"The mailman doesn't get medals for delivering letters."
Approach preparation, training, and games with the same purpose - having clear intent, total focus, and commitment to excellence.
Jumping rope for five minutes - do it well.
Studying 2026 club volleyball film - measure the details. Did you read the setter and the hitter allowing you to get to the ball a step quicker? After practice did you work your recovery - hydration, walking and or thermal contrast shower?
"In the game of baseball, three strikes and you’re out. Not so in the game of
life. Three strikes and you’re not out. There are two things a leader can do:
he can either contaminate his environment (and his people) with his attitude
and actions, or he can inspire confidence. A leader must be visible to the
people he leads. He must be self-confident and always maintain a positive
attitude. If a leader thinks he might lose in whatever crisis or situation; then
he has already lost. He must exhibit a determination to prevail no matter
what the odds or how difficult the situation. He must have and display the
will to prevail by his actions, his words, his tone of voice, his appearance,
his demeanor, his countenance, and the look in his eyes. He must never give
off any hint or evidence that he is uncertain about a positive outcome."
Hal Moore writes from experience, having "walked the walk" as an officer on the ground in Vietnam.
What can we incorporate from his first principle and explanation.
1. Never quit.
Volleyball is a game of momentum, of ebbs and flows. There's a difference between "running in mud" and feeling as though you are. The capacity to "recenter" or what you hear Coach Celli say often, "reset," separates the ability to stop the bleeding or need a transfusion.
Being a worthy opponent means having the capacity to "stay in the fight" even when the play is not going as well as desired.
2. Be visible.
One of the most famous examples of moral courage in defeat comes from the example of Spartan king Leonidas I at the famous Battle of Thermopylae. Outnumbered more than 10 to 1 (some say more), the Spartans used terrain and superior weaponry to hold off the attacking force for several days before they were betrayed and slaughtered.
Leonidas earned legendary status as a "lead from the front" general in a battle taught in every War College.
3. Bring positivity.
"You cannot have a positive life with a negative attitude." Coaches express this in different ways, including Urban Meyer's "Above the Line" behavior.
Positive attitude is intentional, purposeful, and reflects skill and belief. "Control what you can control" starts with attitude.
4. Body language matters.
Body language impacts your physiology. "Expansive power positions" have shown higher levels of 'strength hormones' and lower levels of 'stress hormones'. One former MVB player said that she always walked into the gym standing tall, head up. "Everyone in the gym should know that the best player here just walked in" (regardless of whether it's true). Confidence balances arrogance and doubt. Act that way.
Just as "everyone benefits from coaching," everyone benefits from clear video analysis. Many of you have cellphones...learn to watch your own video.
What separates 'execution'?
Personnel (who's on the field or in the classroom?)
Strategy (what's the intent?)
Operations (results are in the details)
The author argues to study:
Structure
Concepts
Tendencies (do they attack middle, pins, setter dumps, pipe?)
Anticipation (what comes next of what if?)
Decades ago Melrose headed into the the sectional final against a team that focused on tips and "irritation." Every point they scored they danced wildly in celebration. Melrose took away the tips, quieting the dancing and the crowd.
Lagniappe. Winning recommendations.
KOBE BRYANT’S 10 RULES:
Get better every single day Prove them wrong Work on your weaknesses Execute what you practiced Learn from greatness Learn from both wins and losses Practice mindfulness Be ambitious Believe in your team/yourself Learn storytelling pic.twitter.com/FyW09L7Hjl
"Don't reinvent the wheel." Use what is known to work.
"It is easier to avoid mistakes than be a genius."
Mental models are valuable tools which help decision-making. When you have a difficult decision to make, apply some of these mental models. Writing down your thought process and the eventual outcome help you with future decisions.
1) Win the morning. Have a productive morning routine.
2) Read. Yes, as student-athletes you have "required reading." What if you did an extra hour of reading daily for five years. You'd have an edge of over 1,800 hours versus fellow students. Readers are achievers.
3) "It's different here," is a Boston Celtics motto.
Bill Russell, winner of 14 championships (NCAA, Olympic, NBA) in 15 years said, "Imagination leads to innovation leading to differentiation." Be different.
4) Exercise efficiently. Can you jump rope for five minutes? We used to start basketball practice in 1972 and 1973 with five minutes of jumping rope.
Slant boards (less than $30) have a variety of benefits.
5) Broken clock reminder. "Even a broken clock is right twice a day."
Work out with a partner! Friendship and competition.
Mindfulness develops focus, improves sleep, and mental health.
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.
