ESPNW: Young female athletes choosing volleyball over basketball

[Plebe]

Why young athletes are flocking to volleyball, not basketball, in record numbers

Two years ago, for the first time, more high school girls played volleyball (432,176) than basketball (429,504), according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. In 2015-16, volleyball added another 4,133 girls to those numbers, while basketball lost 276 participants.

Examine the past decade, and the numbers are more striking. Statistics compiled by the NFHS show an increase of more than 40,000 volleyball players in that span and a decrease of 23,000 basketball players.​

 

[augustaTC]

Interesting story.

My take is simply that every year more and more young girls want to participate in sports. Very acceptable. Encouraged. You can choose from softball, track & field, soccer, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, field hockey, swimming, diving, tennis, etc. Options everywhere.

For me though, these lines from the story kind of hit the nail on the head: "Basketball is a hard sport to master. Unless you're willing to put in the time and effort and have a certain level of athleticism and hand-eye skills, you will not be successful. You will be pushed out of the sport because of what it demands. In volleyball and lacrosse, those barriers are lower." So at the entry level, many will choose something else, something easier. Less time consuming. Like volleyball.

Would be curious to see what the numbers for all the high schools' women's sports are in terms of absolute numbers, growth over time, etc. Then maybe you can make some real comparisons and draw some conclusions. Anyway, it does make you think.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I don't understand your point about basketball vs. volleyball augusta. I really don't think volleyball is an easier sport to master than basketball is, or see the lower barriers to enter the sport you are referring to. Care to elaborate?

One big difference I can see is that volleyball is a non contact sport, unlike basketball, and the teams stay on their side of the net. Not to say it isn't physically demanding.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Sorry augusta, I missed that that was a quote from the article. Suffice it to say I don't agree w/ the individual who said that. Volleyball is a sport that requires a high skill level.

 

[NVUConnFan]

Volleyball is a high skill eye-hand coordination sport. In addition, jumping ability is a big plus. But, one doesn't have to run up and down the court all the time in VB. To me, that's the difference. I'm a big fan of both sports though.

 

[HumblePie]

On just the participation (entry) level, volleyball is the much easier of the two sports. Anyone who has truly played both (with some success) would know this. The misnomer in the arguments presented is use of the word "master." Few will "master" either game, but many can learn to play and understand their game of choice.

 

[Charliebball]

My daughter plays for a high school basketball team who's tallest player is 5'10" and we typically face teams that have 2-3 players well over 6 feet.......the frustrating part is that our high school volleyball team has three girls that are 6'3" and they are all excellent athletes yet none of them is interested in playing basketball...........

 

[HumblePie]

My daughter plays for a high school basketball team who's tallest player is 5'10" and we typically face teams that have 2-3 players well over 6 feet..the frustrating part is that our high school volleyball team has three girls that are 6'3" and they are all excellent athletes yet none of them is interested in playing basketball......

Is there a point or question here?

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Interesting story.

My take is simply that every year more and more young girls want to participate in sports. Very acceptable. Encouraged. You can choose from softball, track & field, soccer, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, field hockey, swimming, diving, tennis, etc. Options everywhere.

For me though, these lines from the story kind of hit the nail on the head: "Basketball is a hard sport to master. Unless you're willing to put in the time and effort and have a certain level of athleticism and hand-eye skills, you will not be successful. You will be pushed out of the sport because of what it demands. In volleyball and lacrosse, those barriers are lower." So at the entry level, many will choose something else, something easier. Less time consuming. Like volleyball.

Would be curious to see what the numbers for all the high schools' women's sports are in terms of absolute numbers, growth over time, etc. Then maybe you can make some real comparisons and draw some conclusions. Anyway, it does make you think.

Wonder if the threat of bad injuries in basketball isn't a factor. Football has seen a drop in participation from youth leagues through high school due to the rising realization of the dangers of brain injury. Wonder if this isn't at work in basketball relative to knee injuries. Could be wrong....

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I don't understand your point about basketball vs. volleyball augusta. I really don't think volleyball is an easier sport to master than basketball is, or see the lower barriers to enter the sport you are referring to. Care to elaborate?

One big difference I can see is that volleyball is a non contact sport, unlike basketball, and the teams stay on their side of the net. Not to say it isn't physically demanding.

I've played (and enjoy) both sports and mastered neither but, even as a casual observer, can see there appears to be many, many more options flowing from a single basketball possession, both offensively and defensively, than there are in volleyball. That would suggest basketball is more difficult.

 

[Q.]

On just the participation (entry) level, volleyball is the much easier of the two sports. Anyone who has truly played both (with some success) would know this. The misnomer in the arguments presented is use of the word "master." Few will "master" either game, but many can learn to play and understand their game of choice.

This is absolutely true. I am a parent of two former HS volleyball players, and there is a massive gulf between the few girls who take it seriously and strive to improve, vs. the much larger group who are there basically to get the varsity letter and get exempted from gym class. At least here in CT, there are very few HS volleyball programs that are completely filled by players with both the ability and the desire to play at a seriously competitive level. Much depends on coaching at the HS level, but part of it also comes from the lack of formal training prior to high school. This also sort of explains the growth of HS volleyball - for the most part kids start playing competitive basketball at a very young age, and by the time they reach high school there is a pretty clear indication of who should be on the varsity team. For volleyball, most girls are not exposed to the sport outside of elementary or middle school gym class, where they play 9 on 9 and it's more of a social event. Therefore, someone with little experience or knowledge of the sport is far more likely to make it onto a HS volleyball team than they are in basketball.

If you follow HS volleyball in CT, you'll see dominance there almost like the UConn women, from the few teams at each level that have stable and competent coaching. Some of the rest may have a good season now and then if they happen to have a couple of really good players, but many of them are stuck in the middle to bottom of their conferences and have no realistic hope of competing with the good teams.

If this trend results in more localities starting youth volleyball programs and getting girls to start learning the sport at a young age, it can only be good for the sport at the HS level and give more girls an opportunity to excel in a competitive sport.

 

[Charliebball]

Is there a point or question here?

yes

 

[Q.]

Wonder if the threat of bad injuries in basketball isn't a factor. Football has seen a drop in participation from youth leagues through high school due to the rising realization of the dangers of brain injury. Wonder if this isn't at work in basketball relative to knee injuries. Could be wrong....

Maybe there's a lower risk of knee injuries in volleyball, but ankles are vulnerable. Lots of girls wear braces or supports, but that's not enough when 2 players jump for a ball and one comes down on the other's foot. One of my girls missed her senior year conference tournament due to a badly sprained ankle suffered in that manner.

 

[cohenzone]

As a casual observer, it seems that the variety of skills required to play basketball at a high level are harder to achieve. Both sports require eye hand coordination, agility, knowledge and skill. But basketball requires an ability to dribble a ball while often being harassed, being bumped around, and getting a ball on a regular basis into a small target and doing a lot of all of that on the fly while knowing pretty much where all of your teammates and defenders are. But both are fun.

 

[chrissaran]

Some of their statements make no sense to me. I want to be more of a girl, as though young women who play basketball are not feminine, you have to work together more, and we come together after every point, which isn't always possible in basketball. However, after a foul or a jump ball they will come together. Otherwise, they will point at the player as they run back down the court. Clearly all of our Huskies are feminine, and they are as tough as nails. The two are not mutually exclusive.

 

[HumblePie]

yes

Well, what is it? 'Cuz lots of people like ice cream, but not all like the same flavors.

 

[Ozimoto]

Wonder if the threat of bad injuries in basketball isn't a factor. Football has seen a drop in participation from youth leagues through high school due to the rising realization of the dangers of brain injury. Wonder if this isn't at work in basketball relative to knee injuries. Could be wrong....

Trust me, competitive volleyball presents many opportunities for injury. It's a nasty game on the knees, ankles, and shoulders. I found that out the hard way.

 

[Q.]

As a casual observer, it seems that the variety of skills required to play basketball at a high level are harder to achieve. Both sports require eye hand coordination, agility, knowledge and skill. But basketball requires an ability to dribble a ball while often being harassed, being bumped around, and getting a ball on a regular basis into a small target and doing a lot of all of that on the fly while knowing pretty much where all of your teammates and defenders are. But both are fun.

Not sure I agree with this. High school girls can hit a volleyball at about 30-40MPH, or 44-59 feet per second. The court is 30 feet deep on either side of the net, and 30 feet wide. The net is about 7'4" high for women. So a back row player on defense needs to read the setter and hitters on the opposite side, determine who she thinks will hit the ball, and where, and then has a maximum of about one second to react and get under the ball (and hopefully pass it to the setter in a controlled manner) before it hits the court. On the flip side, the setter needs to read the defense as well as understand where her hitters are, react to the first pass, decide who to set and how. The hitter needs to adjust to the set, often on the fly, read the defense (including opposing blockers), and decide where to hit the ball. This doesn't even take into account player positioning during offensive & defensive possessions, service and serve-receive strategy, or blocking schemes. There's a lot of mental and physical skill that goes into the game, assuming the goal is to play at an elite level.

 

[cohenzone]

Not sure I agree with this. High school girls can hit a volleyball at about 30-40MPH, or 44-59 feet per second. The court is 30 feet deep on either side of the net, and 30 feet wide. The net is about 7'4" high for women. So a back row player on defense needs to read the setter and hitters on the opposite side, determine who she thinks will hit the ball, and where, and then has a maximum of about one second to react and get under the ball (and hopefully pass it to the setter in a controlled manner) before it hits the court. On the flip side, the setter needs to read the defense as well as understand where her hitters are, react to the first pass, decide who to set and how. The hitter needs to adjust to the set, often on the fly, read the defense (including opposing blockers), and decide where to hit the ball. This doesn't even take into account player positioning during offensive & defensive possessions, service and serve-receive strategy, or blocking schemes. There's a lot of mental and physical skill that goes into the game, assuming the goal is to play at an elite level.

Didn't say no skills. Different skills. Not every tall kid can shoot a basketball or dribble in traffic.

 

[DefenseBB]

Rumor has it the National Vollyball Assoc is worried about Penn State's record of 109 being broken and is trying to limit the pool of players for Geno to pull from...

 

[CocoHusky]

My daughter plays for a high school basketball team who's tallest player is 5'10" and we typically face teams that have 2-3 players well over 6 feet..the frustrating part is that our high school volleyball team has three girls that are 6'3" and they are all excellent athletes yet none of them is interested in playing basketball......

Is there a point or question here?

There was no question, but I thought a very topical point central and relevant to this thread.
?No entendiste?

 

[HumblePie]

There was no question, but I thought a very topical point central and relevant to this thread.
?No entendiste?

No, I don't got it! All tall kids don't play basketball, so what point is being made with his comment?

 

[CocoHusky]

Hey, don't be a smart ass with me pal. No, I don't got it! All tall kids don't play basketball, so what point is being made with his comment?

You are right, you don't get it.

 

[DefenseBB]

No, I don't got it! All tall kids don't play basketball, so what point is being made with his comment?

The point I interpreted was girls who were tall liked the aspects of volleyball and enjoyed playing it and did not have an interest in basketball. Here's my parallel for you: baseball is a highly specialized skill that if you don't start by age 7 or 8, you will be woefully behind all the pool of players. However, Lacrosse doesn't start until 12/13/14 with limited prior learned skills required. Youth baseball is suffering participation to lacrosse similar to BB to VB. Plus Lacrosse and VB are faster paced for the younger/newer player.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

No, I don't got it! All tall kids don't play basketball, so what point is being made with his comment?

Um, that was pretty much his point, giving it a personal touch. Add in a bit of wish that some of them had been interested in BB (since it is apparent his daughter's team struggles against height).

In some college cases, volleyball players that have some basketball experience will walk on to the WBB team (or, less often, vice versa) during the parts of the seasons that don't overlap, when one of the other team is particularly shorthanded. Seldom, but occasionally, they are actual contributors.