Are we raising a generation of Liberos or a generation of volleyball players? The results are pretty clear when you look at the results at the numbers. 46 million Americans play volleyball. 432,000 high school volleyball players. Countless volleyball clubs with their own dedicated facilities dotting the country. Yet, USA women's volleyball has won zero gold medals in the Olympics. In the US, we have the notion of specializing our players and doing it from a young age. "I am a middle hitter" or "I am a Libero" is a phrase commonly spoken at gyms across the country. This is a result of coaches labelling kids and putting them into a box expecting them to only learn the skills associated with a specific position. A kid is a middle hitter because that we what we made them or allowed them to do. As kids grow and develop, they will mature at different speeds. As kids move from one team to the next, the roster changes and the needs of each team changes. Players cannot guarantee that they will be the #1 libero on their next team. If we have specialized a player, they could reach a dead end in their career if they are no longer #1 at their position. We need to develop volleyball players, not liberos. We need to get our middle hitters to the Libero training. We need to teach our shorter players how to hit middle. These players are going to move on to become coaches, rec players, beach players. The more well rounded they are, the longer they will play and the more they will be able to put back into the sport as coaches or administrators. One of my favorite stories: This is the progression of one young lady:
Players: take every opportunity to learn every position. Attend specialized camps where you are weakest (setting, libero...) Parents: find a club that doesn't start specializing until kids are Sophomores. Make sure your players learns all skills. This will ensure you kid keeps making teams. Coaches: train all players in all skills and in all positions. Specialize for matches. Image courtesy of Gold Crown Foundation
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