Fighters

 
Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle said it best: 

Study Video to Read and React Faster

Volleyball is a thinking-person's sport and it's a 'reacting-person's' sport.

Many sports break down as offense, defense, and conversion (the moments between offense and defense). And scoring divides into point production and point prevention. 

Serve-receive is a vital part of point prevention and conversion as it begins the ideal "pass-set-hit" sequence. 

The video (watch at 1.5 speed for efficiency) shows defenders reading and reacting to serves with an emphasis on eye work. Batters watches a pitcher's release point seeking clues on velocity, direction, and spin. So should volleyball defenders. 

If defenders can access "end zone" video (contact your coaches), you can study opponents and apply your knowledge to "early warning" of serve type. Gary Klein discusses this in great depth in the book Sources of Power. Military radar operators have to judge rapidly profiles of velocity, direction, and acceleration to identify aircraft from missiles. 

AI take: 

PROMPT: In "Sources of Power" Gary Klein discusses recognition-primed decisions, especially for radar operators detecting airplane versus missile. Can you break similarities for volleyball serve receive? 

Yes. And it’s not a stretch at all.

Klein’s recognition-primed decision making (RPD) is about making good decisions fast when there isn’t time to compare options. Experts don’t “analyze” in the moment. They recognize a pattern, pick the first workable action, then mentally simulate it for a split second: Will this work here? If yes, they go.

That’s radar operators. It’s also great serve receive.

The core similarity

Radar operator: “Is that blip an aircraft or a missile?”
They don’t run a spreadsheet. They scan for cues (speed, trajectory, signature, context), match to a prototype, then act.

Serve receive passer: “Is this serve seam? Short? Flat and fast? Late float? Jump-topspin to 1?”
Same deal. You’re solving a high-speed classification problem with noisy data.

1) Cue pickup under time pressure

RPD depends on noticing the right cues, early.

In serve receive, the best passers don’t wait for the ball to “tell the truth” at the last second. They read pre-contact cues:

• Server’s starting spot and preferred lane

• Toss (height, in front/behind, left/right drift)

• Approach angle (straight vs. across)

• Shoulder line / hips at contact

• Contact sound + contact point (clean/topspin vs. float)

• Immediate ball behavior: early wobble, flattening, topspin dive

That’s the volleyball version of “signature” and “track.”

2) Prototypes, not options

Klein’s experts have a library of patterns: “This looks like that.”

Serve receive prototypes might be:

• “This is her flat float to seam when she’s under stress.”

• “This is his jump-topspin to deep 5 when we’re in rotation X.”

• “This is the short serve bait to pull our OH in.”

A novice sees “a serve.”
An expert sees a known kind of serve with an expected next behavior.

3) Expectancies and anomaly detection

Radar operators don’t just look for what is there; they look for what should be there. When reality violates expectations, alarms go off.

Great passers do this constantly:

• “Her toss usually doesn’t drift—why did it drift?”

• “That approach is more across than normal—seam is coming.”

• “Ball is floating but not wobbling—it’ll stay truer and travel faster.”

The best passers are great at ‘something’s off’ detection.

4) The first workable action, then a quick mental simulation

RPD is not “pick the perfect option.” It’s “pick the first good one and test it fast.”

Serve receive version:

1. Recognize: “Deep float to my right hip.”

2. Action script: “Beat it with feet, angle platform to target, hold line.”

3. Mental sim (split second): “If I lean early I’ll shank—stay centered, move late, absorb.”

No deliberation. Just a script plus a check.

5) Scripts are team-based, not just individual

Radar decisions often happen in a system with shared language and procedures. Same in serve receive.

Serve receive RPD improves when the team shares:

• Seam rules (“mine/yours”)

• Short-ball rules

• Overlap priority (libero vs. OH)

• Emergency rules (“if it drops inside 10-foot line, take it with hands if possible”)

Without shared scripts, recognition doesn’t translate to clean action. It translates to hesitation.

Where volleyball differs (important)

Radar operators often have more time and can re-check. Serve receive is one-and-done: you’re judged by your first solution.

Also, servers can intentionally “spoof” you (change toss rhythm, go short after deep, etc.). So your recognition library must include deception patterns and “anti-patterns.”

How to train RPD for serve receive

If you want your athletes to “see it faster,” train like Klein would:

1) Build prototypes (pattern library)

• Scout tendencies: zones, pressure choices, favorite serves by rotation

• Give passers names for patterns (“late float,” “fast flat,” “drop-short,” “seam sniper”)

2) Train cue pickup (pre-contact)

• Video occlusion: pause at toss / at contact; passer calls zone/type

• On-court “call it early”: passer must call type + zone before the ball crosses the net

3) Train mental simulation with quick reflection

After each rep, ask one question:

• “What cue made you move?”
  or

• “What did you expect, and what surprised you?”

That builds anomaly detection.

4) Use variable reps, not blocked reps

Blocked reps build comfort. Variable reps build recognition.

Mix:

• short/deep

• seam/line

• float/topspin

• different servers back-to-back

5) Encode “if–then” rules

• If toss drifts left → expect seam to 6/5

• If approach is across body → expect crosscourt

• If ball is flat with no wobble early → get feet there sooner

Simple. Repeatable. Shareable.

 

"One Team, One Fight"

General George Joulman greeted superiors and subordinates with "one team, one fight.," That places everyone on the same team and leaves no ambiguity.

It's not always agenda-free in team sports. Recall the sign in the University of North Carolina women's soccer locker room. 

Excellence is our only agenda

It doesn't read, "my playing time" or "my stats" or "my All-America campaign." They won 22 National Championships through commitment to team excellence. And you know that every woman on those elite teams wanted to play. 

The "Team First" standard is a big ask in a world of scholarships and NIL money for some. "Team First" attitude comes as part of the culture promoted and nurtured by Coach Scott Celli and his staff. 

Former UNC basketball coach Roy Williams shared a story about watching a recruit who fouled out. The player didn't sulk. He sprinted to the water cooler to get water for the four guys still on the court during the thirty second substitution period. Williams knew he had a keeper. UNC legend Dean Smith said he didn't recruit superstars who didn't help their team win. And he said if a recruit was dismissive to his parents, then Smith didn't want him either. Character is Job One.

I keep an eye on what's going on with reserve players during games. Are they dialed in, studying the game and supporting the team. 

Leading 2-1, late in the fourth set of a playoff game, Emma Desmond makes one of the great plays in MVB history. Watch the bench. 

"One team, one fight." 

Lagniappe. The roster and lineups for MVB 26 won't be known for over six months. What is certain is that trust earns opportunity. 

LEADERS….
3 things your team wants from you:

1. Clarity: Provide clarity which leads to focused action.
2. Belief: Encourage and let them know you believe in them and what they can accomplish.
3. Trust: They want to know you trust them and that they can trust you.

— Jon Gordon (@JonGordon11) February 15, 2026

Lagniappe 2. The non-schedule is coming together. Included are: Marblehead, @Newburyport, @Ipswich, Lynn Classical, @Methuen. There is room for seven non-league games. 

 

AC in DC?

Melrose has a number of Avidity Club volleyball participants in Washington, D.C. for an offseason tournament. (Photos via Facebook) 

Being Present

Full commitment helps elite operators make faster, better, instinctive decisions. Total commitment "takes a lot of work," the opposite of multitasking.

“I’m letting the team down because I turned the ball over, I’m letting the team down because I missed a shot

No, you’re letting the team down when it parlays into 4-5 possessions after that.”

The best have a next play mentality

(Via @BallisPsych 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/A2jskIQgjd

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) February 14, 2026

How can we build the habit of "playing present?"

• Reduce distractions (e.g. background television)
• "Pomodoro technique" - 25 minutes work/study, 5 minute break
• Mindfulness. Mindfulness improves attention. 
• Remove the cellphone from our immediate environment. Schools recognized this and banned cellphone use during class. 

Input from AI (ChatGPT Plus)

Attention Wins Points

Volleyball is not chaotic. It only feels that way to the unfocused mind.

The ball moves fast. The rallies are short. One lapse becomes a point. The scoreboard is an honesty machine.

We talk about skill, vertical, strength, speed. All matter. But attention may be the most undertrained skill in high school sports.

You can be strong and distracted.
You can be talented and late.
You can be athletic and unaware.

Attention is the separator.

Focus Is a Trainable Skill

Attention is not a personality trait. It is a habit.

Five minutes a day of quiet breathing — count from one to ten and restart when your mind wanders — builds the same muscle that allows a libero to read a hitter’s shoulder or a blocker to hold discipline on a slide.

If you can’t hold your attention in a quiet room, you won’t hold it in a loud gym.

Shrink the Target

“Play better” is useless.

“Low and loaded before every serve receive” is actionable.
“See the setter’s hands before I move” is actionable.
“Call seam early and loud” is actionable.

Attention improves when the cue is specific.

Big goals distract. Small cues anchor.

Pre-Decide Under Pressure

Great teams reduce thinking in the moment because they’ve already thought before the moment.

If we give up three straight points, we huddle and reset.
If I miss a serve, I breathe and repeat my routine.
If I feel tight, I exhale and say my cue word.

Pre-decisions protect attention from emotion.

Respect the Routine

Watch elite servers. Same breath. Same bounce. Same target.

Routine reduces randomness.

Before every serve:

• Deep breath.

• Visualize zone.

• Cue word: “High and hard.”

Routine shifts attention from fear (“Don’t miss”) to execution.

Eliminate Attention Leaks

Sleep matters.
Phones fragment attention.
Emotional drama drains bandwidth.

A tired brain makes more unforced errors. A distracted athlete misses seams and tips. A reactive player chases the ball instead of reading the play.

Attention requires recovery.

Make Focus Measurable

If you want attention to improve, measure it.

Track:

• Serve routine adherence.

• First contact quality.

• Communication errors (“campfires”).

• Late transitions.

Film should not be passive. Show ten clips. Ask one question per clip:
Where were her eyes?
What cue was missed?
What happened first?

Attention sharpens when thinking is active.

Process Before Outcome

Scoreboards are outcomes. Attention lives in process.

Control what you can control:

• Attitude

• Choices

• Effort

Every rally asks one question:
Were you present?

The teams that sustain focus win the long match. The ones that drift lose tight sets.

Talent sets the ceiling.
Attention sets the floor.

And in volleyball, the floor matters.

 

 

Relentless

pic.twitter.com/SzHxyIf92w

— Coach the Coaches (@WinningCoaches) February 14, 2026

Jay Bilas is a former Duke Blue Devil, practicing attorney, national television broadcaster, and author of the book, "Toughness." 

Success doesn't demand perfection. 

Chase excellence and you have a great chance at catching consistency. Combine consistency with ability and toughness and you've got something special. It's your choice. 

Learning to Be a Lioness

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. 

Over the past twenty-five years, hundreds of young women have passed through the MVB program. Fewer than ten have "won big" with multiple sectional titles and elite individual recognition. That opportunity lies ahead for some of you. 

Jose, the valedictorian at Arrupe Jesuit in Denver was the first in his family to complete high school. How?

"I was never, ever given the opportunity to fail," Jose answered simply. "People kept pushing me. They picked me up when I fell. They believed in me. If they felt that way about me, I had to feel that way about me." And then he added, "I have changed the history of my family." - from "It Worked for Me," by General Colin Powell 

As a youngster, your parents support and nurture you. They protect you, encourage you, guide you, and then expand your range. They sacrifice so you learn how to become a lioness.

Without the lioness oversight, the cubs don't survive. The cycle repeats for thousands of generations.

"Mentoring is the only shortcut to success." The lion cubs don't have a choice. If they wander away from their den, the lioness grabs them and brings them back. It's natural for them to explore and their mother knows of unseen hazards that they haven't encountered. 

Your parents are your first mentors. 

Your teachers add value in a next phase. 

Your coaches help you to understand the game, competition, and some life hacks, too. Because you're receptive to coaching. 

You have a lot of people helping you to become a lioness...

An example from MVB past who was a lioness and a unicorn 

Second Helping - Three Columns

Take a piece of paper and fold it into three sections. Now apply labels to each. 

• Great players
• Great winners
• Great players who are great winners

"There's a big difference in being a great player and being a great winner.
The best players are both.
When you are a great winner, you are committed to the invisible.
Your commitment level to the things that drive team success that get no recognition is at the highest level." pic.twitter.com/QC9EGH2RDh

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) February 13, 2026

What qualities belong to the players who excel individually and collectively? 

Think about Bill Russell

• 14 championships in 15 years (2 NCAA, Olympics, 11 NBA)
• 21-0 in "Win or go home" games
• "My ego depends on the success of my team."

Attitude. "The team comes first."

Leadership. "Whatever it takes."

Role. "Make teammates better..."

Resilience. Never quit, regardless of the situation. 

Go back to our piece of paper. Where do you want to be listed? 

Lagniappe. More on topspin

Another factor in successful attacks is high "contact point" above the net. Low contact points can cause hitting into the net and higher frequency of being blocked.

 

For the girls playing in DC this weekend, have a great experience. 

Rising Ambition

A second lieutenant sits next to a general in the Officers' Club and asks, "How do you make general?" "Well, son," said the general, "here's what you do. You work like a dog, you never stop studying, you train your troops hard and take care of them. You are loyal to your commander and your soldiers. You do the best you can in every mission, and you love the Army. You are ready to die for the mission and your troops. That's all you have to do." The lieutenant replied with a soft voice, "Wow, and that's how you make general..." "Naw, that's how you make first lieutenant. Just keep repeating it, and let 'em see what you got." - Colin Powell in "It Worked for Me"

You made the team. That's a beginning not the end. Your question is obvious, "How do I contribute?"

It's not complicated, but it's not easy. 

Commit to have the will to prepare. 

Lead. Everyone can lead. 

Be the hardest worker.

Choose to be the best teammate. 

Grow your skills, athleticism, and mental toughness. 

Raise you volleyball IQ. Become an instinctive player who reads and reacts.

Bring the best version of yourself every day. 

Lagniappe. Study Melrose greats. Jen Cain is probably the most underrated player in Melrose history. An undersized attacker, she played at an All-State level for the 2012 Championship team. She was an elite passer and defender and played at a high level in college for Merrimack. When someone says, "she could become another Jen Cain," that is high praise. 

Jen didn’t make general overnight.

She made first lieutenant. Then she kept repeating it.

That’s how contributors are built.

Noise Not News?

All opinions expressed in the blog are mine. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. 

"Articulating my perspective by writing was an enormous aid to my understanding. But it’s mostly an editing process—I spend much of this quiet time deciding what is not worthwhile. This is… liberating." - Barry Ritholtz in "How Not to Invest" 

Authors work to get the story right. Investigative journalist Bob Woodward tells a cautionary tale: he nearly published a story about a coffee shop that wasn’t actually the coffee shop - similar name, different operation. Verification isn’t just checking the facts. It’s checking the identity. 

MVB Legacy

Players create legacies based on multiple factors - performance, recognition, and winning. There's a mythical MVB "Mount Rushmore;"  three faces are 'easy' - Brickley, Bell, and McGowan. 

Image created by ChatGPT Plus (not a likeness of MVB players)

Hannah Brickley was All-State three times and Brooke Bell and Sarah McGowan were both elite performers on the State Championship team and part of the Boston Herald "Team of the Decade." Winning big and driving winning matter. 

What We Know of MVB 2026

• The revised MVB schedule will create 11 league games (one for each team), 7 non-league games, and 2 seeded league games to be determined. 
• A large contingent of returning players creates intense competition for the triad of positions, roles, and recognition. Opportunity is there for everyone. 
• Two non-league commitments so far - Newburyport and Marblehead

Noise Not News

Two areas change substantially. Opponents can't "load up" with the idea of stopping Sabine Wenzel, who in the words of Rick Pitino "won't be walking back through that door." Inexperience will be less of a factor. The five sophomores and five freshmen from MVB 25 become ten players with a year of experience. 

Outlier 

"The wind blows hardest at the top of the mountain." There's no Freedom Division crown to defend. Every team has turnover, the opportunity to "reload not rebuild." MVB 26 has the chance to plant its flag on the volleyball landscape. That builds excitement. 

Lagniappe. The foundations of high school sports are demonstrating character and competence through competition. 

High school basketball is about more than just X’s and O’s.
- It’s teaching young people to handle pressure without panicking.
- To show up for their teammates, even when it’s hard.
- To walk into adversity with confidence, knowing effort always gives them a shot.

— Steve Collins (@TeachHoopsBBall) February 8, 2026

Lagniappe 2. Great baseball pitchers have combinations of velocity, movement, and control. Many of Melrose's best servers and hitters had a lot of topspin. Develop it. 

From AI: 

Topspin in volleyball is primarily explained by the Magnus effect.

The Real Driver: The Magnus Effect

When a volleyball spins forward (topspin):

• The top of the ball rotates against the direction of flight.

• The bottom rotates with the direction of flight.

• This creates a pressure imbalance in the surrounding air.

• The ball experiences a downward force, causing it to drop faster than gravity alone would produce.

That downward force = Magnus force.

This is why a hard topspin serve can clear the net by inches and still dive sharply into the court.

Where Bernoulli Fits (and where it doesn’t)

The Bernoulli principle explains how faster-moving air has lower pressure. It’s part of the physics description of why the Magnus effect happens—but it’s not the whole story.

Modern physics describes topspin more accurately using:

• Airflow separation

• Boundary layer behavior

• Newton’s third law (deflection of air downward → force upward or downward)

Coaching Translation

If you’re teaching players:

• More spin = more dip

• More velocity + spin = sharper late drop

• Flat contact = float behavior

• Brushed contact = topspin dive

The practical lesson:

Topspin gives you margin. You can swing harder because the ball will fall.