Volleyball and Teamwork

My two daughters play Volleyball for their school.  It is easy to be successful in the 4th grade.  If you can hit it over the net, chances are your team will win.  The 6th grade team is different.  They know the serve will be coming over so it becomes a matter of how to get it back to the other side of the net.

At last week’s game, the opposing team was impressive.  They made it a goal to hit the ball 2-3 times every volley on their side before sending it back over to us.  By contrast, our team tried to hit it back over the net in one hit.  The differences in the two styles made the difference in the game.  If a player feels that they have to hit the ball over every time they touch the ball, then that shows they don’t have confidence in their teammate to help it over or to share the responsibility.  That is why a lot of teams at this level have issues with balls falling in between players.  There should be a level of trust and communication between players to know not only who is going to hit the ball, but where others should be positioning themselves in order to set the ball as the next hitter.  This is why the other team was so successful and ended up winning the game.  They had a system of play where all the players were engaged and working as a team.  A bad hit was not a big deal because there were other players in position to take a recovery shot before sending it back over the net.  If a player is so focused on getting the ball back over the net, they don’t allow for help form others if their shot is too hard or at a bad angle.

Too many of us have that attitude towards our clubs.  We think it is up to us alone to do it all and don’t pass off work or opportunities to others.  The trust is not there and it ends up hurting the club’s success.  So the next time the responsibility is heading your way, instead of blasting it back over the net and ignoring those around you, why not set it up for someone else on your team?  You may be surprised at the results and the total engagement across your members. We can win by working together.