Volleyball is an intense sport that moves fast. There are important skills that must be learned to be successful as a volleyball player. These skills include working and communicating with other team players. Lessons that your child can learn by playing volleyball include effective communication, teamwork skills, and strategic thinking. Gaining these skills will help your child in social activities, school, and for future careers. Playing volleyball is a fun way to practice and strengthen these important life skills. It may also lead to lifelong friendships as they work together on a team of other similar age and volleyball skill level youth athletes.

It is important for all volleyball players to communicate effectively with their teammates. They also need to be quick on their feet and think fast. Each position on a team plays an important part in helping a team win a volleyball game. The players should have a certain skillset depending on which position they play. Every team has 6 players on the court at one time. This includes one person for each position on the court. Every position plays a vital role for the team.

Player Positions for Volleyball

1. Setter (S)^{1, 2}
   The setter is the main offense player for a team. They set the ball in the air for the attacking players, generally by the second touch. They must have a soft touch along with precise aim. Communication skills are needed for these players, so the rest of the team is aware of the play that the setter controls. The setter also occasionally plays defense and should have great blocking skills.
2. Outside Hitter (OH) ^{1, 2}
   The outside hitter is located on the left side of the court and is an attacking player on the offense. This person must be able to jump high and run fast. They need to be aware of changes being made to the plays and be able to catch up. They might have to run to the other side of the court in a timely manner. The outside hitter also needs to be prepared if the ball is not exactly where they would like it to be, then adapt to this. The outside hitter may also be able to receive serves.
3. Opposite Hitter (OPP) ^{1, 2}
   This person is on the right side of the court and plays both offense and defense. They need a similar skillset to the outside hitter, but the difference is that they also play defense. This includes receiving the serves and being able to quickly retrieve hits from the other team. They normally have superb blocking skills. The person that an opposite hitter mainly coordinates with is the middle blocker and scores the most points for the team.
4. Middle Blocker (MB) ^{1, 2}
   They are positioned right in the middle of the half court. This person is a defensive player and is generally very tall. Quick thinking and great observational skills are important for these players to have because they need to watch the other team carefully and respond accordingly. The middle blocker might have to jump with their hands up to block the other team or get really close to the net for a quick attack. They work to move around the court in many positions.
5. Libero (L) ^{1, 2}
   They libero is vital for every volleyball team. They even have a different colored uniform to stand out. This makes it less confusing for both teams and plays can be organized to either avoid or target the libero. They are only allowed to play in the back row of the court and are generally used to make quick receives from the other team. The libero is also not allowed to set the ball for a front row player.
6. Defensive Specialist (DS) ^{1, 2}
   The defensive specialist is an important position since these players are able to substitute any player. These players need to have the skillset of each position and player in the case that they need to be replaced during the game. Certain things that must be prioritized for any defensive specialist is the need for ball control and passing skills. Unlike a libero position player, when the defensive specialist substitutes for another player, it counts against the team’s substitute count. This is the number of times per game that a team is allowed to substitute.

Volleyball Court ²

The volleyball court is divided into a front row and back row. The front row is considered the “attack zone”. The 3 players in this zone focus on offensive plays and blocking. The back row is considered the “defense zone”. The players focus on returning the opponents attacks as well as some offensive plays that occur behind the front row’s attack line. All players rotate in a clockwise manner throughout the game.

Playing Volleyball at CAL Sports Academy

CAL Sports Academy offers training for volleyball at summer camp, individual private training sessions, volleyball clinics, league training, volleyball league team, and a club volleyball travel team. All of these have the same goal of developing skills and improving on plays. Each category division is separated in different categories based on age and level of skill. Youth athletes range from 8 to 18 years of age. Skill categories range from beginner to an elite level. The volleyball programs at CAL Sports Academy focus on skills such as serving, hitting, setting, passing, and blacking.

Learning to play volleyball will encourage your child to improve their strategic thinking, teamwork and communication skills. These skills are useful throughout life. It is also a fun way for a child to participate in physical activity and exercise.

Contact CAL Sports Academy to sign-up your youth athlete to start playing the sport of Volleyball. Please review the options on our youth volleyball webpage: https://calsportsacademy.com/volleyball/

CAL Sports Academy – contact information:

• website https://calsportsacademy.com/
  email: office@calsportsacademy.com
  phone: 1-844-CAL-EDGE (844-225-3343)

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References:

1. Tmastrangelo. (2019, October 22nd). Back to Basics: Volleyball Player Positions. Hoover Met Complex [website]. Retrieved from: https://hoovermetcomplex.com/back-to-basics-volleyball-player-positions/
2. VolleyballAdvisors.com. (n.d.). Basic Descriptions of Volleyball Positions. [website]. Retrieved from: http://www.volleyballadvisors.com/volleyball-positions.html