're safe at all times, making sure your color coordinated with the team. So understanding exactly what the requirements are, all of that. So if you want me to make more equipment videos, drop below something you want me to talk about or if you want me to go more in depth about these kind of products, tell me down in the description box or I'm sorry, tell me down below in the comment section. I really hope that you liked this video. I really am so excited that a lot of you guys are coming to my channel because you're learning how to play volleyball or you're really inspired to play volleyball. I know that what's going on right now, it's really tough because volleyball is at a standstill. But even though it's at a standstill doesn't mean we can still show passion for the game. So with that, please like, comment, subscribe, make sure you go and you check out all volleyball for all of their volleyball products. And I will see you guys next time.