1) Clubs do not make Division I Athletes. Division I Athletes make Division I Athletes!
I can see Club Directors cringing upon reading that sentence, but I stand by it. True Story: I was on a driving range with a friend last summer on a Wednesday morning, and there were only two other men on the range with us. The following conversation took place:
Person 1: Yea, she just started gymnastics.
Person 2: Oh yea? How's she liking it?
Person 1: So far so good, although I just read an article about
Want to take a guess at how old his daughter was? FOUR.
We actually went over and just started talking with them a little bit. But in my opinion, this is the #1 misconception that parents have, which ultimately leads to why they're frustrated. Clubs market their "elite" athletes and where they're going to schools (and if there are scholarships, you better believe they're mentioning it). Parents/players see these advertisements and think if they go to these clubs, that's what will happen to them. And it couldn't be further from the truth.
Let's go back to that player that they had mentioned as I actually knew the background. That parent read an article and thought "Player goes to this club, player gets scholarship, so club helps player get the scholarship". What the parent doesn't know is that this girl was a VERY athletic, 6'2, and actually left her prior club to drive multiple hours each way to make it to practices to be on this team she was on. I'm not saying that certain clubs won't develop players better than others, but clubs will not turn Division I athletes into non-Division I athletes, and turn non-scholarship athletes into scholarship athletes.
At my club, our top 18's team practiced 3 times a week for 3 hours. That's 9 hours of instruction out of 168. I can train them exactly as we trained our girls when I coached at Mercer, but the reality is, if they sit on the couch all the time when they get home, if they're not taking care of their diet, if they aren't sleeping enough, and if they aren't of a specific physical ability, it will not turn them into something that they aren't. And the numbers don't lie: 99% of girls don't get to play Division I Athletics.
So when you're looking at clubs, don't get caught up in how many national championships they have - that rarely has any true indication on how the club will treat your daughter if she isn't ducking to get through the doorway or one of the top athletes in the program.
If you're asking "So how do we find a good club?"....
2) If you really want to feel confident that your athlete will get a good experience, try to get feedback from parents/players on the regional teams for that club.
I was 5'5 and 95 pounds when I was in high school. I worked as hard as I could at my craft - every conditioning drill, every practice, every match. I wasn't a naturally talented kid, but I wanted it so bad - and I remember being in the shadow of the guys that were taller, jumped higher, and hit harder. It wasn't a good feeling (although it kept me hungry and I'm probably better off for it), but I ended up having the privilege to play in college and play competitively as an adult.
So when I see these clubs look at players solely at their potential for bringing them national titles and somewhat overlooking kids that may not be as tall/fast but have the drive, it hits a sore spot with me. I'm surprised it doesn't bother more people to be honest. I joined my club because I can look parents in the eye and tell them whether your child is a star 18 year old or a 14 year old that's just starting the sport out, they will get a coach that will care about them and give them an education of the game. Unfortunately, this isn't the case across the board with clubs. I've heard of kids from other clubs that were on "elite" teams, got injured, and when they played on a lower team for the same club got a completely different experience. I've seen firsthand regional teams with coaches that look younger than the players, who stand on the sideline with clipboard in hand and basically just watch their team stand on the court. I've seen A LOT of very basic adjustments not being made by coaches of regional teams of these same programs that will boast about the accolades of their top teams. The list goes on and on.
If you know parents of other athletes from a club that aren't on the premier teams, get feedback from them - because those are the ones that will paint a more accurate picture of what playing for the club is like. Clubs are always going to market/promote their "flagship" teams, and from a business perspective it'd be crazy if they didn't. However, if you were going to fly coach on an airline you had no experience for, you wouldn't ask someone flying first-class about how the experience will be. That analogy is more accurate than we may want to admit!
Let's talk a little bit about once you're in the club.
3) If your athlete does not get on the team they want, don't tell them they were robbed, tell them to work harder and let the results speak for themselves.
Our club has over 300 athletes. We hold 3 tryouts dates for 3 hours each. Typically, a dozen or more coaches are walking around evaluating players on every skill set, and then we compare notes. The process is exhausting, but we go above and beyond to make sure we get things as accurate as they should be in regards to putting players in an environment that best suits where they need to be.
That being said, there are always a small handful that are going to slip through the cracks, that we look back and and say "in hindsight, maybe they could have gone up/down a team" - but in my experience, it has never been the parents/players who come to me or other coaches and openly say they feel that way. It's the kids that put their heads down and grind at every practice, working at their craft, not worrying about the things they can't control and instead focus on making themselves a little better every time they step on the court.
The moment your athlete comes home disgruntled at what team they are on and you tell them that they were robbed, you immediately set the table for a season of focusing on "I shouldn't be on this team" instead of "I didn't get what I wanted, so I'm going to work incredibly hard this season to make sure I never have to feel this way again". I was cut twice from basketball, and truth be told, I was incredibly lazy - while it was one of the hardest lessons I learned, it was definitely the most valuable and changed the way I approached playing volleyball. "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you want" - when your child comes home upset, simply tell them that they have a long career ahead of them, and to keep working hard. It may take years in some cases, but I've never met a kid that truly worked as hard as they could that regretted it (and they almost always got the results they wanted as well!)
4) You are not paying for your child's playing time - you are paying for your child's education/development of their skill-set, and that's done in practice.
I feel if this was broadcasted to parents from Day 1 at all clubs, A LOT of issues would be avoided. I hear parents all the time tell me "we're paying a lot of money, I don't want to see my daughter sitting on the bench". I realize why parents get upset if they only see their players at tournaments - it comes off as them paying thousands of dollars to have their kid watch the sport.
I tell my parents before we start: I do not and will not guarantee playing time. What I do guarantee is that at practice (where we spend much more time than we do at tournaments anyways), every single player will get my attention, and they will be better physical/mental players than they were when they started. They will have a better understanding of what they're doing and why they're supposed to do it. I will help them with improving their mechanics as well as knowing where they should be on the court and what they should be looking for on the other side of the net. That education comes at practice, and that's where you will reap the benefits of your hard work come tryouts/college.
Truth be told, some players may be destined to start on the sidelines if they're a little behind the curve physically - and before you get protective of your child, recognize that from 6th-8th grade, I was the lone bench member of my grade school volleyball team as we only had 7 kids. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to me, because I learned not to let the things I couldn't control (my coach's decision to have me sit next to her because they felt it was best for the team) affect the things I could (How I practiced, how I supported my teammates on the sideline, being mentally prepared to enter the game when my opportunity came). As I moved up in my volleyball career, I almost always started on the bench for my new team, but because I knew that with hard work and persistence, I could work my way into the starting rotation, even if it took a full season to get there.
Typically, players use club as a way to a) make their high school team b) prepare them to play in college. So tell me: How does entitling a player to playing in games simulate anything they'll see in either of those two environments? Parents: If you want to see your athlete on the floor more, don't blame the coach. Don't go to the director to complain. Have your athlete email/call the coach and ask for an evaluation on where they're at, as well as feedback on what they need to do differently in order to see the court more. This will a) avoid conflict b) give you constructive criticism on where your athlete needs to improve - and this is probably some of the most valuable information you can get as the athlete progresses!
5) Being on a team with 12 kids is not detrimental to your child's development - in many cases it may be beneficial.
Another thing I hear a lot of parents/players talk about is the frustration of being on a team with a lot of kids. If the fourth point isn't understood, then this one almost always accompanies it. "How is my athlete supposed to improve if they're on the sidelines every tournament?"
Players spend 2-3 times as much time on the practice court as they do playing matches in tournaments by my math. I've coached teams with 7-9 kids and teams with 11-12. While I may be able to give more individual attention to athletes with lesser numbers, I can give my players MUCH better preparation with more kids, because I can set up more game-like scenarios for them. I can give them more 6-on-6 situations, which will better prepare them for matches. I can keep my players more accountable, as they SHOULD always be aware of the fact that even if they're starting now, there's always someone that wants their spot, and they should never take it for granted. It is sometimes detrimental to the player if they realize they have no threat to losing playing time - it can make them complacent/lazy, because they don't have something to work for. The more competitive I can make my practices, the more I will get out of my players, and having a roster of 11-12 allows me to do that. Also, it allows teams to stay competitive even when you're not at full strength - I have never coached a club team that didn't deal with a) injuries b) players missing practices/tournaments for other sports c) vacations d) family emergencies. When you have a small roster and have no backup at certain positions, it can literally make or break you to have those players at tournaments. Having a deeper team gives you some cushion for all the above circumstances.
For the parents of players 7-12 on the depth chart, think of it this way: Every practice, your athlete will be playing against competition that will push them hard, that will challenge them to raise the bar for themselves every drill, that will prevent them from setting a ceiling for themselves and getting comfortable. THAT is more valuable than automatic playing time, and it will toughen your child up and prepare them for the challenges that will face them come tryouts for high school or going to compete at the collegiate level.
On my next blog, I'll discuss the college recruiting process. As always, if you have any questions/comments, contact me at ProgressionVBConsulting@gmail.com - I'm scheduling visits to clubs/schools and would love to speak to the families at your school/club!
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