The Benefits of Gender Collaborative Training in Youth Volleyball

Modern western civilizations have embraced gender integration in many domains that were once separated by gender – in schools, in the military, and even the Boy Scouts (now rebranded as Scouts BSA); however, competitive youth sports remain largely segregated by gender. With recent generations holding more inclusive ideals, as well as the general lessening of traditional gender roles, youth sports leaders and organizations find themselves in an interesting dilemma: Should we hold tight to tradition and keep young boys and girls separate from each other in youth sports training, or should we permit a more modern gender collaborative training style that allows young boys and girls to train, grow and compete together?

For us at Northeast Volleyball Club, the benefits of having young female and male athletes play sports together are clear, both based on academic research and in what we’ve seen in our own gym. While we have our Girls Club teams and Boys Club teams on different season schedules, we actively look for ways to bring the two programs and genders together.

Here are some of the the benefits of gender collaborative training:

1. Encourages mutual respect. We see this benefit going both ways in our gym – the girls respect the boys athletes, and the boys respect the girls athletes. Through gender collaborative training, the athletes (boys and girls) get the opportunity to work towards the common goal of skill development. They learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and they get the opportunity to celebrate each other’s technical achievements. This ultimately leads to mutual respect of each athlete’s hard work and commitment, no matter their gender.
2. Dispels gender stereotypes. By treating our athletes as athletes, not “girls athletes” or “boys athletes,” they learn to see beyond traditional gender stereotypes. As we’ve learned through history, segregation creates a divide, not just physically but also through grouping and labeling. This divide makes minor differences in gender groupings seem “natural”, but by allowing all of our athletes to train together, these “natural” differences seem to carry less power.
3. Enhances their self confidence. When we show the girls teams and athletes that they can compete and train alongside the boys, we see increased self confidence and pride. For youth sports organizations that are looking to empower young women and help develop strong, confident athletes, this is a tremendous…