Gentle beginner volleyball for 10yo in MoCo?

[Anonymous]

Hi all, looking for recs for the most gentle/developmentally friendly way for a 10yo to try volleyball in MoCo.

We did Ofer Levy camp last summer and the vibe just wasn’t great for her, too serious and not playful enough. She’s interested in volleyball, but needs something beginner-friendly, encouraging, and more fun than intense.

Any clinics, camps, or orgs you’d recommend for that kind of kid? Any to avoid? TIA!

[Anonymous]

This is a website often recommended to find activities in Montgomery County: https://volleymontgomery.wordpress.com/
Can you elaborate on the Ofer Levy camps? Were those camps the only volleyball activities that you tried?

[Anonymous]

Thanks! Ofer Levy felt very drill-heavy and ran 9–3, which was a lot for her. It was also a huge mixed-age group, probably 9 to 18, so honestly not the best intro. She also said her arms/wrists hurt.

[Anonymous]

MVSA offers summer and fall programs for beginners:
https://www.mvsavbc.org/summer-registration

For beginners, sessions typically include drills followed by Newcomb Ball (catch and throw) until players are ready for regular volleyball.

It’s good preparation for their 10U and 11U club teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks! Ofer Levy felt very drill-heavy and ran 9–3, which was a lot for her. It was also a huge mixed-age group, probably 9 to 18, so honestly not the best intro. She also said her arms/wrists hurt.

I don't think there is any way around this. I still remember being a kid learning volleyball and how much it hurt my forearms, wrists and hands. Can you practice outside with her daily to develop the muscles and reduce the sensitivity? When learning any new sport, most things hurt until the body adjusts.

[Anonymous]

It is tough as a beginner to take 6 hours of volleyball, especially if you haven't decided that this is your sport. Look for half-day camps, clinics, or (even better) leagues. Most club activities will have some level of intensity - they try to make them fun for everyone, but they are definitely looking for their next players. I strongly suggest the Gaithersburg league, where you have a tighter age range (they will not put 10 and 16 year olds on the same court), they meet twice a week (once for practice during the week and once for games during the weekend). Depending on the coach, your DD may even learn some volleyball and not get into too many habits that will need correction later on. My DD fell in love with volleyball in the Maryland Sports Academy summer camps (they had plenty of players of all skills and all ages, but the courts were organized by age and skill level). But - again - we are talking about long hours that your DD may not be ready for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks! Ofer Levy felt very drill-heavy and ran 9–3, which was a lot for her. It was also a huge mixed-age group, probably 9 to 18, so honestly not the best intro. She also said her arms/wrists hurt.

I don't think there is any way around this. I still remember being a kid learning volleyball and how much it hurt my forearms, wrists and hands. Can you practice outside with her daily to develop the muscles and reduce the sensitivity? When learning any new sport, most things hurt until the body adjusts.

I agree, but there is more to it. With such a wide range of ages, it's hard to come up with drills that are effective for everyone. The pain in the forearms are due to balls coming relatively hard at you, so you want drills that keep the players closer together to help them gradually lose the sensitivity. Receiving most balls that come over the net will hurt until the player develops their skills. Have you tried using some long sleeves? While sleeves may not be great to develop your technique, they could lower the pain in the early stages. Eventually, the coaches will tell you to get rid of the long sleeves, but they may do the job at the beginning.

[Anonymous]

Some clubs offer intro camps- Montgomery county has Stars and East Coast Elite. Both have camps geared for beginners. But they may be all day camps. Metro has shorter clinics also geared for beginners in Rockville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some clubs offer intro camps- Montgomery county has Stars and East Coast Elite. Both have camps geared for beginners. But they may be all day camps. Metro has shorter clinics also geared for beginners in Rockville.

Ofer Levy camps are also geared toward the beginner players. You may find a couple of club players lost in those camps, who quickly realize they are wasting their time and never go back. We made that mistake with an Ofer Levy summer league once and we made a mental note never to sign up again. Whatever seemed like a good opportunity to practice turned into a very frustrating experience. It was an exercise in showing grace to players who could not figure out what to do on the court.

[Anonymous]

Honestly what got my kid to love volleyball was a clinic run through Howard County- I don't think it was Ofer Levy but it might have been. It lasted maybe 6 weeks and was for 2 hours on a weeknight. She then started doing the 10-12 rec league- 1 hour practice and a game every Sunday for about 6-8 weeks. The league culminated in a tournament. It was pretty low-key and supportive, all kids play. She did that for a few seasons and we gradually ramped up to specific clinics with clubs that she was interested in. She's now 12 and in her first year of club and still obsessed with volleyball. I'm sure montgo has something similar- as someone noted above, the Gaithersburg league is fantastic as is MVSA for beginners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly what got my kid to love volleyball was a clinic run through Howard County- I don't think it was Ofer Levy but it might have been. It lasted maybe 6 weeks and was for 2 hours on a weeknight. She then started doing the 10-12 rec league- 1 hour practice and a game every Sunday for about 6-8 weeks. The league culminated in a tournament. It was pretty low-key and supportive, all kids play. She did that for a few seasons and we gradually ramped up to specific clinics with clubs that she was interested in. She's now 12 and in her first year of club and still obsessed with volleyball. I'm sure montgo has something similar- as someone noted above, the Gaithersburg league is fantastic as is MVSA for beginners.

Thanks for this! I have heard great things about Gaithersburg too. What makes it so good?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly what got my kid to love volleyball was a clinic run through Howard County- I don't think it was Ofer Levy but it might have been. It lasted maybe 6 weeks and was for 2 hours on a weeknight. She then started doing the 10-12 rec league- 1 hour practice and a game every Sunday for about 6-8 weeks. The league culminated in a tournament. It was pretty low-key and supportive, all kids play. She did that for a few seasons and we gradually ramped up to specific clinics with clubs that she was interested in. She's now 12 and in her first year of club and still obsessed with volleyball. I'm sure montgo has something similar- as someone noted above, the Gaithersburg league is fantastic as is MVSA for beginners.

Thanks for this! I have heard great things about Gaithersburg too. What makes it so good?

DP. I think it is the right mix of practice and competition for a beginner. You get your cohort / team and you practice with them once a week (in the evening on a weekday). You are not coming home with sore arms / wrists (even if they are sore, it's to a lesser extent). Then you are playing against other teams (one game per weekend). It can be a good experience, especially if you have a supportive coach. You won't see a lot of progress, but that's not the goal. The goal is to figure out which of the players want to get more serious about volleyball and maybe move on to club. Some players keep playing in the league either because they don't have the time or the financial resources to move to club. We spent way too much time in rec leagues because we were clueless about the club scene. We missed one year of club volleyball, which could have changed my DD's volleyball trajectory. She would still not be dreaming of college, but she could have probably be on a better team / in a better club.

[Anonymous]

Ofer Levy runs the Montgomery County clinics and rec league described above during the school year and only camps during the summer. The camp is too long a day, IMO but the clinics and rec league are a great place to start. Try for a year and if your child likes it, look into club. The rec leagues are more fun than clinics. You get an hour to learn skills with your team and there’s slightly less standing in line for your turn, with about 10-12 kids per coach, which may translate into more fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ofer Levy runs the Montgomery County clinics and rec league described above during the school year and only camps during the summer. The camp is too long a day, IMO but the clinics and rec league are a great place to start. Try for a year and if your child likes it, look into club. The rec leagues are more fun than clinics. You get an hour to learn skills with your team and there’s slightly less standing in line for your turn, with about 10-12 kids per coach, which may translate into more fun.

People are like vultures when the Gaithersburg league opens and the spots fill up quickly. Ofer Levy leagues are easier to get into, so they are a good option if you cannot make the Gaithersburg league. The Ofer Levy leagues run a bit differently than the Gaithersburg league in that you practice and play during the weekend (there is no weekday practice). This approach could work better if you want to get it all done in one day. The teams in the Ofer Levy leagues are also better balanced: they have an evaluation session to avoid very strong vs very weak teams (which makes the games more competitive). The Gaithersburg leagues allow players to join a specific team, which makes the league more fun because they tend to stay and play together for several sessions in a row.

[Anonymous]

Try the City of Rockville clinics. They do a combination of drills and play with the beginners on one court and the more advanced players on the other.