An Introduction to being Volleyball Parents

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The character of the sports parent directly influences their child athlete. Through personal beliefs, prejudices and distinctive personality traits, parents teach their children values providing both indirect and direct influence on the child’s attitude, work ethic and passion for the game.

Source: Volley Country.

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Whether your child is already playing volleyball, passionate about the game or considering to take up the sport, you want to be encouraging, supportive and enthusiastic about their decision as a volleyball parent.

Being a parent is challenging yet a rewarding experience and if you become a volleyball parent, you’ll have to consider many other aspects apart from a mom/dad.

In this post, we’ll be looking at what it takes to being volleyball parents, critical things to consider if you want to be the best volleyball parent and much more.

So without further delay, let’s get started!

Did you know? Most parents choose a volleyball coach for their child through personal experience and word of mouth. Also, characteristics such as promoting sportsmanship among players, increasing a child’s chances of playing at a higher level and fair and honest in dealing with players are also plays a crucial role in the final decision.

What it Takes to being Volleyball Parents?

The first and the best thing to being volleyball parents is to understand and love the game. Even if you’ve never played the game, have no idea

on how it’s played, or you’ve never seen a volleyball game in your life, taking active steps to learn the sport and developing a liking for it is the crucial first step to being a volleyball parent.

I am sure your child will notice your efforts and feel inspired every day to do well in the sport.

Apart from this, there are many things you need to incorporate in order to be the best volleyball parent and trust me, you’ll learn them along the journey. Taking the first step is the toughest one and if you can conquer that, you are well on your way to becoming a wonderful volleyball parent!

Critical Things to Consider If you want to be the Best Volleyball Parent

When you are aspiring to become the best volleyball parent, you need to take into consideration many subtle aspects of the game and teach it to your kid. That way, you’ll also learn and become the best volleyball parent. In the upcoming sections, we’ll learn about some of the crucial things you need to teach your child as a good volleyball parent.

Sportsmanship

If you want your child to be remembered for one thing around their team circle, then it should undoubtedly be for their sportsmanship. Why is it so? good question!

We all know that winning and losing are part of playing sports and even if your child’s team wins or loses a match and your kid taking the time to appreciate their opponents, that simple gesture can serve as a starting point for the development of some lifelong friendships.

Apart from that, good sportsmanship earns respect for your child among their team members.

Raising a Competitive and Compassionate Player

Hard work, mental toughness and personal achievements are pretty important to be considered as a good volleyball player. There is no doubt about that. However, you need to teach your child how to be compassionate and at the same time competitive on a volleyball court. These 2 traits must be developed and nurtured in your child from a very young age.

In the list below, I’ll share some of the key characteristics of a compassionate and competitive athlete. I hope it’ll serve you as a starting point.

Paying attention to and looking after the team mates on and off the field.
Treating every person involved in the game with respect.
Always lending a helping hand to their team mates and the other people involved in the game when needed.
Making sure that the team members provide their best effort at all situations.
Being a true team player at all times.

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Providing Positive Support

Your child works hard to become the best volleyball player in their team. You fully aware of that as a parent. To keep them motivated and strive for excellence in the sport they love, the simple yet effective measure you can take is to provide positive support. I am sure many things would be going through your child’s mind starting from getting to know their team members, the happenings of the day with regards to the performance, to analyzing and figuring out ways to improve their game the next time and a trillion other things.

Showing your frustration and anxiety at that moment won’t help solve the problem if they had a bad day. Instead, offering a reassuring hand and trying to find a solution together will be the ideal option. By no means it’s easy. but it’ll strengthen the bond with your child and they’ll start trusting you more.

Taking a Stance on Shelling Out Public Criticism

If I have to say 2 words on shelling out public criticism about players, coaches, referees and about your child’s performance, those would be, PLEASE DON’T. Shelling out public criticism won’t work at any time and when the emotions are high such as during and after the match, it’ll ruin the relationship between all parties involved.

Everybody is trying to do their job as best as they can and understanding this critical factor will aid you to be empathetic.

You can definitely give your views, tips, techniques and opinions about a particular player, referee or the match as a whole in private to your child’s team coach. This’ll reduce unnecessary tension and the coach will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Set an Example with Your Actions

What I mean by setting an example is that following the rules set particularly for the tournament, not yelling and shouting excessively during the match, shouting unproductive,

Hurtful and profane stuff in the heat of the moment, doing the forbidden things like drinking and smoking within the premises of the match and so on. We all know how distressing it’d be for everybody when a parent does these things. By completely avoiding these, you are setting a positive example for everybody to follow. So your child will be thankful to you if you aren’t resorting to them.

Developing the Right Attitude During and After the Game

This is crucial. Playing and watching volleyball should be fun-filled and the attitude in the spectators area can greatly affect the overall mood, morale and success of a team. Rather than adopting a mentality of going to a war, why not think of the good times you’ll have with your child before, during and after the match and model the behavior accordingly?

Words of Wisdom from other Volleyball Parents

Here are some of the words of wisdom from other volleyball parents to inspire you.

If the kid seems to love the sport, then put your energy and resources into supporting them.

Parents should be able to enjoy the sport themselves as well as to see their child out there playing and excelling. Maybe they don’t play all the time but it is important to still be supportive and encouraging.

Support your kids, help them and let them grow into the sport.

Source: The Athletes Village.

why It is Important to be the Good Volleyball Parents?

Here are some critical reasons on why you need to be the good volleyball parent in my experience of playing the sport for 6+ years.

You’ll communicate effectively and efficiently with both your child and their coach.
When there is a proper explanation, you’ll respect the decision of the coach even if it isn’t in favor of your child.
You’ll support, help and encourage your child to develop and excel in their volleyball skills.
You’ll find creative ways to help the team.
You’ll support other parents and help them whenever possible.

Video for A Comprehensive Introduction to Being Volleyball Parents

FAQ on being Volleyball Parents

How can I Help My Son/Daughter Get Better at Volleyball?

First of all, I am so happy that your child has gotten into volleyball and you are looking for ways to improve their skills and make them succeed in the sport.
Although making your son/daughter better in volleyball depends on various factors, the first thing you need to ensure is that they get a good coach.
The second thing you can do is to encourage your child to work hard on their volleyball skills regularly and maintain the passion for the sport.
Third, understand that you have a major role to play in the success of your kid in volleyball and work accordingly. This’d mean a lot to your son/daughter and they’ll do whatever it takes to make you proud.
Help your child define the goals for the sport.
I am fully aware that as a parent, you need to make many other pieces come together in order to make your child successful in volleyball, but these can be a great starting point.

How can I be a Good Volleyball Parent?

Here are some ways to be a good volleyball parent.

Encourage healthy competition. Teach your child that playing sport is not always about winning and losing.
Be a positive volleyball parent to your child. I love to watch you play is a powerful phrase that you can utilize more often.
Support your child’s coach. Coaches are there for a reason and supporting all the reasonable decisions and calls will have multitude of benefits for both you and your child in the long run.
Encourage ever learning and growth mindset in your child. Not all the time your child will perform at their best and having a learning and growth mindset will aid him/her to move beyond the experience and focus on the next thing.

What does a Team Parent do for Volleyball?

Here are some of the things team parents do for volleyball.

Assisting coaches with the administrative tasks of the volleyball team.
Having all the contact details of the team players and their parents handy.
Coordinating snack and food related aspects during match and tournament days.
Ensuring the safety of all team members and reporting to the coach if there is any injury to the player.

Conclusion

Now that you have an overall understanding of being volleyball parents, it is time to put the knowledge in practice.

Volleyball is a team sport and being a great volleyball parents will go a long way in helping your child succeed in the sport.

What would you like to add to this post?

What good qualities that you’ve seen other volleyball parents exhibit?

Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below!

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