Let us pick a volleyball club for you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you recommend for a 10 year old boy with no formal training but lots of casual play (he has done a 6 week session with i9 and played at summer camp) who is tall and athletic and interested in playing on a team? Location is Fairfax.

He plays soccer year round, so is looking for something with only 1x week practice initially, as a secondary sport if that exists.

I've been looking at BRYC rec as a start but interested in other options. Im still learning the timing of seasons and when teams form too.

Boys volleyball for boys is different than girls in terms of starting age and conflicts with other sports, at least here in the DMV. Its not unusual for boys to come into volleyball later, and its also common for them to play multiple sports. Once you get to HS specialization starts to happen, but usually because of schedule conflicts. For example, if you play HS volleyball and club volleyball, both run at roughly the same time so you don't have room for another spring sport. Soccer pairs very well with volleyball because of the Summer/Fall soccer schedule and the Winter/Spring volleyball schedule.

Club clinics may be the best to place to start, rather than rec. If he's athletic and tall he'll probably find that rec leagues are too easy for him, especially at that age. Clinics usually are once a week and can be done for 3-6 weeks, letting you choose after the first round of clinics if he like the sport. At 10, mixed clinics (boys and girls) are the norm so make sure he's OK with that. Clinics teach skills much faster and a good foundation of skills is a huge boost in boys volleyball, where sometimes those skills aren't really refined until U13/U14. For example, in CHRVA boys teams can play girls teams up through U13. A lot of the time the girls will win the matches, solely from better fundamentals.

So helpful! Thank you for this information.

What club clinics do you reccomend in the northern va area? We would ideally start with some close and convenient to see how it goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you recommend for a 10 year old boy with no formal training but lots of casual play (he has done a 6 week session with i9 and played at summer camp) who is tall and athletic and interested in playing on a team? Location is Fairfax.

He plays soccer year round, so is looking for something with only 1x week practice initially, as a secondary sport if that exists.

I've been looking at BRYC rec as a start but interested in other options. Im still learning the timing of seasons and when teams form too.

Boys volleyball for boys is different than girls in terms of starting age and conflicts with other sports, at least here in the DMV. Its not unusual for boys to come into volleyball later, and its also common for them to play multiple sports. Once you get to HS specialization starts to happen, but usually because of schedule conflicts. For example, if you play HS volleyball and club volleyball, both run at roughly the same time so you don't have room for another spring sport. Soccer pairs very well with volleyball because of the Summer/Fall soccer schedule and the Winter/Spring volleyball schedule.

Club clinics may be the best to place to start, rather than rec. If he's athletic and tall he'll probably find that rec leagues are too easy for him, especially at that age. Clinics usually are once a week and can be done for 3-6 weeks, letting you choose after the first round of clinics if he like the sport. At 10, mixed clinics (boys and girls) are the norm so make sure he's OK with that. Clinics teach skills much faster and a good foundation of skills is a huge boost in boys volleyball, where sometimes those skills aren't really refined until U13/U14. For example, in CHRVA boys teams can play girls teams up through U13. A lot of the time the girls will win the matches, solely from better fundamentals.

So helpful! Thank you for this information.

What club clinics do you reccomend in the northern va area? We would ideally start with some close and convenient to see how it goes.

I'm sure others can add to this list, but here are the boys clubs in the area (there aren't a lot of them) that also run girls programs that you can look at:
St. James (Springfield)
No Panic (Manassas, Facility is between Manassas and Chantilly, so a bit of a hike if you live close in to DC)
VolleyViet (Falls Church)

For girls clubs that run youth clinics, consider:
American (Bristow)
BRVC (Burke)
Libero (Ashburn)
Loudon Elite (Ashburn)

There may be others that take boys in their clinics, so if anyone else has more to add please do.

And if you live close to DC in the McLean area there are options on the MD side that may be closer.

[Anonymous]

NP here (on this thread, anyway!)

9th grade DD wants to try out for a club team. She started playing a year ago with our county rec league and loves it. Made the varsity team (I think just because they needed her position?). Is learning a lot & likes it very much. We live in close-in Silver Spring in Montgomery County.

So far she is signed up for MVSA tryouts - cheapest option, practices I believe in Germantown/Gaithersburg.

I am leaning toward signing up for the MoCo tryouts too because the practice locations are so close to our house, but with such limited experience, maybe these are two clubs that are so hard to get into she'll be left with nothing.

Is there another club she should look at instead (I think she can only tryout for 2, is that correct?)

MD Juniors is way out in Jessup.

I believe MEVC is kind of far away too. Platform?
Academy?

Thanks for the help, anonymous friendly VB folks!

[Anonymous]

Skip the MVSA tryout - without prior club experience it is unlikely that she will make a team. She might have a bit of JV practice (likely benched a lot if other players are better), but that is likely not sufficient to make it on an MVSA team. Unless she is really tall and athletic - that might persuade MVSA to offer her a spot. She has some chances on a MOCO bottom team, but it is not guaranteed - I would do the tryout without hoping to make a team. MEVC and Platform are good back up options - their bottom teams are not very competitive. MEVC is in Rockville, Platform in Gaithersburg.

[Anonymous]

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here (on this thread, anyway!)

9th grade DD wants to try out for a club team. She started playing a year ago with our county rec league and loves it. Made the varsity team (I think just because they needed her position?). Is learning a lot & likes it very much. We live in close-in Silver Spring in Montgomery County.

So far she is signed up for MVSA tryouts - cheapest option, practices I believe in Germantown/Gaithersburg.

I am leaning toward signing up for the MoCo tryouts too because the practice locations are so close to our house, but with such limited experience, maybe these are two clubs that are so hard to get into she'll be left with nothing.

Is there another club she should look at instead (I think she can only tryout for 2, is that correct?)

MD Juniors is way out in Jessup.

I believe MEVC is kind of far away too. Platform?
Academy?

Thanks for the help, anonymous friendly VB folks!

You can try out for as many as you'd like, you just have to figure out a way to make the schedule work. 3-4 at U15 isn't unreasonable.

Definitely register and try to go to the pre-tryout clinics for the clubs mentioned at 17:50. For that age group, the list is:
MEVC: Sunday, 10/20
MOCO: Sunday, 9/29 & Saturdays in October
Platform: Sundays in October

All three of those clubs do a pretty good job of getting players into their pre-tryout clinics, even if they have limited space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here (on this thread, anyway!)

9th grade DD wants to try out for a club team. She started playing a year ago with our county rec league and loves it. Made the varsity team (I think just because they needed her position?). Is learning a lot & likes it very much. We live in close-in Silver Spring in Montgomery County.

So far she is signed up for MVSA tryouts - cheapest option, practices I believe in Germantown/Gaithersburg.

I am leaning toward signing up for the MoCo tryouts too because the practice locations are so close to our house, but with such limited experience, maybe these are two clubs that are so hard to get into she'll be left with nothing.

Is there another club she should look at instead (I think she can only tryout for 2, is that correct?)

MD Juniors is way out in Jessup.

I believe MEVC is kind of far away too. Platform?
Academy?

Thanks for the help, anonymous friendly VB folks!

Metro Central could be worth checking out too. Should be decent locations from Silver Spring. Metro is discussed ad nauseum on these forums, but that is generally about their Travel teams. Their regional teams are similar to other more regional teams at other clubs.

[Anonymous]

Which would be easier to get a spot on, Metro Central or a MDJRs regional team? This is for U16 player who has played all around in JV freshman and sophomore years. Currently libero in JV this year and can also play setter. Wants to keep playing but has only done club clinics, no clubs. We’ve already identified a reach and a safety club, if you will. Trying to find mid-level to lower level club in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which would be easier to get a spot on, Metro Central or a MDJRs regional team? This is for U16 player who has played all around in JV freshman and sophomore years. Currently libero in JV this year and can also play setter. Wants to keep playing but has only done club clinics, no clubs. We’ve already identified a reach and a safety club, if you will. Trying to find mid-level to lower level club in Maryland.

I’d guess MDJRs, mostly because they have so many teams per age group.

[Anonymous]

22:06 here. I want to rephrase my first sentence. I don’t think it is necessarily easy to get into either club, soI guess my question. Is more how do these two regionally clubs compare and is one known for only wanting kids who have done their clinics in the past, etc. like others have said about other clubs on other threads on this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which would be easier to get a spot on, Metro Central or a MDJRs regional team? This is for U16 player who has played all around in JV freshman and sophomore years. Currently libero in JV this year and can also play setter. Wants to keep playing but has only done club clinics, no clubs. We’ve already identified a reach and a safety club, if you will. Trying to find mid-level to lower level club in Maryland.

Trying out for MDJRs you'd have four teams that you have a chance to make vs. just one at Metro Central. U16 Libero is one of the most competitive positions, so having more options is a good thing. There are a lot more club-level DS/Libero at that age than there are hitters. If she's got good hands and quick feet, making sure that the club sees her setting ability will definitely help differentiate her.

Depending on the high school JV team you are on, playing as a freshman/sophomore is either really good or not so good. Does the HS JV team have a lot of club players on it? Is the varsity team very good?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which would be easier to get a spot on, Metro Central or a MDJRs regional team? This is for U16 player who has played all around in JV freshman and sophomore years. Currently libero in JV this year and can also play setter. Wants to keep playing but has only done club clinics, no clubs. We’ve already identified a reach and a safety club, if you will. Trying to find mid-level to lower level club in Maryland.

Where are you located in MD? Metro and MDJRs are on two different ends of the DMV area (one in DC, the other one in Jessup). For a mid-level club I would suggest Platform or MEVC and for a lower level I would suggest Academy (this would likely be easier because there are no return players - they had no 15s last year).

[Anonymous]

We’re in close-in Montgomery County, so basically everything is 25-45 minutes away except for the clubs that hold practices at Stone Ridge and RVA whose mostly in Silver Spring. DD’s varsity team has club players for libero, setter and practically the whole back row, so she’s JV but at least she gets lots of playtime instead of sitting int he varsity bench all season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which would be easier to get a spot on, Metro Central or a MDJRs regional team? This is for U16 player who has played all around in JV freshman and sophomore years. Currently libero in JV this year and can also play setter. Wants to keep playing but has only done club clinics, no clubs. We’ve already identified a reach and a safety club, if you will. Trying to find mid-level to lower level club in Maryland.

Where are you located in MD? Metro and MDJRs are on two different ends of the DMV area (one in DC, the other one in Jessup). For a mid-level club I would suggest Platform or MEVC and for a lower level I would suggest Academy (this would likely be easier because there are no return players - they had no 15s last year).

It's mostly the Metro Travel teams that practice in DC. Metro Central is more close-in MD, although they do include GDS as a potential practice site. The others are Holy Cross in Kensington, Bayard Rustin Elementary School in Rockville, and Ritchie Park Elementary in Rockville.

[Anonymous]

Cross posted, as I didn't get any bounce on another thread.

Does anybody have any recent experience with St. James at the 15U/16U level?