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Bio

I’m a former professional and Olympian volleyball player who competed for 20+ years at the highest level.

I retired in 2015 to teach young players how to master their volleyball skills. I coached for two seasons at Orlando Tampa Volleyball Academy, which is the number one volleyball club in Florida and one of the largest in all the USA with more than 100 teams. But, despite the prestige and privileges I had in Florida, I decided to start a new project to help young players in Texas.

I’m committed to share with players, parents and coaches the knowledge acquired through trial and error, and my research in Fundamentals of Volleyball and Strength and Conditioning.

I was born and grew up in a small town in Venezuela. In my elementary and middle School, I played soccer, basketball, soccer; and the game I loved the most and he though one day would become a start, “baseball”. In fact, my brothers mocked and labeled me as a “crazy dreamer” since our environment were very scarce and the opportunities to became something were about non, but I was determined to make my dreams reality.

I had such of love for the baseball that even when I was not a good cartoonist, I drew all the logos of the MLB teams. I also had great posters of the stars of that moment (Ken Griffey Junior, Barry Bonds, Nolan Ryan). Since my parents both worked to feed his family, I walked alone two hours to attend baseball practices and games. Despise my love for the game, after my parents divorced, I had to go to work to help support my family, and thus my dream of becoming an MLB player went away.

It was in 1996 when I saw a volleyball for the first time, and even though I had never played, that same year I participated in different regional youth competitions. By the end of that year.

In the fall of 1996, I took a 500-mile trip and introduced myself to the Venezuelan National Teams’ Head Coach. Given such audacity, he was so intrigued and got my a 15-day trial.

Thanks to that opportunity, I became one of the best volleyball players in the history of Venezuela.

In 20 years I played in all the tournaments that exist in all the categories with the national team of Venezuela – including The 2008 Beijing Olympics. I’m part of the most successful generation in the history of volleyball of Venezuela winning the Gold Medal at the Pan-American Games in Santo Domingo 2003, silver and bronze medals in Youth and Junior World Championships in Saudi Arabia 1999, and Poland 2001, multiple gold and silver medalist at the South American Championships, Central American and Caribbean Games, and Bolivarian Games. I participated in the Volleyball World League in six years, among others.

I played professionally in Italy, Argentina, Greece, Japan, Spain, Qatar, UAE, Finland and Venezuela. In those years I shared with some of the greatest names of the sport including Hugo Conte who was nominated among the 10 best players worldwide of the 20th century and Emanuele Birarelli, captain of the Italian team that won the Silver Medal in Rio 2016.

I was mentored by renowned coaches such as Mauro Berruto, former coach of the national team of Italy, Gianlorenzo Blengini, current coach of the national team of Italy and Oscar Novillo multiple champion of the Spanish league.

I wasn’t an natural athlete. When I started play volleyball at 15, I weighed a scant 140 pounds and jumped 20 inches. At my 18’s, I suffered multiple injuries in the knees, back, shoulder and pelvis that made me reflect on my chances of becoming a pro. I concluded that, the only way I could play at the highest level was by improving my athletic capacities.

With that in mind, I trained harder than my teammates, dedicating extra hours to improve my strength, endurance, speed and power. That athletic disadvantage made me acquire a ruthless mentality in the gym that earned me the respect and amazement of his teammates and coaches. By my 19’s, I gained 15 inches in my vertical jump. Thought, I won some detractors among my teammates because my competitive spirit.

Sport Career

Playing with the National Team of Venezuela

  • Year 1997

Youth World Championship. Iran.

  • Year 1998

South American Championship Young Ecuador. 2nd place

South American Championship Junior Chile.2do Lugar.

  • Year 1999

     World Junior Championship Thailand. 4th Place.

Youth World Championship Saudi Arabia. 2nd Place.

  • Year 2000

Championship South American Junior Venezuela. Champion.

 Olympic Games Qualifiers Portugal.

  • Year 2001

Youth World Championship Poland. 3rd Place.

Bolivarian Games Ecuador. Champion.

America Cup. Argentina.

  • Year 2002

World League.

World Championship Argentina.

Centro American & Caribbean Games El Salvador. 3rd Place.

  • Year 2003

World League.

Pan American Games Santo Domingo. Champion.

South American Championship Brazil.

World Cup Japan.

  • Year 2004

Pre-Olympic Portugal.

  • Year 2005

World League.

America Cup Brazil.

Bolivarian Games Colombia. Champion.

  •  Year 2006

Games Central American and Caribbean Colombia. 3rd Place.

World Championship Japan.

  • Year 2007

Pan American Games Brazil. 4th Place,

  • Year 2008

Olympic Games Beijing.

World League

  • Year 2009

World League

Playing as a Professional

  • 2000 – 2001: Pony Express Kappa Torino. (ITALY) Champion Italy Cup.
  • 2002 – 2003: Rojas Scholem (ARGENTINA) Runner.
  • 2003-2004: Oper Rethimnou (GREECE)
  • 2005-2006: Mercatone One Pineto (ITALY) 4th Place, Runner-Copa Italy.
  • 2006-2007: Tokio Verdy (JAPON)
  • 2007-2008: Unicaja Arukasur Almería (SPAIN)
  • 2008 2009: Qatar Police Sport (QATAR)
  • 2009 2010: Al Saad Sport Club (QATAR)
  • 2010 2011: Al Ahli Club (DUBAI).
  • 2011: Varyná Volleyball Club (Venezuela)
  • 2012: Varyná Volleyball club (Venezuela).
  • 2013/2014: Huracanes de Bolívar (Venezuela).
  • 2014/2015: Liiga Sarkat (Finland).
  • 2015: Huracanes de Bolívar (Venezuela).

Achievements

With Venezuelan National Team

  • Champion Youth World Championship Qualify: Salta, Argentina year 1998.
  • Runner-up Youth World Championship: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia year 1999.
  • Fourth Place Youth Junior Championship: Thailand year 1999.
  • Champion Bolivarian Games: Ambato, Ecuador year 2000.
  • Champion Junior South American Championship: Cabimas, Venezuela year 2000.
  • Bronze Medal Junior World Championship: Poland year 2001.
  • Bronze Medal Central American and Caribbean Games: El Salvador year 2002.
  • Champion Pan American Games: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 2003.
  • Runner-up South American Championship: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil year 2003.
  • Sixth Best spike: World Cup, Japan 2003.
  • Champion Bolivarian Games: Pereira, Colombia year 2005.
  • Champion 2006 World Championship Qualify: Caracas, Venezuela year 2005.
  • Bronze Medal Central American and Caribbean Games: Cartagena, Colombia year 2006.
  • Fourth Place Pan American Games: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil year 2007.
  • Champion World Championship Qualify: San Juan de los Morros, Venezuela year 2009.

As a Professional

  • Champion Copa Italia with the Club: Pony Express Kappa Torino, Italy year 2000.
  • Runner-up Argentina League with the Club Rojas Sholem, Argentina year 2003.
  • Runner-up Copa Italia with the Club: Mercotone One Pineto, Italy year 2006.
  • Fourth Place of the Italian League A2 with the Club: Mercatone One Pineto, Italy year 2006.
  • Runner-up League Prov2 with the Club: Tokyo Verdy, Japan year 2006.
  • Runner-up Copa del Rey with the Club: Unicaja Arukasur Almería, Spain year 2007.
  • Runner-up  Spanish League with the Club: Unicaja Arukasur Almería year 2007.
  • Runner-up Emir Cup with the Club Qatar Police Sport Club, Qatar year 2008.
  • Best Receiver of the Emir Cup with the Club: Qatar Police Sport Club, Qatar year 2008.
  • Champion Qatar League with the Club: Al Sadd Sport Club, Qatar year 2010.
  • Champion Liga Venezolana de Voleibol: Huracanes de Bolívar. Venezuela season 2013/2014.
  • Champion Liga Venezolana de voleibol: Huracanes de Bolívar 2015.