5 Tips to Increase your Middle School Volleyball Odds
By Dave Taylor, Coach and Technical Skills Instructor
Ten years ago, my oldest daughter, Brooke, was finishing up her 6th grade year at Henry Middle School. One day she came home and proudly pronounced “Mom! Dad! I made athletics!!”
My wife is much more in tune with our kids than I am and she proudly exclaimed, “Brooke, that’s fantastic. Congratulations!!”
My response? A stupor of thought. What does that mean “make athletics”?
You see, I grew up in a small town in southeastern Washington. Oakesdale was where I spent my life. It was small. Very small (Don’t believe me? Check out the view of the town with Google Maps—turn on “Earth View”)
Population 400. Graduating class of 10.
So growing up for me, there was no “making athletics.” You just showed up to practice on the first day of the season and started playing. It didn’t matter that you didn’t know what the rules were or that you weren’t wearing the right clothes (we were a farming community—seeing someone show up to practice with work boots was common). You were going to learn because you were a body and we needed bodies to field a team.
When is the Best Time to Fix a Problem and Improve Your Game?
By Dave Taylor, Coach and Technical Skills Instructor
A common question parents ask me, "Coach Dave, my daughter needs help with <setting, spiking, serving, etc.>, when should we schedule a lesson with you to work on it?" Usually I just chuckle and say, "Whenever she's ready!"
Fact. Most athletes won't improve or change their skill until they see a problem. Their best recognition method comes right after the season starts and they are constantly watching their teammates from the bench. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to correct bad habits at that point. Coaches are playing those players they feel have the best game.
Fact. A player has to be determined, committed and willing to work extra hard to fix a problem and improve her game. Often times a player may think it is her swing that is the problem when it may be her footwork. This is where a technical skills instructor can lend their expertise and direct the player to fix the problem and in time improve her game.
Have you ever wondered what it REALLY takes to get better at volleyball? Well, in the end, it's all about getting "touches." LOTS of them.
In volleyball terms, "touches" would be opportunities one has to actually have the ball on your arms or in your hands. I'm always telling my students and players that the ball only does what you tell it to--but we speak with our arms and hands in this sport. Now to get those coveted touches!
They did a recent study about who was actually getting the most "touches" in a volleyball practice. Guess who it was? Hitters? Liberos? Setters?
No, it was the coach!
When I used to coach younger athletes, I was often quizzed by them, “well how come when I make a mistake, I get pulled and yet Holly stays in the games even if she makes lots of mistakes?”
Well, that’s a good question! Why did I leave her in? And while we’re at it, why do I have players sitting on the bench for the majority of the game and not playing out on the court?
Finally, after being quizzed about it and coming up with lame answers like, “You just keep working hard and your time will come” I realized I needed to sit the team down for an explanation. To accomplish that, I decided to use Monopoly money and the concept of volleyball banking. In the game of Monopoly, the player with the highest net worth wins.
