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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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.[/quote]
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. [/quote]
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. [/quote]
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. [b]Most players will make a team if they aim for the right club[/b] unless the lack of serving skills is accompanied by lack of other skills or physical attributes.[/quote]
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, [b]but it might not be at a big club that everyone knows about[/b], but that doesn't mean it won't be a great experience.[/quote]
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). [/quote]

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