In late 2023, in my function overseeing the English nationwide staff methods, I shaped a Juniors coaches group in England as a part of my efforts to tell and develop the coaches of Juniors gamers within the nation. In April 2024, throughout certainly one of our month-to-month on-line conferences, we had two of our most skilled youth nationwide staff coaches because the headliners. Simply 3 weeks earlier there was a giant nationwide staff camp and I needed the 2 of them to share with the group their perspective on what we search for in athletes to carry into the nationwide staff pathway. In different phrases, volleyball expertise identification.
In session beforehand, the 2 of them got here up with the next checklist, which they shared with the group.
- Top – top of motion (can the participant soar?)
- Athleticism – agility, coordination, physicality and energy (produce and management)
- Sport sense – understands area, time and momentum
- Aggressive – psychological fortitude
- Ball consciousness/management – a very good relationship with the ball
- Adherence to job – ready to study and adapt
- Resilience – address the bumps within the highway
- Crew participant – will help teammates get higher
- Self-regulation and private administration
The rationale I’m sharing this checklist is that I believe it’s a very good reference level for coaches and gamers concerning expertise ID. There’s nothing a participant can do about their top. Every little thing else on the checklist might be developed, nonetheless. That features top of motion.
I ought to communicate to the “produce and management” parenthetical reference associated to energy. Producing energy might be self-explanatory. Management, nonetheless, was introduced primarily in reference to incoming energy. So balls hit laborious on the participant. That clearly has tie-ins with Ball consciousness/management.
We would like well-rounded athletes
Notice that nowhere among the many bullets is there something to do with place. That’s as a result of volleyball expertise identification isn’t about particular positions. As a substitute, we wish gamers with well-rounded talent units. It’s one thing we attempt to emphasize within the youthful age group in how we construction our competitions. We additionally strongly discourage coaches – and youngsters and their mother and father – from pigeon-holing gamers into positions early.
I’ve heard a quote attributed to Doug Beal that claims, “We would like gamers who’re good at the whole lot, however wonderful at two issues,” or one thing near that. As our sport turns into more and more dynamic and athletic, we’d like gamers who can do the whole lot.
Sure, by the point you get to about 15 or 16 you’re beginning to transfer within the path of positional specialization. Our England groups play in U17 worldwide competitions, so we do have to put gamers in positions. That could be totally different from what the play for his or her membership, similar to a school coach could change a participant’s place as soon as they arrive on campus. And as a Senior worldwide they might play a distinct place from what they play as a U17 or U19. For this reason adaptability is so vital.
It’s not about the place they’re. It’s about the place they’re going
Overlaying all that is the thought of Potential. I’ve mentioned repeatedly to the coaches group the youthful the participant, the extra we’re taking a look at potential over present capability. From an England volleyball expertise identification perspective, since we’re speaking within the context of future senior nationwide staff gamers, and we’re primarily centered on youngsters, which means potential is massively at play right here. The typical age of an Olympic volleyball participant is eighteen. We’re bringing youngsters into the England Pathway at typically as younger as 13. That’s a very long time forward of their anticipated peak.
Nevertheless it’s not only a nationwide staff factor to be trying forward. Faculty coaches do completely to this. They’re evaluating gamers at 16 with an eye fixed towards how they’ll be at 20 or 21. Even highschool coaches do it. The home windows at each these ranges are simply totally different.
In response to choice selections, I’ve typically heard one thing much like the next from the coach or mum or dad of a participant not chosen: However Participant X (the one not chosen) is best then Participant Y (one who was chosen).
That would very properly be true at that second in time. However what about in a number of years? If we don’t anticipate both participant to develop, develop bodily, enhance their abilities, and many others. then Participant X is probably going the only option. The remainder of it issues, although, and top of motion is extraordinarily vital in our sport (even for liberos being taller is advantageous). As I wrote beforehand, it doesn’t take so much earlier than having the ability play larger offsets a talent benefit.
The world is filled with very expert volleyball gamers who simply don’t play the sport excessive sufficient above the web to be efficient on the higher ranges of the game. The minority of youth volleyball gamers go on to play on the faculty and/or skilled degree, and even fewer nonetheless play for his or her nation. That doesn’t imply they’ll’t benefit from the sport and have lengthy, rewarding careers at a degree applicable to their bodily constraints.
What does the participant’s path ahead appear to be?
A difficult ingredient on this volleyball expertise identification course of is assessing probably growth. You may in all probability have some sense of how tall a participant can be (there are some metrics to assist). You may often gauge who’s an early developer vs. a traditional or late developer with reference to bodily maturation. What about different components, although?
- What sort of teaching will they obtain?
- How typically will they prepare and/or play?
- What degree of play with they be concerned with?
- Will they be on a daily power coaching program?
- Are they concerned in another athletic actions?
We are able to make greatest guesses about quite a lot of this based mostly on the membership they play for, the varsity they attend, conversations with the athlete, and many others. We’re unlikely to get all of it proper, although. There are additionally components of their private lives that play into issues, and it’s laborious to anticipate developments round household, faculty, and many others. and the way they could play into somebody’s bodily and psychological development.
In different phrases, as a lot as expertise ID is vital, it’s additionally a good distance from exact. Fortuitously, on the nationwide staff degree we now have time on our facet. We don’t have to choose future Olympians at 15 years outdated. The truth is, it’s virtually inevitable that we’ll miss athletes for any variety of causes. Likewise, a few of these recognized at 15 received’t develop as hoped. That’s why the door has to all the time stay open for each those that could be a part of later and to let go those that now not match the invoice.
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