Most people don’t coach to get rich. Most people who are rich are NOT youth sports coaches And MOST Volleyball clubs are a business in the end. Very few that are left are breaking even or losing money. It just doesn’t work anymore. There are a few gems out there that have mostly volunteer coaches and charge very minimal to allow kids the opportunity to play. Shout out to Goldendale Volleyball Club who is still one of the rare gems!!! I digress. There is definitely a need and demand for specialty training and private coaching. I have coached volleyball for 16 years, and am a former collegiate player who played for competitive clubs for 7 years. I’m also a club director that has 9+ teams and 18+ coaches under their supervision. I’m always being asked to offer private lessons and often have parents on my club teams If “I will be the one to coach their team.” Hopefully, this doesn’t come across like a braggart. I definitely don’t mean it to be. I’m basically just acknowledging that “Yes, I have a lot of experience and Yes, I could certainly charge more”.
I think a lot about price points and I do a lot of research before I price out a training, clinic, or private lessons. I am a part of multiple communication groups that are local and national and I often see or ask what people are charging for their training opportunities. A private lesson or a clinic is often a short amount of time jam-packed with information. It’s not a lot of time to get a ton of repetitions in. I don’t believe MOST players will get a LOT out of just one session or just one 90-minute clinic. The goal for me is to give them knowledge with guidance, supervision, and correction that will allow the athlete to take the information given and grow as they continue to put work into their game and their time on the court. You won’t leave one of my clinics with a miraculous overhand serve out of nowhere or 10/10 perfect passing. This takes TIME!! And Reps.
I price my opportunities so that players may be able to attend more than once so that they may be able to have the GROWTH that you are actually looking for. Rome wasn’t built in a day. A player is certainly not going to go from a beginner to advanced in only one session. I feel that pricing things affordably allows them the opportunity to participate more often as well as gives more players the opportunity to be exposed to my style of coaching and the way I run my clubs or teams.
The average Washingtonian makes approximately $26 per hour. That means if I charge $100 per hour the average person would have to work almost 4 hours to pay for one hour with me. I do not have much overhead, I mostly have relationships with multiple gyms in town that I am able to access for free or low cost. I am not a collegiate-level coach. I did not play D1 Volleyball. I may have 1,000s of hours of court time in my past (and probably my future) but I will not contribute to the ridiculous inflation that our society is already being forced into. I charge what I feel is fair compensation for my time and what I believe is a good value for your hard-earned money. To each their own. If one feels that they are worth more, good for them. If one feels that they can afford more, good for them. I’m not here to judge. I do my own things for my own reasons. I love Volleyball and I learning more about the game so that I can be able to coach and train athletes in it. Maybe someday I will feel my time is worth $100 per hour. Of course, by then a gallon of milk might be $26.99.
I am working to add more opportunities for one-on-one and clinics at an affordable rate. You can see my current offerings at www.yakimaelite.com/training