Is Club Volleyball Worth It?

Deciding where to spend your time and money when you are a young athlete is crucial. If you are thinking of becoming a professional volleyball player, you might wonder “Is club volleyball worth it, or just a waste of time?”.

Is Club Volleyball Worth It?

If your goal is to become a professional player, then club volleyball can be a great experience. If your objective is to play as a hobby, then you should search for a less demanding environment.

Club volleyball can be time-consuming and even expensive for a lot of people. To make a better decision, you need to learn about all the elements that influence your journey as a player.

After all, every athlete is unique and can develop in different environments.

How Much Does Club Volleyball Cost?

Since it gives you a lot of benefits, a club might be very expensive. This could be one of the most limiting factors for people since they might not be able to afford one. However, there are many types of clubs that could offer cheaper prices.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Joining Club Volleyball

Deciding to join a volleyball club or not, should not be taken lightly. After all, the environment where the player develops himself should encourage him to evolve. If not, he might get stuck and not be able to fully grow as an athlete.

Learning about the pros and cons of volleyball clubs can make your decision easier. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of joining a club:

Advantages

• Playing inside of a volleyball club allows you to have professional coaching and supervision, which is crucial when it comes to young players. It also gives you the opportunity to play with teammates with a similar mentality. They will allow you to grow as an athlete and as a person.

• Additionally, it gives a lot of experience inside of the court, which is extremely valuable for a promising young athlete. Besides that, one of the most important things these institutes can teach is discipline. Which is one of the most important skills for athletes. 

• A player should be pushed to be the best that he could be, and to do this, he needs to practice every day, follow instructions, and be consistent. These aptitudes are essential, and club volleyball might allow you to quickly learn them.

Disadvantages

• Joining a club takes a lot of time and commitment, especially at a young age. This can involve traveling, practicing every day, and playing games. Even though it might not sound like a lot, it requires high levels of compromise.

• Also, being inside of a volleyball club doesn’t assure you to be a starter on the team. Since volleyball clubs’ objectives are to win, you might be on the benches for a lot of time until you get an opportunity inside of the court. That is, of course, if you are good enough to get one.

• Lastly, one of the most common drawbacks of being in a volleyball club are the economic problems that this might bring. This involves traveling and practicing every day, which could translate into a lot of food, transportation, and equipment expenses. 

How to Select a Good Volleyball Club

If you have made up your mind and decided to join a volleyball club, then you need to know which one best suits you as an athlete. These questions will allow you to choose the right volleyball club for you:

1. Before joining, ask how they select their players. This might show you how demanding they are.
2. Ask them for their philosophy. Do they give chances to new players? Do they only care about winning?
3. Ask how many practices per week there are, and where they are located.
4. Ask how many tournaments and travels there will be.
5. Ask about the coaches, their background, and their qualifications
6. Ask about the costs. For example, if you travel, are the expenses paid by the club?

Related Questions

What Is the Best Age to Join Club Volleyball?

Even though there is no “perfect” age to join volleyball, the most common situation is for kids to start playing at 11 or 12 years old. Regardless of that, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can start playing volleyball at 15, or even 20 years old.

What Are the Best Volleyball Clubs?

According to the FIVB, in 2022 the best volleyball clubs in the world are Trentino (Italy), Sada Cruzeiro (Brazil), Gonzaga Milano (Italy), Lube Civitanova (Italy), and Zenit Kazan (Russia). 

Conclusion

Club volleyball can be a great experience if you have the right aptitudes and the ability to fully commit to your decision. However, you need to take your time to make this choice and learn what you want to do as an athlete.