Equal Play vs Competitive, Part 1

Ever since I was a kid I have always loved sports. I started playing soccer back when the New Kids on the Block were hitting it big. I started curling at age 10, the first year I was eligible. I was on the school badminton team from age 12 onward. I love sports. I don't play as much as I used to, but I like to stay involved as a coach. I really have a heart for coaching, and absolutely love it. I began my coaching career when I was 13 years old and haven't looked back, though I did go a few years without coaching while I lived in Winnipeg.

Ever since becoming a Recreation Director I have really struggled with the issue of Equal Play vs Competitive coaching styles. Equal Play means that regardless of ability, all of the kids get a chance to play. Competitive means that some kids are going to ride the bench a lot more than they are going to play, but your chance of winning greatly improves.

I am going to be dividing this series of articles into several sections: Equal Play, Competitive, Intangibles, and Conclusions. To lend the series some focus, I'm going to strictly be referring to Senior Varsity volleyball, for a couple of reasons.

In some sports Equal Play vs Competitive isn't an issue. Badminton only allows so many entries per category, so there is no choice but to have try-outs. Soccer teams need to have at a minimum 14 players, and because so many players are on the field at a time it is easier to get away with having weaker players on the field and still field a competitive team. Volleyball, however, is another story. Only 6 players get to play on the court at a time, and it is even harder when you have to consider how specialized each position is.

So as not to have to repeat the facts each article, keep in mind these constants for this series:
- Senior Varsity volleyball (gender neutral, unless otherwise specified)
- Roster of 12-13 players
- Sole volleyball program in the community
- High school sports program, not a club or community program

So I hope you'll indulge me as I hash out the pros and cons of each coaching approach. I struggle with deciding which approach is the better one, and I do hope that getting my thoughts on the matter down for comparison may help me decide which I prefer. I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride!