"Playing Time" Identity

*Originally posted 11/2/2021

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Not playing or a lack of playing time, is probably one of the biggest reason athletes stop playing high school, switch clubs and transfer once they get to college.

I do want to start by saying that there are ALWAYS multiple variables and factors as to why athletes decide to leave a sport. I am not trying to assume that playing time is the only reason. My goal here is to open up a discussion in order to proactively help athletes understand and reach their goals of playing at the next level.

There was an article years ago in an AVCA coaching magazine or some other volleyball magazine that was discussing the notion of athletes getting "burnt out" in their pursuit of playing at the college level or shortly after reaching that goal. The main idea (from what I remember) was that athletes had begun to be so focused on ONE sport that the majority of their identity revolved around volleyball. There were two pie-chart diagrams. One showed the visual of an athlete that was playing multiple sports, had a hobby and was involved with multiple extracurricular activities. The second chart showed an athlete that had limited amounts of interest in things outside of their singular sport. (I've given a simple representation of the diagrams below)

The idea was that as an athlete focused more and more on fewer things, or just one sport, they had fewer outlets to relieve stress and could easily become burnt out.

I certainly think there is a connection here. I talked to athletes while I was recruiting them and I would always ask the question,

"What do you like to do outside of volleyball? And you can't say watch Netflix or hang out with your friends."

Time and time again there would be an extra long pause as the athlete tried to think of SOMETHING they do that didn't involve volleyball. Now, I say all of this to create the framework of my next argument: more and more players are creating their identity around their playing time.

Playing time can dictate:

how an athlete feels about their coach

how the athlete perceives their coaches feelings towards themselves

how good they think they are at the sport

how an athlete "feels" about the sport (not playing = not liking the sport)

whether or not they continue playing at the next level (club or college)

conversations on the ride home

an overall sense of self-worth

When we become focused on one single sport (or job) and don't have a daily or weekly calendar that displays a well-rounded application of our time, we tend to point to that thing as how we identify ourselves. (By the way, I think this causes a lot of burn-out in coaches as well). So, when we have singular focus on a thing like "volleyball" our identity can then be wrapped up, in or around how much we play in that sport. Your identity in an athlete shouldn't be wrapped up in your playing time. It also shouldn't be wrapped up in your sport. We need to be sure that we identify with volleyball as something we DO and NOT who we are.

It's a great sport and I love it, but the sport doesn't define me and it shouldn't define you.

So what does all of that have to do with recruiting? Everything.

First, I think it's important that an athlete find a school where they can play and compete. This might seem obvious, but I think too often athletes pick a school with out answering the question, "Will I be happy here if I never play?" Obviously they need to compete and work hard, but even with that playing time is never guaranteed.

Take a look at this blog HERE.

Second, think about what you REALLY want. I know several athletes that would LOVE to play more for their college teams. But, they are places where they will be given the chance to compete and they are fantastic teammates. In this specific instances, I know these athletes wouldn't want to go somewhere else just so they could play more. They love the school where they are. They love the program they are a part of.

Finally, think about how much your lack of playing time is impacting you. Is it constantly on your mind? Are you doing everything possible to change your playing time situation? Do your coaches know how you feel? There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to play more and I think every coach wants their athletes to WANT to play all the time.

Also, if you are a starter, think about how you would feel about NOT starting for a set or match? Would you be upset? Would you still cheer on your team? I talk to college coaches across the country and many of them want to see you on the bench. They want to see whether or not you will be a good teammate. How can you still impact your team while not being on the court?

Think about that this week. How does your playing or not playing impact the week? How much do you let it impact you? When you think about your college experience in a volleyball program, is your playing time going to dictate the positive or negative experience you will have there?

With all of the transfers that are currently and will occur in the next few months, I think this is an important question to address sooner than later.

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