Helen Yuan – Volleyball Success Journey

Helen Yuan: Building Strength, Confidence, and a Future in Volleyball

Helen Yuan’s journey in volleyball is a story of growth, resilience, and determination. At just 14 years old, Helen is already a two-time national gold medalist, but her path into athletics was not always obvious. She tried several sports before finding volleyball, and over time, the sport became something she truly wanted to pursue at a high level.

Now entering her fifth year of volleyball, Helen continues to challenge herself both on and off the court. She is also preparing to attend Groton Sch

Video Chapters

00:00 Meet Helen Yuan
00:20 Volleyball Background & Groton School
00:57 Finding LPS Athletic
01:34 First Impressions of LPS
01:51 Starting Training at LPS
02:09 Seeing Results & Getting Stronger
02:31 Breaking Training Misconceptions
02:51 Building Overall Athleticism
03:10 The Mental Side of Volleyball
03:48 Overcoming Knee Pain
04:06 Strength, Jumping & Position Change
04:38 Ankle Injury & Rebuilding Confidence
05:19 Winning National Championships
05:53 Coaches & Support System
07:46 Future Volleyball Goals
08:03 Advice to Young Athletes

Finding the Right Training Environment

Helen discovered LPS Athletic through her brother’s friends while looking for a performance training facility. From her first visit, she noticed the energy of the gym, the focus of the coaches, and the number of serious athletes training around her.

Strength training was completely new at first. Helen remembers not even knowing what a clean was, but she continued learning and improving with every session. What kept her coming back was seeing real progress.

Becoming a Stronger Athlete

Through consistent training at LPS, Helen became stronger, more explosive, and more confident. She went from not being able to do a pull-up to building the strength needed to perform better on the volleyball court.

The training also helped improve her jumping, movement, reaction time, and overall athleticism. Rather than focusing only on volleyball-specific skills, Helen learned the value of developing a strong athletic foundation that could support her across different positions.

Overcoming Injuries and Rebuilding Confidence

One of Helen’s biggest challenges was dealing with knee pain at a young age. She had needed physiotherapy, and strengthening her legs became an important goal. Over time, the pain improved significantly, giving Helen and her family greater confidence in her physical development.

She later faced an ankle injury that affected more than just her body. Returning to the court also required rebuilding her confidence. Through training, rehabilitation, and consistent work, Helen gradually regained trust in her body and felt ready to compete again.

Growing Mentally and Physically

Helen understands that volleyball is not only physical. The mental side of the sport has also played a major role in her development.

She uses training as a way to stay focused and trust the process, and she also journals about her experiences, injuries, and challenges. These habits have helped her become more self-aware and resilient as an athlete.

The Road Ahead

Helen’s hard work has already helped her become a two-time national champion, but she is still focused on what comes next.

Her upcoming move to Groton School will give her the opportunity to continue developing academically and athletically in one environment. Looking ahead, Helen hopes to play university volleyball and continue competing for as long as possible while staying healthy and performing at her best.

Reflection on the Journey

Helen Yuan’s story shows how consistent effort, the right environment, and a strong mindset can shape a young athlete. From being new to strength training to becoming stronger, more confident, and a national champion, she continues to grow with every challenge.

Her advice to other young athletes is simple: trust yourself, make your own decisions, and stay true to who you are.

>> Watch more of our athlete success stories here.

TRANSCRIPTION:

Hi, my name is Helen. I’m fourteen years old and I play volleyball. Believe it or not, I was never like an athletic kid. And I did like a bunch of sports before, you know, volleyball. And this is now my going into my fifth year right now. So, I’m a two times national gold medalist. And then I am heading into Groton School in the US this fall. I didn’t really decide to apply until a year ago, but Groton is, and I heard it from my brother’s friends. Groton is really, you know, a really high-level academic school. And I really wanted to be somewhere in like this group of people that also prioritize academics like I did while also balancing, you know, volleyball beside it. And I knew Groton was the best pathway or opportunity that I could offer. I went to UTS and the only, the only reason why I chose Groton over UTS and UTS is also a pretty good academic school. It’s because, you know, I never had the time like there was so much time for commute. And at Groton, you know, all the gyms and the location and everything I needed was all in one place. And I also had, you know, within my reach, I had other, you know, physio and coaches that, that were all in the area as well, and I knew Rodney was the best path forward. So, when I started volleyball, you know, I wasn’t really sure that I loved the sport like one hundred percent. It wasn’t until, you know, this year, two years ago, you know, meeting LPs and everything was when I really knew I could have like a future in volleyball as well. I love playing high performance with other high-performance athletes, playing at that high level and also balancing those struggles. I love the experience of that. So, I found LPs through, I think it was my brother’s friends. They said, you know, everyone at LPs, they’re all like really high-level athletes, and you’re just in an environment where these coaches are, you know, state of the art as well. And I knew I, we were looking for like a performance training place as well, like a gym. So, I could familiarize myself with like the machinery and stuff. And I knew as soon as I got in here, you know, the music was, was blasting and coaches, you know, were like, um, like on point and, you know, giving their athletes directions. I knew like, this is the environment that I, that I could like truly grow in. I know, like when I came in, I was really scared of because I didn’t even know what a clean was. I know I asked Coach Matt like, like ten times what a clean was before I actually knew. And, uh, a bunch of like these little experiences like that, you know, it just did a bunch of new things that I’ve never done before. But, you know, after each, after each visit, the thing about LPs is that I can see the results showing. I mean, I can see myself getting like I didn’t even, I wasn’t even able to do like a pull up before I came to LPs. And knowing I’m getting stronger each time and actually seeing those results is why I came back and, you know, kept pushing out the extra in the gym. Definitely a big misconception was you’re too young, you know, you’re too young to be training and lifting weights. Like I’m not listening to that stuff. I think it’s never, you know, you’re never too young to train, no matter how much or how little. And then another thing was definitely, you know, as a female athlete or as a woman building muscle and a bunch of misconceptions about that. I just feel like, I mean, it’s not about the aesthetics. It’s just about getting stronger and, you know, building the athlete that I am. Think about LPs is they don’t train. They don’t just train me in volleyball, but they train me that I can play any sport. I mean, I could they’re developing my physique and like my athletic ness that, you know, not a lot of not a lot of other gyms do that. I mean, I have like friends that came to LPs and, you know, they play all sorts of different sports, but they came because they’re building their like themselves, not just them in the sport. Then in volleyball, definitely there’s a huge mental side to it. I know I struggled a lot with that this year. Um, but, you know, coming to LPs, being able to put all my focus aside and just focus in on because I know what I’m doing is right. I know this pathway is, is going to lead me to where I want to be being able to, you know, set my worries aside and listen to my coaches, you know, uh, yell at me for the hour and then, yeah, being able to work out my workouts. So, before I came to LPs, I had like really bad knee pain, I think. Um, and it was, I had to see physio and things for that. And that was kind of why I wanted to come because I wanted to, you know, make my legs stronger. And, you know, Ukraine is one hundred percent gone. I mean, I don’t feel it anymore. And that was a huge success in my family. I mean, they were so happy about that because, you know, I had that injury when I was like, you know, twelve years old, which is pretty horrible. Um, being able to, you know, have stronger legs, being able to jump higher, being more explosive and like being able because I’m a left side being able to react on the court. And then also having like the physique and athletic ness to switch positions as well. Because, you know, I’m slowly transitioning, transitioning into like a setter libero kind of thing. That was kind of what had offered me. And also, like really good arm strength. Like I could do like twenty push-ups. So, I journal a lot. Like I write down a lot of, um, why my injuries happen or why these struggles happen. And I think I was at a really bad point, like in my mental health at that time. And it was just like a lot of things happening at once. And then, um, especially with, you know, my, um, ankle getting hurt, you know, LPs, I mean, I went to physio, but apart from that, LPs really helped me not only build strength in my ankle, but also build back my confidence because, you know, I was scared to get back on the court. I think it’s like a mental thing. Like I didn’t really because I blocked. And then that was when it happened. I didn’t have like the confidence to do that again. But knowing that I’m like putting the work in and putting the hours and working as hard as I can. That’s what led me to being able to get back on the court. So the year before, I was playing up an age group. And, you know, I’m really thankful for the experience that I had and how fortunate I am that my team won nationals that year. And then the following year, you know, my team, they knew of my experiences. And I think that’s mainly the reason why. I mean, I love staying positive, being like a happy person, being able to, you know, get my team together and lead them forward. But I mean, as much as, you know, team captain title is it wouldn’t be anything without the team, without how my team put their one hundred percent effort in. And for that for least side shout out. I’m so grateful. And it’s been a hell of a year. So yeah, we had three coaches, uh, Coach Katie and Coach Anna, all three of them. I, I did not know them before, before coming. Um, our head coach, coach Katie, you know, she was, she was, she made us do boards every time we weren’t, we weren’t, you know, performing our best. She was always there to help me. She would always, um, she would always lead our team together, but at the same time be very personalized to each other. Um, she’s definitely a huge part of my growth. She has so much wisdom. It’s crazy. And I’m very thankful for her. She’s like, you know, our team’s best friend. I mean, we could always go to her for any advice at all. A lot of my teammates, they’ve been with coach for multiple years. I haven’t, but at the same time, she wasn’t any different to me. And for that I’m very grateful. Coach Eddie. He’s like the team cheerleader. Uh, I’m. I’m so grateful for him. He did so many things for me, and he was always there to chat with me when I’m down and, like, be there when my skills weren’t working. And, you know, I always knew he, like, meant well in his heart. Mia and Jenny, you know, they’ve been with me like, well, me has only been with me like five years. But Jenny has been with me like my whole life. And they’ve always been here, especially when I’ve been developing in volleyball. And they’re just like some really great people. Definitely. Ana from my school, she’s a number one cheerleader, number one fan. I’m really grateful for her and everything she’s done for me. All like all the people I’ve met. There’s just so many guys. Um, you know, they all take a part. And I’m really grateful for the love and support they have because, you know, they are better myself every single day. I’m definitely Coach Andrew because he was huge in helping me get into the school, helping me, uh, knowing what position I wanted to be. And then these, uh, Coach Celine at my new school, she was so fundamental in this entire recruiting process. I’m so incredibly grateful for all of them, and I’m really excited for the opportunities to come. I’m so I’m still pretty young, but I know I want to play. I really want to play university volleyball or honestly, I just want to play volleyball long term for as long as I can without, you know, injuries or any like being able at like at my peak, playing at my peak for as long as I can. That’s kind of my goal and I’m really excited to see. I mean, I have a lot of things upcoming in the future. I want to see where it all leads me. I don’t know if I’m qualified to give advice, but, uh, I’d say you never have to listen to what anyone else says. Do your own thing. Uh, obviously, you know, you have your coaches, you have your parents, but at the end of it all, I mean, it’s you. You make your own decisions. You know what’s right, you know the truth. And yeah, just be, be yourself.