I spent so much time on a volleyball court in high school that it felt so weird entering into a new school year and not throwing on my jersey to play. However, just because I no longer play doesn't mean I don't still use much of what volleyball taught me over the years. Volleyball gave me the ability to observe and recognize patterns, be light on my feet, and taught me to never underestimate my own strength. It also gave me lifelong friends that I wouldn't have met had I not played alongside them. I'm grateful for the lessons I took with me after my senior season ended.

1. Teamwork makes the dream work

The list of things in this world that we can do without any assistance is very short. More often than not, we need help from others. It’s not a weakness to be helped by others, it’s a necessity. Nothing helped me learn this lesson more than being a part of my high school volleyball team.

Volleyball is the epitome of team sports, and just like in many situations in life, you won’t get very far with only one person. It takes effort from everyone to make a team work and to reach an end goal. When everyone on my team was able to work together, magical things happened, and we were nearly unstoppable.

2. Just because you don’t like someone, doesn’t mean you don’t have to work with them

As a volleyball player throughout middle and high school, there were many people on the team at certain points that I didn’t get along with. Eventually I had to set my personal feelings aside and realize that whether or not I liked them, they were a valuable part of the team and I had to trust them to pull their weight.

On the court, it didn’t matter who hated who, or who was jealous of who. On the court, we were teammates and that’s all that mattered.

Once the game was finished we could complain all we wanted about others, but once your foot touches the gym floor, you encouraged everyone, you high-fived everyone, and you worked together.

3. A strong leader will make or break a group of people

Throughout high school, I had several different coaches. And although our team members remained the same, each new coach shifted our team dynamic. Under a coach that was arrogant, bullying, and selfish, our team started to reflect those characteristics. This hurt us as a team because we didn’t trust each other.

No matter how hard we tried to come together despite our coach’s divisive attitude, we always ended up angry. Having this coach made us resent the sport itself and it was one of the worst seasons of volleyball I’d ever had.

In my last years of high school, we got yet another new coach. As a team, we were prepared for the worst, but we knew right away that this time was different. Our new coach was able to balance tough love, humor, and constructive criticism that pulled our team closer than we’d ever been.

We felt more comfortable as a team and our level of trust had never been higher because of the way this coach led us. When I look back and compare those two coaches and their respective seasons, it shows just how much of an impact a leader or coach has on their team and the way they perform.

4. The importance of mental toughness

Something that volleyball coaches and players alike can agree on is that volleyball is a mental game. Sure, the physical aspects and the fundamentals are important, but none of that matters if you’re not in the right headspace.

It’s so easy to get caught up in your mistakes and the mistakes of your teammates that suddenly your head is no longer in the game. Mental toughness is something that was stressed so much to me from the first day I put on spandex and a pair of knee pads.

It’s something that I took with me off the court and still use in my life. Being mentally tough is important in so many areas of life and I’m grateful to the coaches put so much emphasis on it.

5. You need people in your life that push you

Because volleyball is a sport that relies so much on how you operate as a team, I always had people pushing me to be better. Teammates that pushed me to do more reps, jump higher, and run faster.

Coaches who pushed me out of my comfort zone so that I could be a better leader. Because of the way I was pushed and the way I pushed my teammates, our team became stronger.

There was a level of respect amongst our team because we knew that we had pushed each other to give 100%. If you surround yourself with people who are okay with you not giving your all, you’ll never push past where you are.

Volleyball was the center of my life for so long, and it taught me so many lessons apart from the five listed above. I’m so thankful for the people it put in my life that became family and the work ethic it created in me. Cherish the time you spend playing sports in high school and the teams you’re apart of, they’ll leave an impression on you that lasts long past graduation.