For the Love of Volleyball

Most everyone knows that Volleyball is a mental sport, but as the sport continues to change and develop, so does the types of players. Just as many other sports, volleyball coaches are constantly questioning whether or not they want the player who is the strongest and can jump out of the gym, or the one that has court smarts and can keep things going.

My stand on this topic is that the type of player you need depends on the type of team you have or have created. In many situations, however, the brains ultimately defeats the brawns.

For example, my first year coaching Club Volleyball, I came into a team that had a wide variety of players. I had big and aggressive players along with small and timid players. That year, the girls on my team learned that there are many different roles to be met when bringing a team together. In the end, everyone had a place on the court, but for different reasons. These girls have now grown up together, competing and playing every year. Every year, you see the same girls gradually changing and moving up or down in their levels. Since the girls are coming from many different teams in several locations in the area, you are privileged to see what it is that they are learning from their High School teams. Through and through, I consistently notice that the players who are being taught to understand the game and focus more on overall knowledge, versus simple mechanics and strength, are the players who are morphing into upper level competitors. Meanwhile the stronger more mechanical players are simply hit or miss.

In many ways it is good to have both, and of course it is always best to have both in a single player. In either case, however, teams should be disciplined and have a very tight way of doing things. No matter the type of player, teammates should have the same techniques and should all be on a similar page. Each player's defense, approach, and court sensibility should be infused together and look crisp and well rehearsed (Just like every dancer knows each step and can expect and anticipate the next move). While trying to avoid confusion and frustration, every coach should have a certain style and way of doing things in which others may look and be able to pinpoint. Even though every player may not be on the same level, it is our jobs, as coaches, to get them to reach towards that point and to strive to become great along with the growth of the rest of the team. Having the same techniques will help the team to better know and understand each other, and will aid in the growth rate and knowledge process. Again, with everything said, the types of players you are looking for completely depends on the type of team you want.