More from Murph

Some good points here with kids getting converted to Volleyball. But it also poses an interesting question; What is it we want from the state programme? Is it to convert more kids to our sport? or is it to put on the best competition for those already in it? Volleyball is in a tough spot competing for kids with other more established sports. It doesn’t help when kids start Footy and Netball a lot younger (in primary schools) than they do Volleyball (typically high school).

One of the great things that the AVF did was take SA’s Mini-volleyball format nationally to create the Spikezone programme in primary schools and get the kids into the sport earlier. I think programmes like that are more effective in winning athletes than each state having development sides to do this. Overwhelmingly the kids that pour into our club are Spikezone kids in primary school wishing to play on. But I do agree that TID kids get that richer experience with our sport if they get a chance to play state.

Murph makes me think about the challenge of coaching kids Gen Y kids. I’m a borderline X-Y, so i have a foot in a couple of camps. Gen Y’s want things NOW. There’s no patience or waiting for your time. You used to wait until it was “your time” to try out, but now you don’t have to. Kids can now play junior league before high school, they can play state a couple of years before the cap, they can play reserves/league while still in high school. They also get injured younger – I find the idea of kids with knee and shoulder problems at the age of 15 disturbing. And they get sick of it all younger too. Is it too much too young? Are we burning them out?

Feedback from your players is very much a funny thing. There are players I’ve helped improve a lot who don’t appreciate a thing, and there are some excellent players (and their parents) who had great feedback for me even though I had bugger-all to do with their success. In business I learned a funny truism relating to all this; People don’t usually remember what you did for them, but instead they remember how you made them feel.

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Murph

Huy,

Most certainly there was some over simplification on my part there…

But I have spoken to a few of the athletes I mentioned last time, and they all agree, without hesitation, that they are better volleyballers due to the experience of playing in Sydney. Rory Welsh is one such player, who excelled like you would not believe in Sydney, he then went onto win an MVP award in melbourne. He told me that his time in Sydney helped every aspect of his game, as well as giving him the confidence and experience in tournament play. Jade arrived at the trials not looking like the player you mention…But boy did he grow throughout the training sessions and in Sydney he stepped up exceptionally.

Another one to think about is a young lad called Jordan Maslen, who last during trainings was otherwise focussed, he was always wanting to go out and play footy…After the trip to Sydney, I spoke to him and his Father, and they both agree, he’s a volleyballer now. He has the bug, he wants to play 21s one day. Another lad in my team last year David had a pretty good tournament, he was a TID athlete who was just kind of playing because he was at SASI…After the State program he told me how he loved the sport, as soon as the tournament finished his Dad was on the phone to Brighton, seeing if he could enroll in the school. He regrets not starting playing earlier (perhaps as a 14 year old in a State team….)

There are many little stories like this…Sure they players might have achieved the same thing if they were not a part of a development squad, but you cannot argue with the testimony of athletes telling you that you have either helped them become a better player and set them up for future tournaments, or given them the passion to love the sport.

Murph