So I’m in my mid-30s, recently recovered from a full Achilles tear, and realized that all my friends I made while active duty military had moved away.

I started going to a pickup volleyball group I saw posted on Meetup in my local area. They played 4v4 at a very beginner-friendly level. (I had played 2 years of indoor in high school years ago and 2 years of random, unorganized beach volleyball.)

Everyone was friendly, but I quickly outgrew the skill level there. That’s when I started exploring all the other pickup groups around my county. I just started asking everyone I saw playing if I could join in, and if they knew other places that had groups or pickup games I could join.

Very quickly, I realized there were many different small mini-communities of players that didn't know about each other.

So I figured, why not create a distro list of all the public pickup groups so everyone can find all the different places to play?

Here is how fast it snowballed:

• That list turned into a WhatsApp group chat.
• The chat got so big that we had to make a WhatsApp Community with individual group chats for each pickup spot.
• Then that got so big (400+ people) that I had to bring in help managing and coordinating all the volleyball events and pickup groups.

I basically accidentally created a volleyball club. We now run events, onboard new players to the area, and post content for local players. We just started making club teams, too.

I have no idea what I am doing, but I now have 8 part-time volunteers helping me run everything, and we even secured a contract with our county to host a huge grass volleyball event with vendors, a DJ, large tournament payouts, etc.

If you have any tips for how to continue to grow a volleyball community in a local county, let me know!

If you ever wished a friendly, well-organized volleyball community existed in your local area... maybe this is your sign to be the person who builds it.

Hello volleyball friends,

I don't normally post but I haven't found any posts/threads discussing the struggles I have been encountering for years with this sport so I figured I would try reaching out here. Sorry for the length in advance.

I have been playing volleyball on/off as an adult since 2019 where I started from scratch. Its my favorite way to spend my time and I would constantly be on the court if I could. I live in the North-East United States and have had a hard time continuing my development in my scene. My city is a good size, we have a decent volleyball community, but I have been unable to connect with people that share the passion for the sport or play at that higher level I am looking for. (For those familiar with US ratings I'm referring to like USAV BB/A or NERVA B- to B+ levels)

The first part of what I am seeking help on is what to do to help raise the general skill level of those around me. I have tried working directly with individuals and normalizing common drills and warmups before games but I'm one woman and I only help with setup/takedown of the gym I don't run it or get to make rules. When offering suggestions or explaining technique to people that ask I see some effort put in to implement advice during that session but it just evaporates by the next time we gather to play and I end up repeating myself. Recently I sustained an injury and was out of play for 4 weeks and upon returning I saw a significant relapse in the habits and skills of some people that before had been coming to me for feedback/advice and it was very disappointing. So I would appreciate any suggestions on how to integrate development into scrimmages/pickup/non-tournament play in such a way that relapsing to older bad habits is mitigated.

The second part is about player retention. When new players enter the scene, I have noticed that if they have a higher talent level and game knowledge similar to the level of play I seek they stop coming out. I can understand why - the games over-packed (8 people per team) and the matches are extremely inconsistent and can lead to injury caused by inexperienced players colliding with others, going under the net, etc. This stifles a lot of networking potential since the same goes for leagues in the area. While I have not participated myself, there is an overwhelming "oh yeah, don't play in [x] league. Its so bad you will get hurt since no one even knows the rules." I have been able to travel a couple hours for good high level tournaments but unfortunately those are resource intensive and spread out far apart. I struggle with the idea that my only good practice can only be during a high stakes event like a tournament. I would like to be able to refine my skills on a regular basis week to week rather than once a month after a multi-hour drive.

This last part is personal and relates to how I fit into the volleyball community. When I started playing I lived in a big city in Texas. I played so much in my city and in the early days, made lots of connections and friends. But I am a girl that really values growth and development and I frequently outpaced my peers and a lot of them were content staying at the level they were at. As I grew, I really struggled to break into groups of higher talent and hit a wall where I either couldn't play or it wasn't good enough. After 4 years in that city I moved to an even bigger metropolitan area and thought "I should just be somewhere where theres a higher density of good players so I'll have more opportunity to play." I thought the groups in my city were just being clique-ish and didn't want to let anyone in. Well the same thing happened in the new city and while I continued to develop I was still excluded from a lot of groups and teams. Players would invite me to practice cause I have a good attack, good block, good serve, and fine passing skills, but when it came time to make teams I was generally a "last minute" pick and always had to play MB or they would rescind the offer if I asked to play OH or Oppo. 2 years there and other life stuff happened that forced me to move out of Texas and into the New England region. I had a long 8 month break from volleyball but got pulled back in when I stopped by a community center to see if the play was any good. I am reaching a year of playing with the scene up here and I am feeling that plateau and loneliness once again. Its so confusing because I am frequently complimented on my skill and effort I put into games but at the end of the day I dont have any friends or a team or anything. For the other side of the argument, I have received feedback from people that I am too intense. I really struggle to tone down the engagement while on the court. Volleyball is so important to me and brings me so much joy. I am constantly looking for ways to improve and become a smarter, stronger, better player. I know sometimes people compliment me and I respond with "I can do [x] better" or "I messed up my timing, I need to remember that next time" and it can rub them the wrong way. I have tried to "chill out" but it commonly presents itself as disengagement and I dont really have a good time. I am contemplating abandoning (or at least heavily withdrawing) from my local scene since for the past several weeks, volleyball has been miserable, my optimism and patience have run dry, and I have no friends there. I work on what I can for myself but at the end of the day its a team sport and I cant keep hurting myself to save every crappy pass or bad ball. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't want to lose volleyball but right now, it is doing more harm than good in my life.

Thank you for reading and again I am sorry for the length. I really appreciate any insight and feedback.

im open to any pointers I can take critism well!

Здравствуйте всем кто читает этот пост я парень мне 13, рост 171, вес 50, прыжок варируется от 40-50 см, у меня есть вопрос я хочу быть доигровщиком но мне не сильно позволяет рост но я могу быть и связкой но у меня есть проблема я бывает начинаю переживать и не думать а делать все по инстинктам дай какие-то советы что избавиться от переживаний.

2nd week playing volleyball and I'm really enjoying it so far. However I just wanted to know if this kind of bruising is typical? I have bruising on both arms but a lot less severe on the right. On my left arm the bruising is quite bad but also has rippled through to the other side of the arm where the ball doesn't contact. Is this normal and will go away after a few more weeks? Is there anything I can wear to reduce this happening as I've had a few comments at work.

I (25M) started playing volleyball in May last year and joined my local club shortly after. I've been playing as a middle blocker since I started.

I'm 183 cm (6'0"), around 77 kg (170 lbs), with a standing reach of 238 cm (7'10") in shoes. I haven't officially tested my vertical, but based on measurements and comparisons I estimate it's around 87 cm (34"). I'm aware that's a bit short for a middle, but my coach initially trained me there because of my jumping ability. For context, nobody on my team is taller than about 190 cm (6'3").

I also come from a bodybuilding background, so I'm fairly muscular and still train regularly and changed to a more athletic style training program.

Lately I've been wondering if I'd be more valuable as an outside hitter instead.

A few reasons:

• Our team has several middles but only one consistent outside hitter.
• The other outside hitters are rarely available for practice or tournaments, so team chemistry suffers.
• I don't get many opportunities to start or play significant minutes as a middle.
• While I can jump well, I'm not as quick laterally as our other middles, especially with swing blocking.
• I also tend to get lower back pain from all the repeated jumping.

For context, this is a competitive adult local club team, not collegiate or professional.

One thing that might be different from many teams is that we don't have a libero. Because of that, our coach has all of the middles (including me) practice serve receive, defense, and passing, so I wouldn't be starting completely from scratch in those areas.

After a year of playing, I feel like I want to contribute more to the team, and it seems like outside might be where I'm most needed.

What should I do?

I took everyone's advice and went outside to practice. Am I still passing to low? The ball is still in frame and I don't know if I'm passing high enough.

I know now that you use your knees as a way to make the ball go higher, I want to know if the ball is high enough(For reference I'm 5 foot 4; 162.56 centimeters). I feel like the main problem is that I am not using my knees and I'm trying hard to stop that habit. How can I stop that habit?

Edit: Me being used to passing with a low ceiling and just starting to practice recently may be the reason that I am swinging my arms. I will try to practice more at a gym to break that habit. Thanks for the advice, I will try to remember to use my knees and not swing my arms. I've only started practicing recently.

I LOVE playing grass with my friends and we’ve been using an indoor ball and now we wanna use an outdoor one.

I want to try out for Varsity volleyball and I want to master being able to pass to myself repeatedly in a row.

I want the ball to stay in front of me but the ball always goes to the right or the left. The ball also sometimes goes behind me and almost hits me in the face. Any help on how to fix my form would be great (I already know I'm not bending my knees).

Greetings! I wanted to know your experience and recommendations for which row the choose for a better view and enjoyment of the matches.

Both middle sections, B and J are all taken, but I also heard those are not the best in terms of enjoying the blocking, setting and serving power.

In my mind, P, D, L and G would be nice, as those would give a isometric view, but Im not sure if F and N would be better for the feeling of the game.

Also attached a picture of the place for a better dimension understanding of the place.

hello, everyone from the world! as the title says, how can i improve my spiking technique more? a bit of history, back when i was playing in high school, i was trained as a setter so i wasn't really focused on spiking and i have basic knowledge about the forms. i just watched a lot of video of saori kimura and a local volleyball player in 🇵🇭, and tried imitating their spiking form and approach.

but now, i felt like i'm doing everything wrong. starting from the approach, i felt like i wasn't jumping my 100% when spiking, and left arm is broken and right arm is straight when i'm doing my swing. also, i felt like i don't stay in the air too long and whenever i spike i land the same time with the ball, which is different when i'm trying to watch others where the ball already landed before they land. i also think i don't do the hip-shoulder separation well??

i just got back playing last 2023 and haven't had a proper training since. also, i'm only 167cm (the last time i checked lol) and i don't even know my jump reach.

help 🙏

I would like some tips on my form

A few months ago, if someone told me the VNL Finals bracket would have no France, no Brazil, and no Bulgaria... I'd have laughed. Then China qualified automatically as host, and suddenly the race for the last spots became absolute chaos. Surprise! Surprise!

i also want to learn how to hit angles or like switch up angles air born because I struggle to get around blocks

2-3 feet off the corners of the roof are what aiming for

I frequently put sets too on/off the net

Sets in front of me are more consistent but my backsets can be too out/in

There are some days where my touch is rough which results in doubles

I am trying to get in touch with a photographer who was at the game last night to purchase a print or digital file of one of the players! I see jtmvball was there and have DM’d him but if you were or know who was also there please let me know!

+++ Japan (vs Brazil)
S: Nanami Seki, Erika Sakae
O/OH: Yukiko Wada, Mayu Ishikawa, Yoshino Sato, Hinata Shigihara, Ayane Kitamado, Miku Akimoto, Miiku Iwasawa
MB: Nichika Yamada, Haruyo Shimamura, Miina Inoue, Maki Yamaguchi
L: Manami Kojima, Satomi Fukudome

+++ Italy (vs Netherlands)
S: Alessia Orro, Carlotta Cambi
O: Paola Egonu, Ekaterina Antropova
OH: Miriam Sylla, Stella Nervini, Gaia Giovannini, Loveth Omoruyi
Middle Blockers (MB): Anna Danesi, Sarah Fahr, Linda Nwakalor, Denise Meli
L: Eleonora Fersino, Ilaria Spirito

I coach youth volleyball (kids roughly 8-12) and I keep running into the same gap.

In controlled pairs work the passing looks fine. Platform is flat, they're getting under the ball, all good. Then we go into anything rally-like and it falls apart the moment the ball arrives at a different speed or angle than they rehearsed.

For those of you who coach beginners: what actually moved the needle for you?

• Did you get more out of high volumes of controlled reps until the platform was automatic, or from putting them into messier, game-like situations earlier and letting them figure it out?
• With that age group do you cue the platform/arms first, or footwork and getting to the ball first? I go back and forth on which one to lead with.
• Any drill that you found translated unusually well from practice into actual rallies?

Interested in what's worked in practice rather than theory. Thanks.

Hey everyone, beginner here trying to learn proper approach to spike. It feels like I’m barely getting any height or power out of my current jump approach, would love to hear tips or things i could fix to improve it. Thanks :)

Hi. I'm just curious why (almost all) teams prefer to do this. They usually have the captain first then libero then players arranged by their jersey numbers, then the second libero at the end.

I've observed it before but I only got 6 photos of them this week in Osaka. I was too distracted to take the other team photos but they also do the same pattern.

Is it because liberos are awesome? (They are.)