Pricey Volleyball Coaches, Gamers, and Mother and father,
My father was the perfect youth sports activities coach I ever performed for. I’m 22 years into my teaching profession. I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with world-class coaches and athletes. However I at all times discovered myself going again to his philosophy when it got here to teaching my youngsters:
“For a lot of youngsters, youth sports activities will present their first expertise with failure. Instructing them the best way to work by that may assist them navigate their educations, relationships, and careers.”
That may be a worthwhile lesson in any sport – in volleyball it’s extremely essential. Based on bvbinfo, the final two feminine gold medalist pairs misplaced 46% of their performs the yr they had been the highest groups on the planet. Volleyball can educate youngsters that dropping is inevitable. It doesn’t outline them – however how they reply to that adversity will make all of the distinction.
For my first 12 years of teaching, I witnessed environments that I felt had been backwards. Gamers had been handled good or dangerous solely on their contributions. Athletes who had been within the developmental part of their careers had been being taught “When you don’t deliver the identical worth as their larger/sooner/stronger friends, you aren’t worthy of the identical alternatives for development”.
I’ve watched assured hard-working youngsters get destroyed by youth sports activities coaches who had been unqualified to know what their gamers wanted to search out their private finest. And I fear: What occurs to those athletes after they have a ardour for issues the place they’re not naturally gifted?
Youth sports activities are in a bizarre place. On the one hand, the annual income and participation numbers are booming. Anybody who has monetary stake in youth sports activities is feeling superb about the place they’re at.
Then again, there may be extra strain on our athletes than ever earlier than. Athletes are being requested to specialize as early as 10-11 years previous, regardless that sports activities scientists say this isn’t essentially what’s finest for them. Off-seasons in our space have disappeared, and any highschool athlete taking part in each journey ball and highschool will get no low season for 4 straight years. The cash isn’t going again into the product, and the % of unqualified coaches continues to rise. These elements are having a damaging affect on a very good chunk of our athletes. I consider it doesn’t get addressed as a result of by the point most households understand it, they’re on the tail finish of their profession and applications are specializing in advertising and marketing to the following era of athletes who will face the same path.
I’ve been a little bit of a lone nut for the final decade as I created a program with the aim of creating positive each athlete acquired the identical alternative for development. It comes with challenges, however as an entire I really feel we’ve succeeded. We’ve got 30 athletes which have gone on to play in school. However I take simply as a lot pleasure in my athletes who got here to our program with very low-self-esteem, and by the point they left we had them believing in the perfect variations of themselves – or at the very least working actively in direction of that.
No youngsters held again; no youngsters left behind.
I discuss to lots of dad and mom and gamers. Backstage, anxiousness, despair, suicidal ideation are as prevalent as they’ve ever been. And it’s in any respect ranges – among the athletes carrying among the heaviest burdens are ones on the floor you’d assume had been in the perfect place.
They learn articles that discuss how essential journey tournaments are, the significance of recruiting companies or “being observed”, and varied pay-to-use companies which might be supposed to assist with one’s journey. They arrive off as “When you simply do A/B/C, you’ll be capable of play in school”.
However we at all times appear to sidestep the fact that roughly 19 out of 20 athletes that make their highschool groups won’t play in school. Or how a lot the person’s improvement issues. Or how high quality of reps is equally essential to amount of participation. So many youngsters are taking part in year-round and touring, however they’re getting in entrance of school coaches with expertise that aren’t ok, and a scarcity of athleticism that gained’t translate efficiently to the following degree.
I agreed to put in writing for Volleyball Magazine as a result of the powers-that-be are giving me the chance to put in writing with out restrictions. Being direct, I need to turn into the platform that I struggled to search out. I’ve gotten in entrance of some titans in our sport, and whereas off-the-record they agree with lots of what I’m saying above, in the long run what’s finest for households isn’t essentially what’s finest for enterprise, and they also want me luck as we go separate methods.
So regardless of the place you’re on the spectrum of juniors volleyball, I need to write items that you would be able to join with. I sit up for utilizing my voice right here to raise others up. I need to deliver consciousness to people who really feel they aren’t represented. I need to deliver consideration to teams who’re providing wholesome alternate options to the present norms however could not get the correct recognition for what they do. I need to provide school steering that’s nonetheless worthwhile for roughly 94% of you that gained’t play in school.
Each child I work with is exclusive of their objectives and willingness to decide to them. I hope to make use of this platform to deliver consciousness that in 2025, one measurement suits one in youth sports activities. I sit up for receiving suggestions and ensuring that if individuals are on the lookout for data on sure subjects, we’re bringing you worthwhile content material that addresses it.
Merely put, I need to write youth sports activities articles that prioritize the youth. If this appears like one thing you’ll be able to profit from, I hope you’ll be part of me on this journey.
Till subsequent time, be good to yourselves, be good to one another,
Coach Bryan
