Quicksets with Kenzie: VB Advice

Two men working as a team will produce more than three men working as individuals." –Charles McCormick

Each new season in volleyball presents a new set of problems to be conquered. Here are some problems some readers have sent in.

"I am a middle so I don't get to set much, so how do I improve my hands?" –Dallas, TX.

KA: Ask your coach if you can play some right side in practice once in a while. Playing right side will force you to set once in a while. However, if you want to improve a lot, play some two-man. This will force you to have to set because you'll be setting your partner a lot.

"I am so frustrated with my team… most of the girls are there because their parents made them or their friends are on the team. Only 2-3 girls really care about getting better. How do I get the other girls more serious?" –Seattle, WA

Well, really there is nothing you can to make them more serious. All you can do is worry about your game and work to get better as an individual and stick it out through the season. As long as you're improving, you should be satisfied.

"I have almost quit my team twice this year. Do you ever feel this way?" –Los Angeles, CA

I will admit that thoughts of quitting have crossed my mind on occasion, but even so, I stuck it out. Any situation you're going through will only make you stronger, and dealing with people is something that you'll carry with you beyond volleyball. Furthermore, quitting a team lets the rest of your team down, and even if it might not seem like it, they depend on you in one way or another.

"I work hard in practice and other girls slack off but still I am on the bench. What should I do?" –New York, NY

Know that you will go far with hard work, first off. I am surprised that your coach hasn't talked to you about this, as many coaches will explain why they are or are not playing a player. Thus, it is your job to talk to your coach and explain the situation to them. Even if you don't get to play, you should still keep working hard because your hard work will pay off in the long run.

"There is this one girl on my team.. She has a good serve and is a decent blocker, and can hit SUPER hard, but only when she's in a good mood. I need some advice for ways to fix these problems:
a) She's cocky.
b) She only has one swing. She can't tip or roll-shot.
c) She has really bad mood swings." –San Diego, CA

Well, you should know that only she can fix her problems. However, you can try to help her as even though she's a good player, she'll be a detriment to the team if she can't resolve her problems.

a) Go to the team captain and ask her to ask the girl to be more considerate of others. If that doesn't work, go to the coach. It might even take a team meeting to solve this.

b) Again, go to the coach. The coach won't want to play her if she only has one shot. As soon as the other teams figure this out, they'll dig her every time.

c) See "a." This needs to be resolves as early in the season as possible as a team is only as good as its worst (or moodiest) player.

And remember, hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.

Kenzie Aries