Juggling sports like volleyball and schoolwork can be a challenge for many young athletes. But it’s definitely possible to keep the kids winners both on the court and in school. Here’s how.

Set a Schedule

Make sure that a schedule is set up for academics. Be realistic about how much time can actually be spent playing volleyball, while allowing your kids enough time to make sure all studies are competed on time and with little fuss. Keeping a study schedule can help keep tabs on these things. Repeating this schedule every day will install good habits, both on and off the court. Whether academics are done right after school, after dinner, or before practice, keep things consistent to be successful.

Use Volleyball as an Incentive

Rather than viewing sports like volleyball as a deterrent from academics, view it as an incentive to work harder on school work. Obviously, you don’t want your child to have suffering grades as a result of too much time doing other things – balance is key. Use volleyball as an incentive along the lines of, “If you can’t keep your grades up this season, you won’t be able to play next fall.” That may be all the motivation they need to keep studying.

Encourage Effort in Addition to Results

While it’s easy to reward good results, don’t overlook the importance of rewarding good effort too. This goes for both sports and academics. Maybe your child only got a C on his math test, but if you see him work hard at studying, that’s just as important. Same goes on the court – whether he wins or loses, the most important thing is that a lot of effort is put into training, and that he is always having fun at the end of the day.

Teach Kids Time Management

This will serve them well both on the court and in life as an adult. Show them how to schedule and calendar their assignments, practices, games, and chores around the house. Any free time in between can be spent doing other things as they see fit. This will help the kids remember appointments, as well as enjoy their spare time.

Discuss Family Priorities

Sports like volleyball are great ways to keep kids active, both socially and physically. But it’s also important to make sure that all family priorities are not overshadowed in the process. It’s a good idea to sit down with the kids and discuss what these priorities are. This doesn’t mean that practice can be skipped whenever they feel like it, but rather it’s a means of keeping priorities in check.

At Venom Volleyball, we not only strive to improve the game on court, but we also appreciate and value the academics of all of our athletes. We view volleyball as a means of developing well-rounded athletes who are strong both on the court, and in the classroom.