Let us be honest here. The odds of becoming a professional volleyball player are tiny. Only a small percent of people in the world have the privilege to live that kind of life. However, that does not mean it is impossible. There are two types of professional volleyball that you can pursue as a career. That is either Indoor or on the sand, so-called beach volleyball. As they differentiate in specific skills and techniques, they also differ in playing professionally. We will go through this briefly.
Professional Indor Volleyball
Most countries that have professional leagues for indoor volleyball are in Europe. Tho players can find clubs also in South America, Asia, and Arab countries; however, it’s much harder due to foreigner limitations. The main advantage of professional indoor volleyball is the salaries. Contracts usually last for ten months, and the clubs are obliged to pay players on time. However, that is not always the case. Some clubs don’t respect the terms between the parties either due to financial problems or others, consequently leaving the player without money, leaving the issue to the court.
The Salaries of Professional indoor volleyball players differ heavily. Most players earn salaries between $10000-$20000 per season. That’s also why many players quit early because they can get better offers in other professions. But as everywhere, there are exceptions. It is interesting to note that Salaries between men’s and women’s volleyball players are similar, which is not usual in sports, making volleyball one of the few that gives women the same opportunity as men.
| Rank | Players % | Estimated Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 4. | 70% | $10000 – $20000 |
| 3. | 20% | $20000 – $40000 |
| 2. | 7% | $40000 – $80000 |
| 1. | 3% | $80000 + |
Professional Beach Volleyball
Achieving success in a beach-volley career is much harder than indoor volleyball; however, it may be better for US players due to having a professional league and more tournaments. In indoor volleyball, they don’t have any.
The main difference between professional beach volleyball and indoor volleyball is payments. In beach volleyball, professional players mostly get paid by sponsors and money awards, which is why there are fewer professional players than indoor volleyball. Nevertheless, Let’s take a look at the average salaries that professional beach volleyball players get.
| Top Players | Estimated Salary |
|---|---|
| TOP 20 | $25000 – $50000 |
| TOP 10 | $50000 – $80000 |
| TOP 5 | $100000 – $150000 |
9 steps to become a professional volleyball player
If we look at the statistics, only 2% of athletes become professionals, so there is a chance. We will go through essential routines and habits that you can implement into your lifestyle to increase your chance of pursuing a professional volleyball career.
Crucial steps on How to become a professional volleyball player.
- Decision
- Develop a discipline
- Improve practice
- Improve the performance on gamedays
- Manage the free time
- Plan the offseason
- Develop a confidence
- Sign with the agent
- Have a plan B
1. Decision
That is the first step to becoming a professional volleyball player. You have to decide that you want this and start today, not tomorrow. It will be a long and challenging journey in front of you physically and mentally; therefore, you cannot lose any more valuable days.
2. Professional Volleyball Player needs to have discipline.
Discipline is one of the virtues every professional volleyball player should have. First of all, this is not some navy seal or military regimen, and second, it is easier to get used to than you think it is. The best start today to become a professional volleyball player would be to change small things in your life. Managing your time with school or university, taking a sufficient amount of rest, taking care of nutrition, and reducing the amount of time you spend on unnecessary distractions. ( Parties, video games and Netflix especially)
The job of the professional volleyball player is very flexible, and to successfully manage your time with training, games, recovery, and school, you need to become a more organized and disciplined person. Making a daily schedule will be a great start; consequently, your productivity will increase, and every small task you do will feel like an achievement; therefore, the drive to succeed will be more significant.
3. Training is crucial for professional volleyball players
Tine Urnaut, Rok Možič, Jan Kozamernik Klemen Čebulj… Do you think these guys would be such great volleyball players on pure talent alone? Nope. Even some volleyball players who were not as talented overcame that by increasing the intensity of the training and discipline and catching up with more talented ones. What is essential and you should keep in mind is to take every practice as seriously as your last game. Every training you should do on 120% to increase your chances drastically. Study your training. Start filming training sessions. That way, you will be able to compare yourself to the best athletes and your idols, and you will see what you should change and how to make your game better.
4. Competitions are the mirror image of the training
Competitions can be challenging, especially mentally. Have you ever felt that gameday is entirely different from practice? Even professional volleyball players experience that feeling. That is why you should take your training seriously and take every exercise as it is your most important match in your life. Why? Because that way you will start to feel game day as it is a practice day. It will feel the same, and you will perform much better.
Most professional volleyball players have some routine before, like listening to your favorite music or podcasts, watching motivational videos, studying opponents, eating the same meal, and doing things like that to perform as best as possible. Try to experiment with what you prefer the most and stick to the routine!
5. Professional volleyball players have to manage their free time effectively
For professional volleyball players, it’s essential to manage their free time. The focus should be mainly on volleyball, but the schedule needs to be on point in order to complete everyday obligations. Try to find some time to do some extra activities even at home, such as foam rolling, additional stretching, analyzing yourself through videos, and so on.
6. Quality offseason is a must for every professional volleyball player
Most people think of summer as having time to relax, go on vacation, have lots of free time. It is true. That is the best time for yourself and for things you like. However, if you want to become a professional athlete, this is the time when you should get better. Of course, it is essential to have some time off, clear your head, and recover after a tough season. Have a vacation if you like too. Nevertheless, make sure this free time is not too long because the offseason will set you up for a season. Most of the professional volleyball players take around 2-3 weeks. After that, you will have to focus on your physical preparation or recovery from injuries and keep working on volleyball basics.
Playing other sports is advisable because you will build and use muscles you usually do not in your discipline. Just be careful with injuries. After a month of physical preparation, you will have to focus mainly on volleyball and get better, where you think you can or should improve. If you need to increase your vertical, we wrote an article about how to jump higher in volleyball. That will be a significant first step toward your goals!
7. Confidence is everything
Why is confidence the most crucial skill in sports? Some athletes are not hard workers, they go to parties all the time eating junk food, but still, they perform on the highest level possible. Those are exceptions. The answer is confidence. Confidence is not something you are born with, but it is a skill that is not easy to master. Some have it naturally, but most people must work on it. Every volleyball player can lose confidence, even professionals. It can be lethal if it does not come back, leaving the athlete with poor performances on the court. However, there are ways to master confidence. It is not a short process, and it can take months or even years.
As an athlete, you will always be on your own. You will have people around you who will not want you to succeed, so what you should do is imagine that you have some protective shield around you and nobody can do anything to you. You have to focus on yourself and not care what other people think and say. If somebody gives you constructive criticism, take it like a grown-up. You will stand out from the others because most people take it personally.
8. A professional volleyball player needs an agent
If you are young and very talented socially known, the chances are that managers will come on their own, and it will be up to you with which one you want to work.
Suppose managers do not come on their own. In that case, you will have to do some homework. I know some players that they called agents on their own however they still succeeded., An even better method is to reach coaches or volleyball players that are already professionals to spread the good word about you. When you get contacted, send them videos that include full games and highlights to get attention from clubs. Be careful with choosing the right manager because many of them think only about themselves and the provision they receive.
9. Most professional volleyball players need Plan B.
Pursuing the job of a professional volleyball player comes with a risk. That is why athletes, in general, need some plan B if the career doesn’t go to plan. Injury can be one of the factors, or player doesn’t perform well. that player loses a job. The second thing is most professional volleyball players can’t save enough money that will last through retirement, so Plan B is crucial! Focus on your education first, finish university, so you are covered if it comes to the worst-case scenario.
Becoming a professional volleyball player is certainly not easy. The performance of professional athletes usually moves like stocks, and they have ups and downs. However, It is essential to not be hard on yourself and trust the process. You can succeed!
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