How to Prepare Yourself for a Game

          Mentally and physically preparing yourself for a game is very important and can affect how well you perform in a match. You should prepare yourself by eating and hydrating right, being mentally ready and focused, and being physically ready to go before and during a game.

          Hydrating and eating right before a game is proven to make you play better. You should drink plenty of water before, during and after a game. Before a game you should also watch what you eat. If you have an early morning game, make sure you eat a healthy breakfast. The worst thing is playing when you feel like you ate too much so don’t have a huge breakfast. If you are playing back to back in the afternoon during your normal lunch time, if it is okay with your coach, it is a good idea to bring a snack on the bench with you to eat in between sets. Some good options would be a granola bar, crackers, pretzels, dried fruit, fruit snacks, goldfish, etc.

          To prepare mentally for a game you should develop a routine you do before every game. What helps me is listening to music but it can be different for everyone. Some people like to watch the team they are going to play next, go for a jog, or talk to their teammates about the upcoming game. You should find whatever works best for you and do that before every game.

          To prepare physically for a game you should make sure you get plenty of sleep the night before you play. Approximately half an hour to an hour before you play your team should come up with a warm up that you are going to complete before every game. A warm up should get you prepared to play right when you step on the court.  

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Offensive Systems and Strategies

In volleyball there are many different options for an offensive system. Whichever team adjusts quicker to the other teams system usually has a better chance of winning the match. An offense is chosen based on how many setters your team has, who is in the front row, match ups on the other side of the net and what defense your opponent is in.

The number of setters that play on a team determines if you will run a 5-1 or a 6-2 offense. A 5-1 means that there is 1 setter and he/ she will play all the way around, setting in the front row and the back row. In order to run a 5-1 your setter has to be able to block, play defense, serve, be an attack option in the front row, and be a leader. A 6-2 means that there are 2 setters and they will both set from the back row only. This will allow your team to have 3 hitters in the front row all the time.

What players are in the front row on your side of the net determines what plays the setter decides to run on offense. The sets an outside hitter can call for are a 5: the highest set and slowest tempo out to the pin, a 4: a quicker antenna height set, a shoot: pretty self-explanatory but it’s the fastest tempo set for an outside and is just above the height of the net. The sets a middle can call are a 1: quick in the middle right in front of the setter, a 2: a higher set about 2 feet in front of the setter, a 31: a fast tempo set 3 feet in front of the setter, a 32: same location as a 31 just a slower tempo and a higher set, a gap: like a 1 but the setter should push the ball away from them to create a “gap” in the other sides block, a 6: same as a 1 but behind the setter, a 7: same as a gap but behind the setter, an a slide: behind the setter, all the way to the pin, slides can vary in height and speed. The sets a right side can call for are a 6, a 7, an 8 which is usually the same as a slide, or a 9: which is the same tempo as a 5 but just behind the setter. These are what I use as a setter for my play sets but some teams could differ in what they call each set.

What offense the other team is running should also influence the offense your team is going to run. For example if the other team is running a 5-1 and their setter is short and can’t block, your setter should realize that and utilize his/ her outside when the short setter is in the front row. Another example is if the setter is not a strong passer your team should attack to him/ her when he/ she is in the back row, to get there team out of system.

I hope these explanations helped you clear up any offensive questions you had!

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How to Pick a Club Volleyball Team

        Choosing what club team you want to play for is stressful sometimes but if you keep a few things in mind you should be good to go. When choosing where you want to play you should keep in mind, who your coach will be, how many players will be on the team and how it will affect your playing time, how far away you want to travel for practices and tournaments, what your team chemistry will be like, and the costs involved.

To determine if you will like your coach and his/ her coaching styles make sure to attend all player and parent meetings and ask questions.  If you have a club in mind attend a match and watch the coaching style of your potential coach.  Ask friends who have played at the club for their opinion of the coach and their philosophies. Search online for records of teams played under the coach you may have. Are they at the top the region or near the bottom? Make sure the coach’s style fits your personality. Is the coach too demanding or too laid-back? How many years have they coached? What position did they play? Do they play everyone or do they play to win?

Some club teams are more competitive than others, and this usually determines how far they travel for tournaments. Club volleyball tournaments range from in town scrimmages to national qualifiers with over 200 teams for each age division. If your club team is going to try to qualify for nationals you will more than likely compete in tournaments all over the country. Club practices usually take place in the city where your club is based. Before you try out for a club you should decide how far you want to travel every week to practice.

Team chemistry is a very important part of picking a club team. If your team doesn’t get along and connect well together you probably won’t get to where you want to be at the end of the season. In order to ensure you will have good team chemistry make sure you talk to the girls that could potentially be on your team. Get to know them before you commit to playing for the team.

If you are not sure about where to play club I hoped this helped you make your decision!

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