Having trekked through the snow to get to the volleyball session, and after assuring the fellow at the sports centre desk that I would not be playing in my soaking wet wellies, I really hoped that the actual sport would be less of an ordeal. My hopes were not high as I entered the main hall, watching what turned out to be the University second team practising. Thankfully I was promptly told that I would not be training with them, but with the beginners group.
My first task was to indulge in a light warm-up, running eight laps round the court. I was eager to begin actually attempting (and probably failing at) some of the skills involved in volleyball and I took off my sweatshirt to allow greater movement and agility. I meant business.
The coach, Anastasia, soon took me aside and gave me instructions on how to actually hit the ball. The first option was an overhead push, while the second was a dig, where one uses their forearms to push the ball upwards. I was assigned a partner, whose heart must have sank when I sidled over to enthusiastically practise my newly learnt skills. You can imagine his thinking: why did I get put with this clown?
I managed to perform both skills reasonably, but it was still clear that I was the real beginner here. I was better at the overhead push, rather than the dig, which I found more difficult. Whenever I tried the latter the ball seemed to fly off in an unlikely position, and while my partner kindly jogged off to retrieve the misplaced pass, I awkwardly practised an air-shot, with a rather sheepish look on my face. After attempting another drill, we soon went into a small-sided game. I was keen to try to transfer what I had learned to a match situation.
I am not sure my teammates were nearly so keen for this to happen as I flung myself about like I was still walking on snow, and the points began to stack up against us. The game was far from up though. We started to make a dramatic comeback worthy of Ian Botham in 1981 after Anastasia had bemoaned our poor play. She confessed she could not remember the score though!
After all the excitement of the match,everyone grabbed a well-deserved drink. It was now time to learn another skill: the serve. There are two main ways of serving, or at least there are for a beginner like myself. Firstly one can hit it with your wrist area and punch it upwards; or you can do an overhead serve, much like a tennis shot but without the racquet. Perhaps it is suffice to say that when I attempted the second option, that sheepish look I had on before had returned.
Yet with the very patient and helpful guidance of Anastasia I soon became more confident in my own ability. Granted, it was more confidence in the mould of a Nicklas Bendtner (i.e. delusion) than the confidence of a Muhammed Ali (i.e. reality) but still, at least I thought I was progressing, and most importantly, I was having a lot of fun.
Having attempted some serving, we were put in pairs again and just as before I saw in my partner’s eyes veritable disappointment as Anastasia indicated that he was to be put with me again. Surely he hadn’t done anything to deserve this?! Fortunately for me, he was both very understanding towards my lack of talent, and moreover capable of compensating for this deficiency.
Therefore, in the final activity we tried, which required us to pass the ball between us before pushing it over the net, we were able to keep the game going without me looking as though I should be the sole reason for the creation of a ‘pre-beginners’ session.
I came off the court with a sense of achievement and of enjoyment. I had still not even nearly mastered the skills necessary to compete in a proper game, but I had achieved more than I thought I would, and most importantly, the session had been great fun. Volleyball struck me as a highly entertaining, skilful and active game that can be played by anyone. I must thank the club who were extremely friendly in welcoming a complete novice into their ranks, remaining patient even when their sound advice seemed to be lost on me.
When I strolled home through the snow with my wellies back on I reflected a decidedly enjoyable experience and one that I would gladly do again.
The women’s volleyball firsts next play on Wednesday, away, to bottom of the table Sheffield, whilst the men look to avenge an earlier season loss to Sheffield Hallam.