15 seconds to impress. Are you prepared?
By Dave Taylor
Recently I was out searching for different volleyball activities offered by schools during the summer. I came across the website of one particular school that has a reputation for being a competitive volleyball program. I've been coaching for a lot of years, but this is the FIRST time I've ever seen an explanation of what coaches are looking for at middle school tryouts. It's published and live for anyone to see and is definitely a great way to say, "Hey, here it is. These are the expectations. If you can meet these expectations Aug 24-26th, you will make the team."
Middle School volleyball. It's the first opportunity for kids in public schools to REALLY participate in school sports in an official capacity. The odds of making the school team depend largely on the number of kids who show up to tryouts. At the school mentioned above, it will be around 100 kids. Not taking talent into account, the odds of making the team are roughly 1 in 5. Not bad odds. But then, if you read closely enough, you can see in big, bold letters how to increase your odds.
STUDENTS ARE DIVIDED INTO GROUPS AND ASSIGNED STATIONS. DAY 1 AND DAY 2 FOCUS ON TESTING SKILLS. DAY 3 WILL CONSIST OF SCRIMMAGE AND LIVE PLAY.
So basically what's going to happen...all 100 kids will show up for tryouts. The coaches will divide kids up into groups and assign them stations based on the number of coaches available to watch. This might be only 2 or 3 coaches. The head coach will be watching the kids while the players are anxiously waiting in line for their turn to display their skills. When that moment arrives, it's game time.
Each day the tryout is 90 minutes. So the coach has a total of 180 minutes to see 100 girls perform their skills in the court. Here are the skills listed.
PASSING
SETTING
HITTING
BLOCKING
SERVING
SPEED, ENDURANCE AND HUSTLE
ATTITUDE, COACHABILITY AND CALLING BALL
That's 7 different skill boxes the coach needs to fill out on her clipboard spreadsheet.
Assuming there is equal time given to each skill evaluation, she will need 25 minutes for each skill. In 25 minutes, she needs to rate 100 athletes. Just simple math, she gets to watch each athlete for 15 seconds!!
The song lyrics from a famous rapper comes to mind..."You only get one shot, do not miss your chance.."
To give you an idea of what the coach is looking for, she posted some extremely valuable hints.
PASSING-CONSISTENT AND ACCURATE. BALL SHOULD BE PASSED TO SETTER POSITION OFF A SERVE OR HIT.
SETTING-HANDS SHOULD BE STRONG AND BALL SHOULD HAVE LITTLE TO NO SPIN COMING OFF THE FINGERS. SETTER SHOULD BE ABLE TO REACT TO BALL QUICKLY AND SET THE HITTER CONSISTENTLY.
HITTING-APPROACH AND SWING SHOULD BE STRONG AND IN CORRECT FORM. HITTER SHOULD BE ABLE TO HIT BALL OVER AND IN CONSISTENTLY AND BE ABLE TO TRANSITION BACK TO DEFENSE AFTER HIT.
BLOCKING-STUDENTS WILL BE TESTED ON VERTICAL JUMP. BLOCKERS WILL BE TESTED ON APPROACH TO NET, TRANSITION BACK AND ABILITY TO BLOCK SUCCESSFULLY. STAY OUT OF NET!!
SERVING-CONSISTENCY AND ACCURACY IS A MUST. OVER HAND SERVE ONLY. JUMP SERVE WILL BE OBSERVED BUT NOT MANDATORY. SERVE MUST BE HARD AND STUDENT NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO SERVE TO LOCATIONS ON COURT.
SPEED/HUSTLE- STUDENTS NEED TO REACT AND MOVE TO BALL QUICKLY.
ENDURANCE- STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO PASS, SET, HIT, BLOCK AND SERVE CONSECUTIVELY.
ATTITUDE/COACHABLE-STUDENTS SHOULD REMAIN POSITIVE AT ALL TIMES, SELF ADJUST, AND CALL BALL.
So now you know what the coach is looking for in 15 seconds of watching your athlete to determine if she's one of the lucky 20% that make the team. If you quickly rate your athlete, how will she do?
This may seem a bit daunting. Gosh, I've been playing for many years and I still don't know that I'd be confident in all of those skills!
Tryouts are tough. Not only do you need that physical ability to pass, set, hit, block and serve, but you ALSO need to be "positive at all times, self adjust and call ball."
15 seconds to impress?
We care about preparing our Spike Frog kids and we have specifically designed a curriculum for these training programs. While playing in the league gives your athlete many game-like touches on the ball, athletes need skills training.
Our Training for Excellence program is very suitable for those athletes wishing to tryout for middle school volleyball. Granted, your athlete may not be attending the middle school listed above, but certainly if she was trained and prepared to be in the top 20% to make that school team, she would also be trained to make hers.
We divide the training into different levels that are suitable for all athletes wanting to improve their game. Here is a brief description of each level
All Skills - Developmental training. Heavy focus on serving and passing--the two most important skills in volleyball. This is great for those athletes still learning the game or just moving to the heavier, regulation volleyball. Anyone can sign up for this division. It's pretty popular and has less than 15 spots left.
Level II - Developmental training with requirement that the athlete has already played at least two seasons of volleyball. These athletes can already serve the ball over the net from behind the serving line, but not always consistently. This program improves serving and passing skills while teaching how to set, hit, and block. The endurance, speed and attitude are coached at each practice with physical and mental conditioning. We have specific training sections at each practice session dedicated to improvement in these areas. 20 spots left.
Level III - Advanced training with a requirement that the athlete attend a Skill Level Evaluation (free) to be eligible. These athletes are more experienced with playing volleyball and have much more confidence in their abilities. Their abilities to pass, set, hit, serve and block are formed and now we refine them. Our physical and mental conditioning will prepare them for tryout day so they will be confident when their 15 seconds arrives. Our training sessions are designed to maximize their abilities with other players in the group. 19 spots left.
Thank you for being a part of our volleyball programs and playing this past spring in our league. We look forward to seeing you at the tryout!
-Coach Dave
