Favorite Playground Game When I Was Young (1970s)

This is the story of how volleyball started out as a game I didn’t like, and it turned into something I loved.

In elementary school, we had physical education class (phys ed or PE) every day. I didn’t like the class. Both coaches acted mean. They didn’t teach us basic skills. And they favored the rich kids who were in the after school sports program at the country club.

When it came time to learn volleyball, they put us in front of a net, handed us a ball, told us how to rotate, then left us to figure out the game for ourselves.

I tried to hit the ball, and it hurt my hands. From that point on, I tried ducking from the ball but still got hit in the head. Ouch. Couldn’t wait till volleyball was over and we moved onto something else.

I lived across the street from a park, and every summer I participated in the recreation program. When it came to group sports, I knew better than to jump in. I sat on the side and watched, hoping a stray ball wouldn’t land on my head.

Volleyball Help from an Unexpected Coach

One summer, a college student named Debbie, who was helping out at the rec center, decided to take me on as her project. She was determined to get me more involved in group sports. On a volleyball day, she asked if I wanted to learn how to play. I didn’t really want to, but I said yes.

Debbie spent the first day teaching me how to volley and serve the ball. We drilled over and over, off to the side, while the other kids played. The next volleyball day, she practiced with me a little, then invited me to jump into the game. She stayed with me and coached me throughout the game. I was amazed to realize I could volley and serve without getting hurt.

Debbie’s encouragement was huge. She told all the other kids to encourage me as well. They would give me high fives and congratulations. I was amazed that some of the more athletic boys were willing to set up a play for me, and they were careful not to hurt me.

Thanks to Debbie and the other kids, I was able to play in every volleyball game for the rest of the summer. The next summer I was brave enough to go back and try again, and I did okay. No injuries, no intimidation. Just a lot of fun. I will always be grateful to Debbie and those kids for giving me the confidence to do something I didn’t think I was capable of doing.

Crazy and Fun Volleyball, Marching Band Style

Fast forward a few years to junior high school. I was in the marching band, and we had a fall football season. For the first half of the year, marching band covered our PE requirement. During the second half of the year, all of us band kids were put into our own PE class. The orchestra teacher was also the school volleyball coach, so she led our class.

My favorite class time was whenever she would set us up with volleyball nets and tell us all rules were off. Just have fun. We’d end up with 20 kids on each side of the net and four balls going at the same time. It was so much fun! I looked forward to those volleyball days.

In hindsight, it’s probably amazing none of us got hurt. But no one was trying to show off or play too hard. We had worked our tails off during marching band season, and we just wanted to enjoy playing our no-rules version of volleyball.

I was glad I already knew how to hit a volleyball, so I could really enjoy those games. It was a great way to end each marching band season. Our fun volleyball games helped us bond even further as a band, getting to know each other in a more laid back way. Those volleyball games gave me a great memory of junior high.

My childhood volleyball journey will forever be a reminder that I can learn a new skill and don’t need to be afraid to try something new. And as someone who was bullied as a child, I discovered that most kids were very kind and encouraging.