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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think the competitive pressure even for developmental teams is not only coming from the club but also from parents and even players themselves. There is typically a larger aspirational imbalance. I don’t think it is as straightforward to manage all these tradeoffs as we may think.[/quote]

Agreed. Even parents on less competitive or developmental teams want to win. It’s far too simplistic to think the answer is setter 1 plays set 1, setter 2 plays set 2, and so on. It’s a nice thought in theory, but then reality sets in. Even within the same team, parents and players will have very different views of who the team should aspire to be. It’s all complicated and competitive, even in places you would expect to be focused on development. Such is life these days in many places? [/quote]

Here is an easy way out for the club: if setter 2 is not competitive enough to play, then don't make an offer. Or even better: don't place on the roster any player who is only good enough to ride the bench. Stop blaming the parents and the players. They suffer the consequences of poor club decisions during tryouts. [/quote]
Sounds nice in theory, but the types of teams being discussed here don’t always have strong options to fill every spot. While 10 players is probably a decent roster size for a team that isn’t super competitive (definitely no more than 12), every team needs a certain number for each position. On a team with 10 players, you’d probably want 2 setters, 2-3 middles, 1-2 L/DS, and then a mix of pin hitters, hopefully at least 2 that can play all 6 rotations and 1-2 that can play right side.

Setters in particular are in high demand, so a coach might not have 2 equally strong options to pick from during tryouts. And having only 1 setter can be a disaster if that player gets hurt, sick, or otherwise becomes unavailable.

I also agree with the observation that even for teams that have a lot of newer or less skilled players that should be focused on development, there is always pressure to try to win, particularly from parents. The reality is that letting everyone gets reasonable amounts of playing time and trying to win are not always compatible. [/quote]

Kids who are too good for developmental teams should move to more competitive teams. Those who can only make it on a developmental team will play with others who are also trying to learn the game. The difference between wins or losses won't affect rankings too much if you only play your best players on those teams. Make your "star" players starters or keep them on the court all around, but the other kids are also trying to learn and need the experience. At the beginning of the season, the coaches should adjust expectations and explain the difference between developmental and competitive teams. [/quote]

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