Best Volleyball Tryout Tips for Beginner Players: Here’s Everything You Need to Know!
Success is performing to the limit of your potential.
Bob Knight
Source: Dear Volleyball.
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Do you want to get into a volleyball team and looking for the best volleyball tryout tips?
Do you want to do well in the tryout and increase your chances of making the volleyball team?
Then you are in the right place!
I love this old saying.
You never have a second chance to make a first impression.
It is very true in many aspects of life and this applies perfectly to volleyball tryouts as well.
Many aspiring volleyball players will compete for a spot in a team during a tryout. The difficult truth is that it can only accommodate a limited number of players.
So, the most important thing that you need to focus in volleyball tryouts is giving your best. It’ll make all the difference and can be the deciding factor on you getting into the team.
In this post, I’ll discuss in detail about the best volleyball tryout tips that you can utilize to maximize your chances of making the team.
Without further delay, let’s get started!
Did you know? All volleyball tryouts will have registration process that each player needs to complete. So arriving early for a tryout venue is critical to complete it faster and avoid getting stuck in the registration queue. It also provides you ample time to warm up and prepare yourself the best possible way to perform throughout the tryout session.
Best Volleyball Tryout Tips for Beginner Players
What Exactly is a Volleyball Tryout Mean?
Before I talk about the volleyball tryout tips, it is crucial that you have a clear idea of what exactly is a volleyball tryout mean. Whenever a new volleyball season starts, you’ll hear that aspiring players talk about trying out in order to make the team.
But if this is the first time you are hearing about it, then it’d be helpful to know what a volleyball tryout exactly mean.
A volleyball tryout is the process of selecting players for a team. Depending on where you tryout, players will be selected to represent various teams. For example, if you are trying out to get into your school team, then you may be selected to represent the junior/senior/the main team based on your overall skill level.
A tryout session is based on coaches evaluating your skills on the basics of volleyball and various player positions of a team. Apart from that, your overall attitude on the court, the coachability and your ability to follow instructions will be evaluated as well.
Now that you have a clear idea of what a volleyball tryout is all about, it’s time to move into the tips.
Practice Before Trying Out for a Team
This might sound obvious but hear me out.
A lot of times, beginner volleyball players tryout for a team before having a clear idea on the basics of volleyball and the general skills associated with the sport.
What happens is that they’ll tryout but the final outcome is a disappointing result of not making the team. Nobody likes it. Right?
You need to understand that a good grip on the volleyball basics and some general skills associated with the sport are essential before you trying out for a team. How do you get them? Yes, you’ve guessed it. By practicing them regularly.
When you practice before trying out for a team, it gives you the foundational knowledge that’ll be very helpful during the actual tryout session
Work on Your Stamina Before Trying Out
Stamina is one of the key ingredients to succeed in a tryout session along with the basics and skills.
If you haven’t played a sport before or this is the very first time that you are going to attend a tryout session, then having a good amount of stamina is critical.
Stamina increases your confidence to perform your skills on the court efficiently.
That all sounds great. But why it is important to have good stamina before trying out? Good question!
In a tryout session, things can get lengthier. Let’s say most volleyball players who came for the tryout performed well and the coaches decided to conduct a second round of evaluation to select the final team.
And if it happens to be a hot summer day, then things can get tiring pretty soon.
So to avoid physical fatigue, it is highly important that you have good stamina to perform you’re skills to the best of your ability throughout the tryout session.
You don’t need to do a lot to increase your overall stamina. In fact, consistently having healthy food, taking care of your regular practice and some exercise would be enough.
If this is your first time trying out for a team, then you need to work on improving your stamina much earlier to see noticeable difference.
Join a Recreational Team Before Trying Out
Joining a recreational team before trying out is significantly important for you in so many ways.
- It helps you to understand the basics of volleyball.
- You’ll be able to learn and get good at the general skills of volleyball like serving, passing, spiking, digging, blocking and so on.
- Joining a volleyball recreational team gives you the actual experience of playing the sport before going for a tryout session.
- Playing in a recreational volleyball team helps you to attend the tryout confidently.
- It gives you solid experience on how this sport goes and how you need to react to certain situations of a match.
All you have to do is to find the recreational teams near your area and join in them to get the experience of playing volleyball before trying out.
Build Confidence within Yourself Before Trying Out for a Team
I totally understand that when you are trying out a new thing, it can be pretty challenging to feel confident about it. Trying out for a volleyball team is no exception to that.
Feeling confident in yourself definitely increases the overall confidence on your ability to perform your skills during the tryout session efficiently.
There’s no doubt that building confidence in yourself and your ability as a volleyball player might look challenging in the beginning but you can achieve this through practicing the basics/essential skills of volleyball and taking part in recreational matches.
I firmly believe that practicing the skills of volleyball and performing in a match is two different things. By having a strong understanding of the skills and executing them during an actual recreational match, it naturally increases your overall confidence.
With this, trying out gives you serious advantage over others to successfully make the team.
Remember that Height isn’t the Only Factor to Get into a Volleyball Team
We all heard that you need to be taller in order to get into a volleyball team. Although it has some truth to certain positions of a volleyball team, it is wrong most of the time.
It doesn’t matter how tall you are when you don’t have the skills to be a stand out player in your team/the position you are trying out for. So having the right skills is essential to make the team as a volleyball player.
Certain positions like blocker/middle blocker needs taller players. Apart from that, you can try out for other positions if you aren’t a tall player.
It’s just a preconceived notion that volleyball is played by only tall players and that’s my friend, a wrong idea drilled into our heads.
I’d say it again. Height isn’t the only factor to get into a volleyball team.
Remember that Everyone is Nervous Before a Tryout
No matter how well you practice your skills and basics of volleyball, you feel confident within yourself and your ability as a player, you’ll feel nervous during the actual tryout. Nothing to worry about it and to be honest, it’s natural.
This is applicable not only to you but for everyone who attends the tryout session.
So the best way to tackle your nervousness and feel calm from the inside is to be clear and specific on what you need to do and cancel out all the outside noise.
What happens is that it gives you clear areas to focus on and execute your performance during the tryout.
Keep Yourself Healthy Before Trying Out
This is obvious and essential at the same time. When you are healthy, your stamina will be high and you’ll be able to perform to the best of your abilities in the tryout.
In a tryout session, you’ll be spending a lot of your energy in performing the skills of volleyball and having a healthy and sound body is critical to do that effectively.
Also, hydrate yourself regularly in order to not feel tired and exhausted in the middle of a tryout.
Remember that Tryouts are Harder But it’s Worth the Effort
Tryouts are harder. There’s no doubt about it.
You need to work hard and showcase your skills in the best possible way to make the team.
But the one thing that I can assure you is that it’s all worth it.
The effort, the hustle for the ball, the well-performed and the not so well-performed skills, the appreciation from the team coach and interacting with other volleyball players on and off the court is absolutely worth it.
If you cross the tryout day, then you can confidently consider that you’ve taken the first step to becoming a successful volleyball player.
Keep Yourself Smelling Fresh Throughout the Tryout Session
No doubt that volleyball involves a lot of physical activity and you can become sweaty really fast.
Your sweatiness won’t be pleasant for others.
To avoid getting sweaty too quickly, you can keep a quality perfume handy with you.
One thing you could do is to share the perfume with other players who are trying out with you and that way, everyone will smell good.
In my opinion, it’s seriously a super way to start new friendships.
Must’ve Gear for Volleyball Players
Watch Volleyball Matches Before Trying Out
This is just to expose you to learn about how volleyball matches are being played.
You don’t have to feel overwhelmed about the skills on display.
Watch and try to pick up certain nuances that you can implement on the court during your tryout.
Watching volleyball matches will prepare yourself mentally to tackle the upcoming tryout with confidence and belief that you can do well.
One thing that helped me to successfully tackle tryouts during my playing days is that I’ll watch volleyball matches based on the level of competition that I am going for. For example, if I am trying out to make the high school team, then I’ll watch high school volleyball matches.
Likewise, you can apply this method if you are trying out for middle school/club/collegiate volleyball teams.
Meet the Coach and Introduce Yourself when Trying Out for a Certain Volleyball Team
This isn’t necessary. And in fact, most coaches won’t expect players who are trying out will come forward and introduce them to the coach of a volleyball team.
When you do so, you stand out from others.
By introducing yourself to the coach, you let them know that you are ready to learn and become one of the successful players of the team.
The introduction part doesn’t have to be nerve-racking. A simple intro would do.
If you’ve decided to introduce yourself to the coach, do it either before or after the tryout is over.
FAQs on Best Volleyball Tryout Tips for Beginner Players
Is it a Good Idea to Pick the Position that You are Comfortable Playing Before Trying Out for a Team?
My answer to this is no. You don’t need to pick your position that you are comfortable playing before trying out for a team.
When you are trying out for a team, the coach will look at your overall skills and what position that suits you the best. Based on the findings, he/she will assign you a position.
But if you don’t like the position that the coach assigned you to play, then you can definitely have a conversation about it and sort out a solution.
How to Stand Out in a Crowd During the Tryout?
In my opinion, the best way to stand out from the crowd during a tryout is through displaying your skills on the court effectively. It’ll create a pretty good impression in the mind of the coach and you can make a strong case in terms of making the team.
You don’t necessarily need to stand out from the crowd in any other way apart from this.
Is Stamina Play a Major Role in You Making the Volleyball Team?
A. Massive. Yes.
Stamina is an integral part of playing any sport and this isn’t different for playing volleyball.
Having the right stamina will carry you through the longer tryout session if you happen to get one.
Stamina and belief are the 2 significant components of a successful tryout for sure.
Conclusion
Playing volleyball isn’t easy and so as most team sports but if you prepare well, nothing will stop you from becoming a great in it.
I really hope that this best volleyball tryout tips would be very helpful for you as beginner players.
Now, it’s your turn!
Would you like to add any other tips to this list?
Share them away in the comments section below!
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LET’S BE SOCIAL!
This article is incredibly helpful for a beginner volley ball player! The tips are practical and easy to follow.
Hi Catherine Kay, thank you very much! Glad you found the post helpful for beginner volleyball players.
Thanks for the tips for volleyball tryouts for beginners. My volleyball days are past me, but I think a lot of the tips can be applied to other areas of life. It’s always important to prepare and put forth your best effort when interviewing or trying out for anything. Thanks for the helpful advice!
Hi Lisa, thanks for your thoughtful and encouraging comment. Glad you found this post helpful for beginner volleyball players.
Stamina definitely plays a big role to be in any sport. My niece plays volleyball in school. Not sure if she’s going to tryout for the varsity team but I will share your tips with her.
Hi Lynndee, thanks for your comment. Glad you found this post helpful. Very happy to know that your kniece plays volleyball. Convey my best wishes to her!
There are so many hints and tips here but it is definitely all about stamina for sure. I would love to give volleyball a try x
Hi Melanie w, thanks for your comment. Glad you’ve found this post helpful. Very happy to know that you are thinking about giving volleyball a try. All the very best!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post about volleyball! I agree that it’s natural to feel nervous during tryouts, but if kids can relax, be themselves, and apply what they’ve learned, I believe everything will turn out well.
Hi LisaLisa, thanks for your thoughtful comment. I completely agree with you!
Is volleyball suitable for any age? I might be interested in playing recreationally with others of a similar age group.
Hi Tania M, thanks for your comment. Absolutely yes. Volleyball is suitable for any age. Very happy to hear that you are interested in playing volleyball recreationally with others in your age group. All the very best!
These are great tips. I think joining a recreational league first is a great way to get some real-world experience before heading into tryouts.
Hi Claudia, thanks for your comment. I completely agree with your point on joining a recreational club. It’ll give players the much needed playing experience before tryouts.
Thank you for these best volleyball tryout tips. They should be beneficial to beginner players.
Hi pedja, thank you very much. Glad you found this post helpful for beginner volleyball players.
I appreciate you sharing these volleyball tips.
Hi Danwil Reyes, thank you very much!
These are nice tryout tips for new and beginner volleyballers.
Hi Jojo Reyes Jr, thank you very much!
Thanks for this informative and helpful article about the best volleyball tryout tips for beginner players!
Hi Hadassah Treu, thank you so very much!
These are great try out tips for beginning volleyball players. Thanks for sharing
Hi Candy, thanks for your comment. Glad you found this post helpful.
These are great tryout tips for beginning volleyball players. I appreciate your insight about building confidence.
Hi Crysti, thanks for your comment. Glad you’ve found this post helpful for volleyball players.
This article is a game-changer for anyone new to volleyball! The tips are so practical and easy to understand, making the whole tryout process a lot less intimidating.
Hi Catherine Kay, thank you very much! Glad you found this post helpful for beginner volleyball players.
Super useful, especially the part about incorporating proper warmups.
Hi Claire, thanks for your comment. Glad you found this post helpful.
These are very valuable tips for beginner volleyball players. I especially like the warmup suggestions. Thanks for sharing!
Hi pedja, thanks for your comment. Glad you found these tips helpful for beginner volleyball players.
I like your idea of joining a recreational team first. Growing up, I was in the CYO volleyball league at my church. It was a good way to see if I liked being on a team before trying out for my school’s much more intense team.
Hi Maureen, thanks for your valuable comment. Glad you found the tips in this post helpful. Very happy to know that you joined a recreational volleyball team, got the experience and then tried out for your school team.
Thank you for these fantastic tips! As someone who’s new to volleyball, I found the advice on proper warm-ups and focusing on basic skills especially helpful. The section about maintaining a positive attitude and showing good sportsmanship really stood out to me. It’s great to be reminded that coaches value not just skills but also a player’s mindset and teamwork.
Hi Jaishree, thanks for your thoughtful comment. Glad you found the tips in this post helpful. Very happy to know that you are new to volleyball and looking to learn the ropes of the sport. All the very best!
Working on your stamina is such a good tip, as actually being in a volleyball team will really stretch how much you can play. Thank you for sharing these tips.
Hi Jupiter Hadley, thanks for your comment. Glad you found these tips helpful. Stamina is one of the integral parts of playing volleyball and players who got it will have significant advantage over others.
I’m sure tryouts can be quite intimidating. Great tips and intro into it all. I think new players would really benefit from this read!
Hi Tammy, thanks for your comment. Glad you found the tips in this post helpful.
This is such a great post for anyone trying out for Volleyball. I like how you said standout, don’t be afraid to show your skills indeed. That’s important to let everyone know you have some skills to get the job done….don’t be afraid embrace your talent!
Hi LisaLisa, thanks for your cheerful comment. Glad you found this post helpful.
Such a great sport to learn to do and anyone can play it. The only time I did play was in high school. But it was so much fun.
Hi Tammy, thanks for your comment. Glad you found this post helpful. Very happy to know that you played volleyball in your high school days.
I can totally see people thinking that try outs are like before you know the game! It’s such a common mistake.
Hi Jupiter, thanks for your comment. I completely agree!
My son is interested in starting volleyball so I’ll go through this most informative article with him. It’s also helpful for me to know what to expect and prepare for.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for your comment. Glad you found this post helpful. Very happy to know that your son is going to start playing volleyball. All the very best to him!
“Work on Your Stamina Before Trying Out” – this is such a cool tip not just for volleyball but for other intensive energy requiring sports also. No wonder I used to get the technique right but used to get tired very soon.
Hi Archana Singh, thanks for your comment. Glad you found the tips in this post helpful.
My youngest son is very sporty, and I’m trying to learn more about different sports to be prepared. Thank you for the interesting article about volleyball.
Hi Olga, thanks for your comment. Glad you found this post helpful. Very happy to know that your youngest son loves sports.
I love the idea of joining a recreational team. It helps with many of the things you discussed-practice, stamina, building confidence etc.
Hi LG, thanks for your thoughtful comment. Glad you found the tips in this post relatable.
By emphasizing the importance of making a strong first impression, you highlight a key aspect of standing out in a competitive environment. The reminder to give one’s best effort is both motivating and practical, as it can indeed be the decisive factor in securing a spot on the team. Your tips are sure to inspire confidence and readiness in those looking to succeed in their volleyball tryouts.
Hi Sue-Tanya Mchorgh, thanks for your encouraging comment. Glad you found the tips in this post helpful.
Great tips for beginners. It can be really intimidating stepping out onto the court and/or into a new team. Great read for those struggling to find their place out there 🙂
Hi Tammy, thanks for your comment. Glad you found the tips in this post helpful.
Great overview! Knowing that tryouts are about selecting players for different teams based on skill levels helps set expectations. Thanks for clarifying!
Hi Lavanda Mihcelle, thanks for your comment. Glad you found the tips in this post helpful.
Great tips, I’d have liked to hear that “height isn’t the only factor to get into a Volleyball Team” when I was younger. I’d have enjoyed volleyball more. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Ginger, thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, this misconception still exist and it isn’t true at all.
I really enjoyed reading this! It’s very informative and packed with great tips for volleyball tryouts. The emphasis on first impressions and preparation is spot on. Thanks for sharing such useful advice!
Hi Ann, thanks for your comment. Glad you found the tips in this post helpful.
You are so right that stamina is key. Volleyball is a very energetic sport, so you really do need to be physically fit before you even start trying out!
Hi Yeah Lifestyle, thanks for your comment. I totally agree with your points!
Always great to learn something about my favorite sport. I used to play at school, and really adored the game. Awesome information.
Hi Celebrate Woman Today, thanks for your cheerful comment. Glad you found this post helpful. Very happy to know that you played volleyball in your school days and it is your favourite sport.
Joining a recreational team is a great idea. It’s an excellent way to practice your skills before trying out.
Hi Beth, thanks for your comment. Glad you found these tips helpful on volleyball tryouts.
This is amazing!!! “Work on Your Stamina Before Trying Out” I actually had no idea you could influence your stamina, this is news to me, I love it!!!
Hi Karen, thanks for your comment. Stamina is one of the important aspects to succeed in a volleyball tryout and like I said in the post, there are some basic things that you can follow to improve it.