Develop the Player Before the Position: Why Young Volleyball Players Shouldn't Specialize Too Early

# Develop the Player Before the Position: Why Young Volleyball Players Shouldn't Specialize Too Early

She's 11 years old.

She's one of the tallest players at tryouts.

So someone says:

**"You're a middle."**

From that point forward, most of her repetitions are hitting and blocking.

She rarely passes.

She doesn't set.

She doesn't play much back-row defense.

And because she's tall for her age, everyone begins developing her for the position that makes the most sense **right now**.

But here's the question SIDELINE believes youth volleyball should ask more often:

What if "right now" isn't the most important thing?

What happens if everyone else grows?

What happens if her body changes?

What happens if another position eventually fits her better?

What happens when she's 16 and suddenly needs volleyball skills nobody spent enough time teaching her when she was 11?

This is where youth development and team performance can sometimes pull coaches in different directions.

A coach has to build a lineup capable of competing today.

But a youth coach also has another responsibility:

Help build the volleyball player that athlete can become tomorrow.

At SIDELINE, we believe young athletes should become **volleyball players before they become volleyball positions.**

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# WHAT DOES POSITION SPECIALIZATION MEAN?

As volleyball players get older, they increasingly train for specific positions.

Setters spend significant time setting.

Liberos work extensively on passing and defense.

Middles work on blocking, transition footwork and quick attacking.

Outside hitters develop attacking, serve receive and defense.

Right sides train the responsibilities required by their position.

There is nothing wrong with position-specific training.

Eventually, it becomes necessary.

The concern is:

How early should a young athlete's position begin determining which volleyball skills she is allowed to develop?

That's a very different question.

---

# SPECIALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT ARE NOT THE SAME THING

A young athlete may have a primary position while still developing skills outside that position.

Those two ideas can coexist.

Your daughter can currently play middle while still learning to:

• Pass
• Defend
• Set
• Serve
• Attack from different locations
• Control the ball
• Read the game

A young setter can still learn to attack.

A libero can still learn attacking mechanics.

An outside hitter can still learn to set.

The objective isn't to eliminate positions.

It's to prevent a position from unnecessarily limiting a young athlete's development.

---

# THE UNITED STATES OFTEN SPECIALIZES PLAYERS EARLY

American club volleyball can become highly position-specific at young ages.

There are understandable reasons.

Club teams compete.

Coaches need lineups.

Players need responsibilities.

Tournament results matter to teams.

And specialization can sometimes help organize a team more quickly.

A tall athlete may provide immediate value in the middle.

A smaller athlete with excellent ball control may immediately help at libero.

A player with good hands may become the setter.

Those decisions can make perfect sense for the team.

The developmental question is what happens **after** the decision.

Does the middle stop learning to pass?

Does the libero stop learning to attack?

Does the setter stop developing other parts of her game?

If so, a temporary position can begin creating permanent limitations.

---

# OTHER VOLLEYBALL DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS CAN TAKE A BROADER APPROACH

Volleyball development does not look identical around the world.

Different countries, federations, academies and clubs have their own philosophies.

So it would be inaccurate to say:

**"America develops players one way and the rest of the world develops them another."**

There is far more variation than that.

But there is an important developmental philosophy seen in many international environments that SIDELINE believes American families should understand:

Develop broad volleyball skills before narrowing the athlete too aggressively into one specialized role.

That means younger athletes may spend more time learning multiple parts of the game before their training becomes dominated by one position.

The lesson isn't that everything overseas is better.

The lesson is that there is value in asking:

Are we developing a position—or are we developing a volleyball player?

SIDELINE believes the second question should come first.

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# HEIGHT CAN BECOME TOO IMPORTANT TOO EARLY

Height matters in volleyball.

Pretending otherwise wouldn't be honest.

At advanced levels, physical attributes can influence which positions provide athletes with the strongest opportunities.

But youth volleyball presents a major problem:

Children are still growing.

The tallest 11-year-old may not be the tallest 17-year-old.

The smallest 12-year-old may grow dramatically.

Bodies change.

Athleticism changes.

Coordination changes.

Jumping ability changes.

Skills change.

Yet sometimes we make long-term developmental decisions based on a child's current height.

---

# THE TALL 11-YEAR-OLD PROBLEM

Imagine an athlete who is unusually tall at 11.

Naturally, coaches see:

**Middle blocker.**

She spends the next several years primarily:

• Blocking
• Transitioning
• Hitting quick attacks

Meanwhile, other athletes receive thousands of repetitions:

• Passing
• Defending
• Handling the ball
• Reading serves
• Playing in space

Now fast-forward.

She's 16.

She didn't grow as much as everyone expected.

She's no longer unusually tall.

Maybe her best future opportunity is outside hitter.

There's one problem.

She is now trying to learn years of ball-control development that other athletes have already experienced.

The issue wasn't that she played middle.

The issue was that:

Playing middle became a reason not to teach her the rest of volleyball.

---

# THE SAME THING CAN HAPPEN TO SMALLER ATHLETES

Now imagine the opposite.

A young athlete is smaller than most of her teammates.

She moves well.

She passes well.

So she's immediately identified as:

**Libero.**

From that point forward, nearly everything revolves around the back row.

But she's 11.

Nobody knows how much she will grow.

More importantly, nobody knows what kind of volleyball player she could become.

She should still learn:

• Attacking footwork
• Arm swing mechanics
• Setting
• Blocking concepts
• Front-row movement

Even if she eventually becomes an elite libero, those experiences weren't wasted.

They helped teach her volleyball.

---

# DON'T LET HEIGHT DECIDE WHAT A CHILD IS ALLOWED TO LEARN

This is the SIDELINE principle.

Height can influence:

WHERE AN ATHLETE PLAYS TODAY.

It should not automatically determine:

WHAT AN ATHLETE IS ALLOWED TO LEARN FOR TOMORROW.

Those are different decisions.

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# DEVELOP ALL-AROUND VOLLEYBALL SKILLS

At younger ages, SIDELINE believes athletes benefit from developing a broad volleyball foundation.

Teach them to:

PASS

Control the first contact.

SERVE

Create pressure and begin the rally.

SET

Learn touch, location and how offense works.

ATTACK

Develop approach, timing and arm mechanics.

DEFEND

Read attackers and control difficult balls.

BLOCK

Learn movement, timing and net responsibilities.

MOVE

Develop efficient volleyball footwork.

COMMUNICATE

Understand how teammates work together.

READ

Recognize what is happening across the net.

DECIDE

Learn what to do instead of simply being told where to stand.

That's developing a volleyball player.

---

# WHY SHOULD A MIDDLE LEARN TO PASS?

Because passing teaches much more than passing.

It teaches:

• Reading servers
• Movement
• Platform control
• Court awareness
• Communication
• Ball control

Those skills improve an athlete's overall understanding of volleyball.

Even if she eventually becomes a college middle and rarely participates in serve receive, the time spent learning ball control wasn't wasted.

She became a more complete volleyball player.

---

# WHY SHOULD A LIBERO LEARN TO ATTACK?

Because attacking teaches:

• Approach mechanics
• Timing
• Reading sets
• Understanding hitters
• Offensive rhythm
• How attackers see the court

That knowledge can eventually make her a smarter defender.

If you understand what attackers are trying to do, you may become better at reading them.

Skills connect.

---

# WHY SHOULD A HITTER LEARN TO SET?

Because volleyball doesn't always give you the perfect situation.

The setter may take the first ball.

Someone else has to set.

A hitter who has learned ball control and setting becomes more capable of keeping the team in system.

She also develops a better understanding of what her setter is trying to accomplish.

Again:

Skills connect.

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# WHY SHOULD A SETTER LEARN TO ATTACK?

Because setters are volleyball players too.

Understanding attacking can help setters understand:

• Hitter timing
• Tempo
• Approach patterns
• Location preferences
• What different sets feel like to an attacker

A setter who understands hitters may become better at setting them.

The objective isn't necessarily to turn the setter into an outside hitter.

It's to help her understand the game she is trying to run.

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# LEARNING MORE SKILLS CAN CREATE BETTER VOLLEYBALL IQ

Volleyball isn't six isolated jobs happening simultaneously.

Everything connects.

Pass affects set.

Set affects attack.

Attack affects coverage.

Serve affects opponent offense.

Block affects defense.

Defense affects transition.

When athletes understand multiple parts of the game, they begin seeing those connections.

Instead of thinking only:

**"What is my job?"**

they begin understanding:

"What is our team trying to accomplish?"

That's volleyball IQ.

---

# VERSATILITY CREATES OPTIONS

A young athlete's future is unpredictable.

That's exactly why versatility is valuable.

An athlete who can:

• Pass
• Defend
• Attack
• Serve
• Set when necessary
• Understand multiple positions

gives future coaches more possibilities.

Maybe she becomes an outside.

Maybe a setter.

Maybe a libero.

Maybe an opposite.

Maybe her position changes several times.

The broader her foundation, the more doors remain open.

---

# SPECIALIZATION ISN'T THE ENEMY

This needs to be clear.

SIDELINE is not arguing that volleyball players should never specialize.

As athletes become older and competition increases, position-specific development becomes increasingly important.

Setters need thousands of quality setting repetitions.

Liberos need extensive serve-receive and defensive training.

Middles need specialized blocking, transition and attacking work.

Hitters need advanced position-specific training.

Eventually:

Specialization can become essential.

But there is an enormous difference between:

**Specializing progressively**

and

**Limiting development prematurely.**

---

# THE QUESTION IS WHEN

Instead of arguing:

**"Should athletes specialize?"**

ask:

"When should specialization begin dominating the athlete's development?"

That answer may depend on:

• Age
• Skill level
• Physical maturity
• Competitive level
• Athlete goals
• Position
• Developmental stage

There isn't one universal birthday when every volleyball player should specialize.

That's why coaches need judgment.

---

# TEAM NEEDS AND ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT CAN CONFLICT

This is one of the hardest realities of youth sports.

A coach is trying to win matches.

Maybe the team's tallest athlete gives them the best chance to win as a middle.

That's reasonable.

But what is best for Saturday's tournament isn't always identical to what is best for that athlete's long-term development.

Great youth coaching requires thinking about both.

Ask:

**What does my team need today?**

But also:

What might this athlete need three years from now?

Youth coaching should have a longer horizon than the next scoreboard.

---

# PARENTS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THIS WHEN CHOOSING A CLUB

This is where this philosophy connects directly to Club Volleyball 101.

When evaluating younger-age programs, ask about development.

Questions might include:

DO YOUNGER ATHLETES TRAIN MULTIPLE SKILLS?

HOW EARLY DOES THE CLUB BEGIN POSITION SPECIALIZATION?

WILL MIDDLES RECEIVE BALL-CONTROL TRAINING?

DO DEFENSIVE PLAYERS LEARN ATTACKING SKILLS?

ARE SETTERS DEVELOPED AS COMPLETE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS?

CAN ATHLETES EXPLORE DIFFERENT POSITIONS?

HOW DOES THE CLUB DETERMINE A YOUNG PLAYER'S POSITION?

HOW MUCH DOES CURRENT HEIGHT INFLUENCE THAT DECISION?

You aren't telling the coach how to coach.

You're learning what the club believes about development.

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# DON'T PANIC IF YOUR CHILD CHANGES POSITIONS

A position change doesn't automatically mean something went wrong.

Sometimes it means the athlete is developing.

Coaches may discover:

• A new strength
• Better long-term potential
• Improved ball control
• Physical changes
• A different team need
• A position that fits the athlete better

A young player's position should not become part of her identity.

She's not:

**"A middle who is being turned into an outside."**

She's:

A volleyball player learning another part of volleyball.

That mindset matters.

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# DON'T BUILD A CHILD'S IDENTITY AROUND HEIGHT

Be especially careful with comments like:

**"You're tall, so you're a middle."**

or

**"You're too short to hit."**

Children hear those messages.

Eventually they begin believing their body determines what they're capable of learning.

Height may influence opportunities at advanced levels.

But development should be about building capabilities.

Teach the athlete first.

Evaluate the physical profile as the athlete matures.

---

# WHAT SHOULD DEVELOPMENT LOOK LIKE?

SIDELINE's philosophy is simple:

BUILD THE PLAYER FIRST.

Young athletes should develop broad skills.

Then, as they mature:

BEGIN INCREASING POSITION-SPECIFIC TRAINING.

And eventually, when appropriate:

DEVELOP ADVANCED SPECIALIZATION.

Think of it as a progression:

VOLLEYBALL PLAYER

Learn the game.

↓

PRIMARY POSITION

Begin developing positional responsibility.

↓

POSITION SPECIALIZATION

Increase position-specific repetitions.

↓

ADVANCED POSITION DEVELOPMENT

Refine the skills required for higher-level competition.

Specialization should become increasingly specific as the athlete's development becomes increasingly clear.

---

# FROM THE SIDELINE

I've spent decades watching young volleyball players develop.

And one thing I've learned is that we are not nearly as good at predicting the future of young athletes as we sometimes think we are.

Kids grow.

Bodies change.

Skills develop.

Confidence changes.

Athleticism emerges.

Positions change.

The athlete you see at 11 isn't necessarily the athlete you're going to see at 17.

That's why I don't want to close doors too early.

If she's tall, teach her to pass.

If she's small, teach her to attack.

If she's a setter, teach her defense.

If she's a libero, let her learn how hitters think.

Teach athletes the game.

There will eventually be a time to specialize.

But you can never go back and recreate all the developmental opportunities a young athlete was never given.

That's why SIDELINE believes:

Develop the player before the position.

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# COACH MIKE DZ'S ADVICE

When evaluating development for a young athlete, I would ask one question:

"Are we developing what she can do—or simply using what she can already do?"

There is a huge difference.

If she's tall, blocking may already provide value.

What else are we teaching her?

If she passes well, serve receive may already provide value.

What else are we teaching her?

If she has great hands, setting may already provide value.

What else are we teaching her?

Youth development should expand an athlete's abilities.

Not simply organize the abilities she already has into a lineup.

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# YOUR FAMILY CHALLENGE

Ask your young athlete:

WHAT POSITION DO YOU PLAY RIGHT NOW?

____________________________

Then ask:

WHAT VOLLEYBALL SKILL OUTSIDE YOUR POSITION WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO IMPROVE?

____________________________

Now ask:

WHAT POSITION HAVE YOU NEVER PLAYED THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN?

____________________________

And finally:

"Do you feel like you're learning volleyball—or mostly learning your position?"

Listen to the answer.

You may learn something important about her development.

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# KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Young athletes should develop broad volleyball skills before becoming overly specialized.
• Having a primary position is not the same as training only that position.
• Position specialization can become increasingly important as athletes mature.
• Height matters in volleyball, but young athletes are still physically developing.
• Current height should not unnecessarily determine which skills a child is allowed to learn.
• Tall young athletes should still develop ball control.
• Smaller young athletes should still have opportunities to learn attacking and front-row skills.
• Setters, hitters, middles, liberos and defensive players benefit from understanding skills outside their primary roles.
• Broader skill development can improve volleyball IQ.
• Versatility gives athletes more options as their bodies and abilities change.
• Different volleyball systems around the world use different approaches to specialization and all-around development.
• SIDELINE does not believe one country's entire development system can be reduced to a single philosophy.
• Team needs and long-term athlete development are not always identical.
• Parents should understand a club's development philosophy before committing.
• Changing positions can be a normal part of athlete development.
• Specialization should progressively increase rather than unnecessarily limit young athletes too early.

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KNOW BEFORE YOU COMMIT.

Your 11-year-old doesn't need us to predict exactly what position she will play at 18.

She needs us to give her the skills that allow her future coaches to have options.

Let her pass.

Let her set.

Let her attack.

Let her defend.

Let her serve.

Let her block.

Let her learn.

**Develop the volleyball player first.**

There will be time to develop the position.