About us
We are dedicated to coaching and assisting athletes to learn improved technique and develop ways to solve problems. We are the Melbourne Volleyball Academy that you should join because everyone gets a chance to train, play and improve.
We also work as a coaching group to evolve each coaches development through what we call ‘awareness’. No other Academy offers this to develop their coaches.
Our Director has over 40 years of coaching experience, is an Elite Level qualified coach with International Level 2 certification and International Coaching experience.
He is the only coach to have coached both Australian Youth and Junior Men’s and Women’s teams and has a vast network of coaches and administrators around the world to gain information from and to collaborate with. He has run many camps in Australia and overseas including China.
Our next cycle
We will allow more children the chance to train with us in 2025.
To register players should be 6 - 18 years of age, be keen to learn and ready to have fun.
We also offer adult individual and small group sessions.
No previous experience required, just come along for some fun.
We train on:
Monday evenings in Croydon from 5:30pm - 7:00pm for our Junior Academy and 7:00pm - 8:30pm for our Advanced/Elite Academy.
Friday evenings in Camberwell 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Now starting at Sunday afternoons at Donvale Christian College, 155 Tindals Rd, Donvale from 4:15pm – 5.45pm
To register contact danhigginsau@hotmail.com
TESTIMONIALS
I’ve known Dan for close to a decade. We first met at an international coaching course. From this point and even before then it was apparent that Dan was at the forefront using modified play to teach athletes how to best learn in an environment where they know they might make mistakes but that by being allowed to make mistakes they can learn within a non-judgemental environment.
This differentiates Dan from other coaches because he does not intervene at every step, instead he leads athletes and lets them control their own learning, often asking them questions so they get to solve problems rather than being told what to do. Dan has developed a calm approach ensuring athletes trust his experiences as a former State and National coach will enable them to progress fast.
Dan was instrumental in assisting in the development of the Rising Stars Programs for volleyball and is passionate about ensuring athletes have fun and are encouraged to learn and develop and to become multi-sport athletes.
He has achieved the Volleyball Australia – Distinguished Service Award and loves working with all manner of people and particularly loves seeing their improvement.
I look forward to coaching with Dan in the future and also look forward to the next group of athletes he is finding and developing.
Martin Collins
Volleyball Australia –Women's Head Coach and Coach of the Australian Volleyball Academy
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January 2025
Dan has a unique talent for building a relationship that motivates you to put in the effort needed for meaningful change. His approach makes you genuinely want to improve. The video analysis was a game-changer, and Dan’s guidance through it gave me a clear understanding of the specific adjustments I needed to make.
What sets Dan apart is his ability to help you navigate the process of taking risks, breaking down what that truly means for your progress. He doesn't overwhelm you with feedback but provides just the right amount of information, ensuring it’s personalised to my goals and needs. This makes it easy to understand exactly what actions to take next.
Indiana