Medical staff members and managers of military installation resources gathered Monday on a racquetball court in a Joint Base Lewis-McChord gymnasium to learn how to play a modified version of volleyball.  The net was set 3.5 feet above the ground and instead of standing, the participants sat on the floor during play.

The basics of the game, which uses the same rules as standing volleyball, were demonstrated by Katie Holloway, a member of the U.S. Paralympic sitting volleyball team that won the silver medal in 2008 at the Paralympic Games in Beijing, China.

"Sitting volleyball is great fun," said Holloway, 24, who volunteered to help with the program while visiting her family in Lake Shelton. "What makes this game so much fun is that there is a new aspect you learn every time you play it."

Called Train the Trainer, the program is offered as a joint collaboration between the United States Paralympics and the U.S. Army Warrior Transition Unit.  It is designed to develop adaptive sports and fitness programs for injured servicemembers. The program was started by funds provided by the Department of Defense to help services create sports programs for wounded warriors.

"The U.S. Paralympics used to deal with people who require adaptations," said Heidi Grimm, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who now works as a consultant for the U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympic Military Program. "Our goal is to help wounded warriors think outside the box. NCOs grew up on sit-ups, push-ups and a two-mile run.  We have to shift their mind-set from ‘I can't do this to I can do it' ... . We want to help show them that they can still participate in sports; they can still compete, and they can still get that adrenaline rush."

At the recent session, 32 participants from 12 military installations throughout the Western region, including the Warrior Transition Unit cadre, learned how to teach wounded warriors how to compete in adaptive sports.  Throughout the four-day initiative, participants were exposed to equine therapy, rowing, wheelchair basketball, cycling, wheelchair racing and sitting volleyball.

During the sitting volleyball instruction, participants found that the game was tougher than they originally thought it would be.  The rules are the same as standing volleyball. Players can block serves, but one butt cheek has to stay in contact with the floor whenever they make contact with the ball.

Before playing a game, players learned how to sit comfortably on a hardwood floor.  They were also taught how to do a bicycle kick, which required players to turn on their sides and glide across the floor.  It was a lot more challenging than it appeared, said Margarette Shelton, an occupational therapist from Fort Riley, Kan.

"You have to have more flexibility and mobility than in standing volleyball," Shelton said during a break from the game. "It was hard for me to flex and be ready to push up with my feet. It is a lot easier to stand and play volleyball than it is for me to scoot around on my butt."

After the practice, Holloway, who plans to get a master's degree in therapeutic recreation and work with wounded warriors, discussed the game.

"Sitting volleyball is a lot quicker than standing volleyball," Holloway said.  "The movement requires that you retrain your brain to move to play volleyball while sitting down. It is tougher than it looks."