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."
"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.
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.
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.
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.
Play 'word association'. If someone says "Nebraska," most people might say, "Corn." If someone says, "Successful volleyball," then you might say, "Nebraska," or a lot of other key words.
I like to go 'around the team' with this exercise. "Easy if you know it; hard if you don't." Start your successful volleyball chain.
Consistent
Aggressive
Teamwork (collaboration)
Communication
"Play harder for longer"
Focus
Urgency
Intentional (having a plan)
"Competitive fury"
Mental toughness
Relentless
Enthusiastic
Energy
"Continual ascension" (constant improvement)
Smart
Joy
Positivity
Affirmations
Name five specific 'tasks' achieved by excellent teams:
Service points - (target seams, softies (weak defender), setter, sometimes short or sideline)
Serve-receive excellence - MVB 26 has experience in the back, there shouldn't be a "soft defender"
Close out sets - mental toughness and versatile play
"Big play guys" - players at many positions making 'crunch time' plays
Limit mistakes- strong teams don't give away games through mental mistakes, communication errors, or loss of focus
Best advice I got in my 20s: Nobody cares. When you’re winning, nobody cares. When you’re losing, nobody cares. Stop fearing the judgement of people who were never even thinking about you. Nobody is thinking about you. They’re too busy thinking about themselves. Go do the thing. pic.twitter.com/ziTujInNhh
Image from Coach Mike Neighbors via John Maxwell's "Talent Is not Enough"
Legend has it that a chef's toque with a hundred pleats represents the hundred ways to cook eggs. Is the perfect egg the talent or the chef?
Everyone has hardware and software, your body and brain. To become a high performance "thinking machine," upgrade both. There's no secret sauce.
Find mentors
Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence. Mr. Rogers said, "Look for the helpers." Often we don't know what we don't know. The eager student attracts mentors. Remember that the cornerstones of Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" are enthusiasm and industriousness (hard work).
The mentor makes the mentee better...and vice versa.
Think Like a Boss
Medicine is a hierarchical training program. Early on, students learn the basics, the fundamentals of anatomy, physiology, biology of health and disease, pharmacology, etc. They get exposure to clinical specialties - Surgery, Medicine, Ob-Gyn, and have electives. To accelerate your career arc, think at next levels. As a student, think as an intern. As an intern, think as a resident. As a resident think as a Staff Attending and researcher. As a varsity player, think like a collegian.
As a student-athlete, ask better questions. How do I enhance my process? What are my strengths and weaknesses? What defines excellence and how can I navigate that path?
"The Game Honors Toughness"
Career development is not fair or equal. Coach Dave Smart says, "The best teams play harder for longer." The best students focus, develop 'winning' habits, and a gritty, "growth mindset." The same goes for players. Toughness and resilience translate into commitment, discipline, and higher performance over time.
It's not an easy or a linear process. Even the best players and coaches have setbacks. But they have the capacity to persist.
Plan Your Work; Work Your Plan
What do you want? How will you earn it? Develop your origin story. The ten year-old was dressed in softball gear. Her father said, "I see you're going out to play softball." She said, "No, Daddy, I'm going out to win."
The French have a saying, "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose." The more things change, the more it's the same thing."
All Things Are not Equal
The same is not equal. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others," wrote George Orwell in Animal Farm. Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said it another way, "There is always a pecking order."
Every position is open, but not to the same degree. At least four players compete for the middles. I couldn't rank them one to four. The designated server spots are wide open. A plethora of players play high level offseason volleyball, paying the literal and figurative price.
Chase perfection and sometimes you catch excellence. The race is on.
Lagniappe. Ask open-ended questions. What did you learn today?
— Coach Ray Ostrowski (@CoachRayO3313) April 6, 2026
Lagniappe 2. Lower body workout. You absolutely can do this.
Every exceptional MVB athlete has been an exceptional athlete. Your new assistant Gia Vlajkovic met that "decathlete" standard...strength, power, vertical jump, endurance, versatility standard. Two others 'sandwiched' her MVB time, Elena Soukos and Sadie Jaggers.
Attention to detail includes physicality. "The magic is in the work." You control your training. Follow the 3-3-3 rule. Here's the key excerpt:
Three strength training sessions. This includes lifting weights, bodyweight circuits, resistance bands, whatever builds muscle and challenges your body.
Three cardio sessions. This includes running, cycling, swimming, jump rope, a dance class—what counts as "cardio" is up for debate, but here, I think of it as anything that gets your heart pumping.
Three active recovery days. This includes light walking, yoga, stretching, foam rolling, and so on.
Lagniappe. Amidst the 3-3-3 principle, strength training is one of the three for power and acceleration.
