Not Playing High School Volleyball

Hi coach:

I was recruited by several D2 and D3 schools to play in 2021.  I committed to a school a few months ago. There was a coaching change and the new coach is welcoming me with open arms.

I don't want to get into all the specifics but my high school situation is a very negative one.  The coach is playing favorites to the extreme and doing a lot of unethical things, and I don't want to play my senior year there.  We are on a third coach in 4 years and it is a very unhealthy and toxic environment.  No one likes it and no one likes each other. He has pitted the team against one another.

I feel like I need to be open and honest with my future college coach but I don't want to talk bad about my high school coach.  What should I tell the college coach?  I am still planning on training hard and playing club volleyball to get me ready for my collegiate career.  Getting out of this program will actually be good for me as an athlete.

Thank you coach.

Z.Z.

More and more volleyball players are stepping away from their high school seasons in today's youth volleyball world.

Some don't play High school volleyball because they want a recovery time from the lengthy club season (both physical and/or mental), while others realize that high school volleyball is not a good fit for them because of coaching/player/parent issues.

While college coaches support high school volleyball, we also realize how often it can be a challenge with unqualified coaches, level of play, snarky teammates and nutsy parents.  As a college coach, I was never really too concerned with high school volleyball; I just wanted my incoming recruits to not get injured and to enjoy the 'free touches' on the ball.  Didn't matter if my recruit won or lost, made all region or didn't start; just stay healthy.

As long as you are playing a full club volleyball season, then you will receive the repetitions needed to continue your skill development in preparation for your college career.  College coaches would be much more concerned if a player skipped a club season, rather than a high school season.

Just be honest with your coach, and let them know that you will be playing club volleyball like always, but to avoid team drama and a negative high school volleyball situation, you have decided not to play high school volleyball.  I would not worry about providing specific details and even if your coach asked, just say it is the 3rd coach in 4 years at the school and the team situation is not healthy.  

This also allows you to focus earlier on your last club season, without having any physical issues from the high school season.

Don't stress; just shoot straight and trust that your college coach understands the challenges of high school volleyball!

Coach