When Should Athletes Begin Specialization?

A question was posed on a coaching forum regarding players being uncomfortable playing out of position–my response was that players should know all skills/positions. In reply, someone else posed the question, “So when DO you begin specializing?”

I realized my answer was going to be longer than a social media reply…so here I am, typing away on the blog–because it’s a relevant question. I figured I’d reflect on what I have done, what I do now.

I’m not sure I’ve ever fully believed in specialization. In my first year as a HS coach, I moved a bunch of kids around based on what I thought their skills were. We had a girl play MH who had only played OH before. I moved a MH to the right side–where she then also played setter for three rotations. The RS moved to OH to replace the person now playing middle. It was pre-libero and back when you had three entries/person for subs…so I was also able to put kids in to various spots/moments on top of this–whether it was a former DS playing OH or trying a different OH as a MH.

A couple years later, I moved a kid who was a Jr High benchwarmer as an OH to become a setter when she got to me in HS (she was going to quit because the JH coach never gave her an opportunity–only played BECAUSE she knew I tried to find playing time for lots of people and tried to make practice fun…there’s a different lesson there, methinks). We taught her on the job–by the time she was a soph, she was starting…set school records, played in college.

As a college coach, I moved people around as well. My first year at LLCC, I put a DS in as OH (she was 5’2 but smart), moving the OH to RS–and them moving the other OH to MH. The first all-American at LLCC was a high school middle–she was all-American as a setter. The next all-American was a HS outside hitter–she was all-American twice as a libero (and again at the NCAA D-1 level)

We trained multiple positions daily–partially so the athlete could tell 4-yr colleges they played certain positions–and could prove it. Partially we did it because you never knew when there would be injuries and you’d need to make adjustments. Why not practice those adjustments to eliminate nerves when the injuries happen? That made a difference one year when an OH dislocated her elbow the night before the Region XXIV title game–we moved the RS to OH, a MH to RS, and inserted a new MH into the game. We swept our opponent and one of those players switched said “Just like practice.”

Now, coaching HS and JH, players identify themselves based on what they played previously “I’m an outside hitter,” etc. I reply “You are a volleyball player, not a position.”

In any event–WHEN do we specialize?

The answer are questions–do we? Should we? Can we define specialization based on a player ‘always’ playing the same position in games or is that an acknowledgment only of their current skills–and the team’s competitive needs? And–>is the urge to specialize based on a coach’s lack of knowledge or confidence in his teaching abilities?

Thinking of other sports–the long-term trend has been towards more and more specialization at the highest levels–but what does that do to participation at youth levels? (I don’t have an answer–but my guess is participation drops because specialization seems to come hand-in-hand with playing travel ball at earlier and earlier ages)

I’ve written a ton here without really answering the question. So what IS my answer?

I think if you are going to specialize, it begins with the varsity HS (17-18u) age level, a point at which players have a good emotional/mental understanding of their own skills and have had time to figure out what positions they enjoy playing and want to get better at–it’s a point where it is the coach’s decision–but the athlete’s own view can/should be taken into account.

But I’m not comfortable with specialization for practice anywaeys–I think that shows in how I run practices and my teams. Every kid practices every skill on a daily basis. I don’t care if you are a MH and only play front row in games…in practice, you’re playing back row. You’re a 4’11 DS and never see the front row–don’t care…welcome to playing OH if we are doing Speedball or various 6v6 drills.

ADDED 7/23/23: One other thing regarding specialization…is the trend towards it reversing? In baseball now, players are becoming multi-positional (a necessity because so many roster spots are filled with relief pitchers–specialists…how ironic). In basketball, skill-sets now lead teams to pursue ‘positionless basketball’ where centers are primary ball-handlers or can shoot 3s while some guards are given more responsibility for posting up, etc.

ADDED: 7/14/24: My ‘resistance’ to specialization goes back to working at Ohio State and watching those players and how Jim Stone valued them. He had Jen Flynn who was all-Big Ten as an OH *and* S. In 1993 because of injuries, he used an outside (Tricia Stragliatto) as a setter for a weekend–won both matches. Is that what shaped my opinion? –or did I bring it to volleyball from teaching? Hmmm