By Jim Catalano

Even if basketball is your passion, your number one sport that you want to play all the time, it doesn't mean that you have to spend the fall simply waiting for the basketball season to start. There's another great sport right across the gym divider that's often looking for good athletes.

If you haven't guessed by now, we're talking about volleyball. You don't get to run as much as basketball, but there are a lot of similarities between the two sports. In fact, a number of prominent basketball players are also great volleyball players, including Utah Starzz star Natalie Williams (a US National Team Volleyball Player before the WNBA came to be).

Same Skills?
While playing both sports is impossible in those states or regions where basketball and volleyball share the same season, the majority of the country's high schools can accommodate crossover. And many basketball skills translate well to volleyball: leaping ability, agility, eye-hand coordination.

Julie Williams, Head Volleyball Coach at Corvallis High School in Oregon says she often looks at the basketball roster at her school for volleyball players. "I look for basketball players with all-around athletic ability and foot speed, even if they might be shorter," Williams says. "Because if they're fast, then I figure they can probably jump high as well.

"Often basketball players make good blockers, because their visual timing is keen," Williams continues. "But I've had basketball players become setters, rightsides, and outsides -- it all depends on the athletes themselves."

Hoopsters can also bring valuable non-physical skills to volleyball teams. "We had one girl who picked up volleyball later in high school after playing basketball for years," says Liz Ellisor, Head Volleyball Coach at Dayton High School in Texas. "She wasn't the most skilled, but she was a leader. Just having her on the team and the court was a real asset to us. And the fact that she was an athlete who played basketball helped her to get accepted right away by the other players."

Cynthia Brown, Head Volleyball and Head Basketball Coach at William Fleming High School in Roanoke, Virginia, adds, "I've had several players who have come to me with little or no skill, but because they've been competitive and wanted to excel, they've always done well."

"My basketball-playing volleyball players are usually tenacious about finding a way to win," Williams agrees. "They won't necessarily use the prettiest volleyball method, but they'll find a way to win, which I like a lot."

Why do It?
So maybe you can help out your high school volleyball team, but what's in it for you? Why should you spend the fall learning volleyball instead of playing pickup hoops games?

"I explain to my kids that they should never put all their eggs in one basket," says Brown, "I tell them, 'You're an athlete -- period. Just try volleyball, and you never know what will work out for you in the next couple of years.'

"They may love basketball, but they have to think about which sport is the most competitive," she continues. "Pursuing volleyball might give them a chance to get an athletic opportunity that they wouldn't get otherwise."

Coaches also tout volleyball's ability to develop a player's all-around athleticism. For example, Williams explains that volleyball training can improve basketball skills. "Volleyball can help athletes build explosive power and jump higher," she says.

"I talk to the players about how one sport complements the other sport in terms of quickness and being able to move," adds Brown.

Williams also likes to emphasize that playing volleyball can be a nice change of pace. She feels that its team-oriented nature provides a different challenge than basketball.

"I think kids in general really like the cooperative aspect of volleyball," she says. "How players work together determines the outcome a lot more than in basketball, where a couple of fine athletes can wreak havoc on an opposing team."

A Smooth Transition
Once you've decided to give the sport of volleyball a try, you might have to do a little extra work to get those basketball playing moves to translate to the volleyball court. Volleyball coaches give this advice:

"It all begins with the basics," Brown says. "We do a lot of footwork drills -- many of which are the same as I use in basketball, such as agility drills and anything that makes players move quickly.

"We focus on how to move, how to get into their stance," she continues. "Volleyball players need to be able to go to one point, stop and keep their body under control, and still make a play. So we do a lot of quick step drills. Footwork is the key -- if they get their lower body to go, the upper body will follow."

"There's an emphasis on lateral movement in both," Williams says. "In volleyball, defensive skills are used slightly lower to the ground than in basketball, but the lateral movement is similar. Your first step when you're blocking is similar to the first step you take when you're trying to cut off an offensive basketball player. Following the trajectory of the ball and cutting off angles is common to both sports. And serving is a lot like shooting free throws.

"You can think of it this way," continues Williams. "For blocking, guard the person who's across from you, like in basketball. If they switch, like on a X-ing pattern, they'll think of it as switching just like they do in basketball."

So, what's the major difference between the two sports? "Volleyball is a game that changes momentum really quickly if a strong server or strong hitter gets going," Brown says, "so you have to keep upbeat even when the other team in gaining points. In basketball, the team that wins is usually the one that has the least turnovers and can handle pressure. But in volleyball, if you hit one out, you have to believe you can hit the next one in.

"In addition, volleyball is much more team-oriented," Brown continues. "But, then again, that's what makes it great fun."

Jim Catalano is an Associate Editor at Gballmag.com.