How to Prepare for Club Volleyball Tryouts: 10 Tips for 9U–13U Players

1. Know your age group and how tryouts are run

This sounds basic, but it trips families up every year. Club volleyball age groups follow USA Volleyball age definitions, which are based on birth date, not school grade. For 2026–27, 12U is for players born July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015, and most sixth graders fall in that range. A sixth grader born on or after July 1, 2015 (usually a July, August or September birthday) is 11U. In the Ohio Valley Region, some American and Regional teams can be grade-based instead, so ask the club if you're not sure.

Before tryout day, check the club's age definition chart and confirm:

• Which age group your child is in
• Which date and time slot belongs to that age group
• Whether pre-registration is required (it usually is)
• Whether the club runs callbacks or evaluates everyone across all sessions
• Whether parents can stay and watch

Every club handles these details differently. At CVA, for example, tryouts are not callback-based, players don't have to attend both sessions to be considered (though we encourage it for more looks), and the gym is closed to parents once things start. Knowing this ahead of time removes a lot of surprises.

2. Get into the gym before tryouts (and let coaches see you)

The single best thing a younger player can do before tryouts is touch a lot of volleyballs in a real gym. Backyard reps help. Gym reps help more. The ceiling is higher, the floor is faster, the lighting is different, and there are other kids and coaches around. That environment can rattle a 9-year-old the first time she walks in. Better that first time is not tryout day.

Open gyms are built for this. Your child gets touches, gets comfortable with the building, and gets to play with kids at her level. There's a side benefit too: the coaches running open gyms are often the same coaches running tryouts. A player who showed up, worked hard, and listened is not a stranger when tryout day comes.

If you're not in the Cincinnati or Dayton area, ask the clubs you're considering whether they run open gyms or pre-tryout clinics. Most do.

3. Spend your practice time on serving and passing

If you only have a week or two, put most of your practice time here. At 9U–12U, games are won and lost on serving and serve-receive. A player who can get her serve in and get a pass up in the air gives a coach something to build around.

Serving tips for younger players:

• Toss first, swing second. Most missed serves at this age come from a bad toss. Have your child practice tossing and letting the ball drop without swinging. It should land in about the same spot every time.
• Pick one serve and own it. If her overhand serve goes in two out of ten times and her underhand goes in nine out of ten, she should serve underhand at a 9U or 10U tryout. Coaches notice consistency. As players move into 11U, 12U, and 13U, an overhand serve becomes more expected, but a reliable serve still beats a flashy one.
• Serve with a routine. Same spot, same bounce or breath, same toss. A simple routine calms nerves.

Passing tips:

• Build a flat platform. Thumbs together, wrists together, arms straight. Practice with a wall or a parent tossing.
• Move feet first, then pass. The best young passers get to the ball and stop before they make contact, rather than reaching with their arms.
• Aim at a target. Even in the driveway, put a chair or a cone where the setter would stand and pass toward it.

Ten to fifteen minutes a day of tossing, serving, and wall passing over the week before tryouts can make a visible difference in confidence.

4. Do a focused tune-up the week before

There's a difference between random practice and a session built specifically around what tryouts will test. A short, focused pre-tryout camp gives players a preview of the drills, the pace, and the kind of instruction they'll get on tryout day. For a nervous 9U or 10U player, that preview alone can be worth it.

Look for something run by coaches who know the club's evaluation process, with small enough groups that your child gets real feedback.

5. Show coachability on every single rep

Here's something parents don't always hear: coaches at youth tryouts often care more about how a player responds to feedback than about her current skill level. A 10-year-old with average skills who fixes her footwork the moment a coach mentions it is very attractive to a club coach. She'll be a different player by March.

Help your child practice these habits:

• Look at the coach when they talk. Not at the floor, not at Mom in the doorway.
• Say "okay" or nod so the coach knows the message landed.
• Try the correction right away, even if it feels awkward and the ball goes sideways. Coaches are watching the attempt, not just the result.
• Ask a question if confused. "Do you want my hands higher?" is a great sign of a player who wants to learn.

6. Talk on the court

Young players go quiet when they're nervous. Coaches notice. Teach your child three simple calls she can use in every drill and scrimmage:

• "Mine!" or "Ball!" when she's going for it
• "Out!" for a ball heading out of bounds
• "Nice job!" or a teammate's name after a good play

A player who calls the ball loudly at 9U or 10U stands out instantly, because most kids in the gym aren't doing it. It also tells a coach she's confident and paying attention. If your child is shy, practice the call at home. Yes, it feels silly. It works.

7. Hustle between the drills, not just during them

Coaches watch more than the drills. They watch the 30 seconds between them. Who jogs to the next station? Who shags balls without being asked? Who goes after the ball that bounced off the bleachers?

Effort is the one part of tryouts that is 100% in your child's control. A few things that always get noticed:

• Running, not walking, to line up
• Chasing balls, even ones that look out of reach
• Picking up stray balls and returning them to the cart
• Staying in a ready position instead of standing straight up

None of this requires talent. All of it shows a coach what kind of teammate your child will be.

8. Practice a "next ball" mindset

Every player at every tryout will shank passes, miss serves, and whiff on a few balls. Every one. The players coaches remember are the ones who shake it off quickly.

Talk with your child about a simple reset: a quick breath, a clap, or a phrase like "next ball." The goal is to keep one mistake from turning into five. Coaches at 9U–13U are very aware that kids get nervous. They're watching what happens after the mistake, not the mistake itself.

As a parent, you can help by how you talk about mistakes at home. If a missed serve at practice gets a shrug and "next one," your child learns that mistakes are normal. If you want more on the parent side of tryout stress, our piece on tryout week anxiety for volleyball parents is worth a read.

9. Pack the bag and plan the morning the night before

Tryout morning should be boring. No hunting for knee pads, no last-minute printing, no rushing through traffic. Here's a simple checklist:

Bring:

• Knee pads
• Court shoes (volleyball shoes if she has them, or clean, non-marking athletic shoes)
• Athletic shorts or spandex and a T-shirt or tank
• Hair ties, with hair pulled back
• A full water bottle
• A small snack for after
• Any required forms (many clubs require a medical form, waiver, and code of conduct, so check the club's page)

Skip:

• Jewelry (most gyms ask players to remove it)
• Brand-new shoes she's never worn
• A heavy meal right before

The night before and the morning of:

• A normal bedtime. Not an early one she'll lie awake for. Just normal.
• A familiar breakfast she's eaten before games.
• Arrive early. At CVA we ask families to come 20 minutes before start time to check in. Rushing in late adds stress nobody needs.

10. Parents: manage the car ride, then trust the process

This last tip is for you, not your player.

Before tryouts, keep the pep talk short. "Work hard, have fun, and talk on the court" is plenty. Skip the long list of things to remember. Your child can't hold ten instructions in her head during a serving drill.

During tryouts, if the gym is closed to parents, take that seriously. It's not personal. Kids tend to play more freely when they're not scanning the doorway for a parent's reaction.

After tryouts, let your child talk first. Ask "What was the most fun drill?" instead of "How did your serving go?" Whatever happens with team placement, she needs to hear that you're proud of the effort.

When offers come, know how the club communicates. Many clubs email placements within days, and some ask for a quick decision. CVA follows the Ohio Valley Region (OVR) guideline of giving families at least 48 hours to make a decision on an offer. Before you accept or decline, it helps to understand what you're signing up for in practice schedule, travel, and commitment. Our guides on club volleyball offer deadlines and how to choose a volleyball club walk through the questions to ask.