How To Get Into Volleyball

[stakman1011 0]

OK here's the deal,

I have always loved volleyball, it's my favorite sport. I've never played organized volleyball though, because I've never had an opportunity.

Whenever I play (we play beach volleyball at an annual family reunion, and we play in gym class at school and occasionally have tournaments) I feel as though I play very well. My gym teacher made the comment that I could have a future in volleyball if I worked at it.

My aunt who always plays with me played D1 college volleyball and she says that I certainly have all the tools to play high level volleyball.

I'm 6'1 and am very confident in my ability to pass, set, hit, block, and play defense.

Here's the big problem...I'm going to be a Junior in High School and I'm about to turn 17. Seems to me that's pretty old to just be getting into volleyball. I have been watching Olympic Volleyball and Dax Holdren (a male beach volleyball player) started playing volleyball when he was my age, and not only did he turn pro but he went to the Olympic Games!

My main question is this:

How do I go about starting to play volleyball, keeping in mind my long term goal of playing at a D1 college. Although I'm very confident in my abilities I don't presume to think that I could ever go pro however I really would like to see how I measure up, and maybe it would be possible.

Anyway I want to know what to do to make myself a better player and get noticed by college volleyball programs. It is my dream to play volleyball in college and I was wondering for any advice on how to realize that dream.

Also in the mean time, are there any drills you can do on your own or with one or two friends that I can do to make me a better player while preparing for my shot, should it ever come.

Thanks so much everyone.

stak

[Juniper1299 0]

First off let me say that I think it is GREAT that you have taken such an interest in the sport. If you really want to play in college the first step is to do some research and find out what colleges offer men's volleyball because not everyone does.

Once you have found some colleges, get in contact with their volleyball coach and let him/her know of your interest in playing as a freshman and maybe they could point you in the right direction. At least you would know what they are looking for.

The next step would be to find an orginazation in your area that has competetive club volleyball. In my area (Philadelphia) club volleyball is a big deal. In my opinion, it is better experience than highschool volleyball. Generally, club volleyball is like a traveling team. You mainly play tournaments. The club I played for was Junior Olympic so we got to play teams from all over.

I am not sure who you would have to contact about this but maybe you could ask your Aunt OR if your school has a volleyball team (Mens or Womens) ask the coach about it. Last but not least you could try looking it up on line and seeing what you find.

I hope some of this helps! If not let me know and I will see what my contacts can come up with.

And PS... 17 is definitely NOT too late to start!!

[Naescire 0]

What part of the country are you in?

You could start by going to http://www.usavolleyball.org then move across the menu to the Juniors' tab at the top of the page. Move down to volleyball indoor and then click on How to Get Involved or here is the link http://www.usavolleyball.org/WannaPlay. Follow the instructions. See if there is a Boys' Juniors program in your area. You may have to travel some. Where I live boys have to travel about 2 hours to participate in USAV Juniors' program. If you can't find a Juniors' Program, check into the adult teams that may be near you. Usually, there are teams looking for players and like to help bring new people into the game and help them.

It is never too late to get started, but you might want to find a smaller college to play at for a year or two and then transfer to a D-I school. There are Junior Colleges, D-II, D-III and NAIA schools that all have great programs across the country.

Hope this helps some.