How to Start Playing Volleyball
Whether you are totally new to the sport, played it through high school, or just volleyed with buddies, it really isn't hard to get into volleyball. It also has a variety of mental and physical health benefits associated with the activity. Volleyball is a fast-paced team sport that helps you make new friends, gets you an excellent workout, and provides something to do aside from Netflix bingeing (not that we're judging). While it may seem like a bit of a challenge to get into the sport, it's actually one of the more accessible recreational sports in North America. In this blog, we're going to walk you through some of the need-to-know tips and tricks for the beginner and novice volleyball player.
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Understanding the Game
So you have opted for volleyball as your sport, and you're probably already very familiar with the idea of volleyball: two teams standing on either side of a net, trying to keep the ball off their side. Is that really all there is to the sport? Of course not. This is such a dynamic sport that requires decent amounts of skill and focus if you ever want to keep the game alive. We would recommend reading this article for an A-Z description of all the things you need to know about volleyball, but we will give a quick summary here as well:
Volleyball consists of two teams that include 6 players each, and games go up to 21 points.
The objective of the game is to land the ball onto your opponent's side of the court, which scores a point.
The teams can touch the ball only 3 times before it must go over the net. If you touch the ball a fourth time, then the other team receives a point.
A rally is basically initiated by one team serving the ball over to the other, and it allows the receiving team to bump, set, and spike the ball back to their opponents as long as they wish; it will be continuous until the ball drops to the floor or out.
Teams can defeat volleyball teams by various rotations and strategies to win the rally. Above all, it should not be forgotten that it is a team game. The bottom line for success is collaboration.
Finding a Game
Once you have got the basics down, it's time to find your very first game and get to playing. For new players, we would recommend starting off with a training session. These sessions will lay a real foundation for understanding the game and arming you with the core skills that you'll need to play adequately. Not only general training sessions in working on a wide array of skills can be found, but you are also likely to come across specific clinics working on blocking, hitting, or just passing. Want to know how to find a training session in your city? Simple – just Google: Beginner Volleyball Training Session + City Name. Add blocking, hitting, or passing to the query to find clinics on specific skills.
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Once you've gone to a few beginner sessions it's time to find your first game and put those skills to use. Finding a game both at your skill level and in your city can be a little bit trickier than finding a clinic. Typically, indoor volleyball comes in three different formats: (rated best for beginners to worst)
Drop-ins / Open Gyms
Drop-in volleyball games generally occur at a consistent time, day, and place week over week but have an inconsistent roster. These drop-in games charge for a game-by-game price, and you'll likely find the games range in price from $5-$15 for two hours of gameplay. The beauty of the drop-in game really is that anyone can join, and quite often you'll see new faces each week you come because sometimes life gets in the way, and when one player can't make the game, another is ready to take his place. One downside to drop-in games is the skill level; sometimes players can be either above or below that which the game is advertised for in terms of skill level, which kind of throws off the pace of the game. This isn't much of a problem at a beginner/recreational level, since most of the players you are playing with there are new and likely as green as you are. Leagues / Clubs
A volleyball league would operate on a consistent day of the week, at the same time and location, with the same roster. More often than not, leagues are run for 8-12 weeks and accept registrations from pre-made teams or free agents. Pre-made teams are those players that have played together long enough to know each other's style of play in order to excel against less familiar teams. On the other hand, free agents include those people who do not have any teams, and in case any team misses players then they get assigned to that particular team. Some leagues are in such high demand that they have teams made up completely of free agents. Leagues almost always charge en bloc, and you are going to pay the same $5 -$15 per game that works out to $40 -$120 per player for the entire season. While a recreational volleyball league may be a bit harder to come by compared with simply a drop-in game, it's a good option if you have those 5 friends who also play volleyball whom you really want to play with exclusively. Tournaments Beginner/Recreational tournaments are pretty few and far between. Tournaments usually happen at higher levels of play, like Intermediate or Advanced.
A typical volleyball tournament would be an event running for 1-2 days with 8-16 teams fighting for first place.
Brackets hold teams, which face off against rival teams until they climb through the ranks or get disqualified from the event. Tournaments typically don't have free agents; this is a team event in which it can run from $200 to $500 per team with cash prizes, usually for the top 3 teams. While recreational tournaments are few and far between, they still can be a fun venture for your team if you can find them—and who doesn't love a cash prize? What's Next? Once you've been playing for a while, you might really get good at volleyball; this is when you should consider moving up a skill level. The beginner/recreational level fits most casual players well, and one literally could spend years playing here, having consistent fun each time.
But at times, players like to challenge themselves and go up the skill ladder; this would bring you into High Recreational, then Intermediate, and if you're really sharp, Advanced.
Usually, the high recreational level is the ideal stepping stone that players can use, as you can work out here if slightly more competitive rallies suit you best, or if you really want to challenge yourself. The Intermediate level is recommended for those who are pretty good at volleyball and want a semi-competitive play environment. The Advanced level is usually reserved for very skilled players who have played for years or received coaching at a high level. In order to move up a skill level you need to do more than just be a good player. Moving up the skill levels takes hundreds of hours of dedicated playtime, coaching, and studying up various more advanced strategies, rotations, and tactics. Keep in mind to gun for whatever level you think is going to be the most fun for you; if you are one of those players who like casual play and just want to have fun, then the recreational level will deliver; if you are an overly competitive gamer who strives to push yourself, then the sky is the limit!
