Watching many sports, there are times that you may wonder why certain players may not receive more playing time. He/she seems to be physically superior to some of the athletes that are receiving more playing time—they jump higher, run faster, and are stronger—but the one thing that is not obvious when just watching these athletes is possibly one of the most important—experience. In volleyball, experience proves to be a major factor that affects many phases of the game.
“At the high school level, experience is the most important aspect,” said Robinson coach Eric Dean.
Since volleyball experience is more difficult to come by than some other sports, the experience that players are able to get proves to be invaluable, especially in high school. Club volleyball is usually the main source of experience provided to high school volleyball players.
“The experience they receive there shows during the season,” said Coach Dean. “Girls that have the ability to play more volleyball are usually far and away better than those that do not.”
Over their careers, players that are active in club volleyball as well as their regular season can play in four or five more seasons than players that cannot. Some coaches believe that freshman and sophomore years are especially important to high school players because of possibly getting used to a different attitude than what they dealt with in junior high.
“In junior high they are still having fun,: said Mt. Zion coach Jenny Moore. “By the time they get to high school, fun doesn’t always cut it and people want to win.”
According to Coach Dean, the biggest impact of a lack of experience is that players do not have the instincts that more experienced, polished players have. As a result, the less experienced players have to think more while on the court, often making them a second slower than others on the court, which may result in the other team scoring a point.
“The biggest thing, probably more than physical, is understanding the game,” said Effingham coach Laurie Bohnoff, who coached nine seniors, three juniors and a sophomore on her varsity team this year, the only team in the Apollo Conference that is undefeated in conference games.
Playing against an evenly matched team, experience plays a big role in the game of volleyball, affecting strategy before the game and performances during the game. The amount of experience that a player has affects the way she hits and her demeanor when playing in a close game.
Experienced players understand that you have to use certain strategies,” said Coach Bohnoff. “It [experience] is very important in close, competitive games.”
More inexperienced players may try to rely mostly on their physical skills, not following a specific strategy.
“They [inexperienced players] may not pay attention to where the biggest blockers are,” said Coach Bohnoff. “Instead they may go out and just try to hit the ball as hard as they can.”
Even though some coaches agree that the players’ experience is more important than that of the coaches, there is also consensus that the coach should try to put those that are less experienced in positions that they can excel in so that the players can gain confidence. The confidence that players gain is evident in many parts of the game, but seems to be especially evident when their team is on the losing end of several points. Coach Bohnoff said that it is very important, in terms of the team’s success, that players not let one or two down points distract them from playing hard the entire time.
The coaches’ experience is more valuable when addressing off-the-court issues and adversity, but the players’ experience is thought to be more important when it comes to the success of the team.
“I definitely think the success of the team, most of the time, is reflective of its players because they are the ones out playing the game,” said Coach Bohnoff.
Another factor that affects the growth of a player is her relationship with the coach. A good player-coach relationship is another source of confidence for players. Also, besides the confidence level of a player, the relationship that she has with her coach may also affect the players’ work ethic when there is mutual respect between the two.
“I think it is just like any other sport—a good relationship gets more out of the athlete,” said Coach Bohnoff.
The effect that the player-coach relationship has on the players ultimately depends on the player’s personality.
“As a coach you have to learn how each player reacts to criticism and praise,” Coach Dean said. “Some learn from it and others may shut down when they hear it”
Sometimes they may think you’re full of crap and you’re pretty sure that they aren’t working all that hard,” Coach Bohnoff said.
According to Coach Dean, respect is still the issue. “If they respect you, they will listen,” Dean says.”
Several coaches also agree that the time that a good relationship between players and the coach is most beneficial when things are not going well, when the team is not playing well or not winning.
“It benefits the most when things are not going well,” Coach Dean said. “Coaches and players can communicate what is going on and find solutions.’
However, there are instances in which a player-coach relationship can be too good. There are some times that either the coach may be too close to players, which may have a detrimental affect on the team.
“A coach can not have too good of a relationship with a player to where they can’t take them out or they can’t tell them what they are doing wrong.”
Bohnoff, the coach of one of the most experienced varsity teams in the Apollo Conference, says that she has seen differences within her team in the time that she has coached “the girls.” She says that the experience that they have received has matured them. Complementing the maturity that her players gain, the relationship that she has with the players also makes it easier to overcome adversities that they may face.
“They know they just have to improve in some areas.”
