Is 8th grade too late to start club volleyball?

[Anonymous]

DD is in 7th grade and interested in volleyball. Has played some in rec league and likes it but has two friends who play club volleyball and love it. I get the feeling from talking to some volleyball moms that its too late for her to get into it. I was a little skeptical about that --I remembered friends starting in high school. but DD and I went to part of her friend's tournament last weekend and some of these 13 year olds were really really good. Has she already missed her chance or could she try out next fall and have a realistic shot at making a team if she does some camps/lessons over the summer? She is a pretty good athlete, tall but not a giant. We are in NoVA. Thanks

[Anonymous]

Of course it’s not too late! Volleyball is fun and not terribly complicated. She just may not make the tip top teams — and that’s fine!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course it’s not too late! Volleyball is fun and not terribly complicated. She just may not make the tip top teams — and that’s fine!

Not trying to be a jerk, but that's really naive, and probably coming from someone whose kid does not play club volleyball. It's very competitive especially at the 14U level, which is what most 8th grade girls are. For most programs in NoVA, to be trying out for the first time for U14 after playing a little bit of rec? No way. The exception is if she is 6 ft tall--then everyone will want her.

[Anonymous]

Depends on her height and athleticism.

I think McLean Rec and NVVA have some lower level teams.

[Anonymous]

Definitely not too late! There are so many club options in Northern Virginia that if she wants to play she can find a team at her level. Have her play rec this winter/spring, attend a few camps this summer, and do a fall league (VA Elite has a good one and is open to all levels). Then she needs to attend clubs tryout clinics so she can get a sense of the level of the clubs she may want to try out for. You’ll see there is a huge range of clubs and the talent they attract.

Club volleyball is awesome. But, as a parent, know what you’re getting into before you sign up. It is not cheap. And the tournaments will take up your entire weekends - and most involve some kind of travel as even “local” tournaments typically take place not in Northern Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course it’s not too late! Volleyball is fun and not terribly complicated. She just may not make the tip top teams — and that’s fine!

Not trying to be a jerk, but that's really naive, and probably coming from someone whose kid does not play club volleyball. It's very competitive especially at the 14U level, which is what most 8th grade girls are. For most programs in NoVA, to be trying out for the first time for U14 after playing a little bit of rec? No way. The exception is if she is 6 ft tall--then everyone will want her.

Be as jerky as you want, but this was our experience. DD started rec volleyball in middle school and club the winter of 8th grade. She played HS volleyball for 3 years until she was the shortest by 3 inches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on her height and athleticism.

I think McLean Rec and NVVA have some lower level teams.

Research volley camps for the summer to help her catch up. A friend's athletic daughter started late and did this. She was an athletic 5'10. Now playing college volleyball.

[Anonymous]

There is a difference between being on a volleyball team and being a volleyball player.

For the person who said it is not very complicated, you are playing basic volleyball.

My kid started in 8th grade and other family members around the same time 2 of the 3 are division 1 players.

It wasn't just being on a club, it was doing extra work. That is what separates the kids.

There are clubs for each level and I have personally seen kids walk into he gym for high school tryouts who never payed but are athletic and excel. I have seen kids who have played since u12 attend the same tryouts and get cut.

Volleyball is interesting because you can catch up quickly to get to the basic level to make it enjoyable but to get to a serious level with complicated schemes, high speed, powerful jumps and hits, it takes an exceptional athlete.

Is your kid willing to stand in front of a ball being hit at 80 to 120 mph? I have seen too many casual players come and go for exactly that reason. They became scared after playing for a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely not too late! There are so many club options in Northern Virginia that if she wants to play she can find a team at her level. Have her play rec this winter/spring, attend a few camps this summer, and do a fall league (VA Elite has a good one and is open to all levels). Then she needs to attend clubs tryout clinics so she can get a sense of the level of the clubs she may want to try out for. You’ll see there is a huge range of clubs and the talent they attract.

Club volleyball is awesome. But, as a parent, know what you’re getting into before you sign up. It is not cheap. And the tournaments will take up your entire weekends - and most involve some kind of travel as even “local” tournaments typically take place not in Northern Virginia.

Yes! Club volleyball is awesome! But I agree with one of the other posters that it is very competitive especially at 14U and 15U. There are different levels of play in the area but you might have to be willing to try out for clubs that may be pretty far away. That's part of the problem- that interest in the sport is growing much faster than the capacity to accommodate that interest. Very obvious at tryouts -- at least 50 girls each night trying out for teams with 10, maybe 12 spots. And half of those spots or more aren't really available because they are being held for returning players. Lots of clubs have two levels of teams though, so maybe there are really 10-15 spots available over two teams at each age level. Still, with 80+ girls trying out over two days, that's tough.

Agree 100% with others that if your daughter is really tall and/or very athletic she has a much better shot coming straight out of rec because coaches will see the potential.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a difference between being on a volleyball team and being a volleyball player.

For the person who said it is not very complicated, you are playing basic volleyball.

My kid started in 8th grade and other family members around the same time 2 of the 3 are division 1 players.

It wasn't just being on a club, it was doing extra work. That is what separates the kids.

There are clubs for each level and I have personally seen kids walk into he gym for high school tryouts who never payed but are athletic and excel. I have seen kids who have played since u12 attend the same tryouts and get cut.

Volleyball is interesting because you can catch up quickly to get to the basic level to make it enjoyable but to get to a serious level with complicated schemes, high speed, powerful jumps and hits, it takes an exceptional athlete.

Is your kid willing to stand in front of a ball being hit at 80 to 120 mph? I have seen too many casual players come and go for exactly that reason. They became scared after playing for a few years.

THIS. Pretty obvious at tournaments which girls/teams/clubs are full of "volleyball players." Nothing wrong with that. Just keep in mind that you are still paying upwards of $4000 plus travel expenses regardless of whether you are on a high level team or not

[Anonymous]

No! My cousin was a very competitive lacrosse player who switched to club Volleyball at 13 or 14 and excelled. She is apx 5'8" but very athletic. It's worth a try if you are willing to upfront the $$ for training and DD is willing to work hard and practice.

[Anonymous]

I did not start until college. Loved it. And playing as a social sport as an adult. Great fun!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a difference between being on a volleyball team and being a volleyball player.

For the person who said it is not very complicated, you are playing basic volleyball.

My kid started in 8th grade and other family members around the same time 2 of the 3 are division 1 players.

It wasn't just being on a club, it was doing extra work. That is what separates the kids.

There are clubs for each level and I have personally seen kids walk into he gym for high school tryouts who never payed but are athletic and excel. I have seen kids who have played since u12 attend the same tryouts and get cut.

Volleyball is interesting because you can catch up quickly to get to the basic level to make it enjoyable but to get to a serious level with complicated schemes, high speed, powerful jumps and hits, it takes an exceptional athlete.

Is your kid willing to stand in front of a ball being hit at 80 to 120 mph? I have seen too many casual players come and go for exactly that reason. They became scared after playing for a few years.

Likely a big exaggeration For middle/high school girls:

https://www.sportsrec.com/1005634-average-speed-volleyball-spike-men.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a difference between being on a volleyball team and being a volleyball player.

For the person who said it is not very complicated, you are playing basic volleyball.

My kid started in 8th grade and other family members around the same time 2 of the 3 are division 1 players.

It wasn't just being on a club, it was doing extra work. That is what separates the kids.

There are clubs for each level and I have personally seen kids walk into he gym for high school tryouts who never payed but are athletic and excel. I have seen kids who have played since u12 attend the same tryouts and get cut.

Volleyball is interesting because you can catch up quickly to get to the basic level to make it enjoyable but to get to a serious level with complicated schemes, high speed, powerful jumps and hits, it takes an exceptional athlete.

Is your kid willing to stand in front of a ball being hit at 80 to 120 mph? I have seen too many casual players come and go for exactly that reason. They became scared after playing for a few years.

THIS. Pretty obvious at tournaments which girls/teams/clubs are full of "volleyball players." Nothing wrong with that. Just keep in mind that you are still paying upwards of $4000 plus travel expenses regardless of whether you are on a high level team or not

Agree with PPs - there are a lot of clubs in NoVA with varying levels so there may be one out there that is the right fit for your DD. At U14, the costs go up and understand that vball tournaments take up a lot of time (all day 1 day 'local' tournaments where you leave your house at 6:30am and get home at 7 or 8pm) for both regional and national/'travel' teams. Then throw in some out of town tournaments where you leave Fri and come home late Sunday or play on the long weekends - most teams, the travel costs come out of your pocket on top of the annual club price. Our DD loves it at U12 but we are watching to see how it will pan out with teams at U14 if she stops growing and the others are just starting on their growth spurt and hit their athletic strides. We also have a niece out in WA state who started club for the first time at U14 - she found a club with multiple team levels and also figured out what positions they may still be looking to fill to help her 'self identify' what position she liked to play (eg maybe DS vs setter or hitter etc) when the first round of tryouts didn't quite pan out.

For U14s, there is still opportunity but your DD needs to start doing the rec and clinics now (VA Elite has a 4 week series for nonclub players now on Saturdays through the spring) to get good training and really start to get a feel for the ball and team play. You want to know now if your DD really likes it enough for you to make a 'club' investment when tryouts come in the first week of November for next year. Play rec this spring and then definitely sign up for some summer camps/leagues, and then do the circuit of club pre-tryout prep clinics/sessions that start up late Aug/early Sept and run through Oct. Whatever you do, don't wait until the fall to start trying stuff out for a club investment.

If your DD is tall and athletic, some clubs will take her if she shows promise and they rely on their belief that they can train tall and athletic to do what they want them to do. Other clubs will start looking for new players as their best players move to really competitive teams and there is shifting for girls to land where they want to go through their high school years (if they didn't shift at U13 or wanted to shift after their first go in a U13 club and now have a better sense going into U14). There is definitely a club out there if your DD is willing to put in the time and work to find the club that best fits her play level. Every year, there seems to be new clubs popping up and offering multiple teams at each age. It just may not be the very first one you find and start liking, and/or you may need to drive a bit. Most of the NoVA teams are located out in West fairfax/dulles/herndon/loudoun county since there is more space for facilities out there.

Good luck!!!

[Anonymous]

Are there club teams in Montgomery County?