Let us pick a volleyball club for you

[Anonymous]

Coaches could watch you for a few minutes and tell you whether you have a chance in their club. But don't expect that courtesy - all coaches will invite you to the tryouts even if they know you have no chance of making any of their teams. They are trying to boost their tryout numbers, which brings bragging rights.

Completely disagree with this. For a long time we thought this was true until we actually asked our club coach why they didn't tell us if we had a chance or not. The answer was surprising and changed our point of view.
- CHRVA recruiting guidelines don't allow clubs to make offers prior to tryouts. This includes telling players "unofficially" they have a spot on the team. Good clubs take those rules seriously and won't breach them, even for returning players they know they are going to take.
- If a club or coach violates those rules prior to tryouts, don't play for them. Those rules are in place to protect players. There are many horror stories of players being told they had a spot on a team only to find out that the coach was lying to them.
- While they could tell you that you won't make a team, clubs that focus on player development and run multiple levels of teams will often not do so -- not for bragging rights or money but because they genuinely believe participating in tryouts is part of the development of players. Clubs understand that many parents hate to see our kids try something and fail, but for club coaches the alternative of not trying at all is generally viewed as worse than trying and failing.
- Many times a player tries out one year, doesn't make the team and then comes back next year does make a team. If you've told the player to not bother trying out you may make them think they shouldn't ever come back.
- Telling a player who is working hard to improve that they shouldn't show up to a tryout is a tough conversation to have. They often have just a minute or two with players at clinics and all of those discussions are in the gym in a public space. No coach wants to have a "don't bother coming back" conversation in that setting -- its not fair to the player. Most parents don't want that discussion to happen in public either.

Most large/good clubs are limited by gym space in how many players they can have tryout. Many of the better clubs have waitlists going for tryouts well before the tryout days. If not telling players to avoid tryouts was about maximizing bragging rights and/or revenue they would just add gym space or allow more players into their tryouts.

You did not change my mind on this. Coaches can speak in code to let the players know what their chances are, but they choose not to. They could say "last year a player with your skill level would have made our second team" with the caveat "we can't promise you would make our second team this year until we see who shows up at the tryouts." Or they could say "last year most players on our third team had more volleyball experience than you" with the caveat "while we don't know for sure, we expect the same this year." They don't do it because they want to be seen as supportive. They give some hope even to beginners who have no business trying out for those clubs. We would have appreciated this kind of language from the first club coach that we interacted with. I wish somebody called me totally clueless at the time and advised me to focus on Platform and MEVC instead of wasting time and money on Metro and MVSA tryouts. There was nothing glorious about trying out for MVSA - it was painful and embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

Coaches could watch you for a few minutes and tell you whether you have a chance in their club. But don't expect that courtesy - all coaches will invite you to the tryouts even if they know you have no chance of making any of their teams. They are trying to boost their tryout numbers, which brings bragging rights.

Completely disagree with this. For a long time we thought this was true until we actually asked our club coach why they didn't tell us if we had a chance or not. The answer was surprising and changed our point of view.
- CHRVA recruiting guidelines don't allow clubs to make offers prior to tryouts. This includes telling players "unofficially" they have a spot on the team. Good clubs take those rules seriously and won't breach them, even for returning players they know they are going to take.
- If a club or coach violates those rules prior to tryouts, don't play for them. Those rules are in place to protect players. There are many horror stories of players being told they had a spot on a team only to find out that the coach was lying to them.
- While they could tell you that you won't make a team, clubs that focus on player development and run multiple levels of teams will often not do so -- not for bragging rights or money but because they genuinely believe participating in tryouts is part of the development of players. Clubs understand that many parents hate to see our kids try something and fail, but for club coaches the alternative of not trying at all is generally viewed as worse than trying and failing.
- Many times a player tries out one year, doesn't make the team and then comes back next year does make a team. If you've told the player to not bother trying out you may make them think they shouldn't ever come back.
- Telling a player who is working hard to improve that they shouldn't show up to a tryout is a tough conversation to have. They often have just a minute or two with players at clinics and all of those discussions are in the gym in a public space. No coach wants to have a "don't bother coming back" conversation in that setting -- its not fair to the player. Most parents don't want that discussion to happen in public either.

Most large/good clubs are limited by gym space in how many players they can have tryout. Many of the better clubs have waitlists going for tryouts well before the tryout days. If not telling players to avoid tryouts was about maximizing bragging rights and/or revenue they would just add gym space or allow more players into their tryouts.

Let's try again with the correct format. You did not change my mind on this. Coaches can speak in code to let the players know what their chances are, but they choose not to. They could say "last year a player with your skill level would have made our second team" with the caveat "we can't promise you would make our second team this year until we see who shows up at the tryouts." Or they could say "last year most players on our third team had more volleyball experience than you" with the caveat "while we don't know for sure, we expect the same this year." They don't do it because they want to be seen as supportive. They give some hope even to beginners who have no business trying out for those clubs. We would have appreciated this kind of language from the first club coach that we interacted with. I wish somebody called me totally clueless at the time and advised me to focus on Platform and MEVC instead of wasting time and money on Metro and MVSA tryouts. There was nothing glorious about trying out for MVSA - it was painful and embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Coaches could watch you for a few minutes and tell you whether you have a chance in their club. But don't expect that courtesy - all coaches will invite you to the tryouts even if they know you have no chance of making any of their teams. They are trying to boost their tryout numbers, which brings bragging rights.

Completely disagree with this. For a long time we thought this was true until we actually asked our club coach why they didn't tell us if we had a chance or not. The answer was surprising and changed our point of view.
- CHRVA recruiting guidelines don't allow clubs to make offers prior to tryouts. This includes telling players "unofficially" they have a spot on the team. Good clubs take those rules seriously and won't breach them, even for returning players they know they are going to take.
- If a club or coach violates those rules prior to tryouts, don't play for them. Those rules are in place to protect players. There are many horror stories of players being told they had a spot on a team only to find out that the coach was lying to them.
- While they could tell you that you won't make a team, clubs that focus on player development and run multiple levels of teams will often not do so -- not for bragging rights or money but because they genuinely believe participating in tryouts is part of the development of players. Clubs understand that many parents hate to see our kids try something and fail, but for club coaches the alternative of not trying at all is generally viewed as worse than trying and failing.
- Many times a player tries out one year, doesn't make the team and then comes back next year does make a team. If you've told the player to not bother trying out you may make them think they shouldn't ever come back.
- Telling a player who is working hard to improve that they shouldn't show up to a tryout is a tough conversation to have. They often have just a minute or two with players at clinics and all of those discussions are in the gym in a public space. No coach wants to have a "don't bother coming back" conversation in that setting -- its not fair to the player. Most parents don't want that discussion to happen in public either.

Most large/good clubs are limited by gym space in how many players they can have tryout. Many of the better clubs have waitlists going for tryouts well before the tryout days. If not telling players to avoid tryouts was about maximizing bragging rights and/or revenue they would just add gym space or allow more players into their tryouts.

Let's try again with the correct format. You did not change my mind on this. Coaches can speak in code to let the players know what their chances are, but they choose not to. They could say "last year a player with your skill level would have made our second team" with the caveat "we can't promise you would make our second team this year until we see who shows up at the tryouts." Or they could say "last year most players on our third team had more volleyball experience than you" with the caveat "while we don't know for sure, we expect the same this year." They don't do it because they want to be seen as supportive. They give some hope even to beginners who have no business trying out for those clubs. We would have appreciated this kind of language from the first club coach that we interacted with. I wish somebody called me totally clueless at the time and advised me to focus on Platform and MEVC instead of wasting time and money on Metro and MVSA tryouts. There was nothing glorious about trying out for MVSA - it was painful and embarrassing.

Not trying to change your mind, just giving the info that changed ours. Its unfortunate that you had to go through that in what sounds like it was your first club year. One of the hardest parts of tryouts is figuring out where to focus your time and energy. That problem gets better as you get more experience, but it never goes away completely.

Having gone through this for almost a decade now we've heard all types of variations on the communication ideas you suggested. The problem with those type of statements is that all of them start with the thought of "you could make a team", followed by a caveat of "but we aren't committing to that." That type of doublespeak is pretty hard for a young player to understand. If they hear "could make a team" do they really process "we don't know for sure"? And good coaches do want to be supportive - even if they aren't interested in taking your DD on your team they still want to encourage their development in volleyball.

The cleanest language we've ever gotten from a coach prior to tryouts amounted to "You really improved over the last few sessions, but tryouts will still be challenging. Are you trying out other places as well?" or "You're playing great, we've been watching you and we can't wait to see you at tryouts." We still had to ask our DD to repeat what they said a couple of times to help her translate the message.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Coaches could watch you for a few minutes and tell you whether you have a chance in their club. But don't expect that courtesy - all coaches will invite you to the tryouts even if they know you have no chance of making any of their teams. They are trying to boost their tryout numbers, which brings bragging rights.

Completely disagree with this. For a long time we thought this was true until we actually asked our club coach why they didn't tell us if we had a chance or not. The answer was surprising and changed our point of view.
- CHRVA recruiting guidelines don't allow clubs to make offers prior to tryouts. This includes telling players "unofficially" they have a spot on the team. Good clubs take those rules seriously and won't breach them, even for returning players they know they are going to take.
- If a club or coach violates those rules prior to tryouts, don't play for them. Those rules are in place to protect players. There are many horror stories of players being told they had a spot on a team only to find out that the coach was lying to them.
- While they could tell you that you won't make a team, clubs that focus on player development and run multiple levels of teams will often not do so -- not for bragging rights or money but because they genuinely believe participating in tryouts is part of the development of players. Clubs understand that many parents hate to see our kids try something and fail, but for club coaches the alternative of not trying at all is generally viewed as worse than trying and failing.
- Many times a player tries out one year, doesn't make the team and then comes back next year does make a team. If you've told the player to not bother trying out you may make them think they shouldn't ever come back.
- Telling a player who is working hard to improve that they shouldn't show up to a tryout is a tough conversation to have. They often have just a minute or two with players at clinics and all of those discussions are in the gym in a public space. No coach wants to have a "don't bother coming back" conversation in that setting -- its not fair to the player. Most parents don't want that discussion to happen in public either.

Most large/good clubs are limited by gym space in how many players they can have tryout. Many of the better clubs have waitlists going for tryouts well before the tryout days. If not telling players to avoid tryouts was about maximizing bragging rights and/or revenue they would just add gym space or allow more players into their tryouts.

Let's try again with the correct format. You did not change my mind on this. Coaches can speak in code to let the players know what their chances are, but they choose not to. They could say "last year a player with your skill level would have made our second team" with the caveat "we can't promise you would make our second team this year until we see who shows up at the tryouts." Or they could say "last year most players on our third team had more volleyball experience than you" with the caveat "while we don't know for sure, we expect the same this year." They don't do it because they want to be seen as supportive. They give some hope even to beginners who have no business trying out for those clubs. We would have appreciated this kind of language from the first club coach that we interacted with. I wish somebody called me totally clueless at the time and advised me to focus on Platform and MEVC instead of wasting time and money on Metro and MVSA tryouts. There was nothing glorious about trying out for MVSA - it was painful and embarrassing.

Not trying to change your mind, just giving the info that changed ours. Its unfortunate that you had to go through that in what sounds like it was your first club year. One of the hardest parts of tryouts is figuring out where to focus your time and energy. That problem gets better as you get more experience, but it never goes away completely.

Having gone through this for almost a decade now we've heard all types of variations on the communication ideas you suggested. The problem with those type of statements is that all of them start with the thought of "you could make a team", followed by a caveat of "but we aren't committing to that." That type of doublespeak is pretty hard for a young player to understand. If they hear "could make a team" do they really process "we don't know for sure"? And good coaches do want to be supportive - even if they aren't interested in taking your DD on your team they still want to encourage their development in volleyball.

The cleanest language we've ever gotten from a coach prior to tryouts amounted to "You really improved over the last few sessions, but tryouts will still be challenging. Are you trying out other places as well?" or "You're playing great, we've been watching you and we can't wait to see you at tryouts." We still had to ask our DD to repeat what they said a couple of times to help her translate the message.

You are correct: that was our first year of club. We learned in the meantime, but you are also correct that we are still having trouble calibrating. But now we are using a safe club instead of all dream clubs to reduce the stress. The language that you called the "cleanest" may still be misheard by both players and parents. The language that I suggested (comparing the player's skills with former players of either top, middle, or bottom team) could better manage expectations. Saying "last year you would have been borderline for our first team" could signal that the player would likely make the second team, but has some chance of making the first team. There must be a better way to tell a beginner that their chances of playing for top clubs are extremely limited and this is what I am trying to do here: manage expectation, even if I have to call people clueless. It is better to learn this on an anonymous forum than at tryouts.

[Anonymous]

Not seeing much on DC academy? We’re in DuPont Circle with a 14 year old beginner. Because she’s in 9th she’s aged out of MoCo. What fall training programs can she join? She’s not super athletic, but 5’10 and willing to work hard

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not seeing much on DC academy? We’re in DuPont Circle with a 14 year old beginner. Because she’s in 9th she’s aged out of MoCo. What fall training programs can she join? She’s not super athletic, but 5’10 and willing to work hard

Does she know which clubs she wants to try out for this fall? She should attend the fall clinics offered by those clubs so the coaches can see her before tryouts.

Metro Central for example has 2 Sunday clinics in Maryland:
https://www.metrovbc.com/academyclinics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not seeing much on DC academy? We’re in DuPont Circle with a 14 year old beginner. Because she’s in 9th she’s aged out of MoCo. What fall training programs can she join? She’s not super athletic, but 5’10 and willing to work hard

Does she know which clubs she wants to try out for this fall? She should attend the fall clinics offered by those clubs so the coaches can see her before tryouts.

Metro Central for example has 2 Sunday clinics in Maryland:
https://www.metrovbc.com/academyclinics

Metro clinic says it’s open to experienced to advanced middle schoolers. She is in 9th and is a beginner.

We’ve found a clinic that works for us, DC Academy, but she isn’t experienced enough for their 14U team.

Would love to hear about a low level club she can try out for. Bonus points if they have a clinic we can participate in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not seeing much on DC academy? We’re in DuPont Circle with a 14 year old beginner. Because she’s in 9th she’s aged out of MoCo. What fall training programs can she join? She’s not super athletic, but 5’10 and willing to work hard

Does she know which clubs she wants to try out for this fall? She should attend the fall clinics offered by those clubs so the coaches can see her before tryouts.

Metro Central for example has 2 Sunday clinics in Maryland:
https://www.metrovbc.com/academyclinics

Metro clinic says it’s open to experienced to advanced middle schoolers. She is in 9th and is a beginner.

We’ve found a clinic that works for us, DC Academy, but she isn’t experienced enough for their 14U team.

Would love to hear about a low level club she can try out for. Bonus points if they have a clinic we can participate in

All clubs have clinics, they would not miss a chance to make money now that the tryout craziness is coming. You are absolutely correct to avoid intermediate / advanced clinics (especially Metro): your DD does not belong there. You need beginner clinics in a club where she has a chance to make it (get the coaches to know her and show that she is really interested). While it is good to learn skills from different coaches / different clubs (and you may want to do this after one year of club), there is very little time for that before the tryouts. Before now and the tryouts you should laser-focus on clubs where your DD can make a team as a beginner. The list is not very long and it is good that you are aware of your situation.

I am not aware of DC Academy: are you talking about Coach Amy's Academy? That's likely to be among your few chances to make a top team in a club, but think about it as a dream club. Our strategy was to try out for clubs that have multiple teams per age group - that gave us a range of options (you pay for a tryout and you have three chances). You may want to look for a club with high turnover. You can look at turnover as players being unhappy with the club and not wanting to return. Alternatively, the club may develop the players to the point where they are good enough to make it into better clubs. Even though retention is good for a club, in your case it is an enemy - there's fewer spots available for new players.

[Anonymous]

Quick nuggets for newbies with an attempt to focus on the positive.

Do your best to get all around training! Focusing on only one position could mean loss of position as the teams age. Hitters that do not grow often take over as DS/L. Injuries require athletes to fill needs during the season. The more versatile your athlete is, the more court time they may earn. No guarantees.

Grit Volleyball is great for all around training. It is Beach Volleyball. There are some great coaches and they do teach actual technique that helps with indoor. Lots of touches with just 2 on a court. Leagues can be for fun or can be for stepping stones to make the Beach club team. Owner is great at helping athletes find partners. Blue Ridge of course is another great option, but much farther out. Other teams are forming beach leagues, but these 2 historically do quite well building strong all around players for beach and indoor volleyball.

The new director of training at American Volleyball in Manassas is worth a look if you don’t mind the drive. He has his own training business outside of the club called Rise Sports Performance, LLC. He originated outside of the CHRVA region. His approach is fresh and very competitive.

Arrington Elite can help advise a particularly tall and athletic girl since that has been mentioned in this thread. Others will benefit from the competitive play and training. This is not a competitive club. Training and development are their forte. There is a connection to Metro, but they train across all clubs if the anthletes are allowed to train outside of their current club. Do communicate the sports background and current level of play upfront. Clinics can and will move fast. True beginners might get lost and discouraged unless they pick things up fast. It is a wonderful spot to learn court IQ. Talk to the coaches! Communication is way to get feedback directly and a pipeline to learning what your athlete’s current and future needs for training could be.

Virginia Rise is another option. The owner does have a direct connection to Paramount, It is worth a shot for training or a league to play in. She is particularly strong for younger ages. The owner offers private lessons which are a great option to help get your athlete evaluated.

It is worth emailing the local clubs and/or coaches regarding your athlete. Some will make an effort to work with strong athletes who have played soccer and basketball and are of a competitive and driven mindset.

Stick with a good and encouraging environment. It’s easy to get lost if you are not the parent of an over 6 ft tall athlete. Be aware that some clubs will “require” lessons before and after the teams have formed.

St. James is a worth a tiny last mention. It may be an option to learn if your athlete likes volleyball. High turnover over coaches, so be careful using their past seasons for a gauge of success. Go and watch different levels and ages of their teams during practice. The upper level has viewing windows. Lower court-side views are also available through the windows. Watch the kids interact with each other and their coaches. It’s also a great place to view the differences that exist between the quality of coaching for the boys vs girls volleyball.

Tryout clinics are the best way to get seen prior to the actual tryouts. Coaches often have their teams “formed” prior to the weekend of tryouts. Talk to them afterward if time permits. They may let you know where you stand in generic terms. No position is guaranteed in until the actual emailed offer is made.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I have a U13 player with several seasons in Rec league under her belt. I am looking for a step up from rec but not quite Club/travel. Does this exist? In rec we keep getting teams with brand new players with no skills (ball ducking/watching, not moving to the ball, nondirectional hitting) and it's hampering her development. She wants to continue to develop and start playing real games. We are in east FFX county. Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a U13 player with several seasons in Rec league under her belt. I am looking for a step up from rec but not quite Club/travel. Does this exist? In rec we keep getting teams with brand new players with no skills (ball ducking/watching, not moving to the ball, nondirectional hitting) and it's hampering her development. She wants to continue to develop and start playing real games. We are in east FFX county. Any suggestions?

We jumped from rec to club for exactly the same reason. And excessive travel (for no good reason) is the reason why we want to step back. In Maryland we don't seem to have options, but I saw some options posted for Virginia. Unfortunately I cannot remember what thread they were posted on. I feel like more and more parents are getting tired of travel for the sake of travelling while there is enough local competition. Not sure when or whether the clubs are going to listen and adapt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a U13 player with several seasons in Rec league under her belt. I am looking for a step up from rec but not quite Club/travel. Does this exist? In rec we keep getting teams with brand new players with no skills (ball ducking/watching, not moving to the ball, nondirectional hitting) and it's hampering her development. She wants to continue to develop and start playing real games. We are in east FFX county. Any suggestions?

We jumped from rec to club for exactly the same reason. And excessive travel (for no good reason) is the reason why we want to step back. In Maryland we don't seem to have options, but I saw some options posted for Virginia. Unfortunately I cannot remember what thread they were posted on. I feel like more and more parents are getting tired of travel for the sake of travelling while there is enough local competition. Not sure when or whether the clubs are going to listen and adapt.

You’re probably thinking of Volley Viet as the Virginia club that’s inexpensive and doesn’t travel too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a U13 player with several seasons in Rec league under her belt. I am looking for a step up from rec but not quite Club/travel. Does this exist? In rec we keep getting teams with brand new players with no skills (ball ducking/watching, not moving to the ball, nondirectional hitting) and it's hampering her development. She wants to continue to develop and start playing real games. We are in east FFX county. Any suggestions?

We jumped from rec to club for exactly the same reason. And excessive travel (for no good reason) is the reason why we want to step back. In Maryland we don't seem to have options, but I saw some options posted for Virginia. Unfortunately I cannot remember what thread they were posted on. I feel like more and more parents are getting tired of travel for the sake of travelling while there is enough local competition. Not sure when or whether the clubs are going to listen and adapt.

You’re probably thinking of Volley Viet as the Virginia club that’s inexpensive and doesn’t travel too much.

Volley Viet is a club, even thought they tend to travel less. Plus, if you are not already in Volley Viet, it is hardly an option for most players (they have strong preference for returners). Someone described some options in Virginia that were not club and I felt like there were no tryouts / cuts. Sort of rec at a higher level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a U13 player with several seasons in Rec league under her belt. I am looking for a step up from rec but not quite Club/travel. Does this exist? In rec we keep getting teams with brand new players with no skills (ball ducking/watching, not moving to the ball, nondirectional hitting) and it's hampering her development. She wants to continue to develop and start playing real games. We are in east FFX county. Any suggestions?

We jumped from rec to club for exactly the same reason. And excessive travel (for no good reason) is the reason why we want to step back. In Maryland we don't seem to have options, but I saw some options posted for Virginia. Unfortunately I cannot remember what thread they were posted on. I feel like more and more parents are getting tired of travel for the sake of travelling while there is enough local competition. Not sure when or whether the clubs are going to listen and adapt.

You’re probably thinking of Volley Viet as the Virginia club that’s inexpensive and doesn’t travel too much.

Volley Viet is a club, even thought they tend to travel less. Plus, if you are not already in Volley Viet, it is hardly an option for most players (they have strong preference for returners). Someone described some options in Virginia that were not club and I felt like there were no tryouts / cuts. Sort of rec at a higher level.

I didn't know how Volley Viet is on the girls side but about half the kids on the boys teams are new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a U13 player with several seasons in Rec league under her belt. I am looking for a step up from rec but not quite Club/travel. Does this exist? In rec we keep getting teams with brand new players with no skills (ball ducking/watching, not moving to the ball, nondirectional hitting) and it's hampering her development. She wants to continue to develop and start playing real games. We are in east FFX county. Any suggestions?

We jumped from rec to club for exactly the same reason. And excessive travel (for no good reason) is the reason why we want to step back. In Maryland we don't seem to have options, but I saw some options posted for Virginia. Unfortunately I cannot remember what thread they were posted on. I feel like more and more parents are getting tired of travel for the sake of travelling while there is enough local competition. Not sure when or whether the clubs are going to listen and adapt.

You’re probably thinking of Volley Viet as the Virginia club that’s inexpensive and doesn’t travel too much.

Volley Viet is a club, even thought they tend to travel less. Plus, if you are not already in Volley Viet, it is hardly an option for most players (they have strong preference for returners). Someone described some options in Virginia that were not club and I felt like there were no tryouts / cuts. Sort of rec at a higher level.

I didn't know how Volley Viet is on the girls side but about half the kids on the boys teams are new.

It is very hard for a new player to make the girls teams unless it’s for their youngest year. They take back their returning players. Loyalty is huge there, both with players returning and them taking those players.

We were warned of all this but DD went to tryouts anyway last year. The cost was tempting. She won’t go back again this year. BUT we do know a couple new players that made the U14 team. It all depends on the position and who you are trying out against. That is true for any team.