Playing RH instead of MH

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

My daughter is playing in 14U club this season.  Her first season in club was last year and she was on a waivered 13U team.  Before that, she had only played 2 years of rec league volleyball.  She's 5'9" and still growing, very muscular/athletic build, very strong.  She's only played MH (always was the tallest on the team), and she REALLY came into her own last season at this position - she got a lot of recognition at tournaments by coaches on other teams and was recruited by several teams over the summer.  The team she is on now was 6th place in our region last season, and that is the club's #2 team (the #1's won the American Division at Nationals!).  There were 90+ girls at the tryouts for this club's 14U's (there are 3 teams), and only 5 new girls were taken in.  My daughter was one of them.

In any event, as strong and athletically talented as she is, she is behind on technical skills (she was really never taught proper technique).  She's had 3 weeks of practice with the new team, and the coach has started playing her at RH.  The coach also wants her to do positional training (the club offers this) at RH.

My daughter was really bummed at this turn of events, because she has "heard" that a coach will put a player at RH if they don't really know what else to do with the player and/or that RH is where the weakest player on the team plays.  I've tried to tell her that isn't true - for one thing, she will be responsible for blocking the opponent's OH, which is a HUGE responsibility, and also she's been hitting so strongly at practice that the coach wants to utilize her hitting skills in a place on the court where she'll get more opportunities (we have a great setter who can back set beautifully).  She listened to what I said, but I'm not sure if she totally believes it (being her mom, you know how that goes).

Do you have any suggestions as to reinforcing that playing RH is going to be a great thing for her?  Is what I told her accurate, or is RH really the position for the weakest player?  What I'm trying to help her overcome is a confidence issue I guess.  I also told her that since she's only 5'9", and may not grow much taller, she would have a really difficult time trying to play MH in high school/college, but playing RH at her height would be a huge benefit down the road.

I appreciate your help, thanks.

ANSWER: Good morning and welcome to www.allexperts.com!

What you're telling me is awesome!  

What We Knew Upfront #1:
That your daughter made one of 5 spots out of 90 girls is wonderful!  Please keep that in mind. They didn't even keep 10% of the new girls.... that would have meant keeping 9.  They only kept 5.  

What We Knew Upfront #2:
If your daughter is on such a good team, then it's expected that she is going to have to compete for a position.  If she didn't want to be challenged, to compete, to share playing time, she should have stayed where she was.  She WAS the big fish in the little pond.  The beast.  Now she's the average fish in the big pond.  She knew that going in.  This is the 2nd thing to remember.  She knew this up front.  What's happening..... could have been predicted,I'm SURE she knew that there were going to be girls on this team who were better than her.  She probably also knew that she was behind on her technical skills.  

Now for the new stuff.

Yes, it is true that some coaches put their weakest player on the right.  If this coach is young and/or inexperienced, this is probably what is happening.

However, if this coach has had some good training, good experience, etc., then the coach realizes that a tall, athletic right is like having a 6'6" point guard in boys basketball, like having a 6'8" quarterback on the football team, etc.  It's AWESOME when we have a tall right.

Last year I coached 15's.  After tryouts, we had three 6' girls trying to win the MB spot.  Two were 9th graders, having played a year of varsity ball on a GREAT team.  The other was an 8th grader, having played JV on a poor team.  The 8th grader had no chance, so after about 6 weeks, we moved her to the right.  That was the last time we moved her.  Sure, she make some mistakes at first.  But by the time we got to the bid tournament, she was a "let's get it on" blocker and hitter.  she was SO important.  The back row players were constantly smiling about many fewer balls they had to dig.  We finished 2nd in the region, taking the only game off of Coastal 15's, who finished SIX AND THREE at Nationals in the National division.  They were incredible!  

So, more about the right:
a) YES, her blocking is extremely important, and will make the game easier for everyone else on her team.
b) If she hits well, then YES the coach will utilize her.  No doubt.  
c) More even more than (b), she can still run quicks behind the setter, she can run x plays, she can fun slides when the MB is going into the middle or 3 zone, etc.  The possibilities are many!
d) She will also probably learn how to set.  One of goals could be, "I want to be to set a 1 or slide when I have to set a ball, and not just chuck the ball outside like most rights."  

Then, finally, would she rather have been cut?  Would she rather be where she was?  Or, would she rather be the 4th MB, the girl who gets in for 5 minutes a day?  I applaud her coach for trying to find somewhere she can help the team.  The coach didn't have to do that.  And, sure, if one of the MB's gets hurt, she can play there.  But, my 6' 8th grader.. .would she really have been happier with being behind the two 9th graders for 5 months?  Nope.  I know her parents thanked me several times for "making" her play that position, rather than not being of any use to the team.  I kinda shrugged it off....I was just doing my job, trying to help my team get a little better.  I wasn't doing it for HER, but for my team.  And it worked out great, just like I thought it would.  :)  

Is that helpful?  What else can we do for you here?  If this helped you at all, just wait until you see my staff direct a STAR site volleyball camp!  Dec 1st is the day we begin to award summer camps to schools. Maybe your school coach will be interested!  it's all on my website at www.coachhouser.com.  I have three weeks open right now, and those don't work for you coach, someone on my staff could do a site camp any week during the summer.  

Let me know if we can help you in any way.

Coach Houser

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much, that was extremely helpful!  Your answer gives me a lot of good, solid info to pass on to my daughter.  Great analogies, too!  

Just to let you know, my daughter definitely knew she'd be the little fish in the big pond by going with this team.  But, more importantly, she knew it was going to be a great experience for her to become an even better player which is exactly what is occurring.  The coaches on her new team are very experienced, so I would say, based on the info you gave above, that their decision to play her at RH will be like having the 6'6" point guard...

It's funny that you called her "The Beast."  That's what a couple of the coaches called her after seeing her play last season!  "A Force" on the court and "The Beast" were used frequently!  

I will definitely check out your website - just to let you know, though, we live in the St. Louis area (not sure where you're located).

Thanks again!!

Answer
Good afternoon!

Another Algebra class done!  It was a great 90 minutes!  :)

St Louis, huh?  I am in Roanoke, Va.  Several years ago, I was in touch with both Coach McCallister and Coach Heckenkamp-Avis.  

But traveling is not an issue for my staff.  In the past 2 years, we've spent weeks in Penn, Delaware and in Alaska.  Our schedule is jammed packed each year.  We can't wait for summer 2011.

If we can do anything else for you, please let us know.
Tom Houser
www.coachhouser.com