Tuesday, 22 October 2013

Reflection on Volley Ball Experience

In the third term of my time in IB1, I decided to go and try out for the volleyball team.  Until then, I had only participated in volley ball recreationally.  Still, I like to think that I was good at the sport.

We had three coaches who helped us improve our general technique and positioning on the court.  Even in P.E. classes we used the lesson to practice our volley ball.  Almost all of the boys in IB1 participated in the volley ball team.  Our first match was at home against ISU.  It was supposedly a friendly tournament but all of us on the team really wanted to win.  We came out victorious.  Our spirits were at a maximum high when we beat them bad in the first set.  Maybe our over confidence was too soon as they came back in the second set.  In the final set we decided to cool our thoughts and just go back to basics.

During practice sessions, I learnt a lot about the different techniques to apply in volleyball. For example, I learnt how to properly smash the ball into the opponent’s court.  The coaches also taught us how to serve the ball properly.  In the end, it all comes down to consistency.  The more I practiced these techniques the better my game was becoming.  I must admit that when I signed up for volley ball I did not think I was going to like it as a sport.  However after learning new techniques, I began to warm up to the sport.  In practice, I also learnt that unity in the team is key to success in this particular sport.  In many other sports, one superstar of the team can take matters into their own hands.  Here, it is either a team effort or a terrible defeat.
Our second match was against Heritage International.  We had a good feeling judging that we won our first game ever in volleyball.  They had an outdoor court which was located on the field.  This was to our disappointment because we had never played anywhere but indoor.  As we had arrived late, we began the match right away.  Heritage was an excellent team.  They obviously had a lot of prior experience which was lacking in our squad.  Despite our best efforts, Heritage demolished us.  This was a bit of a rude awakening.  So now we knew there was real competition.

For the next game two members, David and I were out because we had an IT exam to complete.  It was held at ISU.  The team were not victorious and I believe if we were there circumstances would have changed.  Finally, the last match that would determine our place in the final had come.  It was against Heritage again but at KISU this time.  The tension was high.  We knew what this team could do if we were not careful.  At this point in the season, every one of us was at most skilled in the sport.  It had been almost five weeks of training.  We wanted to win this game more than any other before.  Unfortunately, the outcome did not favour us.


Throughout the whole experience, I generally learnt that nothing is easy.  Also, there is nothing wrong with not understanding something.  You just have to try it out first and see what its about before making judgments.  For the next season of volley ball I plan to up my game even harder.  I want to improve at the basic fundamentals.

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