Force the Issue

Play so well that the coach has no choice. 

Asking for More Gets Old

QOTD: pic.twitter.com/0LqJFfjC9T

— Allistair McCaw (@AllistairMcCaw) March 4, 2025

Success begins with attitude. You can only be as good as your self-belief. If you're getting on the bus with the expectation of a loss, that's the kind of performance and effort you subconsciously deliver. 

Bill Walsh's quote should resonate, "Champions behave like champions before they are champions." 

Don't Build an Excuse Machine

"Oh Lord, Thy sea is so great and my boat so small." - A sailor's prayer

"Don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses." - Coach John Wooden

Nobody wins all the time. Never make excuses for losses - injuries, bad luck, officiating. The accountable approach is that we didn't make enough plays or the other team was better. 

Sometimes external factors contribute...all of the factors above. Still, control what we control - attitude, choices, and effort. MVB has not trafficked the Dark Side of excuse making. 

Most successful people and teams succeed at the intersection of 'aptitude', commitment, and mentoring.

Aptitude helps as does size and athleticism. Commitment implies using the time and resources available to build skill. Volleyball requires training in fundamentals and game strategies. Then, play a lot. 

Let's say we decided on a goal of participating in the Olympics. Many of us lack the physical attributes to do so. What about curling? If we don't like the cold, that's a deal breaker. What about resource availability? We're not going to become an Olympian going once a week for a few months. We'd literally have to consider moving to Canada and then finding trainers. Or building our own facility. Our curling dreams are dashed. 

Use what you have. Fill empty gallon jugs as dumbbells. Jump over pillows. Jumping rope is inexpensive, great plyometric training. Work out with friends. Study the train at home videos.

Lagniappe. Setting at home. 

Get quicker feet. 

Improve hitting at home. 

The Voice Everyone Hears Most

6 ways to stop negative self-talk‼️ pic.twitter.com/IcXlUOOfbf

— Drew Maddux (@DrewMaddux) March 4, 2025

Everyone hears a firehose of voices, literally tens of thousands, daily. Control and use the voice. 

Positive self-talk effects more positive results.

Disallow negatives. One of The Four Agreements is "Don't take things personally." Erase negative inputs.  

Small wins matter. Celebrate them. 

The Best Questions

Leadership questions that always help me find clarity. pic.twitter.com/jQJMgtf67M

— Dave Kline (@dklineii) December 15, 2024

Ask better questions. This post offers so much. 

Coach Scott Celli leaves no stone unturned. He studies volleyball but also making a difference across other sports. 

1. Does the team have ownership and leadership? They will carry this forward throughout their lives. 

2. How resilient are we? Focus and mental toughness have to be our brand. 

3. How much do we care? Want to win for each other. 

4. Do we know 'how to play?' Overcome limitations with extreme effort in doing the little things, attention to detail. 

5. Can we limit mistakes? Reduce bad attacks, misplays, and unnecessary communication breakdowns.

Lagniappe. Repost. What belongs in your workout? 

Word Association - Coach

1. Being a high school coach:

1. You're a mentor, not just a strategist.
2. Wins & losses won’t define you—character will.
3. It's about molding lives, not just players.
4. Every practice is an opportunity to teach life skills.

Coaching impact goes beyond the court.

— Steve Collins (@TeachHoopsBBall) March 3, 2025

Coaching has never been solely about wins and losses. In some sports, top teams win from talent aggregation. Find the best players, wherever and whenever and overwhelm your opponents. Some have called that type of coaching, "roll the ball out there and let them play."

In the movie Hoosiers, based on a true story, Gene Hackman takes a tiny school (Milan, IN) to a state championship. ACH. "Anything can happen." 

But coaches celebrate more than victories, but overseeing the development of people. "I'm not your parent but I am your biggest fan."

A player seemed determined to clash with the coach. She had athleticism, ability, and impacted the game at both ends. But she wanted to do it her way, regardless of the limitations. Frustrating. She didn't go to Melrose but became an impact player in multiple sports. Her mother sent a note. "She finally figured out that coaches were trying to help her and she started listening. Thank you." 

Be coachable and committed. 

Blink

Blink and it's over. Done.

Maybe when you're forty, your kids will give you a tee shirt that proclaims, "THE OLDER I GET THE BETTER I WAS."

Maybe you remember the moment you learned you made the team, your first practice, first varsity game, first point. But you won't forget the moments with your friends and teammates. 

My son's six year-old played on a baseball team that won the local championship. He called, "I get it. Now I understand what it must have been like to have twins play in the State Championship game and win sectionals (five)." Small victories lead to big ones. 

Don’t be content to make the team. Strive to contribute and excel.

Make the most of your experience. It flies by. 

Catch the wave.

Lagniappe. Passing.  

Spiking form. Note the footwork, timing, arms back to front, explosiveness. 

Power float. 

What Never Gets Old? Preparation

Bill Belichick’s favorite book isn’t about football.

It’s The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

For decades, he’s applied its principles to dominate the NFL.

Here’s how Belichick turned ancient military strategy into six Super Bowl rings: 🧵 pic.twitter.com/jFFaB8rhCC

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) March 1, 2025

 "Every battle is won before it is fought." Preparation is forward looking. It includes everything - planning, practice, video study, scouting, strength and conditioning. 

Legendary coach John Wooden explained, "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." 

“If you practice at a high level all the time, you’ll be able to play in a game at a high level all the time. If you don’t do it in practice and you think you’ll be able to do it in a game probably not going to happen,” -Saban

Your preparation will determine your performance. pic.twitter.com/LvZzhgAGgW

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) March 1, 2025

Another great coach, Don Meyer, preached "Make practice hard so games are easy." 

What preparation makes special teams? 

• Focus. Focus includes attention to detail, improving vision and decision-making. 
• Tempo. Practice at a high tempo to improve efficiency. Brad Stevens said watching Patriots practices impacted Celtics practices. 
• Effort. “Don't cheat the drill." "Competitive character" demands unrequired work. 

Nobody regrets giving their best. 

Lagniappe. Thoughts on setting up your attack. 

 

“Send Out Your Champion”

Who will represent?

Bonus Recipe - Depression Cake

Love chocolate cake and hate paying for eggs. This "Depression" or "Wowie" cake has no eggs and no milk. As an added bonus, it's a one-pan product. Great with or without frosting...better with ice cream. 

In addition to tasting great, it is technically vegan.

It's a reason to have cocoa in the pantry. 

 

What You Don't See

All opinions in the blog are solely my own. 

"Psychologist Daniel Kahneman says, “The idea that what you don’t see might refute everything you believe just doesn’t occur to us.”" - "Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes" by Morgan Housel 

There's an old saying, "what you don't know can kill you." How does that apply to volleyball? 

Melrose was in the State Finals, 2011 I believe. The opponent had the least athletic-looking defender in recent memory. Looks can deceive. She got to everything and kept it up, platform, one-armed right OR left. She wasn't the sole contributor but she was spectacular. 

Many sports have symmetry. What you want to do on offense you want to prevent on defense. Rotate elite front row players off the net. In a game of momentum, maintaining or regaining momentum is pivotal.

Most opponents will get their strongest servers in play immediately. Presume an early onslaught. Be ready for those bombs out of the gate. Seize the momentum. Top teams bring sharks not minnows. They don't bring a gun to a gunfight; they bring a tank. 

The top teams do what they do. There's no reason at this level ever to be surprised. 

Lagniappe. Thoughts on serve-receive.  

Stronger Core Low Impact Work

When tryouts start in August, your coaches will see who did the work to build their skills, game knowledge, and physicality. 

A stronger core helps blocking, attacking, and defense. Want something simple? Here's a five minute sequence of low impact core exercises.

• Heel taps
• Bicycle kick 
• Ankle taps
• Hip flexion
• Reverse crunches

View on Threads

Chef's Table - More Than Food

Why go to school? Acquire the foundation that allows you to excel in a field that earns your purpose. 

Chef's Table isn't about pizza or pasta; it's about excellence. "But the most important lesson was how he treated people..." - Master pasta chef Evan Funke speaking of Rich Melman

Funke tried many professions but none captured his imagination. Then he went to Italy and learned purpose with pasta. He found a mentor, Alessandra. 

Mentoring wasn't enough. Practice made mastery. 

Make your excellence story live on. It starts with purpose. 

Lagniappe. Attack jump tips.

 

Outlook for MVB 25

Kids need Truth Tellers 🗣️.

And coaches are some of the last ones left.

“I don’t tell them how great they are. I tell them how hard they have to work to be great.” - Kelvin Sampson

pic.twitter.com/grulzfWSkp

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) February 27, 2025

Coaches teach truth. Winning is hard and that's what gives it value. Telling players "work hard" is repetitious and not specific.

• "Repetitions make reputations." There's no shortcut. "Pound the rock" and develop those platform, footwork, attack, serving, and setting skills.
• Become the teammate that you want to have. Support, encourage, cajole. Work out with a teammate. Make lifelong friends. 
• Lead by modeling excellence. Make excellence your standard. Chase perfection while knowing it is not possible.
• Elevate your athleticism. Even the best players I've ever trained got coaching to improve strength, quickness, and body movement skills. Athleticism helps you not to "leave points on the court." 
• Become a habit master. It's hard to go to the gym or use the bands and dumbbells and machines. It's easy to say, "I'm a little sore, I need a day off." Don't miss twice. 

Sometimes obsession drives excellence. It's hard to recommend that and harder to make that your passion. With a critical mass of work, ACH - anything can happen.