Not Playing High School Volleyball

 Hello Coach - We need your advice.

My daughter, a DS/L 2021, is likely going to be cut from her high school team this week.  This is a pretty big time high school program, with talent deep in her position, that the coach has the luxury of being able to play some favorites.  

Meanwhile, she is committed to a D3 program and she has been committed for awhile. 

But what does she tell the coach if she is cut from high school?  Is that going to raise red flags for the coach?  I am thinking that my daughter have a conf. call with the coach and just be very respectful and diplomatic and tell the truth, with no disparaging of the high school coach.  Should either me or my wife be on that video call, or should this be just my daughter and the college coach?   We hate to see the high school situation kill her college dream.   

It is largely due to your blog that she is committed to playing in college - we have used it as our "manual" for several years!  

Thank you, H.C.

Thank you for your email and the compliments on the site - Glad to hear that collegevolleyballcoach.com has helped your family!

When it comes to high school volleyball (and honestly, the odds of high school sports actually occurring this fall are not great because of COVID 19), college coaches are not overly concerned. Now, we say the right things about high school volleyball, as not to upset the high school coaches and seem like narcissistic jerks, but a recruit's success within the high school program is not a priority in our evaluation efforts.

We understand that high school volleyball is its own creature and that the combination of crazy players, crazy parents and crazy coaches can often make high school volleyball a trainwreck.  As a college coach, I only really wanted two things from my recruits when they played high school volleyball - Maximize the free touches (as opposed to the paid touches of club volleyball) and don't get hurt.

Because of the increased length of the club volleyball season, from November to July (if not even longer), club is the absolute driver of player development and recruiting.  When combined with the fact that high school and college volleyball competitive seasons are concurrent, college coaches don't have the time to focus on a recruit's high school results.

As to your question, I would not lend drama or energy to this situation with regards to the college coach.  College coaches are concerned about talent and specifically, does an incoming player have the ability to make their collegiate team better.  From the information in your email, it appears as if your daughter has impressed her future collegiate coach with her talent level.

I would suggest the following:

• Your daughter sends the coach an email, letting her know that she will not be on the high school team.
• Briefly explain it was a numbers situation, as it is a very large school and program, and this year's Senior class had an abundance of Libero/DS players.
• Tell the coach that she will be doing private lessons/clinics with her club team this fall, as to get her repetitions and keep her skills sharp, as she transitions into the club season.

Also, keep in mind that as a D3 program, there is no athletic scholarship associated with your daughter - The coach has not invested or allocated a scholarship.  

Keep the email brief and to the point; if the college coach has any concerns, she will reach out for a follow-up.  As long as your daughter is getting touches this fall and is full go with club volleyball later this year, then it will be all good.

Coach

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

High School Volleyball Position and Playing time....

Hi Coach

My daughter has always played up...she's now turning 14 and made the JV team at her high school and will play her own age for club this year.

My kid is getting frustrated with school volleyball.

She is the best passer on the team

She is the hardest and most consistent hitter on the team

and...she is pretty immature compared to some of her teammates.

The coach plays her as setter, left side, right side and libero.

She's the only person that plays more than 1 position.

She is the first ever Gr. 9 he's moved up (he told me he doesn't believe in it).

She is constantly being praised in practices and used as an example for pretty much everything (he's creating animosity)

Thing is...She never starts.

She is subbed in for whoever is playing poorly....and regardless of her performance she's not started in the next set.

She scores pretty much at will.

When they're behind coach instructs the setter to set her up every time.

Now as we're nearing the end of the season he told her that she'll only be playing back row (unlimited subs and not as libero because they want her serving). 

She now enters the back row with our 2 other strong passers (outside hitters) and  front row is stuck in a rotation with a left side who is ok at passing and can hit over-and-ins but can't EVER score...and a middle who is a good passer but also can't finish a point. We've lost huge point leads (10+) stuck in this rotation and there's no point scores on the bench because the hardest hitter is playing back row for the only middle that can score at will.

In this rotation...the back row can keep rallies alive with the most incredible digs (very entertaining volleyball) but, the front row can't finish a point. We're just praying for a miss, or net violation. 

The coach is very accomplished and knowledgeable....I just can't figure out what he's doing...and I don't know what to say to my kid when she gets frustrated.

 

Any thoughts?????

V.L.

Thank you for your email.  First of all, let me compliment you for actually acknowledging that your daughter is not perfect "...pretty immature compared to her teammates".  So many parents (myself included) only have perfect children.

Two things to stress:

1)  High school volleyball does not matter in the collegiate recruiting process, other than to get free touches.  If anything, because of all the positions she is playing, and having to adjust her skill sets game to game, this scenario is actually helping develop her all around abilities.

2)  The coach is protecting the egos of the returning/older players by not starting your daughter and keeping her on the bench.  He has the luxury of bringing a very good player off the bench, to plug what every hole pops up that game.  The only critical thing I could say, is the coach should stay away from singing her praises in front of the players.

I suggest that you enjoy the moment because she is just a freshman and all of this is gravy, especially since she is playing club volleyball.  As for your daughter, remind her that she gets to play every position which will make her better for club and she still has 3 more years of wearing the high school uniform!

Coach

College Volleyball Recruiting and the Short Player (#876)

Coach, 

Good day to you. I recently ran across your post on collegevolleyballcoach.com and I have a few questions. 

But first, a bit of background: my daughter is a veteran on her HS varsity volleyball team. Last year (10th gr), she was one of only 2 underclassmen picked to play on the varsity team for her school. She has been a Middle Blocker since 2015 when her former club coach moved her from the OH/RS positions during a tourney to cover an injured player. She did so well that she became the starting MB. 

During tryouts for school the following season (10th gr), she was picked to be the starting MB and has remained so ever since.  Our school's volleyball program typically has between 50-100 girls trying out for 14 spots, therefore; her making the team AND retaining her position is a big deal. 

Not only that, but she does so while maintaining a 3.95 GPA in all Honors and AP courses. Here is the catch: she is ONLY 5'5" with a powerful hitting/blocking hands and hops! 

She is an all-around natural athlete who is extremely humble and every coach she has ever had loves her because she is completely coachable, no chip on her shoulder and she treats the sport like a full-time job. She doesn't think that she has a chance of ever playing college volleyball because she is so short, but her grades are what is getting the NCAA coaches to look at her first. 

So far, we have been looked at by Towson, Texas Southern, Texas Women's, Texas Christian, Prairie View, UT-Dallas, UT-San Antonio, Louisburg College, West VA Wesleyan, Barry Univ., and St. Gregory's Univ. These are all decent schools, but how do we get the attention of schools like Valdosta, Mercer, Georgia Southern, etc.? 

She loves the sport and unfortunately, as a military widow, I cannot afford to pay for the high cost of club volleyball anymore. How can we get her recruited short of what we are already doing (member profiles on www.berecruited.com and www.ncsa.com).  

Is there a way to get them to see that she has the skillset, the grades, and the work ethic even though she may not have the height. Is there some secret formula? 

I know stats are a good way to do that, unfortunately, last year, even though she was named to 2nd team All conference, her coach was pregnant and didn't keep stats on ANY of the players. So we have nothing to show for last year's hard work. 

Any suggestions that you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

A.M.

With her 5'5" height, she will not play MB at the collegiate level.  But, at 5'5" she could play Libero/DS (depending upon her passing/defensive skills) and possibly OH (depending upon her passing and vertical jump) at the DIII/NAIA level.

You are correct to note that her main attribute, from a recruiting perspective, is her academic standing.  Academics should be a key component of the recruiting process for any volleyball family. Why?  Beyond the academic standing of a college/university, with any scholarship package and college volleyball team situation, as long as the Student Athlete (SA) makes grades, the academic scholarship can't be removed by athletics!

You did not list her ACT and/or SAT score, which will be the biggest component of her academic attractiveness - To this end, have her take these national tests a couple of times to ensure the highest possible score.  As I have told families during my NCSA Next College Student Athlete recruiting education talks, every point increase on an already good ACT score is $2,000 more in academic scholarship money!

While club volleyball is important to the collegiate recruiting process, because of technology, it is not mandatory.  By using current video and a consistent outreach by using the internet, your daughter can become a collegiate student athlete.

As she won't be playing club, use the last month of the high school season to put together a skills tape with her as an Outside Hitter.  Even though she is an MB now, she won't be for college, so just ask the high school coach if you can record her being an OH after practice.  Your goal is to put together a 5 to 10 minute tape of her passing, attacking, blocking and defensive skills tape.

Because video is paramount to your recruiting outreach, try to find a way to generate another skills tape in the spring.  It is important that your daughter show improvement in her abilities, so even though she won't be playing club, she should be trying to get into open gyms for pick up ball, or taking part in an occasional clinic, or by playing in a church or adult league (which are often free); basically anything to keep touching a ball outside of the high school season.

For your outreach, be sure to directly email the college head volleyball coach and include a link to the most current video you have, along with her complete and current academic standing.  This is how you attract the attention of the schools which are of interest to your daughter.

Above, I had mentioned "consistent outreach" and I will also add, patient outreach.  The shorter OH and/or the Libero position is often the last one recruited by collegiate coaches, and the majority of these small but mighty recruits don't secure their collegiate futures until the senior year!

Club volleyball or no club volleyball, the bottom line is that if your daughter can make the college volleyball team better, then the college coach will recruit her!  And, high school statistics don't matter at all to college coaches, so don't stress about them being absent...

Good luck!

Late Blooming Volleyball Ability

Hi Coach,

First off I’d like to thank you for the service you provide both parents, athletes AND coaches.  I suspect the coaches benefit from parents being able to access this site by having less questions and frustrations aimed at them.  I am about 1/2 through “Inside College Volleyball” and once again I am enjoying learning about the processes involved in recruitment and the steps that lead to that point.  The book has answered all the questions I had and even ones I did not know I had.  Thank you.

My question is multi layered and I need to provide some background:

My daughter is in 10th grade.  Played club ball on the lowest level team in 9th.  Was a second string member of the freshman “B” team (a very winning team as all our hs teams are) prior to that.  Prior to that she dabbled with volleyball with half season (not really beneficial).  Rather than letting these lower team statuses as a player define her she has chosen to rise above, she took advantage of the learning experience(s) that club ball (even at the basement level) had given her as well as the MAJOR amount of play time she started receiving toward the end of club season.  She easily could’ve won the title “Most Improved Player” club wide.  She also has grown as a person to become a team player and understands the value of what being part of a team is all about.

She participated in intensive training most of summer prior to high school tryouts.  Her HS varsity team is ranked in the top 10 in various polls throughout the Nation this year (usually top 5); so to say that this is a competitive team is an understatement. The HS benefits from parents heavy involvement with their kids in a local small but competitive club.   My daughter made the JV/sophomore team, based on her efforts and combined efforts of camps, private lessons and more camps her growth as a player has been BEYOND remarkable-- this isn’t parental pride speaking, several coaches have pulled both me and her aside to specifically point this out.  I know many parents say “She’s a hard worker” and coaches roll their eyes all the way back but in this case she is beyond a hard worker.  She has also taken the ethos of “TEAM” and has adopted it as her own, which to me is beyond impressive because I wasn’t sure that this kid had that in her.  She is becoming the kind of player coaches seem to write about seeking out: enthusiastic, dedicated, determined and up for trying anything and obviously very coachable (based on her improvement just in two-three months time).  My child also has a non verbal learning disability that has, in the past, affected how she seeks information out and interprets it so to see this growth in her as a person has been a tremendous reward; even if the 'someday wishes' she has don’t come to fruition I know in my heart that volleyball has already given us more than we could possibly seek to give back to the sport.  

She tried out for one of the pins positions for JV (which is what she intensely trained for) but that was to secure her spot on the team (as one of the pins was in sore need of a player to fill the position).  Now that the season is underway it is obvious that coach is grooming her for DS/L — which actually was her long term goal for college ball which she hopes to play.

So here’s the rub and the questions:

• She is now a bench warmer for JV.  Her JV coach took the time to make sure she knew he was beyond impressed with her efforts and enthusiasm at practice & conditioning (“IMPRESSED” is a word he used about 6x during their conversation).  He assured her that her improvement was astounding.  He took the time to tell her this and also made mention she probably wouldn’t play a lot.  So to be clear: she’s been everything that is described by coaches everywhere and because the nature of this RIDICULOUSLY competitive program (meaning every player on the team is worthy of being there) she will likely not be playing.   Her privates coach side eyed that statement and said to both she & I: “How does he KNOW he’ll be not playing her?  Does he have a crystal ball??” This statement comes from a normally straight shooting individual who is not the type to invest energy in a player that isn’t warranted (per reputation).  I think her privates coach sees the determination in my child that doesn’t come around very often.  I asked her to elaborate and she said: “xxx is full of grit and determination, I can’t predict where she will go but I wouldn’t be surprised at the level she ends up."

• While my daughter has stated to me that she is “ok” with this “no playing time” situation and that her "growth will come during club season".  She says those words half heartedly and in this case I fear the fire may burn out because to be so intense and to work so intensely on improving and be outdone by players who have years and dozens upon dozens of sets of experience over her is quite the feat in of itself.  It’s hard to compete with experience sometimes and in this case these girls all play the 1’s team at the club (most of them do anyway).  Remember she came from the very very bottom to be playing close to these girls levels.

Questions:

• In your experiences with athletes (or even as a parent of an athlete, not sure if you have children): how do you keep up the morale with a child in this particular scenario?  My focus wants to be on focusing on the fun and whatever her long term goals are (and she has lofty goals).  I wonder if I am missing out on something here.

• As a coach for a fifteen year old player: do you think there is more potential to be unlocked in a player that experiences such tremendous growth in the span of months at age 15?

• My belief is that it’s possible that there is a vested interest in many of the starting players on the JV team that also translate to our club.  IN this case do you think growth can be stagnated or do you think a player in such an environment can rise above?

• For club season, do you believe that it would benefit her more being on the “2’s” team (National) and get playing time vs. the 1’s and possibly sit bench?  My belief is yes, it’s playing time that she needs most and my belief is that she should make it known to those that she comes in contact with at the club level that playing time for her trumps everything.

• Lastly the age old question.  Is it better for a determined, goal oriented player to be on a lackluster team with loads of playing time or is it better for this sort of player to be surrounded by experienced “1’s” players and have to sit the bench?  I think I know your answer on some of these but I thought I’d put this out there.

I look forward to your answer.

Volley Mom 

Let me jump right into your questions and thank you for reading Inside College Volleyball:

- Focus on the process.  Every day she has a chance to improve in practice, and by your description, her efforts in training are resulting in rapid improvement.  The goal is to keep improving, and as this is high school, with limited matches (as compared to club), the opportunity to improve is through practice.

- Potential can be a tricky thing, for any coach, at any level to determine.  The 2nd biggest recruiting mistake that college coaches make is over estimating a recruit's potential; first biggest is not paying attention to the attitude/personality of a player.  As your daughter is just 15, I would view this rapid improvement in ability as the gates being opened to her potential, rather than just a short term jump in skills.  

- Unfortunately, there are a number of high school programs which are closely tied in with a local club team; seems like a loop between high school getting players ready for club and the club getting players ready for high school, all within the same core group of families and facilities.  The focus, once again, needs to be on training - every touch will make her better, and she will get the most amount of touches upon the ball in practice.

- As her abilities are rapidly improving, having the supplement of playing time (especially if she has been focused on training time in high school) will be important in her overall growth.  With the development of her physical abilities, she needs to develop her mental abilities as a player.  The nuances of a match; situations, reactions, anticipations, seeing a play develop a split second before, etc., are all part of the playing time experience.  So, playing on a 2's team is better than sitting on a 1's team for her.

- At this moment in her development, playing time need to be the priority in club; she has to 'catch-up' in her game experience.  As her skills and game time experience develop, then in the coming years, the rationale for moving up to a 1's team and being a part time player might make sense.

The bottom line is this - She needs to keep her focus on the process of achieving her long term goals.  Every touch of the ball makes her better; often times, I see good athletes that get caught up in the playing time/club team name drama and stop improving.  

If your daughter has college volleyball goals, the college coaches focus on ability and personality. Club team designator or volume of playing time do not matter to us; your ability to execute the volleyball skill sets are what we look at....and making sure you are a positive, team oriented person!

Good luck,

Coach

High School Volleyball Comment

I received the below 'comment' for my recent post about High school Volleyball:

I think I just heard parents across America breath a collective sigh of relief as they realized they don't need to stress about high school volleyball. Thanks for the wisdom, Coach!

If you have read the world famous collegevolleyballcoach.com or Inside College Volleyball, you will have seen a number of posts and/or direct references to high school volleyball.  

While it may seem by my writings that I don't value high school volleyball, nothing could be further from the truth.  My references are limited to college volleyball recruiting, along with comparisons to club volleyball.

Club volleyball has a financial participation cost and because of the calendar of club volleyball, it is the dominant recruiting venue for college volleyball coaches.  This participation cost and recruiting vehicle, has created more focus, pressure and selectivity for club over high school volleyball.

But, this does not make club 'better' - Think big picture here, not court #46 where super duper power conference coach just walked by on their way to get an orange mocha frappuccino (anybody get the movie reference?).

High school volleyball has so many fantastic qualities;

1) You are representing something bigger than you; your school and your community.

2) You must learn to maximize the hand that you are dealt; your team mates are from within the district and some classes are loaded with talent while others are not.  

3)  Games have more weight because there are not 105 matches like in a typical club season.

4)  Playoffs have a special meaning, district titles have a special meaning, going to state has a special meaning and maybe, just maybe, getting your State Championship photo and banner hung in the school gym will be remembered.

5)  It is so much easier for grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece, cousin, 3rd cousin, godparents and your neighbors to come see you play.

6.  It is free (well, almost free, but feels free compared to club volleyball).

7.  You don't have to drive to practice and you can get home before 10 p.m. after practice.

8.  Those pesky college coaches are not walking around drinking orange mocha frappuccinos, so that is one big level of pressure which is not existent.

I understand there are also many challenges (poor coaching, no budget, politics, etc.) but high school volleyball is something special and if you elect to participate, I hope that you savor every minute of this 4 times in a lifetime experience!

Coach

High School Volleyball - Varsity Team Selection?

Hello,

My daughter has played club for 4 years.  She has played up a few times and is always a starter.  We have had multiple coaches (not college) come up and say “I loved watching you play” and you are a workhorse.  She appears to be the top player or 2nd top player on her school and the club teams.  She will be a freshman and the coach has already named varsity (even before tryouts - she did not make varsity).  Is this something to worry about?

Sincerely,

LJE

There is a world of difference between club and high school volleyball.  As I do get a number of questions about high school volleyball from club volleyball families, please let me share some of my observations:

1) You pay for club volleyball and high school volleyball is free (I acknowledge private schools and athletics fees, but I am making an illustrative statement).  There should exist a different mind set when you pay for something than when you get it for free.  For example, if a referee is not being paid to officiate a match, then the coach should never complain.  By the same rationale, club is a pay to play/train scenario and as such, has certain expectations, opportunities and pressures.

2) High school volleyball is its own animal; some HS coaches are great while others have never coached our sport before, some states have a long season while others are slamming everything into 6 weeks, some programs only allow upperclassmen on the varsity while others take a best player approach, some teams are perennial state contenders while others have not had a winning season in forever!

3)  College coaches do not put a lot of weight on high school volleyball.  We will speak to the contrary to be politically correct, but the reality is club volleyball is 99% of our recruiting and evaluation focus mainly because of the examples I provided above.  We understand that there are so many crazy variables with high school volleyball.  When I was a DI head coach, my only thoughts related to my recruits and high school volleyball were, 1) Free touches on the ball, 2) Please don't get hurt.

4) Expanding upon #3, we understand that you may have to play a different position in high school than what we are recruiting you for in college; my number 1 setting recruit had to play middle in high school because that is what the team needed.  Additionally, we understand that your team may not be very good.  You may be a stud, but that does not ensure that the remainder of your high school teammates all play club and are quality players.  I have had very good players come from very average teams because their team mates were really club soccer or club softball players, who played high school volleyball.

5) As to your question, I would not stress at all about the coach naming the varsity  group before tryouts because there are just too many variables for you to worry about; traditionally does the coach just name juniors/seniors to the varsity, is this a 'reward' for players who have stayed with the program for a number of years, is it a political situation where his/her favorite players get selected, is this a situation where the booster parent players get selected, is this Athletic Director encouraged, etc.

6)  Because of your daughter's age, not being named to varsity is a good thing!  Playing up all the time sounds good and can illustrate one's advanced physical skills, but there is also a downside.  It is hard to learn by making mistakes when when you are constantly playing a year or two up; there is the very real pressure to perform as a justification for playing up and you learn from making mistakes.  Also, playing up can stunt a player's leadership development.  It is not realistic to expect a player 2 years younger than her team mates to develop leadership skills.  I have seen any number of players who played up their entire club careers, now playing with their age group at 18 who are lacking in effective leadership skills.

7)  By not making varsity, your freshman can better develop her skill sets and leadership ability.  I understand that the competition and her team mates may not be as elite as she wishes or as she enjoys in club.  But, it is going to be 'easier' for her to focus on improving weak skill areas playing on an underclassmen team, than with varsity.  For instance, let's say she really needs to work on her line attack as to use the block and take out the opposing setter.  On varsity, if she hits out of bound or into the net, she will be reprimanded by the coach.  On the Freshman team, this will not seem out of the norm.

8)  Her college recruiting process will not be affected.  In the fall, college coaches are focused on their own season (saving their jobs, getting raises, finding a new job, etc) and save for a few elite or next door college teams, coaches are not concerned with the high school season/players.  We are looking for year over year skill development and this development is mostly influenced by club and not high school.  

9)  Right or wrong, more and more club volleyball players are taking the high school season off.  This is the result of the now very long club season, instances of very poor high school coaches/teams, and the desire to have a 'rest' period for the body during the almost year round volleyball calendar.  We are not the only sport which does this, as I have been told any number of soccer players only participate in club now.

In a sense, these are the last few days of no stress volleyball for your family.  As a freshman, the beasts of recruiting have not come knocking and the pressure to win has not truly emerged.  As you progress through high school and into the older age categories of club, you will look back upon this freshman year with fondness!

Good luck!

College Volleyball Recruiting Goals

Good morning Coach!  

I have been web surfing all morning and just came across your site.  I have a 14 year old daughter who lives and breathes Volleyball.  She has played 1 year of Club where they went to USA Nationals and  is currently starting on her HS Varsity Team as a Freshman.  2 Great accomplishments for such a young athlete, and while I have encouraged her to take some time to enjoy these successes...she is pushing for more.  She does everything in her power to improve herself and her skills, all without any pushing from me.

Her ultimate goal?  Without hesitation, she will tell you to play for Penn State Women's Volleyball Team.  Now I encourage her with this dream every step of the way, however I am also realistic.  She is 14, 5'11, and a MB.  It is doubtful she will grow anymore than her current height.  While she is good for our area, New Jersey, after competing at the National Level in Indianapolis this year, it was very clear that there are hundreds of athletes at her current level and higher.

My question to you is, what are the best things that she can be doing and focusing on right now.  I know its skills and training, but are there other areas that would help her?  Strength or weight training?  What areas in particular do college coaches look for in a Middle Blocker?  As far as playing in college, is there anything she can do now that would help to get her noticed?

While I would never push her and I am very conscious of her getting burnt out, she asks on a daily basis how she can get better.  I only want to make sure that I am helping her in any way that I can and matching her efforts.

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much for your time,

J.H.

Your daughter's opportunity to play collegiate volleyball as a Middle Blocker will be determined by her height.  If she stays at 5'11" she will not have as many opportunities as a 6'2" player will.  Volleyball is a height driven sport and the MB position may be the most height sensitive in the recruiting process.

Should your daughter's height max out at 5'11" and she stays in the MB position, she will need to focus on her technique.  Of course, being athletic and jumping high will have a positive effect, but 'shorter' MB's need to have outstanding skills to generate maximum opportunities.  Her attack footwork for all attack options needs to excellent and fast, her armswing needs to be excellent, her blocking movement along the net needs to be excellent and quick, her transition and re-attack, her reading of the offenses, her short zone serve receive, etc., etc, etc.  By doing all the techniques at a very high level, this will mitigate her height as much as possible.

How does a player become technically excellent?  By listening to her coaches (whether this is her high school coach, her club coach, her private coach, her camp coach, her all star coach) and then applying what they are saying.  Many players may listen but it is the ones who apply what they just heard that excel.

If her goal is to play NCAA Division I (and as you read through collegevolleyballcoach.com and Inside College Volleyball or if you attend any of my Recruiting Education talks with NCSA, you will understand that I strongly encourage families to explore all non-DI avenues), then moving into an Outside Hitter position will create more opportunities.  A good 5'11" outside hitter will have more DI interest than a 5'11" middle blocker.

Should she wish to transition to the OH position, then doing so this year in club is critical.  A mistake that players make, is moving positions as Seniors as opposed to Freshman.  Switching positions and excelling, late in club or high school is tough.  There is a difference between moving to a new position and being successful in the new position.

During this time of her season (high school), encourage her to focus on maximizing each practice and match opportunity to get better.  If she wants to be a great volleyball player, then she needs to focus on being great every day, on every touch, at every practice and in every match.  

Being good is relatively easy based upon a player's natural gifts; they are athletic and things come easily to them within their position or sport.  Being better than good is a function of focus and challenging oneself to become better than good every time they are in the gym.

Coach

College Volleyball Recruiting - Club or High School

First of all thank you for getting back to me so quickly, I really appreciate that. First of all I found out about you while reading an email from a discouraged mom talking about her 6' 2" middle hitter from I believe 2009 or 2010. I found your response honest and straight forward, not part of a company line that we so often hear in life. 

My daughter is not a 6' 2" middle hitter, she is 5' 5" and an DS, OH, RS. for her small local high school. My daughter played for a large local club this past spring on the 17-1's team. She played very well, as a pin hitter, even though height wise most would say too small to play outside hitter. Well she is a powerful hitter, and lead her team in kills, second overall club wide, passing stats according to the passing chart, and serving, as well as aces.

She has had a goal to play in college ever since she was 9 years old, and her club coaches and the college recruiting coordinator at her club all think she has the ability to play in college, and are helping whatever way they can.

Here comes the but, her high school coach, thinks differently. For some reason she does not like our daughter, and we aren't the only ones to notice it. If something goes wrong the finger gets pointed at her even if she wasn't in the area of the mistake. My daughter get's taken out if she makes one mistake, while all the favorite (yes her reputation is of playing favorites) stay in no matter how many balls they shank.  

The coach has told her in no uncertain terms even though she's one of the top two players on the team that her playing time will be very limited. Now we have taught our daughter to finish what you start, but she is becoming discouraged and thinks her chances to play college ball are being sabotaged. 

How important is High School verses club, if a coach asks for film, what do we tell them, or better yet what do we give them? Should we let the recruiting coordinator know what's going on? We don't want to come off as bitter parents, we just want the best for our daughter and for her senior year to be a happy one. Any suggestions?

Again thank you for your time, we greatly appreciate it.

Sincerely; 

Anonymous

Quick answer is that High School does not matter for college volleyball recruiting and I say that broadly, as there are no absolutes in life other than my daughter's love.  As a college volleyball coach, we are in our season and focused on keeping our jobs.  We understand that HS is a mixed bag of coaches, players, locations and facilities.  More and more HS athletes are stepping away from their HS season.  While they may miss a few touches, the length and quality of the club season more than makes up for a couple months of down time.

For any young player, you want their sport experience to be enjoyable.  Granted, sports are not always fun, but the summary experience should be enjoyable.  If your daughter is in a no win, negative situation, then the healthy thing to do is just graciously step away.  The only other choice, is to emotionally disconnect and just view the high school playing time as free touches on the ball and being with team mates.

With regards to college coaches, again, we don't put a lot of weight into the high school season.  We are much more focused on the club season, club film, watching club matches and speaking with club coaches/recruiting coordinators.

Also, as you read through the site, the fall is the slowest time for college volleyball recruiting and a time segment where the players should also be slow in their recruiting outreach.  There are just so many changes which occur in the late fall in college volleyball, that to actively outreach or stress during this time segment is illogical.  I now advise families to use this fall period to regroup and reevaluate their recruiting standing, to encourage the athlete to get healthy physically and recharge emotionally and prepare for the club season.

I don't want to discount the high school season because it can be a great experience representing your school and being with players you see in class every day.  But, for college volleyball recruiting, club is the dominant vehicle and that should be the focus for families focused on the transition to collegiate athletics!

Coach

College Volleyball Recruiting - Setter or Libero?

My daughter who is going into her sophomore year has been setting since 6^th grade she runs 6-1’s very well and is equally comfortable playing in a 6-2.  She has likely reached her max height of 5’ 6”.  In the offseason she conditions well - runs, works vertical drills, does summer leagues  and has about a 36” vertical.  She’s extremely fast, easy to work with, understands the court well and at several camps DII and DI coaches have told me she is one of their favorites to work with. 

This summer at a big 10 camp one of the coaches brought in from another college even offered to help my daughter when she starts looking for a college to play at.  She is always positive and always 100%.  She understands that her height will most likely not allow her to play D1 as a setter.  

She has approached her high school coach (who is also a club director) if she can move to a DS position to get more touches at a position she thinks is where she would likely play at the next level.  The HS coach surprised me and asked her why she would want to cut her playing time as she runs the court well at setter adding that while my daughter was on a 2's team in the last season she beat her 15-1's team.  Coaches words  "you beat me at nationals despite not having a a team that passed well"  My daughters team was forced to run a 6-1 due to injuries and a player backing out of nationals at the last moment.  

I'm having some difficulty communicating with the HS coach as she really wants to limit discussion with parents, which I fully understand.  I'm not trying to be the VB parent who is trying to position my child I'm just trying to understand how to help my child plan for the future.  Maybe that is being misinterpreted.

 Bottom line, i'm not known for brevity-  Is my daughters strategy of focusing on where she think she will play at the next level correct? Considering her passing isn’t as developed as her setting capabilities/ (IMHO) outstanding court awareness.

Generically if she is recognized as a strong setter, should she stay there and look for a DII college or with her speed and court awareness what would your advice be in regards to transitioning position this year and working on defense/passing though it would mean fewer touches?

I’ve spoken with the HS coach briefly but I’m sure she is not fond of the idea of moving this setter to a DS role.

I just found your site today I wish I had found it earlier, I know nothing about the recruiting process.  Overall my daughter loves the game and if she couldn't play DI she would be disappointed but would continue to play with the same enthusiasm if she were at a DII or DIII.  Dad would really be enthusiastic if DII were an option.

Thank you in advance for your advice.  I will be picking up your book this week, as it looks as I have a lot of work to do helping her sell herself appropriately.

- Anonymous

Thank you for your email and jumping in with us!  I hope that Inside College Volleyball will prove to be a valuable resource as your manage the craziness of college volleyball recruiting and then college volleyball.

I would agree with the high school coach, as I would not want to move a very good setter to the passing position either.  

As you read through the collegevolleyballcoach.com posts, you will notice the large number of questions/responses with regards to 'shorter' players switching into the DS/Libero position.  As I have written about on many occasions, this Libero/DS position becomes the catch all for shorter players thinking that this is the route to collegiate athletics and as such, this position is now the most competitive avenue into college volleyball.

Back to the High School topic - Remember that collegiate recruiting efforts are not based upon the high school season.  Club volleyball is the Optimus Prime of collegiate recruiting and college coaches understand that players will play different positions while in high school.  We don't stress about that because the high school coach needs to put their players into the positions for the most success of the high school team.  Because we don't stress about high school, neither should the parents which are concerned about college volleyball recruiting.

From your feedback, the better recruiting boulevard for your daughter would be to stay with setting and promote her abilities to the appropriate schools.  Yes, her height may well reduce her chances of NCAA Division I volleyball, but.....There are any number of DI schools which run the Front to Back 6-2 offense (maybe this is what you are referring to when you are saying 6-1?  I though initially this was a typo on your part!) and many schools will take a shorter setter with exceptional abilities.

The NCAA Division II and NAIA levels may offer more opportunities and scholarship monies (remember that DI is all or nothing athletic scholarships, while DII and NAIA can package their scholarships from many sources), so you should be reaching out to appropriate schools in these categories also!

Coach