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GUIDE TO CLUB VOLLEYBALL

About VB RAGS Volleyball Academy

Over the past 10 years, no other Junior Volleyball Club in New Jersey has accomplished more, including several regional championships in multiple age groups, winning national qualifiers, and even developing players who went on to become All Americans at the NCAA level.  

If you’re considering playing club volleyball in the 2024-25 season, our Pre Try Outs Evaluation Clinics are a great way to grow your skills, meet our coaches, and learn about our club culture, so you can determine if this is the right club for you next season.

VBRags Academy  - Heteki Volleyball Club - 2024 - 205 Girl Club Volleyball try outs

Heteki Volleyball Club - Girls Club Volleyball


About Volleyball

  • One of the sports with highest level of participation worldwide

  • Played both indoor and beach

  • At every Olympics, VB is one of the highest rating sports

  • Key drivers of growth are: 

    • Non-contact

    • Fast paced

    • Lots of scoring

    • Athleticism

    • Team is in close-proximity; camaraderie

There are three main organizing bodies for Junior VB in USA

  • USA VolleyballDivided into 40 Regional Associations- our Region belong to GEVA ( Garden Empire Volleyball Association)

  • Amateur Athletic Union (AAU Volleyball)

  • Junior Volleyball Association (JVA)

    • Volleyball specific organization, started when several owners of some large junior clubs demanded more input into USA Volleyball’s decision-making, and USAV refused

Two (competing) National Championships every summer

  • USA Volleyball Junior Nationals
    • Need to qualify for most divisions by placing at a national qualifier event, or by earning a bid through a regional championship

  • AAU Volleyball Championships
    • Register and pay to attend

How does our region rank vs the rest of the country in VB?

  • In terms of competitive level, NJ/NY is one of the lowest ranked regions in the country

  • VB is still a developing sport in Northeast and not yet on the same level as VB hotbeds around the country such as California, Texas, the Mid West, and Florida

Why do we continue to be ranked so low relative to other regions?

We have a lot going for us in this region

  • Great athletes, with more entering the sport every day

  • Great facilities

But some key factors hold us back:

  • Our players start too late compared to hot bed regions

  • Most of our players are not used to strong competition

    • If you are in Dallas or Manhattan Beach, every local tournament feels like a national qualifier event

    • Too many clubs/coaches looking for “empty medals”

  • Quality of Coaching is a major barrier

    • As opposed to traditional sports in the northeast like Basketball, Football, Softball, Baseball or Lacrosse, most parents have no experience in VB and thus can’t tell the difference between high quality coaching and low-quality coaching

    • Even if your child is more interested in Recreation than in Competition, you should care about quality of coaching for to main reasons

      1. Poor Coaching can lead to injury

      2. Many coaches are charging top dollars and not delivering value

Lots of junior clubs, not all are created equal

  • More than 70 junior clubs currently operating in our region (NJ/NY) - Most are focused on Girls, but Boys VB is growing

  • Most local clubs are affiliated to all three entities: USA Volleyball/GEVA, AAU, and JVA

  • Some clubs are privately owned, some are non-profits operated by a board, etc..

Lots of VB, lots of confusion

  • GEVA is divided into two levels of competitive play

    • Open (higher level of competition)

      • Your team must qualify via the first tournament of the season, the GEVA Power Series Play-In

      • Play-In is scheduled for the 1st weekend of Jan after Jan 1

      • If your team does not survive the Play-In it has to play on the Club level of GEVA for the entire season

    • Club (lower level of competition)

      • Club Vast majority of club teams in our region, and every region, are “club-level” teams

  • Many parents are unaware of the level of play their child is participating in

  • Often leads to unrealistic expectations

    • If your objective is to earn a volleyball scholarship….

What’s in a Name?

  • Most clubs use “National” or “Regional” labels to differentiate the level of competitiveness WITHIN their own club

  • Some use other names to denote the relative ranking of teams within their own club

    • Some go by colors: Club Name 15-Black, or 15-Blue, or 15-White, etc…

    • Some go by Stones: Club Name 15-Onyx, or 15-Ruby, etc..

    • Some go by numbers: Club X 15-1, 15-2, 15-3

    • Some are quite creative…Club Name 15 Premier, 15 National, Elite, Select….

  • At the end of the day, please know you should not pay for a name; you should pay for the quality of the training and quality of the overall experience your child (and your family) will have

Club Volleyball is a significant investment of dollars and time

  • Seasonal club fees for “National” level club teams  range anywhere between $2,000 or $3,000 for the younger age groups, to over $5,000 for the 17’s age group

  • Clubs set their own prices, there are no restrictions from USA Volleyball or any of the other organizing entity, so it’s all about supply and demand

  • With more and more players wanting to play club ball, and limited court availability, club fees have been rising, but for the most part, not the value parents are receiving

  • Club fees usually do not include travel expenses (transportation/hotel/meals) for the players to get to the events

Different Clubs have different training schedules

 
TRAINING
  • The most competitive teams tend to practice 2 or 3 times per week

TOURNAMENTS
  • Clubs create tournament schedules for each team using different criteria

    • Some are looking for medals

    • Some are looking for development

    • Some are looking to save dollars

    • Some tournaments are half day, some are full day, some are multi day

HOW TO SELECT A CLUB:

Key questions you should first ask yourself:

  • What is your objective with club vb? What’s important to you?

    • If it’s about recreation, then price, location, and “where are my friends playing” should be key drivers

    • If your child is truly interested in becoming the best player they can be, then you should conduct your due diligence:

      1. Don’t rely exclusively on word of mouth, the biggest clubs tend to have more share of voice; seek the facts, not only opinions

      2. What is the track record of each club, where have their players gone on to play at the next level? 

      3. What is the culture you’re looking for?

        • There are clubs that operate like frat houses

        • There are many clubs that don’t allow parents to watch practices, so there is little accountability

        • There are clubs who allow influential parents to run the teams

        • What are the values you seek to instill in your daughter/son?

      4. What is their coaching philosophy?

      5. How do they manage playing time?

      6. Ask them about their Player Development Process….not their philosophy on the subject, but their actual process, if they have one.

      7. Does the coaching staff build or destroy self esteem?

        •  A coach’s character is not best reflected in how they treat their best player but in how they treat their weakest player

      8. What are your priorities for club?

        • It is important you rank these three in order of what is most important to you*:

          • I want to play on a winning team

          • I want to play for a really good coach who will help me develop

          • I want to have a major role on my team

* Unless you’re in the top 1% of talent and skill, you’re unlikely to achieve all 3 in the same season

How are age divisions defined?

 

The easiest way to figure out what age division your daughter/son is eligible to play is with this simple rule:

What age will your child be on or before June 30th of the season you are trying out for? 

Example:

  • If you child turns 14 on or before June 30, 2025, then your child is eligible to play in the 14 Age division or above. Players can play up, but cannot play down.
  • If you child is 13 at tryouts, but turns 14 on or before June 30th, then your child is not eligible to play in the 13U age division.

What if my child only wants to make the school team, do I need to play club?

Need to? No. However, your child will be at a disadvantage when trying to make a school team because more and more players are playing club precisely to better compete for limited spots on school rosters.


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heketi volleyball club - junior volleyball club in new jersey