RUNNING HEAD: Analysis of the Volleyball Community

Analysis of the Volleyball Community

Isabella Cosier
North Central Michigan
ENG111
Professor Nicole Seymour
November 17, 2021
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Growing up athletics seems to be a huge part of every child's life, in some sort of way.

For me volleyball was that huge part of my life. The volleyball communities I have been a part

of have impacted my life so much. The volleyball community is considered a discourse

community because the team works together to achieve a common goal. Whether it is to win

matches and tournaments, or to simply improve individual skills. My community is made up of

hardworking, emotional, teenage girls, who wish to compete at a high level and achieve the

product of all the hard work we have executed. As you probably know volleyball is unique in all

kinds of ways. If you ask an everyday stranger on the street if they know any common

knowledge about volleyball, they will probably respond with something like “just get the ball

over the net”. The language used in volleyball is also very unique. Making it a unique discourse

community.

Rule #1. Common Goal

The key goal for every sports team is to win games, matches, sets, duals, etc. In order to

do that people need to work together. In James Paul Gee’s writing he wrote “Discourses are ways

of being in the world ( Gee, 1989 )”. Working together is a good example of a way of being.

Nothing will get completed or accomplished if people don’t work together. The whole idea of a

team sport is to work together to help win and accomplish goals set by the team itself. The

common goal of my current team is to win tournaments, at high AAU level.

Rule #2. Lexis

Teams often succeed together when they can work together efficiently. A huge part of

working together is communication. Being able to communicate can change the general outcome
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greatly. Gee also added “ they are forms of life which integrate words, acts, values, beliefs,

attitudes, and social identities as well as gestures, glances, body positions, and clothing (Gee,

1989)”. The words and languages used might seem confusing to nonmembers of the volleyball

discourse community, but they make total sense to the true members. An example of this could

be the words “ on “and “off”. If someone doesn’t watch or play volleyball frequently they might

not understand that “ on ” means that the ball is placed close to the net, and that “ off ” means

that the ball is played away from the net.

Rule #3. Methods of Communication

Other methods of communication might include reading paper handouts and emails from

a coach or coaching staff member. Being able to read and understand what a piece of writing

says is very important. The piece could include crucial information, so it is important to take

your time and make notes of what is being shared. Another example could be body language. In

Sean Branick’s writing “Coaches Can Read, Too” he wrote, “ Coaches will come together at the

end of the half and discuss possible changes that might help the team (Branick, 2007).” For

coaches to make changes they need to be able read the body language of their athletes. Reading

if someone isn’t doing well can help you make changes to help the team's overall performance.

Conclusion

In conclusion, no matter what sport or activity you choose to take part in, whether it be

volleyball, football, drama etc, you need to learn and focus on the literature included in the

activity. Learning the literature and methods of communication can help you and the people in

your environment perform or work together in the best way possible. Learning individual

tendencies and the use of language can only help you and your teammates. Working towards
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improving your team chemistry will only strengthen it, and strong team chemistry is almost

unbreakable. Using all these skills in the volleyball community will strengthen your team and

help you achieve the goals you set for yourself and your team. The community of the team

overall will perform at its peak.

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References

Branick, S. "Coaches Can Read Too", (Eds.) Writing About Writing (Third ed., pp. 383-394).
Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins , 2017.

Gee, J. “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics” .Writing About Writing (Fourth ed., pp. pp.
508-521). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins , 2020.