An Objective Look at the State of Juniors Volleyball

Dear Volleyball Coaches, Players, and Parents,

My father was the best youth sports coach I ever played for. I am 22 years into my coaching career. I have had the privilege of collaborating with world-class coaches and athletes. But I always found myself going back to his philosophy when it came to coaching my kids:

“For many kids, youth sports will provide their first experience with failure. Teaching them how to work through that will help them navigate their educations, relationships, and careers.”

That is a valuable lesson in any sport – in volleyball it is incredibly important. According to bvbinfo, the last two female gold medalist pairs lost 46% of their plays the year they were the top teams on the planet. Volleyball can teach kids that losing is inevitable. It does not define them – but how they respond to that adversity will make all the difference.

For my first 12 years of coaching, I witnessed environments that I felt were backwards. Players were treated good or bad solely on their contributions. Athletes who were in the developmental phase of their careers were being taught “If you don’t bring the same value as their bigger/faster/stronger peers, you are not worthy of the same opportunities for growth”.

I’ve watched confident hard-working kids get destroyed by youth sports coaches who were unqualified to know what their players needed to find their personal best. And I worry: What happens to these athletes when they have a passion for things where they’re not naturally gifted?

Youth sports are in a weird place. On the one hand, the annual revenue and participation numbers are booming. Anyone who has financial stake in youth sports is feeling very good about where they’re at.

On the other hand, there is more pressure on our athletes than ever before. Athletes are being asked to specialize as early as 10-11 years old, even though sports scientists say this isn’t necessarily what’s best for them. Off-seasons in our area have disappeared, and any high school athlete playing both travel ball and high school will get no off-season for four straight years. The money isn’t going back into the product, and the % of unqualified coaches continues to rise. These factors are having a negative impact on a good chunk of our athletes. I believe it doesn’t get addressed because by the time most families realize it, they’re on the tail end of their career and programs are focusing on marketing to the next generation of athletes who…