How Volleyball Shaped my Life

Sofia Zabat at 7 years old

My whole life I had played football until 2022, when my mom forced me to try playing volleyball.

At first, I hated it. I thought of it as a girly sport because I was used to getting dirty in games, pushing, and basically just getting hurt by another person. It was pointless and I didn’t enjoy it. But as time passed, I grew to love this sport. I made big decisions because of how much I loved it, choosing volleyball instead of football, which I had played for 6 years.

As I stayed in the same club for 4 years, my skills improved, leveling up until I reached the highest level where I was able to have tournaments against top schools like FEU, UP, and UST. I’ve played this sport for a long time but I only realized that it taught me things. Volleyball made me more confident, more disciplined, and taught me leadership and teamwork. 

I gained confidence because when you’re on the court, you easily get nervous. I used to be like that and even now I still do. I talk to myself saying that I can do it, and that every ball will come to me. In defense and offense, I always say I can do it so I won’t have the benefit of doubt. Confidence doesn’t only apply on the court, but also off the court. 

I’ve also learned how to be disciplined, mostly because of training. Coaches may give you a strict diet, weekday workouts, and require you to always be on time when there is training. And of course, if we don’t do it, consequences follow. In a household that believes in God, I remember that He is watching over me. Through discipline, you also gain different traits, such as being honest and not giving up.

And lastly, leadership and teamwork. I used to like doing things on my own without the help of others, but when I played this sport, I learned that believing and trusting in your teammates is also essential during training and games. For a team to win, everyone has to work together. You learn how to bring people up when they feel down and teach them how to become a better player and person. When the team feels like giving up, you guide them until they reach the desired goal, which is to win a game. 

Volleyball has many perks that have shaped me as a person, and you could be learning those too! The sky is the limit.

Reach for the sky!