Less can still be more: Find the right balance of fun & sun (and volleyball) in your lives
Sunday, June 28th, 2020
By Scott Spiess ~ Badger Region Operations Manager
Due to the pandemic, many of us are eager to get back to the things we enjoy most: Socializing with friends, attending concerts, festivals, and sporting events, and yes, participating in a wide variety of activities like sports (volleyball for most of you reading this article). The desire to return to what was once “normal” is natural, but take a moment to think about how our “normal” has and continues to change.
Attempting to stay on topic and relatable to those of us in the volleyball world, the normal I’m referring to might be better explained as opportunities, expectations, or even FOMO (fear of missing out). I’ll attempt to explain my perspective on these three areas in hopes of at least sparking some thought as to how you define your “new normal.”
As someone who has been a high school volleyball coach for 18 years and involved in club volleyball for 12 years, I’ve seen opportunities explode for volleyball athletes. There seems to be a volleyball opportunity around every corner at all times of the year whether it be a clinic, camp, tryouts, school teams, club teams, beach training, college camps, etc. We know that volleyball is a repetition sport. Generally speaking, the more you touch the ball and practice the skills, the better you will become. This can be a slippery slope for both coaches and athletes/families. How do we offer opportunities without making expectations unmanageable or overwhelming? If you have the answer, please share it with me!
Then there are the expectations. We’ve all probably experienced the scenario of expectation that, “if I do this, then I will get that.” If I train more frequently and for a longer period of time, I will get better results. While this may be true in some cases, it isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Often times, coaches feel the pressure to do more because of the things they hear: “That’s what our competitors are doing,” “the parents are asking for it,” or “if I don’t provide the training, the athletes will seek it elsewhere.” To be viewed as an “elite” program you have to do more than anyone else.
Athletes and parents often feel as though if they don’t sign up for and attend every opportunity imaginable that they will somehow be overlooked for the team. They expect that by participating in every clinic/camp/tournament under the sun it will somehow ensure their spot on the team. The FOMO takes over and rather than consider if it’s time for some rest or to enjoy something other than volleyball. The harsh reality is, there is no magic formula. More doesn’t necessarily equal better.
With so many opportunities and expectations the fear should be of overuse injuries or worse “burnout,” which leads to not enjoying the experience. Sometimes we have to “miss out” to motivate us to try something new or simply re-light the spark that gets our passion for the game burning stronger than ever before. My guess is many athletes are feeling that in our current environment. They were forced to take a break from volleyball by something out of their control. Many of us coaches preach to our athletes, “control the controllables,” and I’d suggest that many of them have done quite well. They’ve taken up new hobbies like cooking, reading, or enjoying the great outdoors, while giving their bodies a break from all the jumping/landing, diving, swinging etc. Now they are ready to return to the court with an enthusiasm they perhaps haven’t shown in a while.
I’ve been fortunate to coach some amazing athletes on my high school and club teams and one thing the very best of those teams had in common was that they were “present.” Being present doesn’t mean never missing a practice, it means being in the moment — with a purpose. I learned a lot from a former athlete who was ready to quit volleyball after her sophomore year of high school; a season in which she led our team in kills, and she was first team all-conference. When she shared with me in our post-season meeting that she was thinking about not coming out next fall I was caught totally off guard. She expressed that she felt like she was “missing out” on a lot of other experiences in high school because she was consumed by volleyball. After taking some time to think about what she said, the light went on for me: She simply needed a break. I didn’t call, email, or text her about volleyball that off-season, and I knew there was a very real chance she wouldn’t play that next season. However, by giving her the space to decide on her own and let her know that I was OK that she may miss an occasional practice to participate in another activity/club that she enjoyed, she returned to our team the following fall. She loved volleyball; she just didn’t want it to be all she was.
The moral of that story is less can be more if you are present. And, in reality, it doesn’t always have to be less as long as it is different (think team video session after a tough match, rather than 100 block, transition, cover reps). Sometimes it can be more, like two-a-day practices or coming in on a Saturday when you don’t have a tournament so long as there is balance and a day off to recover or simply do something else. We want our athletes to want to come to practice, to want to compete with their teammates and to want to be present.
I’m going to attempt to wrap this article up with an analogy of my office plant. Before the pandemic, when I was going into the office daily, I’d make a point of watering the plant regularly and making sure the blinds were open so it could get some sun. The plant was surviving, but I don’t know if it was thriving. It was a “normal” routine that I didn’t give much thought to.
Then the pandemic hit and we’re all working from home for two-plus months, and the plant gets left behind and subsequently wilts to what seemed like an unrecoverable state. Slowly, I start to return to the office once a week and begin to water it a bit more frequently. I see some improvement, but it still doesn’t look great, so I decide I need to do more. I take the plant home and continue to water it, while exposing it to more sunlight.
Within a few days it looks like I have a new plant! It’s getting the right combination of water and sun. But then because it looks better, and I’m no longer thinking about improving the healthy plant, I stop paying attention or being “present.” Fast forward a few weeks and suddenly all the leaves are burned up because of too much sun, despite frequent watering, and the cycle starts all over. The point is, find the right combination of what is healthy for you. Remind yourself of that as you adjust and return to the things you enjoy, including volleyball. We’re finding ways to get back and grow again, just like the plant did. But if we’re not careful, if we don’t pay attention to our bodies, methods of training, and need for rest and recovery we’ll burnout. (Yes, like the plant.)
Choose wisely, don’t just always choose more.
Email Scott Spiess at scott@badgerarchive4.0ed61ed.netsolhost.com.
(This column appeared in the July 2, 2020, Badger Beacon)
