Grassroots Games 2016: Sitting Volleyball
The Paralympics is under way in Brazil, and the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) is focusing on the sports that you will see, hear or read about over the next two weeks.
With 22 different sporting events on show in Rio 2016, EFDS takes a look at grassroots participation back here in Britain.
Today it’s Sitting Volleyball, with Mike Stoneman telling us about sport as rehabilitation and improving his self-confidence.
I am team captain for South Hampshire Sitting Volleyball Club, based in Portsmouth.
We train once a week on a Monday evening and we compete in the annual Grand Prix series as well as a few mini-competitions throughout the course of the year.
I took up sitting volleyball as a result of attending the Amputee Games, organised by LimbPower.
I tried various sports and volleyball rally captured my imagination. I was with a friend and both of us had recently had leg amputations, and we thought it would be a good idea to set up a club near us. It’s been running ever since, and I’ve got a lot from playing sitting volleyball.
I really enjoy volleyball because it’s a team sport.
It’s also something which I had some natural ability for, as I have good ball-eye coordination. And I really enjoy competition, and volleyball really ticks that box. The sport requires a lot of energy and I knew that as a sport it would be a really good one for me to do.
Initially sitting volleyball also helped me with my rehabilitation.
It allowed me to prove myself – I had never played before 2009 but now I’m really quite confident and competent. It’s taken me a while to get to that level though, and these days it’s more about fitness and enjoying the competitive element.
Sitting volleyball has improved my self-confidence.
I struggled at the sport early on but the fact that you play as part of a team and you meet other players on the Grand Prix circuit has greatly benefitted me. I’ve met a lot of extraordinary people.
Give sitting volleyball a go.
There’s a great social side and you’ll meet a lot of people who are in a similar situation to you. In terms of fitness, which is really important for a disabled person, it’s a superb method of keeping fit. And, if you do like competition, then the sport is a fantastic outlet. You might get the chance to play across the country.
