Moment of Truth

Tony Bennett shares a masterclass on humility and why most people get it wrong.

"When we talk to our young men about what humility means, it's twofold and sometimes it's not what you think."

"Don't think too highly of yourself. If you wanna turn people off, walk around… pic.twitter.com/9YuM0MxZ4A

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) April 9, 2026

"The only way to move ahead becomes to leave the past behind."

Everyone has practices or games beset with failure. In soccer, you feel as though you have "two left feet" or in baseball you're "wild in the strike zone" (throwing fat pitches) or "overmatched" at bat.

Excellent players learn from losses and move on, applying wisdom forced by failure. Bad serves, wild attacks, and shanked balls are part of everyone's history. Move on. 

Three Primary Tests

• "Always do your best."
• "Make everyone around you better."
• "Impact the game." (Give the game what it needs.)

Passing the Tests

• Attention to detail in preparation and play
• Play in the moment. "Next play."
• Serve the team. Do what is in the best interest of others.

Sweating the Small Stuff

• Ask "What does our team need now?"
• Learn to refocus (key words - this play, or "take a breath."
• Communicate to inform and energize teammates. 

Some players have the character and competence to dominate play for stretches. Others "recruit" teammates in the moment to raise the level of team play...the Maggie Turners who are the "mouth in the house." Being a vocal leader is a superpower, too. 

A player doesn't need double digit digs, bushels of blocks, or armies of attacks to earn trust and get on the floor. But they have to contribute something positive. Impact the team.

Lagniappe. Department of redundancy department. Award yourself athleticism. When you walk onto the court at tryouts, two abilities stand out - skill and athleticism. They're the "wow factor." 

8 plyometrics to enhance your athleticism!

1. Quadruple broad jump
2. SL hurdle to lateral jump
3. Depth jump to broad jump
4. Repeat maximal pogo jump
5. “Double,” box jump
6. SL drop jump
7. Lateral jump to 1/4 turn box jump
8. Maximal skater jump pic.twitter.com/SuWdqF9J59

— Gerry DeFilippo (@Challenger_ST) March 20, 2026

 

The Power of One

Bob Rotella's book, Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, explores the power of the mind. Often your opponent is yourself.

He argues for the most difficult attention - efficiency and effectiveness to pursue excellence with every shot, every day. 

That's not advice to play well today or tomorrow. He challenges players to focus completely whether it's on the putting green or the tee box on the 18th hole.

That means complete attention to reading a set or the first chapter of Moby Dick. It means listening to parents with the same intent as hearing Coach Celli.

Rotella explains how at his peak, Tiger Woods finished every practice making a hundred consecutive eight foot putts. He didn't miss anything inside four feet that golf season.

Cultivating focus is about learning how to practice attention. If you want to be your best, then start now.

"It's What You Sign Up For"

Joe Mazzulla with an inspiring message:

“Too many times it’s all about winning, winning, winning. You have to surrender to the idea that when you’re going after that you’re gonna fail, we failed by not winning, but we stick to the process of being able to do that.” pic.twitter.com/SkaZsa8lI9

— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) May 3, 2026

Winning is hard. As Coach Celli says, you need to be good, stay healthy, and have some luck.

Every season ends in tears. 2012 shared tears of joy. Every other season brought tears of sadness, including nine other sectional championships and three other State Finals. 

Two of the harshest words in sport are "if only." If only Laura Irwin and Carol Higonenq hadn't gotten hurt. If only a star player's thumb hadn't touched the net in 2003.  

That's sports. It's 'what you sign up for.'

Improve Your Presentations

People partly judge us on how we present ourselves, including on our communication skills. "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Be better by applying lessons from Carmine Gallo's Talk Like TED.

Cover Three Areas

"Presentations should cover no more than three aspects in fifteen minutes." - Talk Like Ted, Carmine Gallo 

People tune out boring lecturers. The Greeks said three factors influenced others ethos (character), logos (logic), and pathos (emotion). The best talks rely on pathos manifesting as passion. Tell great stories. Paint mental pictures. 

Be Novel, Emotional, Memorable

Quality presentations had three prominent features - novel, emotional, and memorable. 

Be original. Everyone can be more creative, more influential. Business leaders were shocked when they heard that introverts were often the most creative people in the room. They thought the loudest voice was the smartest. You know the saying, "An empty barrel makes the most noise." 

Learn across domains. Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Daly said, "I'm a salesman." Think how you can sell yourself. 

The last song Doug Collins heard before the 1972 Olympic game against Russia was, "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?" 

Bring emotion. Make emotion a feature not a bug. Big events leave big marks, indelible mental ink. That's literally "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." 

Be memorable. Geno Auriemma took questions after a UCONN practice. Someone asked, "were you nice because you had an audience?" "No, I was nice because they're babies. If I yell, they think, "Coach hates me.""

Bill Gates gives a lecture on infections. 

 

You're a Salesman; Sell Belief

What leaves the greatest impact on people? Belief. When you hear, "I believe in you" or tell a player, "you're the best player I've ever coached," they will never forget that moment. 

Include novelty, emotion, humor. 

Make them better.

Lagniappe. Adversity is inevitable. Be the 'guy' who is steady, consistent in discipline, effort, and response every single day. 

Kyle Shanahan said, "The guys that I like are the guys that I know what I am getting."

"The guy who is the same in adversity as he is when someone is praising him, that’s the guy I want to follow."

It means bring consistency in your actions, attitude, and approach. pic.twitter.com/ulIzTdy6fb

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) May 1, 2026

Word Power (Print and Save?)

Test taking is an inexorable fact. Having a greater command of words helps your reading comprehension and sometimes expression.

Good writers look words that fit. They may seek nuance in meaning, alliteration, or a word that fits a situation.  

For example, the words preordination and predestination have some theological roots, while destiny, fate, and kismet are more often used. However, kismet often occurs in the context of relationships. 

Here's an "SAT" word list...many of which do not often show up in daily conversation. 

And as a bonus a couple of other "word treats"

"I" before "E" except after "C" or when sounded like "A" as in "neighbor" or "weigh." Here's an exception sentence (doesn't include every example):

Neither foreign financier seized either species of weird leisure.

Lagniappe. Reminder. Many sports take advantage of angles in contacting or passing the ball. Ball, meet platform.  

Ten Lessons Learned About Volleyball in 24 Years

Every sport informs its peculiar lessons. As Yogi Berra said, “You can observe a lot just by watching.” Some things stay the same. Here are ten claims:

1. Win more points. You won’t beat top teams by waiting for their mistakes.

2. The best teams have “closers,” players that win points with the game on the line. A last season MVB review showed that about 30 percent of sets were decided by 2-3 points. Closers finish the job. 

3. As a momentum game, volleyball demands that you stop runs. Find ways to maintain momentum on offense and defuse it on defense. Continual mistakes lead to "death by a thousand cuts."

4. Positive points accrue via serve, attacks, and block kills. That doesn’t negate defense; excellent defense limits opponent aces, attacks, and blocks. 

5. Volleyball is a thinking person’s game. A lot happens in little time. Experience grows instinct. 

6. You can become “solid” without being an exceptional athlete but you won’t become elite. Reward yourself more athleticism. Have a plan, follow it, and track it. 

7. Because many teams have improved with the growth of the sport, winning takes more. All four legs of the stool need stability- skill, strategy, physicality, and resilience.

8. Infrastructure - starting young with the extraordinary commitment of families makes a world of difference. Chase perfection and catch excellence. 

9. Top teams have no weak links. You can’t hide a core weakness - attacking, blocking, or serve receive. If you can’t control your side defensively, opponents capitalize on that weakness. Remember, a Sun Tzu message from The Art of War, "Utilize strengths; attack weaknesses."

10. To advance deep in the postseason in basketball or volleyball you need three “hitters,” the players who "put the ball down." Offensive balance guarantees nothing but it doesn’t hurt. There’s still only one MVB team with three attackers with 200 or more kills in the same season - the 2005 State Finals team. 

This is the best example - the 2012 team had no weaknesses and three dynamic scorers - Sarah McGowan, Jen Cain, and Rachel Johnson. 

Lagniappe. Develop your finish. 

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Principles from Dr. Fergus Connolly

14 Principles

Dr. Fergus Connolly has worked with top organizations across business,  military special forces, and sport. 

Read his PRINCIPLES carefully and consider how to use them. These three resonated for me: 

1. "Protect your attention ruthlessly. Not every distraction deserves a response." (The ability to focus is a superpower. It works in the classroom and on the court.) It's a vital element of coaching and coachability. 

2. "Win through better reasoning, not louder voices." There's an old saying that "an empty barrel makes the loudest noise." Others have said it well, like Shakespeare:

Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5, “It is a tale, Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” 

Learn what to embrace and what to ignore, separating signal from noise. 

3. "How you speak to yourself determines your capacity to lead."

The voice we hear most often is our own. Our attitude, choices, and effort flow from our ability to filter and apply from that firehose of information. Nobody can drink from a firehose. Sorting allows us to transform thoughts into action. "I should work out today" becomes "I'm working out when others are not." 

Lagniappe. "As a grandfather, I consider it my right and responsibility to dispense hard-earned wisdom, whether it’s requested or not." - General Stanley McChrystal in "Character"

Lagniappe 2. Make it happen. 

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A post shared by Sam Martin (@sammartinpeakperformance)

 

Personal Growth

Mark Few has taken Gonzaga to the NCAA Tournament 26 straight years.

Every Monday, he runs "Personal Growth Mondays" - but coaches aren't allowed in the room.

It's just the players and their mental development coach.

Here's how it works:
(📌Bookmark this) pic.twitter.com/92Hv7e51jY

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) April 29, 2026

Over time, own your personal growth. Realistically, nobody will provide a "personal growth coach" for each of you. What can you do? 

1. Build better habits

2. Pick, stick, and check them. 

3. Lean on each other to grow together. 

4. Build resilience with training of body and mind (mindfulness). 

5. Take inventory of your growth...ask how you are a better leader, a better teammate, a better thinker (what ideas have you changed after study and reflection?)

Superstitions

Players and coaches are superstitious. We can't help ourselves.

In 1973, players wore jackets and ties on game day. It represented pride and maybe a hint of status. Coach Ellis Lane forgot his coat on game day and borrowed my brown corduroy coat for the game. We won. He asked me to bring it to the next game. Another win. That coat "won" thirteen straight games, including three upset wins in the "Tech Tourney" including the Sectionals in Boston Garden. Before "it's the shoes," it was the coat. Eventually it found its way to Goodwill. 

• Wade Boggs ate chicken before every game.
• Jim Palmer got the nickname "Cakes" for eating pancakes before his starts. He never gave up a grand slam in his Hall of Fame career.
• LeBron James throws chalk before every game.
• Michael Jordan wore UNC shorts under his Bulls shorts
• Karch Kiraly wore a pink hat during volleyball tournaments 
• Serena Williams is renowned for her extensive superstitions, including using the same shower, bringing her shower sandals to the court, tying her shoelaces in a specific way, bouncing the ball five times before her first serve and twice before her second.
• Olympic champion US golfer Nelly Korda always keeps three tees in her hair, replacing them only when they break.

I had/have a lot of superstitions, chewing "Big Red" gum during games, wearing wrist bands, not wearing pro team gear on game day, playing the same song (Livin' on a Prayer) before our daughters' playoff games. Superstitious people know superstitions are a waste of time, but why tempt fate? 

Superstitions find their way into your routine - what you wear, what you eat, how many times you brush your hair, or how you bounce or twirl the ball before serving. 

Whatever works. 

Lagniappe. Bringing great energy is infectious. 

Winning Is Hard

Joe Mazzulla is insane

He had the WINNERS of the drills run 🫣

“You’re getting rewarded by running. He was like, ‘We gotta change our mindset that winning is the reward. Running is our reward.’”

That man is wild

pic.twitter.com/NQI1q74V58

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) April 28, 2026

"The wind blows hardest at the top of the mountain."

MVB was at the top of the ML for a long time. That's history. So is last season. 

Joe Mazzulla shares enduring lessons in a unique way. 

1. Compete. The same as the "Fourth Agreement," Always do your best. 

2. Winning is hard. It's not a legacy or entitlement. Fight for it every day. 

3. Complacency is the enemy. Pat Riley discussed, "The Disease of Me."

Riley writes, "The most difficult thing for individuals to do when they’re part of the team is to sacrifice.  It’s so easy to become selfish in a team environment… Willing sacrifice is the great paradox.  You must give up something in the immediate present – comfort, ease, recognition, quick rewards – to attract something even better in the future; a full heart and sense that you did something which counted.  Without sacrifice, you’ll never know your team’s potential, or your own.”

Breaking Down Exceptional - Gia Vlajkovic

New assistant Coach Gia Vlajkovic was a pleasure to watch at the intersection of:

• Skill
• Strategy (VB IQ)
• Physicality (Athleticism)
• Psychology (Mental toughness)

What do you want? How do you get that? What investment are you prepared to make? Is that a price you can pay?

Let's examine some highlights from the State Semifinals loss to King Philip. Gia had 18 kills and was immense in defeat. It was one of the best performances from an MVB player in a loss since Hannah Brickley in a playoff loss to Central Catholic. 

Outside Attack 

Gia transitions from defense at the net into a "long runway" as she is at least six feet behind the net. She's probably a little "late" but her athleticism allows her to adjust and attack down the line. The "pin hitter" needs a quiver with multiple arrows - down the line, cross court, cut shots, tips, roll shots, and more. 

If you watch the match on YouTube, you can adjust the speed for more detail. 

Pass, Set, Hit

"Win more 'positive' points." Gia attacks the double block and "tools the block" off the outside defender's outside hand. These attacks can be smashes or pushes off the hand, the latter more likely close to the net. 

"Great Is the Enemy of Good"

Sadie Jaggers said that Gia taught her to focus on 'good' not 'great' passes. Gia played all-around and is in position one where she makes a "good" pass leading to a successful attack. 

Attacking Off the Net

Gia didn't need "perfect sets" to attack because of her skill, aggressiveness, and mental toughness. Here she attacks from about the ten foot line with both power and precision. 

Hand-Eye Coordination

In this "choppy" clip, Gia makes an extraordinary save to "keep the ball up." While falling backwards, she makes a one-armed "chicken wing" dig, initially to rescue the point...later won by KP.

 

Attack from the Back 

Here Gia serves and then plays from the back. Her attack creates advantage and ultimately a future star, Sadie Jaggers, finishes the point.

 

Enduring lessons: 

• Skill, there is no substitute. 
• Versatility pays big dividends. 
• Exceptional performance requires excellence in athleticism. Gia wasn't overly tall but she was a great athlete. 

Teamwork, Work, Leadership

Great Mind Candy!! pic.twitter.com/8ANbtDBI4e

— Don Showalter (@dshow23) April 27, 2026

Simplicity. Clarity. Persistence. 

Decide your identity, your brand that shows up every day. 

1. Be a great teammate. Enjoy being around your teammates.

2. Produce great work. Outwork the competition.

3. Lead. "Come with me" is the message to your teammates.  

Non-Negotiable

Asked Jaylen Brown about the Celtics’ identity of playing hard, no matter what else:

“It just started from before the season — we just set a precedent, just set a tone for what we want Celtics basketball to be. And it wasn't an excuse for none of our guys, not me, or for anyone… pic.twitter.com/3OkgMrfzrJ

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) January 24, 2026

How does one write over 5,000 entries about a high school volleyball program? (Beyond obsession, of course)...Find topics that resonate. Jaylen Brown says the quiet part out loud, that perhaps 70 percent of the battle is competing hard. Here are realities:

1) There is no "on-off" switch. 

Few MVB squads have been good enough to show up and overwhelm the stronger teams with talent alone. What you want to become is the team with the talent to succeed and the drive to show up and do it. 

2) The only way to compete in games is to compete in practice. 

I've watched enough MVB practices to know that to get on the court for MVB 26, you need to be a "dirt dog." Compete when "you cross the red line" onto the court.

3) There's nothing but "Blank Space" on the dance card. 

Jobs are there to be earned. Competition reflects the saying that "a rising tide lifts all boats." 

4) "Play hard, play smart, play together."

Play the right way (how your coaches want it done), right now, every day. The only way that happens is hard work to drive your physical and mental conditioning and being coachable. 

5. Play with joy. 

Exceptional teams radiate joy. They enjoy playing the sport and they enjoy being around each other. Be a light bulb. Here's an old quote from Pete Carril that resonates:

"Light bulbs, that's what I call them. Light bulbs. There's an intangible feeling a coach and a player have that you can delight in. When Armond Hill was at Princeton and he'd go up and down the court in warmups, that's excited me. Frank Sowinski walked onto the court in practice. I could be dead tired: I saw him, I felt good. Billy Omeltchenko. Craig Robinson. I call them light bulbs. They walk on the floor, the light goes on." - February 6, 1991.

Playing "the right way" has to be your identity. You have to own it, live it, and believe in it. When everyone is on board with both talent and that philosophy, you can become special. 

Lagniappe. On defense... 

pic.twitter.com/SzY6sgO1aF

— Tyler Leighton (@CoachTyL8n) January 22, 2026

One Reason Is not the Answer - The Fallacy of the Single Cause

Arm yourself with mental models and understanding of cognitive biases to make better decisions.

In Rolf Dobelli's "The Art of Thinking Clearly" he includes the fallacy of the single cause. Assigning success or failure to a single cause is faulty during complexity. Ask why success succeeds. 

MVB 25 Features

A youth movement arrives (includes five frosh and five sophs)        Record setting performance by senior Sabine Wenzel                      Growth of the quarterback - sophomore Sadie Smith  

 MVB 25 Bugs

"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want"          Struggle to close out games (e.g. Newburyport, Burlington)                Need to improve blocking at the pins (point prevention) 

The Future

Connection - move from good to excellent                                    Attention to detail - champions win more points                               Finishing kick - capacity to close out sets and matches

Connect. Watch programs like America's Got Talent. Note how the best 'acts' connect with the audience. UCONN Coach Geno Auriemma says that during recruiting, dominant players stand out from the beginning. Excellence is evident.  

Lagniappe. Consistency is a superpower. 

The most successful people are not the most talented or extraordinary. They just do the ordinary things with extraordinary consistency.

— Allistair McCaw (@AllistairMcCaw) April 24, 2026

 Lagniappe 2. What spurs learning? Follow the thread. 

A researcher analyzed studies involving 300 million students to answer one question:

What actually improves learning?

The findings apply to coaching more than you might think.

Here are 7 ideas from John Hattie that every COACH should know:

[THREAD] 🧵

— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) April 23, 2026

                                       

 

MVB Offseason Continues

MVB was well represented via Avidity Volleyball at the Mohegan Sun volleyball tournament. 

The Onyx 15s came away with a tournament win. 

Sportsmanship

Competitiveness doesn't exclude compassion. Learning sportsmanship is part of development.

Win with humility and lose with grace.  

The lie sports culture keeps telling:

You can’t compete against your opponent and still have compassion for them.

You can be the hardest worker,
the fiercest competitor,
the one nobody wants to line up against
and still be humble, respectful,
and compassionate.… pic.twitter.com/hv3eehOexR

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) April 22, 2026

Optimism and Belief

Major cheat code for life: Believe that things will work out for you. Not blindly, but through effort. When you expect good things and pair it with action, you start noticing opportunities others miss. Optimism paired with effort is a powerful force.

— Blake Burge (@blakeaburge) April 25, 2026

"Nobody ever earned a positive life with a negative attitude."

Believe in yourself because of your commitment and work. 

Coach John Wooden said, "Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.”

 

JVG Shares Valuable Advice

You know the word, MUDITA. It derives from the Sanskrit meaning, "Your joy is my joy."  

“Those people who can celebrate others’ success live a more stress free, less anxious life” - Jeff Van Gundy

(Via @usabjnt 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/KCeqXqQQSe

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) March 2, 2026

Want to make the team. Want to contribute. Want to be in the regular rotation. It's okay to want to be a "star" player, understanding that means assuming more responsibility. 

You know the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." You should know Nassim Taleb's Silver Rule, "Do not do treat others as you would have them not treat you." 

When you hear that a classmate did well on a test, "Celebrate with them and for them."

When you hear that a classmate got into the school or the job that they wanted, "Celebrate with them and for them."

When you see a teammate performing well, regardless of your situation, "Celebrate with them and for them." 

Being happy for others' success isn't alway easy. But it improves our lives. 

Lagniappe. A vital question... 

Here is one of the best questions a leader can ask: What do you need from me to perform at your best?

— Alan Stein, Jr. (@AlanSteinJr) March 2, 2026

Lagniappe 2. Have a key word to stay present. "Now." 

Next Play is simple:

Stop worrying about what just happened.
Focus on what’s happening now.

The past and future only exist in your mind.

The present is the only place you can perform.

Stay there. pic.twitter.com/aReVXTuc7E

— Alan Stein, Jr. (@AlanSteinJr) February 22, 2026

Playing with Force - Jane and Tarzan

Play with force. 

Developing our four-legged stool (skill, strategy, physicality, psychology) gives a young athlete a chance to "play with force."

One of Coach Scott Celli's strengths is the ability to project players - figuratively to "see into the future." Former NFL Coach Bill Parcells had a saying, "If they don't bite when they're puppies, they won't bite when they're grown." 

I asked Coach when he knew a former player would become a player. He answered, "Five minutes after I saw her." 

Exceptional athletes don't "hide in plain sight." When we had basketball tryouts, we ran players through drills to get an idea of their athleticism and adaptability to the unfamiliar. Then we separated them into quartiles - top, middle two, and bottom. 

For team selection, I focused on the middle group. The top and bottom six players quickly separate themselves. The challenge is finding the diamonds in the rough. 

You may know the saying, "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane." Sometimes you find a player who "looks like Jane and plays like Tarzan." 

And there's the unforgettable Payton Tolle quote, "Play like you're the third monkey trying to get on the ark and it's starting to rain." 

 

Stolen Lessons (Print and Save?)

"Good artists borrow; great artists steal." - Picasso

Coaching disputes an alleged Einstein quote, "Imagination is more important than information." Most coaches learn at the feet of mentors who learned from their mentors. 

Arkansas basketball coach Mike Neighbors is both a bookworm and student of coaching. He shares a lengthy article on 25 stolen lessons. Here are excerpts from his Off the Court Top 15.

"Your players want to know that you care about them. They want to feel secure and confident. They want to feel that you care more about them than the outcome of the game/season/career. You want to feel the same way about your “coaches” don’t you? Don’t you want your administrators to be supportive of you when you make your mistakes?"

Excellent coaches earn that reputation because players respond - they listen, work to do what's right, and do it right again and again. 

"There are numerous things you can do… Situation Cards were our best use of time. We developed a “deck” of 52 cards. Each card was printed with a time/score situation. At some point in each practice, a player would draw a card, read it everyone else, then we would divide into teams with one team executing from the offensive perspective and the other from the defensive perspective."

Bill Belichick called them, "Gotta have it situations." Three obvious ones are: 

• Coming back, close and late and trailing
• Closing out sets, close and late and winning
• Getting off to solid starts in decisive sets

Situational practice matters. 

"Gary Blair told me to start a file in 1999 labeled PAYCHECKS. In that file went notes from players, coaches, parents, or fans that made me realize how lucky I was to be doing what I was doing. It was labeled PAYCHECKS to remind me that it wasn’t about the low pay or the long hours that coaching requires. It is great for those days when something doesn’t go right and you need a pick me up."

Thank you notes stick with you. They remind us that "coaches get more than we give." You never know when you may not get a chance to thank a person whom you want to thank.

"Keep what YOU do simple." 

Simple is hard. There's a "hard-to-resist" pull to do more instead of being exceptional at what we do a lot. If a magic genie gave me a volleyball wish, I'd ask for better blocking the pin hitters. 

"We all know that TALENT is the starting point… Great Lou Holtz quote… “I’ve coached teams with good players and I’ve coached teams with bad players. I’m a better coach when I have good players.” Making the MOST of our TALENT is our charge as coaches. It’s what we are paid to do."

Teams do well when all the players want to succeed as much as the coach wants to succeed. MVB doesn't have any "hobbyist" players. There are a few players who excel at other sports, but nobody on MVB is a casual participant. 

Lagniappe. Why champions win. 

I come back to this video every once in a while pic.twitter.com/stIVusmXBA

— Mindset Machine  (@mindsetmachine) April 6, 2026

Lagniappe 2. Serving tips...including the "Big Hand"...Karch Kiraly discusses that

 

It All Starts Here

Jay Wright literally revealed the ONE thing you control when nothing goes your way. pic.twitter.com/Sewj9fGqRX

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) April 22, 2026

"There's nothing cheaper than free advice." 

Have a philosophy

Mine is TIA - teamwork, improvement, accountability.

"Control what you can control"

Be an ACE - attitude, choices, effort

Most people become the person they work to become. 

 

 

 

Take This to the Bank - Anchor Your Arguments

View on Threads

Education shares tools to help student-athletes learn and think better. For example in the introduction to The Leadership Moment, Michael Useem shares four questions:

• What went well?
• What went poorly?
• What can we do better next time? 
• What are the enduring lessons? 

Apply those to analyze a game, a season, a life, a historical event. "Losses are lessons." 

Learn every day. The Professor shares a message about better arguments. Use this structure to become more effective:

1. Make a claim.

2. Provide supporting evidence. 

3. Add your explanation. 

Claim: Simply the Best

MVB 2012 was the greatest volleyball team in Melrose history. 

Evidence: Just the Facts

• State Championship pedigree
• Two Herald players of the decade (Brooke Bell, Sarah McGowan)
• Four eventual All-Staters (Bell, McGowan, Jill MacInnes, Allie Nolan)
• Two of the most underrated ever (Jen Cain, Rachel Johnson)
• Best blocking pair (Kayla Wyland and Rachel Johnson)
• One of top two MVB servers (Cassidy Barbaro)
• Wealth of experience - seven seniors

Explanation: Behind the (26-1) numbers

A State Finals loss in 2011 set the stage for redemption in 2012. The team lost four sets all year, including the loss to D1 runnerup Newton North in the regular season finale. MVB 12 took losing hard as they wanted to be undefeated. They demanded more from each other. There's a story about a captain getting in the face of a young star with a "Get in the game" moment. Winning is hard; that's why it means so much. 

It's far too early to construct an 'argument' for or against MVB 26. Own your evidence. 

Exceptional Players Need Exceptional Athleticism

MVB has put many extraordinary all-around athletes on the stage. If  generating a list, we'd unfairly omit some worthy of mention.

There's a difference among "talents" - focus, hand-eye coordination, athleticism, volleyball skill, competitiveness. Again it's unfair to leave so many deserving players out. 

When I talk about "all-around athletes," I think in term of 'decathletes' who compete in ten events - running, jumping, throwing. 

As a high school senior, Bo Jackson was a spectacular multisport athlete. Later, he competed in both the pro football and pro baseball All-Star games in the same season. 

As a high schooler, he was told that he should try the Alabama state decathlon. He arrived not knowing the events. He set the state record. 

Via AI:  won the Alabama 3A state decathlon title in both 1981 and 1982 while attending McAdory High School, setting a state record for total points that still stands. 

He achieved this dominance while competing in multiple sports, often skipping the 1,500-meter run because his point lead was so insurmountable that no other athlete could catch him.

I wasn't at practice every day, so I can't speak with complete authority about potential decathletes on MVB 26. And that omits players on JV whom I don't know. Decathlon favors "bigger, faster, stronger." These athletes "bounce." That's reality. 

If I had to pick three to compete in decathlon here's my list in alphabetical order: Adriana, Ella, Sabrina. 

All this is the lead-in for athleticism development. Directional pogos, single-leg exercises, consecutive jumps, and lateral bounds (among others) will help you become an exceptional athlete.

Link

 

A Volleyball AI Conversation - Leverage the Power

Learn to use AI as a collaborator to expand our understanding and communication about topics like volleyball.

Today's piece could represent "lunch with AI (ChatGPT Plus).

For this volleyball blog post, you and I will share 'hallucinations' about volleyball education. Help high school aged players to "see the possibilities." I want to talk about "reducing friction" in volleyball. What techniques can we apply to create better individual and team play based on the "reducing friction" theme?

This is literally a TL/DR piece (too long, didn't read). Read it and write down five ACTIONABLE IDEAS. 

This is a strong idea. “Reducing friction” is intuitive, visual, and teachable—perfect for high school players. It also gives you a unifying lens across skill, decision-making, and team culture.

Friction is inefficiency - inefficiency in communication, reading plays, decision-making, athletic limitation, skill execution. 

Reducing Friction in Volleyball

Helping players see the game more clearly

Let’s start with a useful hallucination.

Imagine volleyball as a game of friction vs. flow.

Friction is anything that slows the play down, distorts it, or makes the next action harder than it needs to be. Flow is when the ball moves cleanly, decisions are obvious, and the next play almost makes itself.

Great teams don’t just make plays.
They reduce friction.

What Is Friction?

Friction shows up everywhere:

• Late reads
• Extra steps
• Off-platform passing
• Sets that drift
• Hitters adjusting mid-air
• Silence instead of communication

Friction is the invisible opponent. You don’t always see it on the stat sheet - but you feel it in every broken play.

The Goal: Make the Next Contact Easier

The best teams think one step ahead:

“How do I make the next player’s job simple?”

That’s volleyball at its highest level.

Not just execution—facilitation.

Five Ways to Reduce Friction

1. Early Information (See It Sooner)

Friction comes from being late.

• Read the server before contact
• Read the hitter’s shoulder, not just the ball
• Call seams early and loudly (ELO: early, loud, often)

When you see it sooner, everything slows down.

Hallucination: The ball is moving at the same speed—but it feels slower to you.

2. Efficient Footwork (Fewer, Better Steps)

Bad feet create chaos.

• Beat the ball to the spot
• Square early
• Eliminate extra adjustment steps

Every unnecessary step is friction.

Great players look smooth because they are on time, not because they are fast.

3. Platform Discipline (Clean Angles)

Passing is the first place friction shows up.

• Quiet platform
• Stable base
• Simple angles

A perfect pass doesn’t just help the setter—it unlocks the entire offense.

A poor pass forces everyone else into compensation mode.

4. Predictable Sets (Give Hitters Certainty)

Setters are friction managers.

• Same tempo, same location
• Consistent height
• Trustworthy release points

Hitters shouldn’t be guessing.

They should be arriving.

5. Communication That Leads the Play

Silence is friction.

• Call the ball early
• Call seams clearly
• Talk between plays

Communication doesn’t describe the play—it shapes it.

The Hidden One: Emotional Friction

This one matters more than we admit.

• Frustration after errors
• Negative body language
• Carrying the last play into the next

Emotional friction lingers. It slows reaction time. It clouds judgment.

Great teams reset quickly.

Next ball. Clean slate.

The Standard

“The standard is the standard.”

Low-friction teams look different:

• The ball travels cleanly
• Players move with purpose
• Decisions appear obvious
• Teammates make each other better

It’s not magic.

It’s the result of hundreds of small choices to reduce friction.

What Players Should Ask Themselves

After every rep:

• Did I make the next play easier or harder?
• Was I early or late?
• Did I move efficiently?
• Did I communicate clearly?

That’s how players learn to see the possibilities.

Lagniappe

Friction is the enemy of excellence. Remove enough of it, and the game opens up.

The ball starts to move faster. The court feels bigger. And what once looked difficult… becomes obvious.

Thanks for an insightful overview. During the next four months before tryouts, suggest three ways the individual player can reduce friction?

That’s the right constraint—four months, individual control, visible improvement.

If we keep the theme honest, we shouldn’t give them ten things.
Give them three levers that show up every day in the gym.

Reducing Friction: The Individual Plan (4 Months to Tryouts)

1. Win the Race to “On Time”

Friction = being late. Flow = arriving early.

Most high school players don’t struggle with effort—they struggle with timing.

Focus: Beat the ball to the spot.

How to train it:

• Daily wall work (5–10 minutes):
  • Toss → move → platform to target
  • Don’t stand and pass—arrive and pass
• Footwork reps:
  • Shuffle → stop → hold platform
  • Crossover → square → freeze
• Self-check:
  • “Was I waiting… or arriving?”

Standard:
Early feet. Quiet body. No panic steps.

What it unlocks:
When you’re on time, the game slows down.
When you’re late, everything speeds up.

2. Build a “Quiet Platform”

Friction lives in angles. Flow lives in simplicity.

Passing breaks down not from effort—but from instability.

Focus: Make your platform boring.

How to train it:

• Wall passing (every day):
  • 50–100 clean reps
  • Same angle, same finish
• Hold your finish:
  • Freeze for 2 seconds after contact
  • Check: did the ball do what you expected?
• Add movement gradually:
  • Start stationary → then step → then move

Constraints to use:

• No swinging arms
• No last-second adjustments
• Platform decides the ball—not your wrists

Standard:
If someone filmed you, your platform would look the same every time.

What it unlocks:
A clean first contact reduces friction for five other players.

3. Train Your Voice (ELO: Early, Loud, Often)

Silence is hidden friction.

Most players think communication is optional.
It’s not—it’s a performance skill.

Focus: Speak before the play needs you.

How to train it:

• Solo reps with voice:
  • Call “mine” on every touch - even alone
• Serve receive visualization:
  • Call seams out loud before the serve
• Watch volleyball (film or live):
  • Pause → say what you would call

Simple rules:

• Early beats accurate
• Loud beats perfect
• Often beats occasional

Standard:
Your voice should arrive before the ball does.

What it unlocks:
Good communication doesn’t react—it prevents confusion.

The 4-Month Edge

If a player does just these three things consistently:

• They arrive earlier
• They pass cleaner
• They communicate sooner

They won’t just look better. They’ll feel different to play with.Coaches notice that immediately.

Bottom Line

Reduce friction and the game opens up.

• Early feet
• Quiet platform
• Clear voice

Do that for four months, and tryouts won’t feel like a test. They’ll feel like confirmation.

Suggest three exercises (physical training) to reduce "athleticism friction."

Great extension—athleticism as friction control.

If skill is what you do with the ball, athleticism is how cleanly you arrive to the ball. Most high school athletes don’t lack effort—they leak energy through inefficient movement.

Give them three exercises that clean that up.

Reducing “Athleticism Friction”

Move better → arrive sooner → play cleaner

1. Snap-Down → Stick (Landing Discipline)

Friction = wasted motion after movement. Flow = control on contact.

Most players can jump. Fewer can land and stop.

How to do it:

• Stand tall → snap arms down → drop into an athletic position
• Feet shoulder-width, hips back, chest up
• Stick and hold for 2–3 seconds

Progressions:

• Add a small jump → land and stick
• Lateral hop → stick
• Single-leg stick (advanced)

Reps: 3 sets of 5–8 quality reps

What it trains:

• Deceleration (huge for defense and transition)
• Balance and body control
• Eliminates the “extra step” after movement

Translation to volleyball:
You don’t just get there—you arrive under control.

2. Lateral Bound → Hold (Court Coverage Without Chaos)

Friction = choppy, inefficient movement. Flow = powerful, direct movement.

Volleyball is lateral. Most training isn’t.

How to do it:

• Push explosively off one leg → bound sideways
• Land on the opposite leg
• Stick the landing before the next rep

Coaching points:

• Cover ground, don’t just hop
• Land quietly
• Knee tracks over toes (no collapse)

Reps: 3 sets of 4–6 each side

What it trains:

• Lateral power
• Single-leg stability
• Efficient first step

Translation:
Fewer steps. More ground covered. Less panic.

3. Short Burst → Controlled Stop (5–10 Yard Starts)

Friction = slow first step and sloppy stops. Flow = quick start, clean finish.

Most plays are won in the first 1–2 steps.

How to do it:

• Start in athletic stance
• Sprint 5–10 yards
• Decelerate under control—no drifting

Add variability:

• React to a visual cue (partner points left/right)
• Start from different positions (low, turned, shuffle start)

Reps: 4–6 reps per set, 2–3 sets

What it trains:

• First-step explosiveness
• Change of direction
• Game-like reactions

Translation:
You get to balls others can’t—and you’re balanced when you do.

The Hidden Theme

All three share one idea:

Don’t just move fast. Move clean.

• Jump → land under control
• Move → arrive balanced
• Sprint → stop on time

That’s how you reduce athletic friction.

Athleticism isn’t just speed or vertical.

It’s efficiency.

• Stick your landings
• Cover ground with purpose
• Start fast, stop clean

Do that, and everything else—passing, setting, hitting—gets easier. 

Share three sentences to help the committed player "get over the hump" through discipline, habits, and monitoring.

• Discipline is choosing the standard over your mood—on the days you don’t feel like it, those reps count double.
• Habits are your silent teammates; build a simple daily routine and let consistency do what motivation can’t.
• What you track improves—measure your reps, your quality, and your effort, and the truth will pull you forward.