Libero Question #74998

Coach, with my son's junior golf, his success or failure always leads back to the quality of his short game.  After all these years, some days it's shaky, some days it's good, some days it is magical.

With my 14 year old libero daughter, it now seems that "serve receive" is the deal.  Some days it's pretty shaky, some days it's good, and some days it's beautiful.  She can have a 1.5 day and turn around and have a 2.5 day.

Is that life as a libero?

C.H.

Yes, it is the life of a Libero and outside and middle and...well, you get the picture.  

One of the characteristics of a young volleyball player is inconsistency; it just takes practice and time to become more consistent.

When I was younger player, it was always frustrating to play the 'old guys' in beach volleyball. They didn't jump as well, they didn't hit as hard, they didn't move as fast but they also did not make mistakes.  They had played for so many years, that they became extremely consistent in their play.

What separates the average from the good and the good from the great Libero is the consistency of serve receive.  

College coaches look at serve receive as the primary and overriding evaluation skill when they recruit Liberos; they are expected to pass 3-5ths of the court and pass it well (the courts has 3 main passing lanes and 2 passing alleys; collegiate Liberos need to be able to pass their lane and the 2 alleys between lanes).

Passing perfect is too much pressure for any Libero, just like expecting a hitter to attack 1000% is not realistic.  

Instead, as Liberos gain maturity, the results reflect less and less number of balls passed outside the 10 foot zone (3 meter zone if we are being metric) or put another way, the setter can at least deliver a quality set to 2 hitters.

With your daughter's age, she has time to develop that needed consistency to make the good and beautiful days the new normal.

Coach