My daughter and I started the
“Club Volleyball” journey as novices.
We really did not know any other kids that played club volleyball. I had a few older friends that
played/or had coached club ball and I would occasionally ask them advice. The language they spoke was foreign to
me. “She needs to do summer camps
with the clubs, private lessons, go to open gyms, and she needs to be in front
of the club before tryouts or she may not get a spot.” Some would even say “don’t try out
with this club or that club, it is very competitive, or it is very strict or it
is not very good…….”. WHAT? I kept remembering back to when I
played ball; you showed up and “tried out.” You were either picked or not. This was much more sophisticated and competitive.
What I did not realize was
the popularity of club volleyball. I had been coaching recreation volleyball
for a few years and knew how much people loved the sport. We sure did! I had attended several coaching clinics by different clubs
and knew these folks were serious.
What I did not fathom was the mass number of girls at tryouts and the
very limited spots available. We
went to tryouts and there would be hundreds of girls all vying for spots on the
club teams.
I had been fortunate to
attend a coaching clinic by Southwind Rising Volleyball, Club Director, Rachel
Magana. She impressed me with her
volleyball knowledge and her ability to break it down for the coaches to
effectively coach the sport at a recreation level. I liked her smooth, patient teaching style and they way she
slipped “life lessons” in her coaching.
I promptly signed my daughter up for one of her clinics through Blue
Valley Recreation. I sat through
my daughter’s clinic watching and learning hoping to glean even more pearls for
my recreation team. After that clinic, I started perusing club volleyball
websites. I wanted to know more
about the clubs. I read the coaches qualifications and coaching styles in their
bios. I looked for club mission statements. It was very important to me to learn about the coaches that
would be spending so much time with my daughter. Some sites provided very
little information about their staff.
Others had a bit more information and the really good ones had
qualifications and coaching styles listed for all their coaches.
When the time came for club tryouts,
I knew I wanted my daughter to tryout for Southwind Rising Volleyball. We did attend some other club’s tryouts
to increase her chance of getting on a club team. I ran into some of my gym friends who had daughters the same
age as mine at these tryouts. They
had gone to two or three clubs in one day for tryouts or had attended numerous open
gyms. They had spent many
weekends going from one club to another in hope of their daughter getting on a
team.
We were so fortunate to get
on a team with the club we wanted. We learned a lot from this experience. Here are a few pearls for Mammas (or
Dads) on the bench.
· Research each club’s web site yourself. Read about the staff, their bios,
coaching philosophies and the clubs mission statement. Make a determination on how organized
and informative the information is you are receiving. An organized and seasoned club will make you and your
daughter’s life much easier. It also set your child up for success.
· If you ask around, be careful of the advice you may
receive. Find out why someone might say yea or nay on a club. Sometimes when you delve into an
opinion, you will be shocked at their reasoning. You are the best judge for
your child.
· Prepare your daughter for the experience. Use the club’s
calendar and find open gyms. Open gyms allow any athlete to come in and
play. Drills and scrimmages are
usually facilitated by one of the coaching staff. Look for opportunities for clinics or private/group lessons,
as well.
· As the season approaches, visit the calendars of the
clubs and coordinate your tryouts and open gyms.
· There will be a lot of girls at tryouts, camps and
open gyms. Have your daughter wear something flashy, so she is easy to
remember. Bright shirts, shorts,
crazy socks are all good choices.
Make sure your daughter has kneepads and good athletic shoes.
· Volleyball is a sport, therefore encourage your
daughter to be engaged at all times.
Hustle to get to the ball, react quickly to all the coach’s commands,
and always pay attention. Making good
eye contact and effective listening, instead of gabbing with their friends will
make positive first impression.
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