For some, volleyball is just a sport, while for others it is an art form. Understanding volleyball enables people to develop critical thinking skills, organizational skills, and self-awareness skills. Spectators may find the sport fun and fast-paced, but they rarely understand all the effort that goes into playing it. Playing volleyball involves more than learning how the chemistry of the court comes together and how the plays are made. Playing involves learning the movements and habits of your teammates, as well as gaining awareness. By practicing, a person can develop the awareness and critical thinking skills that are important in play and in life.
Skills to be successful
For a point guard, volleyball is like a game of chess. It’s about reading the other players and keeping track of your own team. A setter has to be more conscientious than the other players on the court because he or she controls the pace of the entire game. To play this position successfully, a setter must be resourceful and intelligent. You must be able to think faster than the pace of the game. In addition to that, a setter needs to be able to express his thoughts to his teammates, as well as listen to his teammates. Communication, like anything else, is a key factor in volleyball success. A defender must communicate with his teammates about positioning. If a player cannot reach the ball, his teammates must know it in order to reach the ball. Players talk to each other during a play to help make decisions about whether the ball is in or out of bounds, and players will usually give advice on which play to make. Sometimes players will express their encouragement if another teammate is not playing their best. Another example of communication in volleyball is how a setter and a batter communicate effectively to place the ball along the net where it will not be blocked. Some skills a point guard needs to be successful include the following:
• Know where everyone is supposed to be on the court at all times.
• Read your opponent’s behavior and make small adjustments.
• Communicate thoughts and intentions to teammates.
• Move and think quickly.
• Plan advances steps.
• Make calculated moves that do not indicate moves to the defenders.
Real life application
Communication, strategy, and critical thinking are skills educators strive to teach effectively. The university focuses on assessing the student’s ability to perform critical thinking activities. Some professors don’t understand how students get to college with such limited practice in this area. While students have practiced critical thinking in the classroom setting, many students have never been exposed to critical thinking in a realistic setting. Sports are a realistic outlet that can give students the opportunity to begin developing these important skills.
When someone can grow by practicing these skills in a setting they enjoy, that person learns faster and gives them motivation to solve complex problems in life. Passion for learning infused within these necessary skills, one can gain experience in a fun and engaging way.
By actively participating in sports, individuals practice problem solving and strategic goal formation, skills that become important with age. Particular roles in certain sports, such as the setter position in volleyball, can offer deeper practice of these skills than other sports. In addition to learning physical skills, athletes develop mental skills that are relevant to life through the sports they play.
