Dr. Fergus Connolly, Human Performance Expert, shares thoughts on problem definition.
An excerpt: Problem definition matters more than solution sophistication.
Define the right problem first.Then solve it.
Consider whether the problem is an individual or team issue. One size won't fit all.
What 'subdivision' contains the need area?
Skill (including technique, e.g. attack footwork, armswing?)
Strategy (reading/understanding where to be and what is needed?)
Physicality (strength, conditioning, quickness)
Psychology (resilience, mental toughness)
Young players with limited experience may not know or be unsure of their limitations. Ask your coaches, both locally and on club. "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." With information available, there is no excuse to say, "I didn't know what to do."
When you have "diagnoses" write them down. Writing makes it clear. Writing makes it real.
Write out your proposed remedy for the issue. "I need to read the setter and get to the outside to close the block. Stop ball watching."
Track to get feedback. "I improve from two blocks per three sets to an average of four and a half. Use cellphone or tablet video. You're investing a lot of time and treasure so go the extra step.
When you return in the summer for tryouts, have more in your toolbox. "Success leaves footprints."
Consider and write out your core volleyball principles. Don't create an exhaustive list. Make it specific, succinct (e.g. five elements), and clear.
Address your core attitudes, beliefs, and values. Merit can arise in sharing lists as public declarations set a standard. For example, if one of your core principles is maximizing athleticism, sharing that you want to raise your vertical jump two inches sets the bar low.
Use graphics when applicable. "I commit to winning at intangibles, to being a great teammate and elite competitor."
Graphic from ChatGPT Plus
Give yourself the best chance to succeed at home, in class, and in your extracurriculars.
- At home: Ask "How can I help?"
- In school: What are the teacher and the text telling me?
- In sports: How can I impact winning, my teammates, and myself?
Periodically, check in with your list and your questions.
Your list, commitment, and monitoring reflect your ownership of volleyball education and training.
Summary:
Write down clear volleyball principles that capture your core beliefs and non-negotiable standards. Public commitments raise accountability: win the intangibles, be a great teammate, compete relentlessly, improve your athleticism. Then live them across environments - at home by asking “How can I help?”, in school by listening to teachers, and in sport by asking how you can impact winning, teammates, and your own growth. Revisit the list often; reflection signals owning development. Metrics like vertical jump, strength, and conditioning expose preparation and discipline and remind athletes that effort leaves evidence and that culture is built on measurable work.
Lagniappe. The late Carl Pierson included fitness testing during his tryouts. These provided objective measurements:
Vertical jump
Proxy for explosion, lower-body power, and athletic ceiling
Hard to fake; reveals who has trained
Bench press
Upper-body strength and toughness
A culture signal: who embraces the weight room
Timed mile run
Conditioning, discipline, and willingness to suffer
Separates “basketball shape” from résumé or reputation
I absolutely don't recommend fitness testing. Make fitness your standard. Carl included these because when a parent said, "why didn't my daughter make the basketball team?" he could say, "Susie struggled as an athlete among her peers. She was 40/40 in vertical jump, 38/40 in bench press, and didn't complete the mile run."
Lagniappe 2. Sport rewards athletic explosiveness. Don't allow what you can't do to interfere with what you can.
Do an in-season speed day w/ us!
1. Extensive pogo x30 sec 2. Extensive SL pogo x30 sec 3. Intensive pogo x8 sec 4. Intensive SL pogo x8 sec 5. Sled push-sprint x10 yards 6. Band release sprint x1 each 7. Band resisted vert x4 8. Band resisted broad x3 9. Max vertical x4 10. Max… pic.twitter.com/9chjfgmWJY
Two athletes. Same starting point. Same exact program.⁰But one keeps improving… and the other stays stuck. Why?
Athlete A is just going through the motions. Showing up because they have to. Checking the box.⁰ Athlete B shows UP. Every rep has… pic.twitter.com/PwNEvot4Q1
Jocko Willink explains the secret to building great relationships as a leader.
"If you want people to trust you, you have to trust them. If you want people to listen to you, you have to listen to them. If you want people to respect you, you have to respect them."
No magic formula or phrase exists that transforms student-athletes into leaders. Nobody knows for sure but there are thousands of leadership books published annually.
There's no time to read all of them, even if you wanted to do so. Here are five suggestions for leadership.
1) Make leadership a priority.
Leaders "do things the right way." That means being positive, punctual, and people-oriented ("take care of your teammates").
2) Leadership is service.
It's asking "how can I help?" That might be simple, boring, "unrewarding" tasks like setting up and breaking down equipment. "Leave the gym in better condition than you found it."
How Japan left their World Cup Locker Room.
3) Keep a leadership journal.
Write down opportunities that you had to lead and how you responded. Sometimes that can mean noticing a player 'struggling' or 'off their game' and letting them know that you believe in them.
4) Keep it simple.
Be positive.
Be punctual.
Model excellence.
Treat everyone well.
Never "kiss up and kick down."
Strive to be the hardest worker, as in "don't cheat the drill."
"Show up" every day.
5) Be the standard.
Regardless of whether you're at the top of the food chain or at the bottom, be your best every day. Do what you're supposed to do when you don't feel like it. Avoid doing what you shouldn't do when others are or you want to.
It's not rocket science. Take care of your business.
Lagniappe. Jordan rules. Pay the price.
Michael Jordan literally explained why winning has a price most people refuse to pay: pic.twitter.com/WhvKmRylb8
All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose institution.
"Practicing hard is a choice. Watching extra film is a choice. Lifting weights, being coachable, and going to class are a choice. Your choices here are going to force me to either play you, or sit you on the bench. You’ll get exactly what you want." (Pat Summitt) pic.twitter.com/xHvmkWVqi3
"You own your paycheck." Your paycheck includes your minutes, your role, and your recognition. "Control what you can control" - attitude, choices, and effort.
Long ago 12 year-old (future billionaire) Mark Cuban wanted a new pair of sneakers. A neighbor offered surplus boxes of trash bags that he would sell Mark for $3 dollars per box. Mark went door to door and sold them for $6. He earned the money and got the sneakers. The rest is history.
“The only time you look into someone else’s cup is to check if they have enough. (not to check if yours is fuller).” - New York City therapist
Some outstanding MVB players start out at one spot and relocate to another. Alyssa DiRaffaele moved from the front row to libero. She helped the 2011 team reach the State finals. Gia Vlakjovic moved from setter to outside hitter and helped MVB win a pair of sectionals. Sadie Jaggers moved from the middle to outside and had a memorable season as a "Triple Crown" winner. Be open to positional change for the good of the team if that arises.
Take ownership of what matters - helping the team succeed, making everyone around you better, leading, and being your best version every day.
Lagniappe. Study Alyssa DiRaffaele
Lagniappe 2. Repost. The 'obvious' point about topspin is that you must 'hit' above the equator of the ball...also, you don't need a gym to practice your toss.
Lagniappe 3. Quotes from "Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
"It’s not what you preach, it’s what you tolerate." At its core, leadership raises standards for both individuals and teams.
"Discipline equals freedom." When we are disciplined in doing what we must do when it must be done, we earn more freedom from high performance.
"The most fundamental and important truths at the heart of Extreme Ownership: there are no bad teams, only bad leaders." Good leadership helps teams perform to the best of their ability. Teams perform above the level of their "talent" when they embrace leadership, coachability, and teamwork.
My opinion doesn't matter. Outsiders don't matter. Years ago, I had a chance to talk briefly with Coach Ed Beattie who led Winnacunnet to seven state basketball titles. Most impressive? He said, "The deal is between the players and me."
He meant that what matters most is "in house." You play for each other - not for a community, a school, or your family. Beattie acknowledged that New Hampshire allowed for coaching outside the season, which creates a different dynamic.
In the video, Kerr emphasizes, "protect the team." What coaches and players do outside the practice facility and games matters. "Represent."
Sport and life distill to "character and competence." Because of the intensity of competition in both sport and life, it's hard to be "low character, high competence."
Here's Chat GPT Plus (AI) enhancement:
Character vs Competence Matrix
High Competence
Low Competence
High Character
High Character / High Competence Reliable leaders who elevate teams.
Examples often cited: • Tim Duncan • Drew Brees • Maya Moore
High Character / Low Competence Excellent teammates who work hard but may lack elite ability.
Examples might include: • End-of-bench players known for culture and leadership • Walk-ons who become team captains despite limited playing time
Low Character
Low Character / High Competence Talented players whose behavior damages teams.
Examples often debated: • Antonio Brown • Kyrie Irving (sometimes cited due to team disruption debates)
Low Character / Low Competence Players who neither help performance nor culture.
Examples would include: • Fringe professional athletes later convicted of serious crimes • Players removed from teams for disciplinary issues
Leadership Interpretation (How Coaches Think About It)
Coaches generally handle each quadrant differently.
High Character / High Competence
Build the program around them.
These athletes:
set standards
model behavior
influence teammates
They become culture carriers.
High Competence / Low Character
Short-term temptation, long-term risk.
Teams sometimes tolerate these players because of talent, but they can:
fracture locker rooms
undermine accountability
destabilize leadership hierarchy
Many championship coaches eventually remove them.
High Character / Low Competence
Culture builders.
These players often become:
captains
glue guys
future coaches
They raise practice quality and team cohesion.
Low Character / Low Competence
Easy decision.
These players rarely last long in strong programs.
As the saying goes:
“If someone hurts both the culture and the scoreboard, the decision makes itself.”
A Simple Coaching Rule
Many successful coaches quietly follow this principle:
Category
Coaching Action
High Character + High Competence
Build around
High Competence + Low Character
Manage carefully
High Character + Low Competence
Develop and value
Low Character + Low Competence
Remove
A Line That Fits Your Coaching Philosophy
You could summarize the matrix for athletes this way:
Talent may win games, but character determines how many you can win together.
Talent wins games, but character determines how many you can win together.
MVB non-league competition will vary across leagues, geography, and divisions. This supplements the ML12 (11 apiece) and ML12 seeding which will match teams with similar records.
Melrose had a 2025 power ranking in Division 2 of 1.99
The non-league opposition with power rankings (2025)
Marblehead 2.95
Methuen - 3.10
Duxbury - 4.36
Ipswich - (0.52)
Arlington Catholic - 1.83
Newburyport - 2.49
Lynn Classical - 2.14
This presents the most geographically diverse schedule since the days of the North Shore League which blended the small number of Middlesex League teams with opponents such as Lynnfield and North Reading.
Making progress takes a sense of humility. You must be humble enough to believe that you can constantly improve and that you never arrive.
It takes intentionality to move forward. You cannot drift to a desired destination. You must intentionally move forward with your focus on… pic.twitter.com/lytSIi2Xyg
Our imagination helps us answer the question, "What don't you see?" What could make you an impactful player?
When watching a sport, ask more than "What am I seeing?" Ask, "What am I not seeing?"
In basketball, that includes:
Defensive pressure on the ball
Dominant defensive rebounding
Pick-and-roll offense/defense
Effective spacing
ROB shots (in range, open, on balance)
What absences "appear" in volleyball?
The "identifiable" weakness (the offensive/defensive hole)
Communication ("absence of evidence not equal to evidence of absence")
Early reading of plays ("step late defense")
"Enough" - not enough blocking, not enough aces
Effective coverage during attacks
Make absence equal problem solving
Closing the Loop
Solutions will always be partial. Nobody can remove the opponent from the equation. Opponents get a 'say'. In the military, the expression is, "No plan survives contact with the enemy." Solutions must emerge during games because "chaos challenge" is part of the game.
Recognizing what isn't there
Sometimes there's not "Enough."
Not enough blocking touches. Not enough aces. Not enough aggressive swings in transition.
Teams sometimes lose not because they are terrible - but because they are slightly insufficient. Close matches have little margin for error.
The stat sheet tells you what happened. It does not tell you what should have happened.
Final arguments
So the next time you watch a match - ours or anyone’s, ask two questions:
"What am I seeing?" And, "What am I not seeing?" Championships often hide in the invisible.
Lagniappe. An unavoidable truth, exceptional players become exceptional athletes.
Use this 3-tier jump circuit to improve your vertical ⬇️
Put the best version of yourself on display every day - at home, at school, and in the community. Excellence starts with wanting to be your best, showing up consistently.
At school, you share presentations with teachers and your peers. Welcome them as opportunities to demonstrate your preparation, practice, and competence.
Your audience judges you by substance, content presentation, and your style, how well and how confidently you speak.
Preparation
Audiences crave not only content, but remember The Big Three:
Novelty
Emotion
Memorable information
Imagine you shared visiting an ICU with extremely ill patients. In one bed you saw an elderly doctor wearing a hospital gown, attached to a variety of life support devices. On the bedside table, you see a picture of the same man, a little younger, wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, surrounded by his spouse, children, and smiling grandchildren at a family barbecue. It defined contradiction, the joy and vibrance of life and its fragility. You would never forget that experience, seared into your consciousness. Real life and "Just a Photograph" indelibly linked.
Style
Know your audience. You wouldn't address first graders as you would University representatives during a college interview.
Show good posture. Keep your hands out of any pockets. Some hand movement may reinforce points. Avoid speaking too slowly or too fast.
Avoid punctuating your speech with "er," "um," "like" or "you know." Better to ask, "am I being clear" if you're uncertain.
Humor can be helpful as can "emphasis points." In 1986, at a tuberculosis lecture at National Jewish Hospital in Denver, John Sbarbaro began by walking up to the first row (there were maybe 40 of us attendees), and coughing violently over them. "If I had symptomatic active tuberculosis, now you'd all have it."
Substance
Statistics can mean a lot in context. Imagine that a defense attorney says, "DNA testing is not infallible" and the prosecution expert says, "The odds that the DNA on the victim are not the defendant's are one in a million." Or that the Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says, "Here's our annual budget. In 1,600 years, that equals that of NASA."
Be a Storyteller
Tell a compelling story that will move your audience. Remember the SUCCESS acronym, better yet, write it down.
S = simple
U = unexpected
C = concrete (specific)
C = credible (believable)
E = emotional
S = stories
Ralph Labella and I coached an athletic girl who was a fierce competitor with excellent size and strength. We encouraged her to play volleyball in a winning program, where she would play in the playoffs every year. She made the volleyball team as a freshman and was superb in the sectional final. The "V-Rex" is now Dr. Victoria Crovo, a veterinarian.
