Stay and Play With Your Age
The upcoming club season is nearly here with many tryouts taking place on the second weekend in November. With this always comes the question of “should my daughter play up?” This means a player is hoping to be on…
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Continue ReadingThe upcoming club season is nearly here with many tryouts taking place on the second weekend in November. With this always comes the question of “should my daughter play up?” This means a player is hoping to be on team higher than what her birth date would dictate.
The game of volleyball has grown to be so popular and competitive. Players and families are always looking for ways to get ahead and show they have what it takes to be the next big star. Before tryouts, here are three things to think about if you have an athlete is considering “playing up”:
1 Be Patient – It takes time to develop the fundamentals. The best athletes are master’s at basic skills. When an athlete tries to push the limit of the growth process, it can hurt them in the end. Basic instruction is essential for young girls to understand the game of volleyball. When comparing to famous players who “played up,” keep in mind there were extremely rare exceptions with incredible ability and natural talent. Just because you stay and play with your age, doesn’t mean you can’t become a college player later.
2 Age classifications – A group of people who know more than most about volleyball have laid out the guidelines and specifics to age and team level. The user-friendly chart makes it easy to figure out what age one should play for each season. While the chart lists all years, it isn’t uncommon for clubs to only have even numbered team levels; such as 18’s 16’s, 14’s etc. Typically most tournaments follow this same concept. Because of this, athletes will potentially have years where they are considerably younger than teammates. For example, if you have a young 15 year old playing a 16’s team they could be playing with players who are nearly 2 years older. This can create unrelated problems within the team. Imagine having a talented 11 year old who has played 12U for two years already and is anxious to play at the next level. If the club doesn’t have a 13’s team, they would end up playing with 14 year old. The maturity of a 8th grader is much different than that of a 11 year old.
3 Impact Player – Perhaps the biggest thing to consider is the impact the player will have on the higher level team. Will they be a starter? Can they lead in at least one stat? Are they a game changer? While you may answer yes to these questions while they are in the current age-group, if one can’t answer definitively for the above team, it is best to wait. They could be the best in their age level, play all the time, and be the leader for the team; or, if moved up, they would likely be a non-starter, more inexperienced and smaller player who doesn’t get as much playing time. Wouldn’t you rather have them be the best where they are at? A good coach will still find ways to help them grow, even if their talent seems above their peers.
The time will come for great players to shine, but until it does, enjoy and watch them grow where they are at!