How does your athlete prepare for volleyball tryouts?

[Anonymous]

My feeling is that most players (especially the younger ones) need guidance to get ready for tryouts (they likely start taking initiative as they grow older). I wonder how I can help my DD (who starts HS this year) prepare to get a spot on the JV team. The advice doesn't have to be focused specifically on HS teams, I would be grateful for advice related to club tryouts as well (some may still apply). Thank you in advance!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My feeling is that most players (especially the younger ones) need guidance to get ready for tryouts (they likely start taking initiative as they grow older). I wonder how I can help my DD (who starts HS this year) prepare to get a spot on the JV team. The advice doesn't have to be focused specifically on HS teams, I would be grateful for advice related to club tryouts as well (some may still apply). Thank you in advance!

I think perhaps the most important piece of advice when trying out for a volleyball team, either school or club, is to take advantage of every opportunity to be seen and work with the coach(es) ahead of the tryout. Many high schools run summer workouts or camps that are for anyone interested in trying out for the team. Being able to interact with the coaches and allowing them to get to know you a little outside of a tryout is a huge benefit.

In terms of skills, many local clubs and colleges offer pre-tryout clinics in July and August that are geared toward preparing players for tryouts. Don't know what locations work for you so this list if far from exhaustive, but here are a few examples:
https://www.americanvolleyballcamp.com/
https://www.mojovolleyballacademy.com/page/show/8556875-high-school-prep-camp
https://www.mocovc.org/page/show/7082347-moco-volleyball-2024-summer-programs
https://www.mocovc.org/page/show/7082347-moco-volleyball-2024-summer-programs
https://arringtonelitevb.sportngin.com/page/show/4137907-summer-camps

What to expect for a rising 9th grader will often depend on the school. At schools with competitive teams, it is pretty common for every player on the varsity team to play club volleyball. Some 9th graders have been playing club volleyball for several years while others might not have played any club at all. I would think for a 9th grader hoping to make a JV team, regardless of their experience they should at least know some fundamentals - they should be able to consistently execute an overhand serve, know basic passing fundamentals, know basic hitting footwork/mechanics, understand the basic rules of the game, and know a little bit about positions/rotations.

One thing that is super important for getting noticed in volleyball is attitude, communication, and effort. Coaches want to see players who are loud and make an effort to go for the ball/be aggressive. It is far preferable at a tryout to go for a ball and make an execution mistake than to step aside and watch a ball land a few feet away. A player has full control over their level of effort and communication on the court and being loud and confident shows the coach that the player wants to be there and is coachable.

[FPYCparent]

Depending on the school, there may be a freshman team in addition to JV and Varsity. At my kid's FCPS HS, I think there were (past years)/will be (this year) quite a few beginners on the freshman team.

[Anonymous]

Go outside or to a local community center and practice your serve. The other skills are hard to practice alone, but not serving.

[Anonymous]

I find a few tabs of adderall before tryouts generally does the trick.

[Anonymous]

My DD practices by herself. She goes out in the driveway and throws the ball up high and jumps and hits it down toward the side of the house so that It bounces back to her. She does this 200 times. If I understanc correctly, she is working on flicking her wrist And timing her jumps/hits??

She can serve well enough, but doesn’t need to because of the rotation that her team plays (5-2? 6-1? Or something like that) What I do know is She comes out right before she would serve in the rotation. And then goes back in after a few rotation. She is a right side and only plays front row.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My feeling is that most players (especially the younger ones) need guidance to get ready for tryouts (they likely start taking initiative as they grow older). I wonder how I can help my DD (who starts HS this year) prepare to get a spot on the JV team. The advice doesn't have to be focused specifically on HS teams, I would be grateful for advice related to club tryouts as well (some may still apply). Thank you in advance!

I think perhaps the most important piece of advice when trying out for a volleyball team, either school or club, is to take advantage of every opportunity to be seen and work with the coach(es) ahead of the tryout. Many high schools run summer workouts or camps that are for anyone interested in trying out for the team. Being able to interact with the coaches and allowing them to get to know you a little outside of a tryout is a huge benefit.

In terms of skills, many local clubs and colleges offer pre-tryout clinics in July and August that are geared toward preparing players for tryouts. Don't know what locations work for you so this list if far from exhaustive, but here are a few examples:
https://www.americanvolleyballcamp.com/
https://www.mojovolleyballacademy.com/page/show/8556875-high-school-prep-camp
https://www.mocovc.org/page/show/7082347-moco-volleyball-2024-summer-programs
https://www.mocovc.org/page/show/7082347-moco-volleyball-2024-summer-programs
https://arringtonelitevb.sportngin.com/page/show/4137907-summer-camps

What to expect for a rising 9th grader will often depend on the school. At schools with competitive teams, it is pretty common for every player on the varsity team to play club volleyball. Some 9th graders have been playing club volleyball for several years while others might not have played any club at all. I would think for a 9th grader hoping to make a JV team, regardless of their experience they should at least know some fundamentals - they should be able to consistently execute an overhand serve, know basic passing fundamentals, know basic hitting footwork/mechanics, understand the basic rules of the game, and know a little bit about positions/rotations.

One thing that is super important for getting noticed in volleyball is attitude, communication, and effort. Coaches want to see players who are loud and make an effort to go for the ball/be aggressive. It is far preferable at a tryout to go for a ball and make an execution mistake than to step aside and watch a ball land a few feet away. A player has full control over their level of effort and communication on the court and being loud and confident shows the coach that the player wants to be there and is coachable.

Thank you for the feedback - we are already signed up for one of the activities you suggested. DD will be in one of the most competitive HS in Montgomery County and it is likely that the JV will also have a bunch of club players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My feeling is that most players (especially the younger ones) need guidance to get ready for tryouts (they likely start taking initiative as they grow older). I wonder how I can help my DD (who starts HS this year) prepare to get a spot on the JV team. The advice doesn't have to be focused specifically on HS teams, I would be grateful for advice related to club tryouts as well (some may still apply). Thank you in advance!

I think perhaps the most important piece of advice when trying out for a volleyball team, either school or club, is to take advantage of every opportunity to be seen and work with the coach(es) ahead of the tryout. Many high schools run summer workouts or camps that are for anyone interested in trying out for the team. Being able to interact with the coaches and allowing them to get to know you a little outside of a tryout is a huge benefit.

In terms of skills, many local clubs and colleges offer pre-tryout clinics in July and August that are geared toward preparing players for tryouts. Don't know what locations work for you so this list if far from exhaustive, but here are a few examples:
https://www.americanvolleyballcamp.com/
https://www.mojovolleyballacademy.com/page/show/8556875-high-school-prep-camp
https://www.mocovc.org/page/show/7082347-moco-volleyball-2024-summer-programs
https://www.mocovc.org/page/show/7082347-moco-volleyball-2024-summer-programs
https://arringtonelitevb.sportngin.com/page/show/4137907-summer-camps

What to expect for a rising 9th grader will often depend on the school. At schools with competitive teams, it is pretty common for every player on the varsity team to play club volleyball. Some 9th graders have been playing club volleyball for several years while others might not have played any club at all. I would think for a 9th grader hoping to make a JV team, regardless of their experience they should at least know some fundamentals - they should be able to consistently execute an overhand serve, know basic passing fundamentals, know basic hitting footwork/mechanics, understand the basic rules of the game, and know a little bit about positions/rotations.

One thing that is super important for getting noticed in volleyball is attitude, communication, and effort. Coaches want to see players who are loud and make an effort to go for the ball/be aggressive. It is far preferable at a tryout to go for a ball and make an execution mistake than to step aside and watch a ball land a few feet away. A player has full control over their level of effort and communication on the court and being loud and confident shows the coach that the player wants to be there and is coachable.

I should have also mentioned that we signed up for the HS athletics program. They are only doing conditioning over the summer, which is a bit of a bummer because other HS have volleyball-specific programs.

[Anonymous]

FPYCparent wrote:Depending on the school, there may be a freshman team in addition to JV and Varsity. At my kid's FCPS HS, I think there were (past years)/will be (this year) quite a few beginners on the freshman team.

A freshman team would be nice, but our HS (MCPS) only has varsity and JV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go outside or to a local community center and practice your serve. The other skills are hard to practice alone, but not serving.

Serve is pretty consistent (but we do practice it often). I am thinking that a less common skill (diving) might give her an edge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD practices by herself. She goes out in the driveway and throws the ball up high and jumps and hits it down toward the side of the house so that It bounces back to her. She does this 200 times. If I understanc correctly, she is working on flicking her wrist And timing her jumps/hits??

She can serve well enough, but doesn’t need to because of the rotation that her team plays (5-2? 6-1? Or something like that) What I do know is She comes out right before she would serve in the rotation. And then goes back in after a few rotation. She is a right side and only plays front row.

This is the type of athlete who DD might lose the spot to. DD doesn't have the patience / drive to do something 200 times by herself. She enjoys playing with friends / teammates, but she is doing very little on her own. I am hoping that the drive will come as she matures. Not making the JV team would be a rude awakening though.

[Anonymous]

"if you want to try out for a club, you should sign up for clinics, so you get to know the coaches and the coaches get to know you" they say (on multiple volleyball threads). "They will likely not offer you a spot on a team if the first time the coach sees you is during tryouts" they say. My DD's clinics are not run by coaches in her age group. It is all good that she practices various skills, touches the ball, but she only got to know coaches from different age groups. Assuming that my DD wants a spot on those teams, the coaches will see her for the first time during the tryouts. So what is behind this advice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"if you want to try out for a club, you should sign up for clinics, so you get to know the coaches and the coaches get to know you" they say (on multiple volleyball threads). "They will likely not offer you a spot on a team if the first time the coach sees you is during tryouts" they say. My DD's clinics are not run by coaches in her age group. It is all good that she practices various skills, touches the ball, but she only got to know coaches from different age groups. Assuming that my DD wants a spot on those teams, the coaches will see her for the first time during the tryouts. So what is behind this advice?

It has not been our experience that fall clinics are not run by coaches of the teams that correspond to the age groups of the clinics. Most clubs are pretty transparent that fall clinics are intended to give them an early look at potential players ahead of tryout. I'd be interested to know what club you're talking about. Also, are you talking about clinics and camps that are happening right now? If so, it's much more likely that all the club coaches are not working those. The fall clinics that are discussed as important ahead of tryouts are those that happen in September and October.

[Anonymous]

My DD signed up for summer activities with three clubs and none of them feature coaches at her age level. I was hoping that she would meet the coaches during the summer, but - I guess - we will be patient until the fall then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD signed up for summer activities with three clubs and none of them feature coaches at her age level. I was hoping that she would meet the coaches during the summer, but - I guess - we will be patient until the fall then.

That's unfortunate, but coaching is a side hustle for most club coaches and a lot of times they don't participate in summer activities. Hopefully she's getting exposure to the club director(s) and at least some coaches that coach for club teams, even if from other age groups. At most clubs coaches will talk about players that they should be considering.