Volleyball tryouts in real time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 14 year old who just started playing a few months ago made a 15u team with an inconsistent overhand serve, she’ll probably be a setter,

Are you talking about a rec team? Because we have two more weeks until clubs organize tryouts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 14 year old who just started playing a few months ago made a 15u team with an inconsistent overhand serve, she’ll probably be a setter,

Are you talking about a rec team? Because we have two more weeks until clubs organize tryouts.

No it’s club. We’re in the Carolinas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 14 year old who just started playing a few months ago made a 15u team with an inconsistent overhand serve, she’ll probably be a setter,

Are you talking about a rec team? Because we have two more weeks until clubs organize tryouts.

No it’s club. We’re in the Carolinas.

Got it. The problem is that the conditions in the Carolinas are different from what we see in the DMV area. A lot of people in DMV have so much money to throw at volleyball - it's absolutely insane. Out of curiosity: how much do you pay for club volleyball over there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi! We are new to club and volleyball in general. We've gone to a few clinic at different clubs and it's been brought to my attention that a girl who can't serve won't get offers. Is this true? DD has been working hard since August but can't serve. She isn't on a school team as it's 5 days a week and she has too many conflicts.

I will assume you are talking about a high schooler. Not all players serve (even on average clubs). If your DD has other skills, she can still get on a team. For example, if she is tall and has a good vertical, she can play middle. The coach will make sure that she is out by the time she gets to serve (the player who subs in will serve). However, if she doesn't have some useful skills, it will be hard to make a team at this age, except bottom teams in mediocre clubs. It is not clear what you mean when you mention conflicts.

It really depends on the age. Its not unusual for players 13s or younger to still be working on mastering serving, but older than that I’d guess a coach would be reluctant to take a player who can’t serve at all unless they were really tall or exceptional at other skills. While it’s true that every player isn’t going to serve in matches, being able to serve the ball overhand over the net is a pretty basic skill that most club players are expected to have at least minimal proficiency with. I’m guessing that many coaches would view not being able to serve at all as a concern for a player coming into a team with at least some experienced players.

I agree that she would need to serve overhand to make it on the top teams of the top clubs starting at U15. Some of the more competitive clubs may not even take you if you cannot jump-serve. However, the standards are different and you might be able to make the third team in average clubs or even the second team in mediocre clubs. Most players will make a team if they aim for the right club unless the lack of serving skills is accompanied by lack of other skills or physical attributes.

I think for players new to club (particularly at 15s or older), choosing a club that is a good match for your DD's skill level is really important. Unfortunately, that can be easier said than done. First it requires making an honest assessment of your DD's abilities and potential. It's hard for parents to watch their kids play in a group and admit that their's is among the worst on the court. Or perhaps even harder is if your DD plays rec or even JV and is among the best on the court, it can be a shock for parents new to club to realize that they are still a beginner in the world of club volleyball. Secondly, how are new families to know which clubs are the right level for their player? Forums like this are a good place to start, but as demonstrated on the thread for lesser known clubs, there are lots of opinions about the bigger local clubs but less first hand experience with newer or very small clubs. Hundreds of girls play for MOCO, Metro Regional teams, or MVSA so there are lots of people willing to share their opinions, but for newer smaller, clubs, like Academy, All City, or Legacy it can be tougher to connect with people with first hand experiences.

Given that tryouts are coming up quickly, if you don't already have a plan for which clubs to tryout for, try and get to a few clinics this weekend. Don't be afraid to consider a smaller or newer club if you're worried your DD might not make any team. There is a team for almost everyone, but it might not be at a big club that everyone knows about, but that doesn't mean it won't be a great experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi! We are new to club and volleyball in general. We've gone to a few clinic at different clubs and it's been brought to my attention that a girl who can't serve won't get offers. Is this true? DD has been working hard since August but can't serve. She isn't on a school team as it's 5 days a week and she has too many conflicts.

I will assume you are talking about a high schooler. Not all players serve (even on average clubs). If your DD has other skills, she can still get on a team. For example, if she is tall and has a good vertical, she can play middle. The coach will make sure that she is out by the time she gets to serve (the player who subs in will serve). However, if she doesn't have some useful skills, it will be hard to make a team at this age, except bottom teams in mediocre clubs. It is not clear what you mean when you mention conflicts.

It really depends on the age. Its not unusual for players 13s or younger to still be working on mastering serving, but older than that I’d guess a coach would be reluctant to take a player who can’t serve at all unless they were really tall or exceptional at other skills. While it’s true that every player isn’t going to serve in matches, being able to serve the ball overhand over the net is a pretty basic skill that most club players are expected to have at least minimal proficiency with. I’m guessing that many coaches would view not being able to serve at all as a concern for a player coming into a team with at least some experienced players.

I agree that she would need to serve overhand to make it on the top teams of the top clubs starting at U15. Some of the more competitive clubs may not even take you if you cannot jump-serve. However, the standards are different and you might be able to make the third team in average clubs or even the second team in mediocre clubs. Most players will make a team if they aim for the right club unless the lack of serving skills is accompanied by lack of other skills or physical attributes.

I think for players new to club (particularly at 15s or older), choosing a club that is a good match for your DD's skill level is really important. Unfortunately, that can be easier said than done. First it requires making an honest assessment of your DD's abilities and potential. It's hard for parents to watch their kids play in a group and admit that their's is among the worst on the court. Or perhaps even harder is if your DD plays rec or even JV and is among the best on the court, it can be a shock for parents new to club to realize that they are still a beginner in the world of club volleyball. Secondly, how are new families to know which clubs are the right level for their player? Forums like this are a good place to start, but as demonstrated on the thread for lesser known clubs, there are lots of opinions about the bigger local clubs but less first hand experience with newer or very small clubs. Hundreds of girls play for MOCO, Metro Regional teams, or MVSA so there are lots of people willing to share their opinions, but for newer smaller, clubs, like Academy, All City, or Legacy it can be tougher to connect with people with first hand experiences.

Given that tryouts are coming up quickly, if you don't already have a plan for which clubs to tryout for, try and get to a few clinics this weekend. Don't be afraid to consider a smaller or newer club if you're worried your DD might not make any team. There is a team for almost everyone, but it might not be at a big club that everyone knows about, but that doesn't mean it won't be a great experience.

Very well said - exactly the type of message that I try to emphasize on this forum: parents new to volleyball have no clue how to objectively assess their kids' skills. I know because I was one of them and I made plenty of mistakes (especially during the first year of tryouts). Take everything that coaches say with a grain of salt: they want to encourage your kid to keep playing volleyball and they won't say anything negative. Some parents misinterpret this positivity as confirmation of their belief that their kid is exceptional (and whose kid is not exceptional?). I would like to say that the probability of your DD would make it on the roster of a top club is so small that you can consider it as zero for all practical purposes. Unless your kid is very young or extremely athletic (and parents can overestimate the latter as well).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 14 year old who just started playing a few months ago made a 15u team with an inconsistent overhand serve, she’ll probably be a setter,

Are you talking about a rec team? Because we have two more weeks until clubs organize tryouts.

No it’s club. We’re in the Carolinas.

Got it. The problem is that the conditions in the Carolinas are different from what we see in the DMV area. A lot of people in DMV have so much money to throw at volleyball - it's absolutely insane. Out of curiosity: how much do you pay for club volleyball over there?

We drive a big further out so our prices are ridiculously lower - regional programs on average in the area for the younger kids are in the $1000 range, national runs about $3500. I would guess still significantly less than DC

I don’t expect my daughter to get a tremendous amount of playing time. We’re excited she’ll have the opportunity to train.

[Anonymous]

What do the different courts at tryouts mean? What are the differences? What do they usually make you do during tryouts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do the different courts at tryouts mean? What are the differences? What do they usually make you do during tryouts?

They warm up the players, then they go through different drills to evaluate their skills. They are likely to measure at least their height, reach, and vertical at some point during the tryouts. They will evaluate how well the players play in close to ideal situations (for example, ideal set to see how they approach and hit), then game-like situations. They observe how well the players communicate (are they loud on the court?) and what their attitude is (do they cheer and encourage the other players?). Do they go down after a mistake, or pick themselves up and focus on the next ball?

If you make it to the top court, you have a chance to get an offer (even though an offer is guaranteed only when you have it in your hand - or inbox). If they dump you on the second (or third) court, you should read the writing on the wall and adjust your expectations. If they let you watch the tryouts (which is becoming more and more rare), you can easily see the difference between the top court and the bottom court based on who is playing and where the coaches pay attention.

[Anonymous]

Has Loudoun Elite been having invite clinics? DD has been going to their regular clinics on Sundays but never received any invites. They never mentioned if they have them or don’t and it would be good for her to know her chances with tryouts coming up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has Loudoun Elite been having invite clinics? DD has been going to their regular clinics on Sundays but never received any invites. They never mentioned if they have them or don’t and it would be good for her to know her chances with tryouts coming up.

My daughter went to a public clinic last Saturday at Loudoun Elite. The coach approached me at the end of the clinic to ask if my daughter wanted to stay for the invite clinic right afterwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has Loudoun Elite been having invite clinics? DD has been going to their regular clinics on Sundays but never received any invites. They never mentioned if they have them or don’t and it would be good for her to know her chances with tryouts coming up.

My daughter went to a public clinic last Saturday at Loudoun Elite. The coach approached me at the end of the clinic to ask if my daughter wanted to stay for the invite clinic right afterwards.

What age group was this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has Loudoun Elite been having invite clinics? DD has been going to their regular clinics on Sundays but never received any invites. They never mentioned if they have them or don’t and it would be good for her to know her chances with tryouts coming up.

My daughter went to a public clinic last Saturday at Loudoun Elite. The coach approached me at the end of the clinic to ask if my daughter wanted to stay for the invite clinic right afterwards.

What age group was this?

U13.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If you make it to the top court, you have a chance to get an offer (even though an offer is guaranteed only when you have it in your hand - or inbox). If they dump you on the second (or third) court, you should read the writing on the wall and adjust your expectations. If they let you watch the tryouts (which is becoming more and more rare), you can easily see the difference between the top court and the bottom court based on who is playing and where the coaches pay attention.

This advice is directionally correct but not entirely accurate. It's generally true for clubs that have just one team like VA Elite, VA Juniors, Metro Travel, etc, but isn't so clear in clubs with multiple teams. For clubs with multiple teams your chances of receiving an offer do increase if you are on a higher court at a tryout. But there's a lot of nuance.

FYI-When we talk about top/bottom court here, we often just mean the last court your player is on when the club is doing actual gameplay. Some clubs move players multiple times during tryouts. Your DD may be on a top court for one skill and a bottom court for another. Make sure your DD knows not to get discouraged if she moves. Coaches notice a lot more than players realize.

Clubs with multiple teams will usually have multiple courts for evaluation. A top court may have 12-18 players on it and even if everyone receives an offer and accepts that's only enough for 1 1/2 teams. If the club has two courts for tryouts you are technically on the "bottom" court but you could still have a chance at making a team. Also, many clubs have multiple tryout sessions and there is always variation in the levels of performance between tryouts. You may be on the bottom court at the end of a tough tryout group and still get an offer. You can also be on the top court of a weaker tryout group and not get an offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If you make it to the top court, you have a chance to get an offer (even though an offer is guaranteed only when you have it in your hand - or inbox). If they dump you on the second (or third) court, you should read the writing on the wall and adjust your expectations. If they let you watch the tryouts (which is becoming more and more rare), you can easily see the difference between the top court and the bottom court based on who is playing and where the coaches pay attention.

This advice is directionally correct but not entirely accurate. It's generally true for clubs that have just one team like VA Elite, VA Juniors, Metro Travel, etc, but isn't so clear in clubs with multiple teams. For clubs with multiple teams your chances of receiving an offer do increase if you are on a higher court at a tryout. But there's a lot of nuance.

FYI-When we talk about top/bottom court here, we often just mean the last court your player is on when the club is doing actual gameplay. Some clubs move players multiple times during tryouts. Your DD may be on a top court for one skill and a bottom court for another. Make sure your DD knows not to get discouraged if she moves. Coaches notice a lot more than players realize.

Clubs with multiple teams will usually have multiple courts for evaluation. A top court may have 12-18 players on it and even if everyone receives an offer and accepts that's only enough for 1 1/2 teams. If the club has two courts for tryouts you are technically on the "bottom" court but you could still have a chance at making a team. Also, many clubs have multiple tryout sessions and there is always variation in the levels of performance between tryouts. You may be on the bottom court at the end of a tough tryout group and still get an offer. You can also be on the top court of a weaker tryout group and not get an offer.

I agree with these caveats. We can go into even deeper details by saying that a lot of popular clubs have multiple tryouts for an age group and they have a top court in each of those tryouts. If you get 1.5 teams in two tryouts you got your 3 teams and you don't need any of the players on the bottom courts. But some of the top players will not accept the club offer, so the club needs to dig out someone from a bottom court. MOCO is doing the tryouts on three courts and they can use the third one as a dumping ground. Plus, they have a list of finalists who are invited back for another evaluation. MVSA is also weeding a lot of players during the first day to get to a more manageable crowd on the second day. The less popular clubs may have two age groups on two different courts, so there is no top and bottom court.

[Anonymous]

Where do I see how many people are trying out in each age group?