Volleyball-based Fitness & Performance Training. Rise Above.
ABOUT ME
My name is Lisa Pfotenhauer and I am from and currently reside in Jenison, MI. I grew up playing volleyball and basketball, and always loved the fitness and conditioning component. My love of sports turned me into a volleyball enthusiast and a recreational runner, and I went on to pursue a BA in Exercise Science. During college I began personal training as well as leading a community fitness program for seniors. After graduating I became ACSM certified as an certified Exercise Physiologist (a personal trainer that can work with all sorts of populations, including those with chronic diseases).
After college I personal trained, working with all sorts of clients, from young athletes, to middle-age men and women, to seniors, with various goals from weight loss to strength and performance enhancement. I also worked as an office manager at Hudsonville Physical Therapy, where I discovered FMS (Functional Movement Systems, by Grey Cook) - see FMS section for more details on what this is, or check out the FMS website.
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We began offering classes with FMS screens and training based on the screening results. Our focus at first was solely on injury prevention, and we were so impressed by the decrease in non-contact injuries amongst our players, as well as the increase in strength, mobility, and speed, that we kept building the program.
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What started as an injury-prevention program (which still is focused on that!), has evolved to focus on performance gains as well. I now do vertical and landing force testing as part of the pre-testing, and incorporate jump-training in the program, as this is important for injury prevention and becoming a better player. I went from working with athletes in the clinic to working with high school teams and volleyball clubs at their gyms, as well as offering private small group training.
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Also, when I met my husband Keenan he introduced me to the world of beach volleyball! (We met playing volleyball at my church's young adult group, and he was assistant-coaching college club volleyball at Davenport.) I learned there was so much more to beach volleyball than I had realized from my days of playing intramural beach volleyball! I spend my summers (and spring and fall too!) bringing our dog to the beach and playing beach volleyball with my husband.
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I wish I had the opportunity in middle/high school to gain strength and stability through a fitness program like FMS when I was young! My goal is to provide today's youth with these tools, that they can use to improve themselves not only as athletes but as people.
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Many of my most character-building experiences I look back on were in high school, in the gym, and I want to help you and your athletes learn patience, grit, strength, and realize your potential. I believe God gives us all unique gifts and talents, and I want to help young athletes learn and develop these.
MY VISION
"Working with volleyball players to maximize their potential as athletes, and grow as individuals."
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Volleyball training traditionally consists of practices and some strength and conditioning during the off-season. Many athletes have training tunnel vision on practice-based training (which is very important), but there are other opportunities to grow as a volleyball player as well.
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There are unique ways to become a better and more well-rounded athlete, as well as a healthier person! I think that pursuing unique training is going to make YOU the best athlete YOU can be, and that's what I want.
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I also believe there is more to a sport than the competition and game itself. It's the comradery, the teamwork, the character building, the putting-in-the-work to see the results, and the believing in yourself. My goal is for my athletes to walk out of their training tired but more confident in their bodies and their athletic capabilities. I also want to educate my athletes, so that they can continue to push themselves after our session.