Greenie Freshman Trying Out For The Volleyball Team

Question
QUESTION: I have played volleyball before but not for a team. It was for gym class and i think i do pretty well at serving. I'm not the best at actually always hitting the ball over the net. I know how to rotate and i know the basic rules. I just need to know what i actually need to do to make the high school volleyball team. I  do get practice in during the summer with the family but since i just moved to a new town i don't know exactly how well their team plays and it is still summer. Please help! and thank you!

ANSWER: Good morning, and welcome to www.allexperts!  It's great to hear from you.

First, a few obvious facts:
a) if you are very very good, you'll make the team regardless of your height or age;
b) if you are a very weak player, you won't make the team, regardless of what you do.

Some other facts:
If you've only played vball in gym class, I'm sorry but you've never played the high school game of volleyball. That's like saying, "I wrestle in gym class," or "I play tennis in gym class."  When played properly, these sports look nothing like what kids do in gym class.  

Next:
I assume you feel like that you don't know if you're going to make the team or not.  If that's the case, then here's my advice:

1) In the weeks before tryouts, get as much time on the court as you can with teenagers who have been coached, or with coaches who can teach you the game.  
2) Can you find & afford private lessons?  That'll be GREAT!!!
3) Are there some camps you can attend?  There may still be camps at the colleges close to you, ESPECIALLY if you're near a large university. If so, then go!  

If you can't any of (1), (2) or (3), then the rest of my typing below may not matter much.  If all you know about vball, tennis or wrestle before you show up for tryouts is what you've done in PE class, then your chances of making the teams are pretty small.  But...there's still a chance!!  Let's go on!

4) On the tryout days, arrive early, smile, help set up the nets, smile
5) encourage your teammates throughout all drills.  Back in December, a girl who the coaching staff didn't even now made my team over other girls we knew, not only b/c she was really good, but b/c my assistant noticed that she was always encouraging her teammates during drills.
6) Hustle, hustle, hustle.  Coaches know that if you don't hustle during TRYOUTS, that you certainly won't hustle at normal practices.  

Then trust that the coaches to keep the best players!  
And if you don't make the team, try out for another team at the school!

I hope that you have time to visit www.coachhouser.com.  I think you'll really like all the smiling faces!!

Chat later!
Coach Houser

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks you for answering my questions. But i have been told i hustle a lot while playing sports and i say "nice job" to my team mates while playing. It's that sometimes my nerves get to me and  i don't do as well as i usually do. Can you tell me some drills i have to practice to make team? And again thank you for taking your time and answering my questions.

Answer
Good afternoon again!

There's not a lot you can do on your own, without help from an older person who knows the game.  But here are some ideas.  

a) You can find a wall or something and serve against it.  But, you really need a coach or friend beside you to give you tips about a low toss, serving after taking only 1 step, hitting the ball with the palm of your hand, etc.  There's so much to learn.

b) You can have someone toss balls to you and you try to forearm pass them back to the person.  But, do you have your thumbs together?  Are you resisting the urge to pray, scoop, poke, and other habits that spell doom for passers?  

c) You can also have that same person hits balls at your thighs or head so you can practice digging.  But, there are problems here also.  CAN that person hit balls to you?  Then, do you know how to present an early & still platform?  Do you know how to stay off your knees?  Do you know how to dig with your hands?

d) Spiking.....there's almost nothing you can do to practice spiking if you don't know a proper 3-step spike approach.  If an older friend can teach that to you, then you can practice hitting IF you can find a net. If you can't find a net, but you go back to the wall you served against, I guess you can do the 3-step spike approach toward that wall, and catch the ball rather than actually swing at it.    

So, there are a few things you do to prepare yourself slightly.  But like tennis and wrestling, you really really need someone older to help you practice the skills correctly.  

Hustle and a good attitude are great!  But NOTHING replaces being able to play the game correctly.

You mention getting nervous.  Well, everyone gets nervous.  But the more you know, the better you're prepared, the less nervous you should be!  If you go into tryouts w/o any knowledge of the proper way to perform any of the skills of vball that I listed above in a, b, c and d, then heck yeah, you will/should be nervous.

Finally, when I was a high school coach the principal of the middle school asked me why I wanted 8th graders to play JV so badly, even though they weren't starting.  I said, "You really want to know?"  He said, "Yes."  I said, "It's because the coach here knows so little, the kids' vball future is actually brighter if they don't play here at all, rather than learn all these bad habits from your coach, and then we have to takes weeks & months changing them.  Yes, I'm saying that your coach actually HURTS the girls' future in volleyball!"  I tell you that story b/c you must realize that you're almost better off doing nothing, rather than teaching yourself skills like spiking, digging, serving, etc. that are so "made up" that your future coach will have to spend more hours to undo your bad habits than he would have to spend to teach them to you from the beginning. So if you can find help, then do practice what you can.  If you don't find help, then you're gambling on creating habits that'll have to be undone.  It's a tough choice!

Thanks again for the question!  Have you visiting www.coachhouser.com yet?  Please do so as a favor to me.  I know you'll like it!

Coach Houser
Roanoke, Va