New volleyball parents: Is your athlete ready for club volleyball? Let's check in!

Is your athlete ready for club volleyball?

We’re approaching 14s and under tryouts in October and many of you are wondering:

“Is she ready… She’s only 12… Are we ready for this commitment… Do we have to play club…”

It’s no secret that club volleyball is an investment. The season is long, expensive, and add the travel on top of it, it’s an entire commitment for the whole family.

It’s a decision that shouldn’t be made lightly but hopefully some of these guidelines will help you decide if it’s for you and your athlete.

First, let’s answer the question: Do we have to play club? Many sign up without really knowing what it consists of or if it’s even necessary. They see others joining and think it’s the right thing to do. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.

It ultimately depends on what your athlete wants in the long run. If they will be going to a high school that has a competitive team, club might be an important part of that journey. If they want to play in college, it’s highly recommended that they play club. If the ultimate goal is to play competitively and at a high-level, club can absolutely expose your athlete to the highest competition in your region - and nationally.

If your athlete isn’t aiming to play in high school or college? It’s not to say they shouldn’t play club. Club also has great benefits in teaching life skills and leadership to athletes, helping them to grow through adversity, and giving them a community to thrive in.

There are several reasons to play club, you just have to decide if your “why” justifies the investment and commitment.

So let’s talk about if your player is ready. Here are a few guidelines to know if they’re ready to take that next step.

1. They are building a strong understanding of the fundamentals. Even if they’re still working on consistency, that’s okay! For the younger age groups, they don’t HAVE to be able to serve overhand consistently yet or have their setting technique nailed down. The real question is: have they learned the basic fundamentals and practiced them routinely?

The club season will, and should, develop their consistency in each skill but they should be coming into club volleyball tryouts with a basic understanding of each skill. The older the age group, the more refined they should be.

2. They’re ready for consistent practice and gameplay. Club teams practice multiple times per week plus tournaments are typically once a month. Tournaments usually consist of 3 volleyball matches in a single day. If those tournaments are 2 or 3 day tournaments, now we’re talking about 6-9 matches in a single weekend.

And the club season is typically 7 months long. That’s a lot of volleyball.

Your athlete and your family should be ready for this type of time commitment.

3. They’re ready for a challenge and to compete. If they’re hungry for something more than rec volleyball, it’s likely time to give them a more challenging environment.

But that doesn’t mean you forget to have fun! Competing should always come with fun, not at the cost of it - otherwise, players end up burned out by the time they get to high school. Your family should be ready to balance a healthy and positive environment with competition.

So think about it! And if you’re still unsure, you can always shoot us an email or give us a call to talk it over.

We know it’s a big decision - we’re here as your resource!

So, what questions do you have?