Spotlight: Sitting Volleyball

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Photos: Jack Western

Walking into the Sports Centre last Monday evening, I was unbelievably nervous. To me, volleyball was just something I played by the sea on holiday when I got fed up of subathing. I’d been lucky enough to get tickets to the beach volleyball at London 2012, and I have to admit I was more taken in by the festive atmosphere than the sport itself. Naturally, when I was invited to try out sitting volleyball, I genuinely had no idea what to expect.

Nevertheless, I was willing to have a go at anything. What followed was a challenging, but pleasantly surprising evening of fun. Hidden away behind a curtain in the Main Hall, there were six others warming up. I was greeted by Elsa Meserlian, chief organiser of Britain’s first student-led sitting volleyball initiative. “I’ve been involved as an active volunteer with Volleyball England. I knew that they had good initiatives in place for sitting volleyball; it was just a matter of putting all the right bits together to start it out.” She told me that most attendees so far were part of UYVC. As yet, the club has no disabled members. “We have made contact with the local council who has provided us with the equipment we currently use. We’ve made efforts to communicate the sessions with the local disabilities network, and we hope to see more community members get involved in the next few weeks,” Elsa says.

The club’s ambition impresses me. “Tron [YUSU Disabilties officer] and I will be meeting next week to further discuss how we can improve the sessions. He was very excited, and has since promoted it through the disabilities network on campus.” Present was Steve Matthews, a professional coach with a long-standing interest in the sitting game. As we warmed up, I was surprised by how little power was required to send the ball flying. A ball travelling at speed required only the deftest touch to cannon off your wrists. Surprisingly quickly, I got the hang of it – my technique left rather a lot to be desired, but I was enjoying testing out my reflexes. It was time to set the court up.

There’s a distinctly lower net than for regular volleyball – about knee-height, for obvious reasons. With Elsa injured, coach Matthews stepped in to make it four-a-side.We did a few exercises to get used to moving around the court. It’s harder than it looks – the official Paralympic rules stipulate that your pelvis can’t leave the floor, which is basically the polite way of saying you might end up leaving with a sore arse. In a game where movement is so restricted, teamwork and disciplined positioning is key, a lesson I learnt the hard way as I proved to be the weak link. Blocking is another aspect I struggled with.

Something I comparatively excelled at was serving. It turns out I had a decent thump in my left paw, and after initally being unable to hit the ball gently enough to land the ball on court, I won a few points for the team. The ninety minutes just flew by. All-in-all, it seems like the club’s got a bright future. There’s a social next week at the Lounge, with free pizza. Get involved.