I began to play the sport of volleyball in fourth grade, so I basically grew up with a pair of knee pads somewhere in reach at all times. It started as a fun way to pass the time and be with friends, and later developed into an essential part of my life. Volleyball challenged me in ways that nothing else could have, and taught me lessons that transfer into daily life. Here are 10 aspects of life that I learned through years of dedication to this wonderful sport:
1. Early is on time, on time is late and late is unacceptable.
If my teammates and I didn’t arrive to practice at least 15 minutes early each day, we knew a punishment run would be in order. Learning time management skills and accountability at a young age most certainly pays off down the road, especially in college. If you always give yourself a 15 minute cushion to get to class, chances are you won’t have to sprint in the early morning to arrive.
2. If you walk in the gym during preseason, don’t be surprised when the team ends up on the track doing sprints.
This usually occurred at least once every season. Everyone seemingly would be hustling or jogging to get to their locations, but then coach’s voice would boom out ordering us to start sprints due to a straggler. Sometimes taking the easy way out in life can be tempting, but in the end, hard work will be more rewarding.
3. If you stop running during conditioning, it is probably best not to come back.
Day one of tryouts was always the weed-out day. Coach would warn us all summer about how we should be conditioning because there would be players who could not survive the first hour. As a college student, there are most definitely days where you just have to grin and bear it.
4. Floor burns will happen and later turn into battle scars.
Volleyball players learn how to get over any fears of hitting the floor very quickly, especially the defensive specialists. We sacrificed our bodies to keep the ball from reaching the ground, which often resulted in more bumps, bruises and burns than ever imaginable. Yet in life, sometimes you just have to take one for the team and give it all you have.
5. Sometimes there will be days that you feel unstoppable.
Volleyball is a game where consistency is key. The goal was always to make the six players on the court as skilled, strong and mentally tough as possible to play to the best of their abilities. When the team was connecting well, winning was easy! We learned how to celebrate victories with tact, remembering the feeling of being on the other side as well.
6. Sometimes there will be days that you wonder if you even know how to play volleyball.
It happens. Especially during harsh weeks of class, sometimes staying focused and alert after few hours of sleep can be a huge struggle. I learned how to accept the fact that I would never be 100 percent accurate all of the time, and worked to be as accurate as possible even when it was difficult. In life, not every day will be the greatest day on Earth.
7. It is better to train during the entire off-season than two weeks before preseason.
Preparedness is key! There is no worse feeling than stepping onto the track about to start conditioning and realizing that you should have trained harder.
8. If you ever played club volleyball, there was no off season.
Other than a few weeks of freedom here and there, volleyball was happening constantly. It takes a great deal of stamina to be able to bounce from one team to the next season to season, but through this we learned how to cope with the constant changes and challenges that life brings.
9. You will most likely get hit in the face at least once during your career.
Maybe it was an impressive swing. Maybe you weren’t prepared defensively. Regardless, there is no quicker way to learn from a mistake than a volleyball facial. Life can and will knock you off your feet sometimes, but how you get back up defines you.
10. All the hours of sweating in the gym while others were outside enjoying the weather paid off.
Volleyball players are a tightly-knit group of individuals, and all share unique stories and experiences. However, the factor that unites each and every one of us is the love and passion for the game. Every hour of sweating profusely in gyms without air conditioning has helped build our characters and makes us appreciate true hard work, grit and determination. Once a volleyball player, always a volleyball player.
