Tryouts Continue

The second day of tryouts happens today. As a player, stand out in positive fashion. 

Tryout Signal Is not Noise

1. Communicate. Call the ball. Encourage teammates. 

2. Energize. "Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm." 

3. Compete for a role. Other than M1 (middle hitter one), any position is potentially available. That's not to say competition isn't fierce. Compete to attack, to defend, or as a designated server. 

The Exceptional Player Impacts the Game

1. Exceptional players make teammates and the team better.

2. Exceptional players impact winning. They either find ways to end plays by scoring or assisting or preventing opponents from scoring by keeping balls alive. 

Show the coaches the impact of your competitive fire.

Perspective

It's too early to assemble lineups physically or mentally. Think about the Red Sox and how Rafael Devers was unwilling to make changes that he felt were not in his interest. Always put the team first and look to assume the role that the coaches believe will help the team.

Lagniappe. Rituals can be positive or negative depending on how they're completed. Think about some MVB rituals:

• Setting up and breaking down equipment
• Practice warmup
• Pregame warmup
• Warmup music 
• Pregame introductions
• Your pre-serve routine
• Lollipops for fans
• Brownies on the bus
• "Who let the dogs out?" 

Rituals help provide stability. Sometimes rituals help restore calm and focus. One player wipes her hands on her jersey. Another stamps the dust of her shoes. Another takes a deep breath before the serve. 

Some rituals are "automatic" and ingrained by habits. Others require attention. 

1) Delay responding to upsetting emails if possible. 

2) Before issuing angry comments after a game, use the "24 hour rule" to allow situations to cool. 

3) Widen the distance between receiving harsh comments and responding.

Lagniappe 2. “When someone slights you in a meeting, take a deep breath before you speak and watch how often you change what you’re about to say." - "Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results" by Shane Parrish

Lagniappe 3. Be a good teammate. That's a choice. Even now, former schoolmates sometimes contact me appreciating how I treated them. That's over fifty years ago! Choose kindness.