If you asked parents what they are paying for when they put their children in a volleyball program many would say they are paying for playing time in the tournaments.
Instead of focusing on playing time in matches, parents should have the following discussion with club and school coaches, “Court time is a precious commodity. Use it wisely. When is the team going to have more relevant training so my daughter will get more meaningful touches and game-like learning? What are you doing to make her a gamer, not just a star in practice? ”
It is understandable that parents want to see their daughter compete in match play given their time and financial investment in the sport. At the same time, they need to do the following math problem to understand the relationship between playing time and practice time.
Does your daughter spend more time playing or practicing?
Assumptions
A. A club practices 3 times a week for 2 hours each practice for 24 weeks.
B. The club plays 5 matches at 6 tournaments during the season. They also play 5 matches in 2 national qualifier tournaments. Each match lasts 1 hour.
Calculations
A. The total hours spent in practice are 3 X 2 X 24 = 144 hours.
B. The total hours spent playing matches equals 5 X 6 X 1 = 30 hours plus 2X5=10; 30 +10=40.
Answer
Your daughter spends 40 hours in practice and 144 hours playing matches.
Coaches must be fair in allocating playing time. More importantly, they have an obligation to make practices more relevant by increasing the number of meaningful touches and game-like activity.