College Volleyball Recruiting

Hi coach. Thank god for your website. It is very helpful and informative as it has addressed a number of issues that we are currently dealing with. Here's the situation that I hope you can help us out with.

I have a 14-year old daughter, whose been playing travel club volleyball for the past years as s DS/L at the U15 level. This summer she made the varsity roster for her high school team and is part of the rotation (*I've read "To Play or Not to Play High School Volleyball").  She loves the sport and wants to play in college at the DI or DII level. For added exposure to such schools would you advise she attend the combines and showcases now as a freshman or wait until she's older?  Also can you tell me the pros and cons of attending such workouts?  Lastly, would be it benefit her to attend the summer camps and clinics of the colleges that she's interested in attending?

 Thanks and I look forward to reading your reply.

P.T.

Before I answer your question, I want to be transparent in the fact that NCSA Next College Student Athlete (my day job) is partnered with a number of recruiting combine groups and that I provide the parent recruiting education talk at many of these combines.

There are many combines available each year; whether stand alone combines or held the night before a club tournament.  Combines have become popular because they can provide equal opportunity exposure to college coaches, for about the price of a private lesson in club.  With a combine, it does not matter if you are the star of your club team or if you hardly ever set foot on the court; a quality combine provides equal court time and touches for each positional player.

For the college coach, a well run combine allows for the opportunity to see a large group of athletes, divided by position and/or graduate year, in an efficient time frame.  Club volleyball events are long and chasing players/court times around a huge convention center can be a challenge; it is nice to have a combine which supplements a large event (more bang for my recruiting budget).

Player attendance at a combine should be determined by 3 factors; 1) what is your graduation year, 2) what is your position, 3) what is your ability.

Graduation Year - In general, combines are more appropriate for Juniors and Seniors who are sill actively involved in the recruiting process.  Also, most of the attending colleges are looking at upperclassmen for their recruiting efforts.

Position - Combined with graduation year, your playing position can influence when to attend a combine.  In general, outside hitters and middle blockers gets recruited before setters and liberos.  If you have read this blog or Inside College Volleyball (greatest book every written on college volleyball and recruiting!), then you have also read that Libero's are last in recruiting.

Ability - If you are an elite, early developing athlete, then it make sense to attend a combine as a freshman or even an 8th grader.  If you know you will have a later growth spurt or you are just getting your volleyball game into shape, then waiting until your an upper classman makes sense.

The last thing I will say about combines, is that because of the lower cost (when compared to the other crazy expensive areas of club volleyball), sometimes it is good to attend a combine as a freshman or sophomore, just to get comfortable with the flow of the event and how to perform in such an environment.

My opinion of college camps/clinics for recruiting, often expressed at my NCSA Recruiting Talks, is they are not the best use of your recruiting dollar or time.  For training or a volleyball vacation, college camps can be great.  But for recruiting evaluation and campus understanding, better to go visit the school outside of volleyball.  College camps are not the reality of the college volleyball program; camps are the Disney version of the program.

Good luck this club season!

Coach

All around volleyball skill development.

Hello Coach,

My daughter plays National club volleyball.   She has been placed on the opposite side (right side) because of her height and blocking ability.  As a result,  she sees very limited opportunities to hit the ball.   My daughter is middle school aged.

She plays middle hitter for the highschool team. Should I be concerned about the lack of hitting opportunities at the club level for college recruiters?

Thank you for your response.

M.M.

Because of your daughter's age, I would not stress about her lack of hitting opportunities.  Flip it around, and think about the opportunity she has to improve her blocking abilities against the other team's primary attacker.

Many junior high age club teams will put their taller players on the right side, for the obvious reasons of blocking, but also to buy them time to mature physically.  Players which enjoy an early growth spurt can fall behind in their coordination. They eventually catch up and surpass many of their shorter team mate in volleyball ability, but that early spurt can wreck havoc on the hands eye feet symphony for a 7th grader.

I understand in today's club volleyball recruiting world, there is a pseudo pressure to engage early in the recruiting process; everyone hears about that one player who committed to giant state university as an 8th grader, so all the parents of other junior high age players start to get antsy.

Please, please and please remember - Freshman Free, Sophomore Slow.   Don't get caught up on the quicksand of college recruiting when in Junior high; just play, have fun and live in the moment!

If she is playing MB in high school (already?), then she is getting sets and the MB and/RS attack swings have transferable characteristics.

Be as concerned about her passing and ball control, as you are about attacking.  

Sure, those big tall hitters who bring the thunder garner attention from friends, family and fair haired college recruiters.  But who is to say if your daughter is done growing?  Many female athletes will come close to their final height in Junior high or freshman year of High school.  While 5'10" is big for 7th grade, it is nothing special come 17's club.

Plan for her not growing any more, by diversifying her skill sets.  If it is not possible now or next year for her to train as an outside hitter with her club, then get her into camps/clinics/beach volleyball so she can pass, play defense, set, transition, etc.  If she continues to grow, then these additional skill sets will only help her should she stay in the middle or right side.

Coach

Many Questions - Many Answers about College Volleyball Recruiting

Hi coach,

       I have a couple of questions and it would be great if you would be able to answer them. I am 5'8 I'm currently playing opposite for my club team and play outside for high school. I am currently a sophomore living in ct. 

      I started volleyball my freshman year and I loved it ever since.  My questions are how do you  get Gatorade player of the year? I am on captainU to get recruited is that the best website to get recruited from? I know I am a sophomore and I shouldn't be worry about getting committed or knowing that you have college interested in you but I do. Because some girls are already committing to colleges or universities or know that big schools are looking at them. At my age which is scary. Should I be worried that I'm not? The only way I'm getting looked at is going to camps and getting invited to camps from college coaches. Is that enough to get scouted? 

Another question is about my height. I am really short and I believe I do a decent job outside but I know it's not enough to get scouted from a D1 or D2 school unless it's small. I can set good but I'm not the best passer. Should I start working on my passing to become a libro or a DS to get scouted by colleges? what are the requirements to get noticed by a D2 or D1 school do I have to get all-state or play on the USA volleyball team? My last 2 questions I promise sorry I have a lot of questions. I can jump I have a lot of muscles in my legs but how to my jump higher by doing my approach lower to the ground? I see college players jump with their legs and their feet are almost touching their butts how do I do that? 

It's okay if you can't answer all of them cause you probably have other people to answer. Thank you for taking the time to respond if you can. 

From S.M.

As you have listed a number of questions, please allow me to break them out, so I can be sure to answer all of them:

• "....how do you  get Gatorade player of the year?" It is my understanding that Gatorade has a player of the "state" and from these state players a national player is selected.  I am not sure how the players are nominated, but I think it is via their high school program and then a selection committee chooses the state and national player.  Obviously, the Gatorade player of the year is extremely talented and committed to one of the top NCAA Division I programs in the country.
• "I am on captainU to get recruited is that the best website to get recruited from?" For transparency, my full time job (I know it is amazing that collegevolleyballcoach.com is not my full time job) is with NCSA Athletic Recruiting, so I believe NCSA's combination of a Free Recruiting Profile and Premium Membership options, makes them the best recruiting service or I would not be working for them.  That being said, Captain U is popular but I could not provide you any pertinent feedback or evaluation of their abilities.  The key to any recruiting website, and any recruiting effort, is how much you reach out to college coaches and promote/market yourselves.  Recruiting services can be a great tool to achieve your recruiting goals, but you still need to maximize their resources.
• "I know I am a sophomore and I shouldn't be worry about getting committed or knowing that you have college interested in you but I do. Because some girls are already committing to colleges or universities or know that big schools are looking at them. At my age which is scary. Should I be worried that I'm not?"  As a sophomore, you should be aware and involved (but not "worried") with the recruiting process.  The sophomore year is the time segment to start evaluating what you desire and can realistically achieve in college volleyball recruiting.  What part of the country are you comfortable attending school? What level of volleyball can you succeed at?  What are your academic desires?  How big or small of a school are you comfortable with?  These are all questions that should guide your outreach and interaction with college volleyball programs/schools.
• "The only way I'm getting looked at is going to camps and getting invited to camps from college coaches. Is that enough to get scouted?"  No.  As I have written and spoke about, using college volleyball camps as a recruiting mechanism is not the best use of your time and money.  Because of a loophole in the NCAA rules, college volleyball programs/coaches are allowed to send camp information to any age high school player.  Unfortunately, many college volleyball coaches will use the potential of recruitment as a means to drive registrations.  Players must understand that each program will only have a couple of scholarships and a few total openings, and there are hundreds of high school players that attend a camp.  In addition, college coaches know if you can play at their level after they see you play in club or watch a video tape.  Sure, that camp scholarship does happen for some players but winning the lottery does happen for some people also.  You avenue to get evaluated is by reaching out to college coaches with your information and A VIDEO LINK.  As you play club, if the college coaches believe (after watching your video) that you can make their team better, then they will recruit you and come see you play in person. You should be using the email and internet to reach hundreds of schools for free, rather than spending hundreds of dollars to reach a couple of schools thru camps.
• "Another question is about my height. I am really short and I believe I do a decent job outside but I know it's not enough to get scouted from a D1 or D2 school unless it's small. I can set good but I'm not the best passer. Should I start working on my passing to become a libro or a DS to get scouted by colleges? what are the requirements to get noticed by a D2 or D1 school do I have to get all-state or play on the USA volleyball team?" College volleyball is specialized and in the recruiting process, you must specialize in the position you play.  As a 5'8" OH/OP, you would be on the shorter side but you will not be disqualified because of your height.  Because you are an OH, you should always be working on your passing because that position necessitates ball control.  Realistically, a 5'8" OH is not going to get a lot of love from DI coaches, but if you have a good jump, good ball control, a positive attitude and solid work ethic, then many DII's and NAIA schools will recruit you (if they know about you from you reaching out).
• "My last 2 questions I promise sorry I have a lot of questions. I can jump I have a lot of muscles in my legs but how to my jump higher by doing my approach lower to the ground? I see college players jump with their legs and their feet are almost touching their butts how do I do that?"  Every player has their own body movements when jumping; some go into a deep squat while others slightly bend their legs.  In general, the more you bend your legs (to a certain point) the higher you will jump.  One area that many players don't maximize is the use of their arms.  When doing an approach, the drive of the arms back and then up, will increase the heigh of the attack jump.  Like anything, practicing approaches at max jumping (but not with a ball or set) will allow you to increase your ability.  You want to get better at something, then practice it while using the technique or skills you wish to utilize.

In summary, reach out to college coaches, keep improving your ball control and your physical conditioning!

Coach

College Volleyball Coach Summer Road Camps

Maybe because it is stupid cold in the midwest right now but I am already thinking about the summer - Each summer I do a number of 'Road Camps' for high school programs - I am fortunate to have worked with some teams for over 10 years!

I have already confirmed my return schedule for summer of 2016 and have a couple of open dates.  If your high school program would be interested in an intense, team focused summer camp in your school gym, please have your high school coach email me at collegevolleyballcoach@gmail.com.

Stay warm my Volley friends!

Junior Year Recruiting Management

Hey Coach,

Awesome site and most helpful as we volley parents attempt to make sense of the recruiting process.

Our daughter falls into what I read you describe as the Toyota Camry of the college volleyball recruiting process. The 5'10" outside with good athletic ability. She can hit most shots, plays 6 rotations and has nice hands and sets occasionally. 

We follow your recruiting plan outlined in your book but wanted to get some further clarification from you in the recruiting process. We have a pretty solid out reach program with info fliers and youtube link that we send out with film. We are also being realistic as to what schools we reach out too (mostly mid to lower D1 and competitive D2/NAIA).

Now for the questions..... Please share insights on screening the schools to determine which are sincerely interested vs just dragging us along for the ride? I imagine that being a Toyota Camry, many schools may want to drag you along just as a back up plan in the event that they can't get the 6' kid that they have atop their list. Seeing that we are now in February, any advice on how much time to give a school before writing them off? Should we hold out for a D1 or jump if a nice D2 or NAIA offer comes along? Also, regarding unofficial visits, most schools will gladly accept a potential recruit to pay their way for a visit but any insight on qualifying a potential school before paying for an unofficial visit? Also, how should we view the school that emails to invite to their summer camp seeing that our daughter will be a senior next year? Lastly, is it realistic for a Camry recruit to receive offers during the spring or summer prior to their senior year or do they typically go into their Senior year before receiving offers?

Thanks again for your insights.

Unfrozen Volley Parents

Glad to hear that collegevolleyballcoach.com and Inside College Volleyball have been a positive resource for your family during the recruiting process. It sounds as if you are doing a great job of managing the process and putting your daughter into the best position to make the best decision for her future!

As you mentioned, the timing of being a Camry can be a challenge because each college volleyball coach will have a different tempo in their recruitment of these solid, all around players.  One of the new trends which I have observed, is how college programs, especially D1, will slow down their recruiting efforts of Juniors during the late spring/summer.  I think this is a result of the college coach wanting to 'hold' that scholarship for a bit to see what comes around the corner.  

In today's college volleyball recruiting environment, there are late opportunities for a program to secure a college transfer (JC or 4 year), an international player, a talented high school senior returning from injury, etc.  College coaches have learned not to offer a scholarship to a Camry in the late spring/summer of the Junior year, just incase a more talented recruit comes available the next recruiting season.

I now counsel Junior families not to panic and take a "good enough" scholarship offer in the summer or fall of their Senior year, but to wait until the next club season to see what comes around their corner.  With the craziness of today's college volleyball climate, just as coaches are waiting for a better recruit, families should consider waiting for a better college program/coach as a result of job changes and roster changes (kids quitting or getting cut).

Because of the stall game that many college programs employ, and my advice for Junior families to also stall, managing the communication can be a challenge.  My advice is to keep 'chatting' with all the current schools, along with using the fall to reach out to new schools.  You have to keep in casual communication with so many schools as a Junior Camry, because of the potential upside of a scholarship offer.  Casual because you can't force the mindset of the coach and you don't want to show your hand in poker first.

With regards to a low DI or better D2/NAIA, that is really a function of your family's comfort zone.  A DI scholarship will be a full, while the D2/NAIA will be a package scholarship that could vary in amount from a small partial to a full offer (combined scholarship avenues).  In general, the majority of D2/NAIA schools will wait until the Senior year to secure their recruits (majority but not entirety).  

My advice is to put the recruiting process into managed cruise control at this juncture - Keep in casual communication with programs, keep reaching out to new programs, keep your PSA focused on developing her skill sets because talent creates opportunities, only make an unofficial visit if the school directly extends an invite and it is a school that is of interest for your PSA, and the hardest part of all…..be patient; while it is daunting to believe, the winter of the senior year brings a ton of new scholarship and roster opportunities.  

Camps, never for recruiting…….

Coach

College Volleyball Camps

Hi Coach,
 
First, I wanted to thank you for your book!  It answered every question I had (and questions that I did not know I should have) about college volleyball.  This is a world I never thought we would be finding ourselves in five or six years ago, and I am so appreciative for your knowledge and guidance!
 
We have a very smart, lefty right side hitter -  Her approach touch is 9'8".  She is a sophomore, she loves volleyball and really wants to play in college.  Last summer, she went to a summer camp at a Top 10 program and had a great time (she would like to go back).  But she is not 6'5" so  we don't think it's likely she'll actually be playing for this team.  She also did the USA HP Camp, and loved that as well -- but we are hearing it may be a better use of her time this summer to attend the camps of schools she is interested in.
 
A lot of the schools she is hoping to play for on the West Coast don't seem to have as structured overnight camps as the Top 10 program -- for example, some are co-ed, some are ages 10+, some are "all skills" etc. so it's hard to tell which ones she would benefit the most from.  She is also looking at several East Coast schools.   She is 15, so she is open to a lot of different options!   Do you have any recommendations on really good summer women's volleyball camp programs?  She only has about four weeks in the summer (assuming her team goes to JOs) that she can attend camps, and we would really like to send her to the ones where she will be getting the best experience for the cost (which can be pretty expensive).  Or, maybe we should be sending her to what may end up being not-so-structured camps, but the coaches get to see her?  Or maybe she does USA High Performance again because it's a great experience?  
 
Your help is very much appreciated.
 
Thanks!
 
A Volleymom


p.s. I should add, I would love to keep her around this summer.  It was weird having her gone so much at 14.  I would like to make the most of the time we have left with her, but I understand this is what she wants to do ...  If there's a happy medium, that would be great.   :) 


Thank you for the compliments on Inside College Volleyball and I am happy to know that my book has served as a positive resource for your management of the recruiting process.

If you have read through my posts on collegevolleyballcoach.com, then you should know my opinion on camps for recruiting…..not a good choice.  Camps are not reality; they are not the best way to be discovered or to evaluate a school's volleyball program because how a program/school operates during camps, is not how they will operate during the school year or season (especially true of NCAA DI programs). If a player wants to see a variety of campuses, then use that camp money to go on a few unofficial visits; one camp cost can fund multiple unofficial visits.

Camps should be viewed in two ways; a volleyball vacation and/or a training opportunity.  As you alluded to in your email, there are so many variances in college volleyball camps that it can be a challenge to determine what is a 'good' camp in terms of training.  I wish I could objectively tell you that State University has a great camp for skill development or State College teaches the Fujian swing offense perfectly, but there is no way to do so.

This is my suggestion based upon her age, position and timeframe of the summer - No summer camps and play sand volleyball.  With only 4 weeks off and being 15 years old, she needs time to recover physically.  A big mistake I see families make is not having down time for their kids.  Sure, a 15 year old can play a ton and not seem to need a big block of time off, but that wear and tear bill will be paid when they are a senior in high school or early in college.  Down time allows her to recover physically and mentally, and 4 weeks of no indoor will not have a negative impact upon her skill sets.

If she wants/needs to play, then find a sand court and let her play doubles.  Sand doubles has always been a great way to improve skills, teach competitiveness and provide a low impact work out.

Good luck!

Coach

The 14 year old college volleyball recruit….

Hi - Just came across your website, my daughter is 6'2 14 years old, just started playing volleyball last year on a national clubteam, is very good , plays middle.Also plays for a high school that has awesome volleyball program and coaches. She triedout for the USA HP and made the A2 team and went to Colorado this summer and trained and learned so much...

My question is (well 2): I'm finding all of these recruiting websites some free some not, which website do you recommend? Also, what do you think of the HP programs? Verses summer college camps?
I'm also hearing that this year playing 15u Nationals first team is gonna be a big year for her!! Feeling very excited!

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

There are any number of recruiting services and with full disclosure, I work for NCSA Athletic Recruiting, which I believe is the best service out there.  I think that their Free site is amazing and a wealth of information (and it is really free); their Premium (paid site) is the best in the business and offers outstanding support.  

Basically, everything a recruiting service does, a family can do - The challenge is, does the family have the time and technological prowess to educate themselves about all the rules/eligibility issues, research schools/programs, make videos, reach out to schools, prepare for visits, etc?  Some families can and some get really overwhelmed.

When looking at the HP program or Summer College Camps, the key is to not view them through the spectrum of recruiting.  The HP program is the avenue to represent the USA in international competition (with the apex being the Olympic team).  College Camps can be a great volleyball vacation or training opportunity (the ONLY time I recommend a college camp for recruiting is if the player has it narrowed down to just a couple of schools and can't really decide; then the camp may help).  

I believe the best way to view the HP program or College Camps is for improving skill sets.  Each avenue has its benefits and challenges; how good are the actual coaches working with your child?  I am rather sure that the DI head coach is not punching balls at camp and Coach Karch is not working with the HP team on blocking footwork.  But, maybe they are????

The Freshman year for tall, talented athletes can be important….but it can also be overwhelming for parents. The excitement of having their daughter getting attention from 50 college programs quickly wears off when the parents realize how aggressive college coaches can be, and the pressure they exert upon families to make a very, way too early decision about their daughter's collegiate future.

In closing, I strongly suggest that you been aware of keeping the tempo of the recruiting process slow and steady; don't get too high, don't get too low.

Coach Sonnichsen

College Volleyball Camp Invites

Within the last couple of weeks, I have received a few emails concerning invites to college volleyball camps.  In an attempt to answer these emails in one post, and provide information to families which are considering attending college volleyball camps, please read on.....

As I have written in the past about college volleyball camps, and in Inside College Volleyball - I suggest that families look at college volleyball camps three ways:

1)  As a skill development opportunity.

2)  As a Volleyball vacation.

3)  For Recruiting.


Before expanding on each of the three categories, please be aware of NCAA contact rules.  College camp invites are allowed to be sent to any Prospective Student Athlete (PSA) no matter their year in school.  So, even though a NCAA Division I program cannot contact you as a freshman or sophomore by email, or phone, or mail, or telegram or Optimus Prime, they can still send you a camp invite.

Also, college volleyball coaches, even NCAA Division I coaches use camps as a necessary income supplement.  You would be stunned to know just how much (or little) many college volleyball coaches earn, considering they are responsible for the safety and welfare of your daughter.  They need camps for income; if not for themselves, then for their assistants who really don't make any money.

And now to the camp trifecta:

Skill Development - Traditionally, a player goes to a summer camp in hopes of developing their skill sets and this should be of prime concern when reviewing any college volleyball camp opportunity.  There are any number of collegiate camps which do a great job of reinforcing proper skills and providing maximum opportunities, but there are also any number of collegiate camps which do not.  

Often times, the best skill development can come from colleges which are not big name.  For example, Giant University Volleyball Camp has 20 courts and 300 campers at their camp, but who is going to actually coach your daughter?  Is it the head coach?  No, the head coach will float around like a game show host smiling and doing a few demos.  Is it one of the full time assistants?  Probably not because there are too many courts and players. You may be lucky if it is a junior college or club coach, and most likely it will just be a current college player.  

Lastly, college volleyball camps are expensive; I know because I ran many DI volleyball camp.  Yes, we are trying to generate maximum income, but we get charged a lot by the school for everything (gym space, insurance, dorms, food, electricity, bananas, etc).


Volleyball Vacation - This is not a bad thing.  Sometimes it is just nice to go to the campus of a school that the family likes; whether it is because they are alumni or like the football team or the grandparents are in the same town.  They get to hang out on campus for a few days, they get to stay in the dorms, use the athletic facility, experience on campus living and they get to play volleyball.  

Not all high school players want to play collegiate volleyball, and many will attend a college volleyball camp because they may want to just go to school at that university.  If they get some good volleyball training, which helps them in their upcoming high school season, then that is just the bonus.


Recruiting - This is where the heartache begins.....Be aware of NCAA rules and understand that today's recruiting environment is very professional; college coaches know what they are doing.  They don't need you to come to camp so they can evaluate you because they will know if you can make them better within 10 minutes of watching you play club volleyball.  Even if you do come to camp and you have the perfect attitude, the college coach will offer their opening to another player if that other player is better.  

If you are one of their top recruits, of course college coaches want you to come to camp; you are paying them for an unofficial visit!!!  Speaking of using the camp as an unofficial visit, camps are not reality; camps are the absolute best case scenario.  College coaches are great during camps; there is no season pressure, they don't have to coach their own team, it is summer time so campus life is simple, the current college players are having fun and getting paid, they don't have to deal with the college coaches yelling at them in practice, they are not traveling trying to balance homework and trainings.  

I absolutely, vehemently do not recommend using college camps for promoting or marketing your daughter; this is like playing the lottery but each ticket is $200.00 bucks (for marketing/promoting, you would be better served to not go to two collegiate camps and instead join NCSA Athletic Recruiting's paid service for support that lasts your entire volleyball career).  

The only time I say that college camps are applicable in the recruiting process, is when you have narrowed your list of programs down to your last couple and spending time on campus for longer than just an unofficial visit may help you make the final decision.


Please take a moment and objectively look at what your goals are when considering college volleyball camps.

Coach

Summer Volleyball

Hi Coach,

My daughter is a 6'3" Freshman middle.  Her approach is 9'10.5".  She has an athletic build.  This is her first year in club.  She has already gotten better, but she's still got some catching up to do.  Everyone seems to be excited about her potential.  The club coaches have advised us to wait on contacting any college coaches until next club season.  

In the meantime, she needs to work really hard on improving her skill level.  What do you think would be the best use of our time and money this Summer--private lessons, college camps, club camps, or something else?  We are willing to make a significant investment of both time and money this Summer in hopes of having her up to the level of a major D1 school recruit.  Do you think this is possible? We just want to invest wisely.


Thanks,
CG

First of all, let me applaud your club coaches who said to wait until her sophomore year before reaching out to collegiate coaches; that is refreshing to hear!!!

There are many options available to improve a player's skill sets during the summer months and each one presents a different opportunity.  Of the ones that you mentioned, I would suggest private lessons and sand volleyball.

Private lessons allow you to specifically target the skill sets she would need to be successful at the upper DI level; footwork, armswing, blocking mechanics, etc.  Private lessons also allow for a best use of time, as they can accomplish quite a bit, in a short time segment and hopefully based upon your schedule/calendar needs.

Sand Volleyball is all the rage now with club and potentially college volleyball (sand), but many folks forget that it is also one of the best training and skill improving opportunities there is.  Playing doubles in the sand forces players to develop their all around game (a big criticism of today's college player and one reason that international players are so desired by elite teams), teaches strategy and competitive focus, and is in a physically safe environment (the sand is wonderful on the body; makes it stronger without impactive stress injuries).

College camps tend to be very expensive and who knows who the coach will be instructing your daughter; could be good, could be sophomore, could be a buddy of the college coach.

Club camps are also a bit unpredictable; who is doing the instructions?  Is it a guest coach or is it the same coaches she has already had?  Is she going to improve in the same environment or will having new stimuli be better (yes, it will).

As this is your PSA's first full year in club, and she is tall, she will have the potential to improve to that elite level, but it may take her a bit longer than a freshman who is 6'3" and has been playing club for a number of years.  

What you want to be careful about is pushing too hard too quick; yes she is probably rapidly improving at this time segment but this rapid improvement can be physically and mentally overwhelming.  Please make sure to build in plenty of down time so she can just be a kid!

Coach Sonnichsen

Slow Down and Enjoy Volleyball

Hi,

I found your website a few days ago and was glad that I did. I had a few questions that I was wondering if you could provide me guidance or tips of what I can do to help out my daughter. I am relatively new to the sport of volleyball and want to make sure that I provide solid decisions for my daughter.

My daughter has really fallen in love with the sport and I am trying to help her growth by making the right decisions so that she can grow and play in college.

My daughter now is going into her second year of playing volleyball. She most likely will not be a very tall volleyball player just due to genetics, I am only 5’ 9” and her birth mom is only 5’ 2”. She as of right now is 11 years old and is in the 5th grade, she started playing club volleyball last year. She also played for her school team. 

We now are playing volleyball about 10-11 months out of the year. Going into this year we were told by some of the club coaches that they felt my daughter should for sure make the 12U elite team so we tried out for the 12U age group with full knowledge that she could easily play with the 11’s. My daughter made one of the 12 regional teams. She is the youngest player on the team and also the shortest. My daughter’s coach has asked my daughter to play libero for the team. In talking with the coach, and before she had ever told my daughter what position she was going to play, the coach had informed me that libero was her favorite position and that she wanted my daughter to play it as she is really good as passing and moving on the court. Which leads to my first question of, is it too young for my daughter to become a specialized player?

We both have full plans to after the indoor season is over to move outside to play beach volleyball. This will be this club’s first year offering beach volleyball but from my understanding the more touches I can get her the better off she will be. My daughter is the type of player that thrives on being challenged is why we decided to play up one age group and also to play sand volleyball. Is it too early to play sand volleyball?

My daughter has also mentioned that she wants to go to some of the college volleyball camps. Is it too early for her to start going to these camps to make an impact with the coaches for future college scholarships? Essentially I want to help her get on the coach’s radar but just do not know when do they actually start taking note of the players. Some of the college’s clinics my daughter wants to visit are 12 + hours away from home, which I do not mind, as long as it would help her out in the future.

At the age and grade that my daughter is in, what do we need to focus on right now?
I look forward to hearing back from you and I really do appreciate your time.

R.M.

Thank you for your email and I am glad you found collegevolleyballcoach.com also!!!

My biggest impression from your email is that you are passionate about your daughter and her Volleyball development/success.  My second biggest impression is this is WAY too early to worry about anything other than getting touches on the ball.

1.  Club volleyball is specialized at birth, so the coaches are going to do what the coaches are going to do - The focus here is to have fun and improve, even though the coaches are specializing (side note, this is a big weakness in USA youth Volleyball when compared to other countries).

2.  Never too early to play beach/sand volleyball - I played at a very early age with my parents and loved it; great way to balance the specialization of the indoor game is by the all around sand game.

3.  At her age, college camps should just be for fun and traveling 12 hours in a car for a camp/clinic cannot be a lot of fun (or maybe it could be if you make it a father/daughter adventure trip?)   Her physical development has not progressed to really garner intense training and to look at it from a recruiting perspective is illogical. This should be viewed as fun touches, at a college and you get a cool t-shirt from a school people may know.

Please, please, please just let her play - Absolutely do not worry about recruiting until her sophomore year in high school; she sounds to be a libero and libero's are last in the recruiting process anyways.  

Just keep feeding her volleyball touches when she wants them but never make her eat too much volleyball at her young age!

Coach

NCAA Division I Volleyball Recruiting and Reality Feedback

Hello,

I'm a parent of a college student-athlete. She committed to a DI program late her sophomore year. My DD has always been a home body, yet, she chose a school on the other side of the country. The first year was filled w/ mixed emotions. She was really scared of the "unknown" and had been told horror stories of the horrible "two-a-days" and bootcamp training etc. Yet, once she was in her groove, she'd send a text "it's not that bad Mom. I'm really happy".  Phew! I'd exhale a sigh of relief and tell all my friends and family how happy she was……only to receive another text/email that she was thinking of transferring. Gulp. 

Once Christmas break arrived, the first week my husband had to hold me back while she discussed all the reasons she wanted to quit (I've never allowed her to quit mid-season since she was 5 and wanted to quit soccer. By week three of winter break she was so excited to get back to school and days later was tweeting/instagraming/facebooking pictures of her and the team. Yay---I think?!  At that time I decided that I need to just let her vent and roll w/ all the different emotions.

When she came home this summer she showed me her contract that she had signed sometime in the spring (oh, I guess she decided to play another year of volleyball) and had a stack of paperwork to fill out to help work the summer camps.

Long story short: the freshman year CAN be a roller coaster. My advise: don't overreact, don't defend the other players/coaches/rules (if they complain). Just be a soft place to fall when they call. And, know their emotions can change on a monthly and/or daily basis.

Sophomore year: Our daughter decided to attend summer school, work the college camps and stay on campus from June 23-December (w/ a week off in August). She's on week one of working summer vb camp (w/ homework, lifting, tutor, open gym). My guess it's going to be a long summer.


Question: Why don't the coaches warn the girls (or, the parents so we don't panic and think our DD's have been thrown into a child slavery ring--haha) how grueling it is? Or, are they afraid they won't have any of their players show up for summer camps?? It sounds like a BRUTAL schedule: 6am run/lift, eat, summer camps, class 6-9pm, open gym 8-10pm.
UGH.

Hope all is well!  S.L.

This is the new reality of college athletics for all sports.  The 11.5 month a year of NCAA Division I athletic commitment used to be just football and men's basketball, and now it is standard for all sports.  

College coaches don't advertise or educate the parents about this for two reasons - 1) During the recruiting process they don't want to scare parents away; they want to paint the best possible picture with the least amount of serious information, 2) After a player arrives to campus, coaches don't want to deal with parents at all, period and end of story.  So, they are not going to keep parents in the loop or educated them about what happens next.

It is a brutal schedule for the Student-Athletes and this schedule is demanded of coaches by the athletic directors now - This is one of the main reasons that I stopped coaching NCAA DI Volleyball.  

I did not want my athletes in this schedule, and as a coach, I did not want to have to enforce/monitor this schedule in the summer after working 80 hour weeks during the Fall season and 80 hour weeks in the spring recruiting calendar!  

Coach Matt

NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Scholarships

Coach,

I think this is a straightforward question, but I am having difficulty finding a concise answer "out there".  My daughter is a rising senior in the fall and has been communicating with a low-mid level D1 school all club season. This is her number one academic and athletic school.  She has made an unofficial visit at their request where we were told they were interested in her for MH/RS.  They said they were not looking at any other right sides. She is going to a camp at their school next week also at their suggestion.  She has been looking forward to working with the coaches and players and living on campus for a week to a get a feel of the whole thing.

 

This school is fortunate to be "fully funded" but the also carry a roster of about 15.  From what I have read D1 is a head count sport of 12 and everything says that "only 12 heads can be on scholarship"...does that mean that 12 are full ride and the other 3 get nothing?

 

We are concerned that she has not been made a verbal offer as of yet and that they want her as a free player....am I misunderstanding the rule?  I really thought that he told us during our meeting that everyone on the team gets some assistance = some full and some partial scholarships?  Can this be?

 

Also if she goes to the camp and still leaves without an offer made while on campus how do we ask what's up? They asked her to come - they said they were not recruiting anyone else for that position...she has 2 other schools where she has offers to play at, one D2 who has offered full ride with academic and athletic scholarships and one that we have not talked money with yet as they know we are essentially waiting on this other school.Suggestions?

 

signed - a volley family who feels sooo close to the finish line it hurts :)

Apologies for the delay in responding and hope my answers are still time pertinent.

1.  NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball is a Head Count sport where only 12 'heads' or players are allowed to be on any amount of athletic scholarship money.  

2.  The NCAA limit for scholarships for Division I women's volleyball is 12.  The result of this is that each of the 12 heads, at a fully funded program, will automatically be on a full athletic scholarship.

3.  Any players beyond the NCAA DI 12 athletic scholarship players, are allowed to receive non athletic aid (academic, merit, need, etc).  And with the flexibility most school's admissions/financial aid departments have, that many non-athletic scholarship athletes can still receive some type of aid. 

4.  I would not read too much into "only RS" because they may mean only right side they are looking at versus only right side they are scholarship recruiting.  The needs of the program can easily change from semester to semester.

5.  If post camp, they have not immediately offered a scholarship, then they will not be offering a scholarship (at this time).  She has taken an unofficial, they have seen her play and now she is going to camp - There is nothing else on the 'to-do' list for either side.  

A.  They are hoping to get her as a walk on.

B.  They are stalling out the process, incase they need to scholarship a MH/RS for next year, but for some reason, won't offer now.  

C.  Remember, that this is a business - Post camp, directly ask the coach (face, call or email) if a scholarship will be offered.  If they stall or they say they are thinking, then the answer is no.

6.  If they do not offer, then I suggest you move forward with the other school's which are offering athletic scholarships (either solo or combined) should a scholarship be necessary for your daughter to attend college (as it is with many athletes).

My final suggestion is to not trip over the finish line.......Keep working through the process, keep interacting, keep reaching out to new schools.  I know you want to be done with this, but better to stay strong an extra month or two, and know you did everything possible to empower a great 4 to 5 years for your baby!

Coach Matt

College Prep Camp - By The Coach

I receive a number of emails each week from VolleyFamilies asking about my camps.  In response, I have partnered with Championship Volleyball in Kansas City, to offer two Open camps this summer.  Hopefully Kansas City is a central enough location to be accessible to interested families (apologies to the west and east coast readers!).

Each camp will be focused on College Prep - I want players to understand what skill sets the college coaches are looking for in the recruiting process and how these translate into success as a collegiate athlete.  In addition, I will provide a Recruiting Education Talk to all families, outlining today's recruiting climate and how to successfully manage this process.


Friday, June 28th - Passers and Defense.  Click HERE for registration/information.

Monday, July 1st - Hitter and Setter.  Click HERE for registration/information.


As a reminder, all registration and information is carried on the Championship Volleyball site.

If your schedule allows, I hope to see you at camp this summer and I know each camp will be a positive step in your college recruiting efforts!

Volleyball Camp Question

Coach –

Love your book, love your website – a great resource... much appreciated!  I don’t believe I’ve seen this angle addressed as yet in a question in the Summer Camp category.

Our PSA is a locally respected 5’-8” sophomore OH with solid all-around skills… but in an area of the country that isn’t Southern California, Florida or Texas J.  This question pertains to when a PSA should consider attending the summer camp at a school in which she has considerable interest in attending.  As a 5’-8” OH all-around (good passer) with current 9’-1” block and 9’-4” approach touches, we’re realistic in recognizing that any D1 or upper tier D2/NAIA opportunities would likely be in the back row.  

High school match highlight film has been sent to a couple dozen schools with Club film from national qualifiers to follow, so we’re covering that ground.  PSA has considerable interest in a few NAIA/D2 programs in California and, with full acknowledgment of the “financial risk” in attending a summer camp, we may still be willing to burn a few bucks so that our PSA can see and experience the highly desired NAIA/D2 campus and assess current players and coaches… and possibly make an impression recognizing that attitude and character play into the equation, particularly at some private schools.  We also acknowledge that our PSA’s size and “maybe OH, likely DS” status puts her into a scenario where her primary recruiting solicitations could come in spring of senior year.

Which finally brings us to the question:  Would attending a camp between sophomore and junior years hinder our PSA’s opportunity to impress because, from a relative eyeball-test standpoint, she will be playing with girls a year older/bigger/stronger/quicker at camp?  If we’re willing to pursue the school and camp, are we better off waiting until next summer? 

 It was obvious to me that the Open 17U courts at our recent NQ were showcasing better volleyball than the Open 16U courts.  And girls don’t wear big “Class of 20XX” and “Class of 20YY” stickers on their shirts in camp to tell them apart.  So… is attending a camp between sophomore and junior years a bigger waste of money than between junior and senior years, or do coaching staffs have eyes that effectively parse out the age groups at their camps? 

As always, we appreciate your perspective.

VolleyDad

Thank you for your email question and the complete information; appreciate the nice compliment on my book, Inside College Volleyball.  I am heartened to read that you understand summer camps for recruiting purposes can perhaps be not the best choice of funds.

Yet, if a VolleyFamily does feel that going to a camp at a school which is of interest to them and (let me stress this point) the school has expressed strong interest in the PSA, then I am just glad it is your money and not mine!  I still reference that this camp visit becomes a very expensive unofficial visit, and one which is not reality - College coaches and programs are on their best behavior at camp because it is business.  Summer Camp is not reality; a college coach is not trying to win games at summer camp, then are just trying to cash the checks of the campers and put on a 'good show'.

All ranting over; based upon specifics of your PSA's recruiting situation, I would suggest waiting to go to camps used for recruiting, until the Junior to Senior summer.  Beyond the nature of D2/NAIA's to recruit heavier during this time frame, the odds are better that the college coach will actually be there to coach your PSA after one year, than after two years.  

There is so much turnover within the collegiate coach ranks, and coupled with the Athletic Director's general uninterested stance towards volleyball athletes, VolleyFamilies are making a poor wager that the coach they interact with as a Sophomore in high school will be there when their baby girl arrives onto campus as a Freshman in college.

As camps are smaller than mega volleyball tournament, and believing the college coach knows you are coming (hence, they have shown substantial interest in the PSA), then there is no need to walk around with the graduation year on the t-shirt.

Let me close with this; if a VolleyFamily (and I am not specifically referencing your family Mr. Volley Dad) has reached out to a coach/program (via email and with film) and this family knows the college coach came and viewed their PSA at a tournament/practice.........and the college coach has not expressed a sincere interest, and the VolleyFamily is still set on going to camp for recruiting - Well, please just take that $800.00 dollars and send it to me so I can use it for an airline ticket.  I promise you that the pictures I send back to you from Hawaii of me surfing will bring more enjoyment to your family than the t-shirt and lack of attention your PSA will bring home from the camp!

Distilled answer - Bigger waste to go to recruiting camp summer of sophomore to junior and better to wait because the junior to senior year is when majority of your better fit schools are recruiting.

Coach Matt