Why Do Athletes Repeat Our Rotations Classes?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Understanding the Purpose Behind Rec It Volleyball's Teaching Approach
We understand that our classes are called Rotations Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3, which makes it seem like athletes should take each class once and automatically move up.
But that's not how our program is designed, and there's a reason behind it!
We receive many questions from parents about class placement, repeating levels, and why an athlete with school or club experience might be recommended for Rotations Level 1.
We also understand the emotional side. No athlete wants to feel like they're falling behind, and no parent wants to feel like they're paying for their child to learn the same thing twice.
We want to explain what happens behind the scenes and why our approach is designed to help athletes succeed long after they leave our program.
1. Repeating Level 1 Doesn't Mean Repeating the Same Material
In Rotations Level 1, we spend four practices and a tournament focusing deeply on one rotation pair in a 6–2 system.
Every session, we change which rotations we teach.
For example:
September/October: Rotations 1 and 4
October/November: Rotations 2 and 5
Future session: Rotations 3 and 6
Athletes learn positioning, overlap rules, serve receive, transitions, and the responsibilities of different players.
Why do we do this?
Imagine having eight returning athletes and eight first-time athletes in the same class.
If we repeated the exact same material, returning athletes could become bored and frustrated while new athletes struggle to catch up.
Instead, everyone learns a new rotation. Returning athletes have more confidence with the concepts, but they're also facing new movement patterns and challenges.
This keeps the experience more balanced, engaging, and productive for everyone.
After two sessions, athletes have studied four of the six rotations! This makes their transition into Level 2 much smoother because we can spend less time explaining positioning and more time actually playing volleyball.
2. Why Our Classes Are Short—and Why Athletes Often Repeat Them
Our programs typically last four or five weeks because we know athletes have busy schedules, other sports, and school commitments.
Short sessions also allow athletes to move up when they're ready instead of waiting months for a long program to finish.
But four weeks isn't always enough to master something as complicated as volleyball rotations.
Some athletes advance after one session. Others benefit from repeating a level two or three times. Neither situation is a failure.
We would rather an athlete spend a few extra weeks building confidence than move up too early, feel overwhelmed, and begin questioning their abilities.
Our goal is progress, not rushing athletes through levels.
3. Why We Sometimes Recommend a Lower Level Than Expected
This is probably one of the most difficult parts of our placement process.
An athlete might have played volleyball for two years, made their school team, and already been assigned a position.
Being recommended for Rotations Level 1 can understandably feel disappointing.
But playing a position and understanding that position are two very different things.
Some school programs thoroughly explain rotations and responsibilities. Others primarily teach athletes where to stand.
An athlete may know exactly where their coach tells them to go but struggle to explain why they're standing there or what would change if they switched positions.
That's not a reflection of their talent or effort. It simply means there are concepts they haven't been taught yet.
We tend to be more conservative when recommending levels to new athletes because we would rather build their confidence than place them in a class where they feel lost.
A lower-level recommendation isn't a punishment or a judgment of their potential. It's an opportunity to fill in gaps before those gaps become bigger problems.
4. Why Understanding the Whole Court Matters for School and Club Tryouts
Imagine an athlete has played middle hitter for two years. They know their starting spot and have memorized their movements.
Then they try out for JV or Varsity, and the coach decides they would make a better outside hitter.
Suddenly, they're starting over.
Their serve receive, transitions, defensive responsibilities, and positioning are different.
And they might only have two days to figure everything out.
On competitive school teams, performance matters. Coaches have limited time to teach new systems, and athletes who repeatedly make positioning mistakes may lose playing time or find themselves on the bench.
We don't want athletes experiencing that frustration simply because nobody taught them how the entire system works.
We're Not Training One-Trick Ponies
Throughout our program, athletes learn the positioning and responsibilities of multiple positions—not just the one they currently play.
We've received encouraging feedback from club coaches who tell us that athletes who complete our entire program are incredibly versatile and capable of playing different positions.
We're also hearing about our athletes successfully making more club teams.
That versatility can give athletes more opportunities during tryouts.
A coach might not need another middle hitter, but they may need someone who can play outside or right side. An athlete who understands multiple positions has more ways to contribute.
No program can guarantee a roster spot, but understanding the entire game can make an athlete more adaptable and valuable to a team.
We would rather athletes learn these lessons with us, where mistakes are part of learning, than have to figure everything out under the pressure of a school or club tryout.
5. We're Teaching Athletes to Think, Not Just Follow Directions
Volleyball is an incredibly fast-paced, high-IQ sport.
Athletes must constantly communicate, recognize situations, make decisions, and trust their teammates—all while the ball is moving.
When an athlete is constantly thinking, "Where am I supposed to stand?", it's much harder to focus on actually playing.
That's why we emphasize understanding the why behind every movement.
Our levels reflect different stages of independence:
Rotations Level 1 — Learn: Understand positioning, rules, and transitions through a deep dive into specific rotations.
Rotations Level 2 — Apply: Use all six rotations during gameplay while maintaining a consistent assigned position.
Rotations Level 3 — Think Independently: Focus on court awareness, strategy, communication, coverage, and advanced decision-making with minimal positional guidance. ...QUIZ COMING SOON...
These aren't simply three classes to check off a list. They're stages of developing volleyball intelligence.
The Bigger Picture: We're Preparing Athletes for Their Future
We know it can be frustrating when an athlete wants to advance but we recommend repeating a level.
We understand that athletes want to feel successful, that parents want to see progress, and that being told to repeat something can feel discouraging.
But repeating a level isn't the same as standing still.
Sometimes the most important progress isn't immediately visible. It's an athlete beginning to understand why they move, recognizing a situation without being told, or confidently stepping into an unfamiliar position.
Those are the skills that become incredibly valuable when they try out for school or club teams.
We're not trying to move athletes through three levels as quickly as possible. We're trying to prepare them for the moments when a coach needs them to think, adapt, and perform independently.
Our goal isn't to create athletes who can only succeed when someone tells them where to stand.
We want athletes who understand where to go, why they're going there, and what to do next.
That's why we do things differently at Rec It Volleyball.
Not sure which level is right for your athlete?
We're happy to discuss their experience and help find the best fit.
Rec It Volleyball
Register: www.recitvolleyball.com/findaclass
Email: Info@recitvolleyball.com
Phone (calls only): (732) 520-3905
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