Bite at the Apple*

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. *Some AI assist in this piece. 

You never know when, or whether, you will get another "bite at the apple."

Athletes sometimes presume another season, another tournament, another big match, another healthy year, another opportunity will come. Maybe it will. Maybe it won't.

Celebrated play assures nothing. Talent guarantees nothing. A great regular season doesn't mean a favorable ending. Favorites lose.  Underdogs surprise. Opportunity has an expiration date.

Players from championship teams sometimes speak years later about believing there would be another chance. It never came.

That's reason to relish the opportunity before you. Favorite or underdog doesn't matter much. When the ball goes up, you get your bite at the apple.

Study the Game

Preparation begins with understanding. First, understand yourself. "To thine own self be true."

What do we do well? Where are we vulnerable? Which rotations score? Which struggle? Can we pass the toughest server? Do we defend tips? What happens out-of-system?

Self-scouting requires honesty. Knowing yourself eliminates surprise.

Then study the opposition. "Know your enemy."

Where do they score? Who's their "go to" option? Who struggles in serve receive? Does the setter reveal direction? Does an outside hitter tip when pushed off the net? Can their middle close the block?

Information doesn't win. Applied advantage does.

Craft Winning Plays

Do what you do best.

Good passing creates choices. Quality serving reduces theirs. Put your strongest players in positions to succeed. 

Then attack weakness. Serve a vulnerable passer. Make a slow blocker move. Force an uncomfortable hitter to swing from an uncomfortable location. If the defense cheats, use the space emptied.

Sun Tzu's advice survives because it is simple:

Utilize strengths. Attack weaknesses. Fall in love with easy.

Avoid Losing Plays

Many matches aren't won. They're gifted.

Service errors. Free balls into the net. Poor communication. Overpasses. Bad decisions after good defensive plays.

Control what you can control.

Exceptional opponents will "get theirs." A great hitter will terminate balls. A great server may score an ace. Don't convert an earned point into four unearned ones.

And remember: Stops make runs.

When the other team scores three straight, somebody needs to make the ordinary play that stops four from becoming seven. 

Momentum doesn't always require brilliance. It requires competence.

Maximize Focus

Reading the game begins long before match point. It begins in practice. Watch the setter. Read the hitter's approach. Recognize a bad set. Anticipate the roll shot. Hear your teammate call "short."

Concentration --> Anticipation --> Reaction --> Execution.

Mindfulness, playing present, matters. The last rally is gone. The next one lies over the horizon. Play this ball.

Build Resilience

Big matches seldom unfold predictably. Errors happen. The official will miss something. An opponent will make a spectacular play.

Now what?

Resilience accepts adversity. It shrinks the distance between adversity and effective action.

Practice that way. Practice tired. Practice behind. Practice after mistakes. Create disadvantage and solve it.

Play harder for longer.

The team that handles adversity best often looks surprisingly ordinary doing it. Calmer, not drama. Just another point.

Seize the Day

Opportunity is strange. You spend months preparing for moments that may last seconds. And when those moments arrive, no assurances come with them. 

The promise is opportunity. Study. Prepare. Compete. Help each other. Endure.

Take your bite at the apple; nobody knows when the next one is coming.

Lagniappe. Make few promises; keep them. Everyone makes errors; own them. Value your teammates; help them.