How You Play

Most of coaching pre- and post-game observations end up on the scrapheap...often deservedly so. 

Sometimes players listen.

A decade ago as a middle school assistant, the coach asked me to say something after a blowout loss with little resistance. I said, "That was not much of a response to adversity. How you play reflects how you live your life."

Six months later a girl came up to me, "that stuff about how you live your life really got to me."

FWIW, I saw her graduation pictures online from Holy Cross College this weekend. She listened and lived her life well.

More Than Talent

"Success isn't all about talent. It's about being dependable, consistent coachable, and knowing what you need to do to improve." (Bill Belichick) pic.twitter.com/VkbN6Ch5UP

— Coach the Coaches (@WinningCoaches) May 19, 2024

Nobody wins without talent. MVB has talent. Win with consistency, aggressiveness, resiliency (mental toughness), and ongoing improvement. 

Lagniappe. The "hip turn" is critical in many sports. Cornerbacks "open up" to sprint, basketball players turn and run to defend, base stealers 'crossover' to start. 

Harsh Realities

All opinions in the blog are solely my own. Blame nobody else. 

"Coaches get more than we give." - Brad Stevens

Coaches are teachers. Education changes behavior. Every student won't have the same aptitude, interest, and commitment...just like teaching math or medicine. 

The game is for the players. Remember that we help build programs not statues. There is always something to be learned and taught. 

Manage our expectations, not the players'. Young players don't have the skill, experience, or maturity to be consistent. They make eye-opening plays and eye-rolling mistakes.

"Never be a child's last coach." When in our life has continual negativity and criticism strengthened us and made us more resilient? If a child quits a sport because of us, that's a strong statement. 

There's a saying in Washington, "if you want a friend, get a dog." Everyone won't like us, players or parents. I coached a player who couldn't have been more of an "oppositional personality." Her mother wrote me years later to say that her daughter "figured it out," that coaching wasn't criticism. The girl became an All-League player at a charter school. 

Get resources. Read the late Carl Pierson's The Politics of Coaching. Coach Pierson discusses many perturbations of human nature that impact coaches. 

"Read, read, read, read, read." - Werner Herzog   Read about basketball, coaching, fiction, and non-fiction. Be open to new ideas and concepts from other disciplines. I spent my junior year in high school as a 'stay ready' player doing metaphorical chicken chasing to prepare for a role as a defensive stopper. 

We make mistakes. Often I was more concerned about setting lineups balanced for ball-handling, rebounding, scoring and playing time than winning. We would have won a lot more with more inequality. 

Know the unholy trinity of minutes, role, and recognition. Nobody advocates for what is good for their child more than parents. I call it "The Prime Directive" that parents place their child above the welfare of the team. "The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior." 

"Every day is development day." Coaches never regret having more skilled players with higher basketball IQ. Development applies for coaches, too. Learn from coaching groups, videos, watching basketball, and mentoring if possible. 

Set boundaries. Never talk with parents about another parent's child. If they want to praise another player, then okay. But it's often fishing for praise for theirs. Have a cooling off period after games. Don't engage about playing time until everyone's had time to sleep on it. 

Seek work-life balance. It's close to impossible, so manage those expectations. 

Have a clear policy on transparency. I coached girls, so I invited parents to pre- and post-game brief discussions and practice. There was never going to be an accusation of inappropriate behavior. Volunteerism isn't worth crucifixion. 

Network. Let players know that we are there for long-term personal and career growth for players. No college coaches are going to take my word over video evidence and personal observation. But coaches help steer players toward "good fits" and career success. Write recommendations. It's alright to bask in their reflected light. 

"Do more of what works and less of what doesn't." My last group wasn't the best at containing the ball. Still, I believed in the value of teaching individual assignment (Man) defense over zone. I believed that was better for their development. So we won a few less games. That doesn't invalidate zones and hybrid defenses. In the playoffs in my final year, we switched to a triangle-and-two with the goal of taking away open threes and living with the paint-protectors protecting the basket. We beat a team that we had lost to seven times over three years. 

Winning is hard. 

"You have to scratch and claw and it never f–-ing ends. And it doesn’t get better, it just gets harder. So don’t complain to me that I’m making your life hard. You don’t even know what that means." - Deborah Vance in Hacks, Episode 2

Lagniappe. Golf.  

Don't Be a Victim. Don't Accept Second Class Treatment

Women's sports aren't second class unless you allow them to be. The passion is real. The intensity is real. The training is real.

Rebecca Lobo is no joke - a National Champion, Naismith Hall of Famer, national commentator. She's also a former National Women's Player of the Year and has an Olympic Gold medal. 

Been coaching my son’s basketball teams for the past six years. Something new happened today. It wasn’t awesome. pic.twitter.com/buL6rJNKT9

— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) May 17, 2024

 

Unseen Hours

"Oh, my." That's the response you want when you walk into the first tryout in August. Coaches react when they see "player transformation" in skill and athleticism. 

When opponents see it, they think, "we are in for it today." I've heard it. 

"Unseen hours" of training are what we want to see - the pogos, the plyos, the workout bands, jumping rope. What would be awesome? 

1. MVB team building video. Team building can include public service, a bowling outing, group strength and conditioning. 

2. MVB jump roping... imagine jumping rope as a team for five minutes, showing other teams that you win the conditioning battle. Note: over 50 years ago, we started basketball practice with five minutes of jumping rope. 

3. Off-season skill building video work on platform skills, digging, attack footwork, closing the double block. 

4. Players working in tandem to build skill. Work out with a teammate to drag more players into the "top ten percent," noted Urban Meyer in Above the Line. 

5. Updated MVB hype video. Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean once said, "if you can do it, you ain't boasting." 

Lagniappe. You have the receipts. And every new season starts at 0-0.

Lagniappe 2. Study and trial expanding your platform.  

 

Embrace the Journey

Embrace the journey. Celebrate small successes and know there will be setbacks.  

"It's not what you get in the end.
It's what you become through the journey.
You don't change that based on your result.
Do you go after the trophy or are you trying to go after growth?
Our thing has always been - go after growth and embrace the journey." pic.twitter.com/xiqthHPQiV

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) May 17, 2024

Lagniappe. There is no 'secret sauce'. Do the right things consistently. "Figure it out." 

#Basketball #Coaching you want to succeed as a player?
- make everyone around you better (impact winning)
- identify your core skills (your 'superpowers')
- leverage them
- limit mistakes
- choose to be a great teammate
- be fully engaged and coachable
- never be a distraction

— Ron Sen, MD (@rsen01) May 17, 2024

Timeless

“Youth is wasted on the young.” Disprove that. 

Young people seek independence to do what they want, when they want, how they want. Parents know this. Everyone has oversight, even adults.

What timeless lessons can you learn early and repeat often along your MVB journey? 

1. Be prepared. At home, school, and on the court know your role and responsibilities. You cannot do your job without knowing it. 

2. Be polite. Know the five answers of a freshman at the Naval Academy. 

• “Yes, Sir." 
• "No, Sir." 
• "Aye, Aye, Sir." 
• "Right away, Sir." 
• "I don’t know but I’ll find out, Sir.”

3. Say “thank you.” A lot. Everyone wants appreciation. Nobody deserves that more than your parents. 

4. Appreciate your youth, fitness, athleticism, and high functioning brain power. Do everything to cultivate high performance from your magnificent machine. Do nothing to self-sabotage. 

5. Build great habits, winning habits in school and extracurricular activities. Be focused, coachable, and diligent. Action transforms goals into results.

Timeless lessons yield timeless results. 

Lagniappe. Not totally accurate but close. 

Compete

What's your 'compete level'?

Don't wait for the season to compete.
✅ COMPETE every day
✅ COMPETE on every drill
✅ COMPETE on every lift
✅ COMPETE on every sprint
✅ COMPETE with your teammates
✅ COMPETE against the standard
✅ COMPETE against the clock
✅ COMPETE against the best#CultureWins

— Jeff Janssen (@janssenleader) May 16, 2024

Raise your compete level. Bring your best self to every room.

Celtics' President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens seeks "competitive character." Find players with extreme ownership about character. 

Lagniappe. Timeless. 

 

Goals, Habits and Results

Goals alone don't produce results. Habits link goals to outcomes.

Identity is key. Atomic Habits author James Clear explains how "habits are votes for the kind of person we want to become." Want to be a great student?  Improve study habits. To be an elite athlete, build skill, strength, and conditioning.

Write your plan. 

• Skills such as platform skills, digging, setting, approach footwork
• Jump training. Get baseline measures (e.g. chalked fingertip) followed by your training and followup. Choose exercises you will do (lunges, squats, pogos, bounds, jump boxes). Followup testing. 
• Conditioning. 

'Consolidate' habits.

• Be a tracker.
• "Don't miss twice." 
• Find a workout partner to help motivation and skill. 

Lagniappe. Two-person footwork drills 

Lagniappe 2. Refine your attack position. 

Working Out Efficiently?

Need workout planning structure? Here's one to consider:

Post by @the.volleyball.strength.coach

View on Threads

Be Intentional

PRACTICE WITH PURPOSE

"What's your purpose for your practice? I practiced to be the best ever. So, every time I walked on that field I had a purpose for my practice."@DeionSanders bringing the 💯 TRUTH 🙌 pic.twitter.com/x7aeU4ZuDI

— Jamy Bechler (@CoachBechler) April 10, 2024

Practice makes champions or it fills up time, "breaks up the day." What bothers coaches? What would you put on your list? 

• Tardiness (On time is late.)
• Lack of concentration. Always be focused. This is not 'social hour'.
• Lack of listening. 
• Lack of 'coachability' 
• Entitlement 
• Lack of energy...energize yourself and teammates. 
• Lack of effort..."Never cheat the drill" and "winners do not cut corners."
• Lack of communication..."Silent teams lose." 
• Lack of confidence... how you play reflects how you live your life." 
• Lack of leadership...the best teams are player-led teams.  

Before you warmup, mentally review your footwork, your arm swing, your timing. 

Be great at everything that doesn't require skill. 

Lagniappe. Hit 'faster' 

Fearless

Strive to be fearless. What does that mean?

Self-made billionaire Spanx CEO Sara Blakely says people tell her, "you're so fearless." She answers, "No, I'm not." She's afraid of heights, flying, public speaking. But she overcomes her fears, even holding a "Comedy Night" for her employees where everyone performs standup. 

Share examples. The Patriots faced the 'Greatest Show on Turf' in 2002, with an unheralded quarterback (Tom Brady) against Kurt Warner and the NFL's highest octane offense. Virtually no one gave the 14-point underdog a chance...except the Patriots. 

Harvard's women met Stanford at Palo Alto in the 1998 NCAAs as a 16 versus 1 mismatch. That didn't prevent the Crimson from winning. A future ER doctor made the winning basket. 

As an underdog, believe and compete. 

Unheralded doesn't mean untalented. Trust YOUR ability and system. "It's just a game." 

There no shame in defeat but never fail to show up. 

Lagniappe. Consistency is more than the hobgoblin of foolish minds.  

Deion Sanders said, "You don't have to be great or successful to be consistent. But, you do need to be consistent to be great or successful."

Consistency is rare.
• It means discipline.
• It means showing up.
• It means doing the work.

The hallmark of greatness is long-term… pic.twitter.com/0O1H9vhYfY

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) March 26, 2024

Lagniappe 2. Gold. Just gold. 

This is an awesome from Clemson HC @Coach_Brownell on toughness 💪💪💪 pic.twitter.com/6tjG0H7I08

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) March 26, 2024

 Lagniappe 3. Training makes toughness. 

No Days Off

Give the same effort as your mothers.  

In honor of Mother’s Day. A Throwback to this amazing quote:

"When you're tired, what do you start thinking about? Be as tough as your mother. They show up all the time." - Coach K

(Via @CoachBechler 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/rUjmPLnszT

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) May 12, 2024

MVB - "REP" the Change

Success often parallels attitudes, beliefs, and values that drive action. "Nothing works unless you do." Action beats intentions.

Organizational psychologists Chip and Dan Heath wrote several books about change, Made to Stick and Switch: How to Change When Change Is Hard. 

The Heath Brothers argue that reaching your destination involves metaphorical elements:

R - The Rider, an excellent thinker, sometimes short on action. 

E - The Elephant, emotional inputs that encourage or deter us. 

P - The Path - the journey to navigate to success. 

What concrete tips help the Rider (Rationality)? 

• Look to the MVB past...including many impactful freshmen. Chloe Gentile had 113 kills as a freshman, Emily Hudson 42, Victoria Crovo 161. Other notable freshmen whose performance impacted wins include Hannah Brickley and Paula Sen. 
• Get involved including camps, youth volleyball, and building athleticism. 

How can we motivate the Elephant (Emotion)? 

• See-Feel-Change. See how little girls like young Hannah Brickley or the Crovo sisters watched games, felt the excitement, and became MVB. 
• Emphasize identity. Winning is hard. Few programs experience the success of MVB with a State Championship, ten Sectional Titles, and many Middlesex League Championships. Be part of special. 

How can we shape the Path? 

• Make MVB part of your daily routine...your workouts, your video study (MHS-TV on YouTube), even reading the blog, the real-time history of MVB. 
• "Rally the herd." Peer support adds strong motivation for individuals and the group. Work out as a duo with a teammate or a bigger group to practice platform and other skills. 

Lagniappe. Report. Study relationships such as hand to ball, arm position and swing. 

 

The Power of Now

Coaching leadership maven Jeff Janssen shares his ideas:  

NEXT SEASON'S CHAMPIONS ARE..
What are YOU doing NOW?#CultureWins pic.twitter.com/5y44xyreFY

— Jeff Janssen (@janssenleader) May 13, 2024

Lagniappe. Ideas. Useful? I don't know.