.@Lindsay_Schnell asked Geno Auriemma how he made sure Paige Bueckers' spirit wasn't broken while injured last year.
— Brenna Greene (@BrennaGreene_) March 31, 2024
An incredibly insightful two minute response ensued.
"She was always the most upbeat, positive person in the gym. You knew that when she went home she was a… pic.twitter.com/tfnwxfRqlk
Don't be needy. Don't be "high maintenance."
Life won't go our way all the time. Regardless of our situation we choose how we respond.
Matt Painter GOLD 🥇
— Greg Berge (@gb1121) March 30, 2024
Be a Truth Teller.
“You just want to keep moving that bar.”
The essence of coaching and building a program.
Setting a standard and building a consistent culture takes time and patience.
Most things worthwhile happen this way.
pic.twitter.com/ZnoEOr65Mw
Never be satisfied. Former Melrose AD Sonny Lane used to say, "I'm pleased but I'm not satisfied." That's a tough lane to occupy day after day after day.
1. Demand your best. "Always do your best..." (the Fourth Agreement)
2. Be a great teammate... focus on making everyone around you better at home, at school, on the court.
3. Have elite habits. Keystone habits are the habits other habits follow. Commitment and discipline are keystone habits. Success that so many Melrose graduates earn daily arises from their great habits and work ethic.
Lagniappe. Passing tips.
If I had one piece of advice for athletes about to play in the spring evaluation period it would be to get in shape. I don’t say that lightly b/c many have just wrapped up their HS season & their bodies need to break. But fitness is always the great separator.
— Marsha Frese (@CoachFrese) March 30, 2024
What are your personal goals for MVB 2024? Coach Frese says whatever they are, get in great shape.
Jump rope. If you can jump rope for five minutes, you're in pretty good shape.
The Cooper 12-minute run is another way to measure yourself. You run as far as you can (e.g. on a treadmill) for twelve minutes. You shouldn't do this if you have health issues or injury.
Players define their minutes, roles, and recognition. Coaches add value and validate what they see from players. Numerous players earned opportunities to impact winning as freshmen rotation players - Paula Sen, Hannah Brickley, Victoria Crovo, and Emily Hudson to name a few.
Make "Big Asks" part of your character. Here are some from which to choose:
Commitment. Each day has so many minutes. If you invest 100 hours a year in a domain, you will likely become one of the top few percent.
Priorities. Coach Sonny Lane taught three priorities: family, academics, basketball. In John McPhee's A Sense of Where You Are about Princeton's Bill Bradley, displeased Coach Van Breda Kolff told his players their priorities were girls, food, and then basketball.
Coachability. Great players listen. Great players want to be coached. Great players translate coaching into high performance.
Professionalism. Professionals have systems and elite habits. Those include attention to detail, punctuality, self-care, and 'deliberate practice'.
Teamwork. Elite players serve teammates, collaborate, and make players around them better. Work out with teammates.
Self-care. This includes sleep, nutrition, hydration, recovery, and avoiding chemical dependence.
Skill development. Every volleyball skill is perishable. The less you do, the less you will be able to do.
Game understanding. Study the game - game video, teaching clips, exceptional players.
Physical training. Award yourself athletic explosion with strength, conditioning, and plyometric training.
Gratitude. Find ways to be grateful for the MVB experience including your families, teammates, and coaches.
Lagniappe. Find the embedded lessons in the Karch Kiraly story.
Are you a team with Grit and Toughness?
— Greg Berge (@gb1121) March 28, 2024
Do you:
- Have a common purpose?
- Have a team connected as ONE?
- Show resilience and perseverance?
- Bring positive energy & optimism?
- Have a collective belief that you can WIN?
GRITTY teams WIN.
TOUGH teams WIN.
How do you know? What characterizes teams with toughness?
Here are a few qualities that mark teams with mental toughness:
This summary of The Four Agreements distills Ruiz's lessons into brief, digestible recommendations.
It offers practical suggestions for better living.
A brief excerpt:
Recognize that your best effort varies. On days when you’re tired or unwell, adjust your expectations and be kind to yourself, knowing that you’re doing the best you can under the circumstances. In contrast, on days when you feel energetic and focused, capitalize on this by tackling more challenging tasks or advancing personal projects.
Education changes behavior. Behavior that might work at home (e.g. listening to loud music and dancing around) doesn't belong in a restaurant.
Advice for becoming an MVB contributor works across the spectrum of home, school, and extracurricular activities.
Robert Fulghum's book "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" is a collection of essays that reflect on the simple yet profound wisdom we gain in childhood, particularly during our kindergarten years. Here are some of the major lessons conveyed in the book:
Share everything: Kindergarten teaches us the importance of sharing with others, whether it's toys, food, or our time. This lesson extends beyond material possessions to encompass sharing our thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Play fair: Fairness and justice are fundamental values instilled in kindergarten. Fulghum suggests that these principles should guide our actions and interactions throughout life.
Don't hit people: Kindergarten teaches us the importance of resolving conflicts peacefully and without resorting to violence. This lesson emphasizes the value of empathy, understanding, and communication in resolving disputes.
Clean up your own mess: Responsibility and accountability are central themes in kindergarten. Fulghum stresses the importance of taking ownership of our actions and their consequences, and actively contributing to the well-being of our communities.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody: Kindergarten teaches us the importance of apologizing and making amends when we cause harm to others. This lesson emphasizes humility, empathy, and the power of forgiveness in fostering healthy relationships.
Wash your hands before you eat: Basic hygiene practices, such as washing hands, are taught in kindergarten to promote health and well-being. Fulghum suggests that this lesson serves as a metaphor for taking care of ourselves and maintaining personal integrity.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you: Kindergarten reminds us to appreciate life's simple pleasures and to find joy in everyday experiences. Fulghum encourages readers to cultivate a sense of gratitude and to embrace moments of comfort and happiness.
Live a balanced life: Kindergarten emphasizes the importance of balance in our lives, whether it's balancing work and play, rest and activity, or individual needs and the needs of others. Fulghum suggests that maintaining balance is essential for overall well-being and fulfillment.
Overall, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" celebrates the timeless wisdom and universal truths that shape our lives from an early age, reminding us to embrace simplicity, kindness, and a childlike wonder in our journey through life.
Raising your game applies across the board - your behavior at home, academics, and your MVB performance. In the voice of James Kerr's Legacy, "be a better ancestor" and "leave the jersey in a better place."
Commit to being your best in all areas. Listening to your coaches never exceeds listening to your parents.
Learn to think and to communicate better - verbally, non-verbally, and in writing.
Churchill adopted a something similar during the second World War.
Reserves deserve renown. Dean Smith's Carolina Tarheels had the "blue team" and the "white team." Six decades ago, our local high school reserves called themselves the "ROOTS," the Royal Order of the Splinters.
The Celtics call deep bench players the "Stay Ready Group." That defines two obligations, first, be a team and second, stay ready for opportunity. The moniker implies Staying Ready not Getting Ready.
Melrose graduates All-State selection Sadie Jaggers, reliable libero Grace Gentile, and versatile Manon Marchais, who did some of her best work filling the middle. Departures create needs and with nine juniors poised to return, the competition should be fierce.
How do you stay ready?
Prepare to "Turn it up more in '24."
Lagniappe. Staying ready...
Learn to interview with maturity and humility. Your answers define you, your team, and your relationships.
In response to winning an award, a former player wrote this on social media. "Thank you for the recognition as MVP! Super grateful to have been able to compete in my senior season alongside such great teammates and coaches..."
Dos:
“There are bound to be days when you run into someone who is better than you. What can you do about it? You can compete, that’s what. Competitiveness is what separates achievers from the average.” (Pat Summitt)
— Coach the Coaches (@WinningCoaches) March 25, 2024
You know the adage, "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."
You play the games for good reasons. If outcomes were preordained by size, skill or reputation, why bother? The more talented team doesn't always win. The higher "regarded" team doesn't always win. The higher seeded team doesn't always win. MVB forged upsets again and again since 2003. Know your ABCs - Andover, Barnstable, Canton, Duxbury...
It cuts both ways. Being the favorite, the "legacy program," puts a target on your back. Reputation entitles MVB to nothing. You know the saying, "the wind blows hardest at the top of the mountain."
Go back to first principles - attitude, choices, effort. Believe in yourself and your team. Choose to compete at a high level. Give maximal effort. When you do all of those ("Always do your best."), live with the results.
Lagniappe. Don't be a "what if" player.
The most perfect diamond emerges flawed, unpolished, uncut from the earth.
No player, no person travels life's arc as a paragon of virtue. Nobody.
Post by @adamfolkerView on Threads
Ask your team how many have dogs. Usually, it's about half. "Is it fun to have a dog?" The girls say, "Yes!" "Is there anything not fun about having a dog?" It's always the same. "Picking up the poops."
Every relationship or task-oriented activity (school, job, business, sport) has the "picking up" aspect. Without exception. Ever.
"That doesn't apply for parents, does it?" Consider parenting, work, paying bills, saving, tax preparation, and household maintenance and that's just the start!
Not volleyball? How many player love setting up the equipment, shagging balls, cleaning up the bench area, handing out lollipops, keeping score, baking brownies for the away games? You do it because they're all part of the MVB experience.
To do what you want when you want, you often do what you don't want when you don't want to.
That includes strength and conditioning, plyometrics and other training that doesn't provide any immediate positive feedback.
Adopt a "get to" not a "have to" attitude and the work may go a little smoother. "I get to work on strength which is going to help me play with more force."
Lagniappe. Master yourself.
*Adapted from my basketball blog
Kata is a Japanese word (åž‹ or å½¢) meaning "form" - Wikipedia
“This is a matter of practice related to what martial artists call kata — a set pattern that rewards repetition with excellence.“ - Sam Sifton, NYT
"The enemy of good is better." Form begets function, but "perfect form" is usually illusory. Better approaches outshine perfect. Winning is hard. Excellent coaches and teams develop SYSTEMS to improve performance.
How many young players fully commit to preparation?
2. Make maximal effort your brand. "Never cheat the drill."
3. "Obsess the product." That means "every day is player development day," in all facets. Build skill and athleticism.
4. See more. Newell's priority "see the game," requires study of great players, coaches, and video.
Learn from Kobe. Be granular (detailed).
💯
— Ryan Silva M.Ed. (@ryan_silva_88) March 21, 2024
Helping the athlete establish & understand their identity as an individual and team contributor is 🔑
Not all are built to be ⭐️ players. Can they establish an identity that helps the team achieve its goals?
Scaffolding skill development is a needed tool for all coaches
Coaches want to develop both exceptional teams and great players. Nobody wins without excellent players. Nobody. Exceptional players aren't enough, either, as basketball fans know who watched Kentucky get bounced in the NCAA first round.
Special teams need players willing and able to fill "complementary" roles. That includes defending at a high level, digging, communicating, practicing hard daily, and sacrificing for the good of the team. Last season, Sadie Jaggers changed positions as a senior and had a memorable season. A player like Maggie Turner didn't get headlines, but her constant, elite communication and effort helped fuel wins. Talk intimidates.
The truth is that every sport needs role players. Having the will and skill to fill roles separates championship players from something less.
Jay Wright said, "Your attitude is your greatest characteristic. You don't control your intelligence, your size, or your God-given talents. What you do control, though, is your attitude. We can all have a positive attitude."
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) February 25, 2024
Your attitude is a choice.
It's a choice on how you… pic.twitter.com/1Z3SwMDd5I
Ask yourself:
What do I want? Be specific as to your desire and goals.
What will it take to make that happen? (Your training plan)
What assets/resources are available? (Time, coaching, training)
What sacrifices are necessary? (Time, alternatives)
Am I willing to pay that price?
To achieve your goals, match your work to your dreams.
Lagniappe. Touch the sky.
Nobody wants to spend time around negative people or those constantly complaining.
Here's a trick how to complain less. Keep it simple using an elastic band. Just the act of wearing the rubber band helps us think twice.
1. Stay positive.
2. Catch teammates in the act of doing something right.
3. Building "positive" attitude looks like building muscle. Work at it regularly and everyone starts to notice.
Lagniappe. Be aware of "attack on two."
Embrace the scene in The Replacements where Coach Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman) tells Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves), "Winners always want the ball."
In the big moments, top players want the serve receive, want to attack, want the serve. It's the DNA of winners, wanting the ball. They want to impact winning both for the team and themselves.
You've all seen it go the other way, the kid stuck in right field, the coach trying to "hide" the kid. The ball always finds the person who doesn't want it, like cats seeking the person who doesn't like cats.
How can you want to be on the court, yet not wanting to be impactful?
Prepare for excellence working your mental game.
1) Identity. Know who you are. Be relentless. You are a winner who wants the ball.
2) Performance. This is what you do. Take mental repetitions. Visualize your run-up, your arm swing, delivering the perfect 'shoot' set, digging an attack.
3) Visualize your past. If you were Sadie Jaggers, you might include winning the final point in the 2022 Elite Eight against Duxbury and coming out of a sickbed to help best Billerica in the 2023 playoffs. Jason Selk describes having a personal "highlight reel".
There's no secret sauce for success. Show up every day. "Always do your best." Want the ball when the game is on the line.
Lagniappe.
Lagniappe 2.
Confidence mainly comes from hard work and preparation, but positive self-talk and visualization can complement your training and give you the extra confidence you need to perform your best in games.
— Sports Psychology (@SportPsychTips) March 21, 2024
Author John Miller breaks down some of his QBQ: The Question Before the Question here.
Focus on these points:
1) "What can I learn from this experience?"
Ask yourself, "where can I improve from last season" and "what is necessary physically and mentally to do that?"
Every season has peaks and valleys. Regardless of wins or losses, there is never one cause.
2) How am I accountable? It's simply the "right thing to do." The wrong things are to blame, whine, point fingers, play the victim, become entitled— and expect others to bail out bad choices.
A few years ago, Clippers owner Donald Sterling made racist comments. Coach Doc Rivers commented that his parents taught him "never be a victim." As a team, MVB is not a victim of officiating or lack of preparation. If you are dissatisfied with your playing time, work to expand your role while supporting the team. Commit to being a great teammate and impact winning during the game or by practicing hard and challenging teammates to be better.
Lagniappe. If you're a hitter, study this video (multiple times) and then review last season's video and see your strengths and need areas.
*From my basketball blog
Bring "attitude" daily.
I coached middle school girls for about twenty years, six years as a head coach. The Rec Department didn't want my friend and me to coach together because they thought the coaching was too 'concentrated'.
Seven years ago, the girls shared quotes and memories after the season. Not exactly Shakespeare.
2. "Sprint, don't run." Sprint back on defense. Sprint on offensive transition. Sprint to screen.
3. "The ball is gold." Over fifty years ago, the Four Factors didn't exist, but Coach taught us not to waste possessions, to value the ball. Adhere to that principle, play defense, and you'll play a lot.
You never know what players will remember.
Lagniappe. Great teammates help teams do more.
“She’s a great teammate. She’s a great teammate because she’s a great human being. She’s one of those kids that just gets the big picture and understands the purpose of being on a team,” Geno Auriemma
Being a great teammate doesn’t
require a skill set.
It requires a mindset.… pic.twitter.com/3pEr2wI76D
"Lead, follow, or get out of the way." - Marine adage
Use your MVB experience to boost leadership skills. Show your leadership skills every day. How?
1. Lead how you would like to be lead. What makes a leader in your view? Be that guy.
2. Model excellence. Be the hardest worker at home, in class, on the court. Wind sprints? Compete to win each one. Queen of the Court? Be her.
3. Be inclusive. Everyone wants to be valued - to be seen and heard. Greet teammates by name daily and "be the helper."
4. Energize. Bring energy and energize your teammates.
5. Communicate. Talk recruits teammates and intimidates opponents. "ELO" - early, loud, often.
Lagniappe. Three way pepper...
John Wooden said, "Champions never complain, they are too busy getting better."
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) March 3, 2024
The only thing complaining changes is your attitude.
When you complain, you focus on the negative rather than looking for opportunities for growth.
6 phrases to combat complaining 👇 pic.twitter.com/3bUPgXF5eJ
Coach Wooden also said, "don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses."
When teams have a chance to be special, everyone needs to row the same direction.
When dissatisfied with your skill or status, don't complain. Use that chip on your shoulder as fuel. "Do more to become more; become more to do more."
During the 2000 NFL Draft, round by round, the Michigan quarterback became more and more frustrated. He became a Patriot with pick #199. That fall a Patriot executive asked why the lights were on late at the stadium. An employee told him a player was there late watching video. "Some kid named Tom Brady"...the rest is history.
Lagniappe. Got rhythm? LBSU does.
Why jump on the MVB train? Look at the facts. WII-FM, everyone's favorite station. What's In It For Me?
