Efficiency - "Volleyball Is a Game of Mistakes."

Video is "the truth machine." 

Bobby Knight, Hall of Fame Basketball Coach at Indiana, has a saying, "Basketball is a game of mistakes." His teams won three National Championships. He argues that most games are decided by which team makes fewer errors. 

Sportscaster Ken Beatrice decades ago said, "three out of four football games are lost." Turnovers, dropped passes, missed tackles and other errors determine many games. 

Coaches want efficiency, more good plays out of total plays. Remember, attack efficiency-

(Kills - errors)/Total attacks

We can do the same for serve receives. 

(Serve receives - errors)/Total receptions. Some track serve receives by "great passes" and other passes. 

We can track how points are scored, promoting better efficiency.

Years ago as a coaching assistant on the middle school team, I tracked shooting percentage and turnovers, making them team statistics and reporting them to the players. Our shooting percentage rose because we took better shots and our turnovers fell because players understood the accountability of "taking care of the ball."

Let's go through an exercise on the final points from set four last night without individual attribution.

Score 19-16, Melrose leads two sets to one.

Point 36 - Lexington stuff block. Positive play by Lex. 

Point 37 - Serve receive into the net. Negative play by Mel.

Point 38 - Errant serve receive unplayable. Negative play by Mel. Timeout.

Point 39 - Attack error by Melrose. Negative play by Mel. 

Point 40 - Block/kill by Melrose. Positive play by Mel. 

Point 41 - Dig error by Melrose. Negative play by Mel.

Point 42 - Attack error by Lex. Negative play by Lex. 

Point 43 - Serve receive error by Lex. Negative play by Lex. 

Point 44 - Service error by Melrose. Negative play by Mel. 

Point 45 - Successful attack by Melrose. Several good defensive plays embedded. "Good offense is multiple actions." Positive play by Mel. 

Point 46 - Attack error by Lex. Negative play by Lex.

Point 47 - Kill by Melrose...multiple successful defensive plays embedded within (see video). Positive play by Melrose. 

Let's summarize. Twelve points, six by each team. 

Lexington points. One positive and five negative by Melrose. 

Melrose points. Three positive and three negative by Lexington. 

Among the final twelve points in the match, four scored by 'positive actions' and eight scored through negative plays. 

Former Athletic Director Sonny Lane used to say "the ball is gold." About a third of basketball games are "two possession games," so the margin of error is small. 

Becoming more efficient means making more "positive plays" like strong attacks when opportunity arise, more blocks (e.g. closing the block by anticipating the hitter and getting to the double block), and pressuring serves at the right times. Efficiency also means reducing service errors and serve receive errors. 

Melrose teams succeed through ambition and execution. It's always great to win, yet exceptional coaches like Coach Scott Celli demand accountability, "holding yourself to a high standard." Sonny Lane admonished us, "I'm pleased but I'm not satisfied." 

Lagniappe. Fabulous video with serve receive training recommendations.