Volleyball Etiquette, Dumping Your Partner

Dumping your partner in volleyball for whatever reason you may have is a very delicate process that requires the proper tact and technique so as to move on from your former volleyball partner without making an enemy.

Hi, I’m Stein Metzger, former Olympian, FIVB winner, as well as a 2 time Manhattan Beach Open Champion. During my tenure at UCLA, I was fortunate enough to lead what many consider one of the last true collegiate men’s volleyball dynasties when we reached 4 consecutive NCAA championship finals, 3 of which we won.

I’ve been lucky enough in my volleyball career to have played on some of the most dynamic volleyball teams ever to play the sport of volleyball, and over the years I have learned some very important tactics to exercise when it comes to being a good teamate and also good tips for when it comes to dumping your partner; today I’m going to share the latter with you.

In the world of professional Beach volleyball, there are inevitably going to be times when people simply grow apart. Beach volleyball is a sport that is composed of a very small community of very competitive and proud individuals, and it is just simply a fact of human nature that highly competitive people are going to find themselves at odds with others when it comes to building a strong enough partnership to ensure a winning team.

Things to Remember when Dumping Your Partner in Volleyball:

There are a couple of ways to go about it and each one follows a different level of etiquette:

1. Dumping Your Partner in Person:

this is the most gracious and responsible way to dump your partner. Make sure you do it well before an upcoming tournament so your partner has enough time to recover and find someone else to team up with.

2. Dumping Your Partner With a Personal Phone Call:

A fine way to dump your partner as long as you choose your words carefully…remember to do it well in advance of an upcoming tournament so they will have time to recover professionally and find a replacement for you.

3. Dumping your partner with a personal email:

This method of dumping your partner gives you an opportunity to choose your words very carefully and explain yourself well ahead of time. It’s not considered a cold way to go unless it is not written in a way that explains why you have chosen to dump your partner or, again, if you don’t leave them enough time to find someone new to partner up with.

4. Dumping Your Partner Via Text:

This is a very cold and impersonal way to dump your partner. Try to avoid this method if you can, it can leave you with a reputation for being inconsiderate…even if your partner deserved to be dumped.

5. Not Dumping your Partner at All…Word of Mouth:

This is the absolute worst way to dump your partner. If you have to part ways from someone, don’t do it in a way that will embarrass them or make them have bad feelings towards you. Having them find out that they are dumped from somemone else will certainly make them feel this way.

Be sure to check out the rest of my instructional volleyball videos at volleyball1on1.com.

Thanks for your time folks. I hope you’ve enjoyed these hard-earned tips that I’ve shared with you today on dumping your partner in volleyball.