Developing Empathy Through Club Volleyball
In what other sports are young athletes responsible for helping score and officiate besides club volleyball? I can’t think of any off the top of my head. I believe that empathy develops through club volleyball. This past club season I…
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Continue ReadingIn what other sports are young athletes responsible for helping score and officiate besides club volleyball? I can’t think of any off the top of my head. I believe that empathy develops through club volleyball. This past club season I coached a 10’s club team which was quite the adventure in itself, but some of the great things that came out of it were the important lessons and skills acquired about volleyball, not necessarily the actual outcome of the games. I spent an entire night helping them learn how to score and how to referee and use proper hand signals, which we continued to practice throughout the season. I also had to teach them where to stand to do lines, and what they had to focus on.
By our fourth tournament they were feeling confident and assertive. I also stood beside them as we officiated or was the up official while they were down, but the growth made me so proud and I felt that is was a great thing for them to practice besides basic volleyball fundamentals. There are also some really great club directors out there that recognize and help the younger divisions. Most coaches of young club teams know we are all on in the same boat helping to develop, not only volleyball skills, but volleyball IQ. Many parents who had daughters playing club for the first time were also learning club rules as well. This was also a great conversation for their child to have with them.
Now if that does not teach empathy as they grow into volleyball players to respect officials, scorers and line judges then I don’t know what will. They have a huge advantage at a young age to know the rules (even if they are different than high school rules), to be on the “other” side of the game of volleyball. What a great way to continue to nurture their volleyball IQ as well! Young athletes are like sponges and want to soak up as much information as possible. They are also quick learners and take feedback well, for the most part!
In the past 20 years between playing volleyball and coaching club and both high school volleyball, I have rarely been into a gym where the athletes are questioning calls on a consistent basis. First of all it slows down the momentum for volleyball and volleyball relies hugely on momentum swings and runs. Second of all they have been there where they have made a mistake. I don’t think that is a coincidence either, because I feel like empathy is developed during the club season. Obviously, there are outliers as well where parents, athletes or coaches complain, but I truly feel that having the athletes score and ref develops empathy and shows them a different perspective. If you have a young club team be patient and teach them the right way and it will pay off in the end! Also parents and coaches remember some of these girls are just learning practice patience and empathy!