Against hard attacks, don't try to do too much. The video advises how to absorb hard spikes.
Simplify. Put the ball down or keep the ball up.
NEX
Sunday, May 31, 2026
History Is not a Plan
The Patriots hung color photographs from each current season and removed them afterwards. Super Bowl or slump, they exiled the past to history.
"Leave the jersey in a better place," wrote James Kerr in "Legacy." Smashes and shanks, excellence and errors, all disappear into history's dustbin.
Which is where players come in. To leave a mark, make a series of marks.
Consistency, aggression, and tactics leave marks. In baseball, analysts track whiffs (swing and misses) by pitch type and batter characteristics. Imagine the following for a volleyball attacker:
- 100 swings
- 60 smashes, 25 kills, 15 errors
- 15 tips, 6 kills, 2 errors
- 10 cut shots 5 kills, 2 errors
- 10 roll shots, 1 kill, 1 errors
- 5 power tips, 2 kills
Summary:
- (39 kills - 20 errors)/ 100 attacks = 19%
"In volleyball statistics, any aggressive contact made with the ball toward the opponent’s court designed to score a point counts as an attack attempt." For example, last season Wakefield aggressively attacked with designed roll shots. They may repeat successful strategy.
"Raw data" doesn't judge whether an individual attack was the best choice. Study video to improve tactical acumen on both sides of the ball.
Study and break down the clip (repeatedly) by clicking through to YouTube and reading the play. Does she have usual attack footwork (no), backswing (yes), and "archer position" (no). The tip is telegraphed. It still 'plays'. The zone 4 defender shows up late to the party defensively and her errant pass can't be played.
In your offseason preparation, include video study to read plays sooner leading to earlier adjustment. "History doesn't repeat but it rhymes."
Lagniappe. Approach and arm action. Form begets function.
I read this every week for 3 years and had it pasted on my dorm room's wall.
— Hardeep (@hardeep_gambhir) May 30, 2026
Best writing is not literary or PhD-esque.
It is persuasive. It is simple. It's humorous. It has short sentences.
That is more valuable, than any other type of writing. pic.twitter.com/7y5V8j26ci
An Artificial Intelligence Basis for Tryout Preparation
What does an AI 'coach' (ChatGPT Plus) advise for tryout preparation? Here's the prompt and response (hallucination).
The goal is to become the kind of player that teams want to keep.
There's a saying in "pickup" games, "be the guy everyone wants on their side."
Saturday, May 30, 2026
The Coach
"Any idiot with a whistle can coach." - Anonymous
I asked ChatGPT Plus for input on the Melrose Volleyball Program and here is part of what it shared. I'm proud to have known him both as a coach and a friend.
He would be the first to acknowledge that he's not perfect. And I'll add that he's always working to improve.
Coach Scott Celli was named Boston Globe Coach of the Year in 2009. This is specifically documented in coverage of his 500th victory milestone, which lists among his career achievements:
- Boston Globe Coach of the Year (2009)
- MAVCA Hall of Fame (2011)
- 10 sectional titles
- 1 state championship
- 23 Middlesex League championships (through 2025)
I could not find evidence that he was ever named Boston Herald Coach of the Year. That doesn't mean it never happened, but in the sources I located, only the Globe Coach of the Year award is specifically cited.
Given his résumé, the Globe honor is hardly surprising:
- Over 500 wins at Melrose
- A state championship in 2012
- Multiple state-final appearances
- One of the most sustained volleyball dynasties in Massachusetts
- Dozens of league and sectional titles
- Induction into the Massachusetts Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2011
As an interesting side note, one of your own blog posts from 2017 notes that under Celli's tenure Melrose had produced:
- 13 Boston Globe All-Scholastics,
- 16 Boston Herald All-Scholastics,
-
3 Boston Globe Division 2 Players of the Year,
along with a remarkable record of league and sectional success.
Given his accomplishments, he would certainly be among the strongest coaching candidates in the history of Massachusetts high school volleyball.
Be coachable. Coach has experience, insight, and a track record to lean upon. Take advantage of these.
Lagniappe. Struggle to find focus and to defeat distraction.
C. S. Lewis with maybe the most important paragraph ever written for people with creative ambitions pic.twitter.com/qdBL627BLt
— Dylan O'Sullivan (@DylanoA4) May 28, 2026
More Verbs Please, Grant Hill on Values
Grant Hill shares what his mother taught him about living with purpose and why values are verbs.
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) May 27, 2026
"Number 7 on her set of principles reads: 'Don't be a passenger in life.'"
"She knew that values aren't ideas. Values are verbs."
Character comes from what you do and what you do… pic.twitter.com/bTuBSq0hu3
Grant Hill is more than a Hall of Fame player. Hill is a Hall of Fame person. His father went to Yale and played in the NFL. His mother had a master's degree in mathematics education and a career in business and government.
In this commencement address, Hill points out that values are verbs. Note that the values he discussed are sources with others the targets.
To Respect implies respect for others. The best way to get respect is to show it to others.
Want coaches, teammates, and fans to respect your effort. Respect is earned not granted. Title alone does not prove merit.
To Include means to bring others into your circle of influence, friends, or competence. Teamwork is inclusion. Selfishness is exclusion.
Inclusion means not to "kiss up and punch down."
To Excel is to perform at a high level, to meet or exceed standards in school, business, or sport. Excellence targets performance.
From the Greek, "Excellence then is not an act, but a habit."
Lagniappe. Defending the fast outside attack...
Bonus Post - Vegetarian French Dip
A growing number of elite athletes are vegetarian or vegan. Finding tasty recipes takes a little work.
I was skeptical that this could perform at a level of a traditional French Dip sandwich.
Here's the skinny:
1. Bread - that's up to you. A small sub roll, toasted, will suffice.
2. "Spread" - as a substitute for the cheese (usually provolone), we used a vegan mayo spread with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste
3. "Dip" - this recipe called for a mushroom liquid concentrate, one tablespoon of olive oil, 1/3 cup of water, garlic powder, salt and pepper. I'd use a bouillon cube as a substitute for the mushroom concentrate.
4. Filler - the surprise - sautee a mixture of chopped mushrooms and sliced onions with salt and pepper about 4 minutes. Fill the toasted sub roll with the mayo spread and top with the sautee mix and washed arugula (a.k.a. lawn weeds?) which adds crunch, fiber, and flavor. Baby spinach might be substitute for the arugula.
Dip the assembled sandwich into your sauce and voila. The combination exceeded the sum of its parts, an A-/B+ sandwich without the calories or cost of beef.
Friday, May 29, 2026
Reading the Blocker
Volleyball is a thinking person's sport. Reading is a separator.
Players read serves, attackers, and setters read blockers to escape double blocks.
The setter who puts a blocker out of position increases the hitter's chance of succeeding.
You still have a few months to work on your "anticipation" skills before tryouts.
Targeting
"Before taking any shot, a golfer must pick out the smallest possible target." - Bob Rotella in "Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect"
"Ready, aim, fire." It's never been, "Ready, fire, aim."
Get specific by targeting an area of the ball.
- They target an area on the ball.
- They target space or seams.
- They target areas of the block.
- They are aware of the timing of the attack...
Strategic approach:
-
What part of the ball are you hitting?
-
Where are you trying to make the ball land?
-
What part of the block or defense are you attacking?
Players who answer all three start to think like great hitters — they don’t just swing hard, they swing smart.
Lagniappe. Hit on top of the ball.
Learn to use deception.
Lagniappe 2. Better mechanics launch you into a more athletic attack position.
Thursday, May 28, 2026
The Code
"Back when everything was as it should have been, one of Marcus’s combat instructors had laid down a law: control is key. Control the environment, control your opponent. Most of all, control yourself." - Mick Herron in "Real Tigers" from the Slough House series
Find a 'closer'. Not just for your team but for yourself. A closer allows you the best chance. The best chance to make the right decision and right action...not just on the court.
But it's more. Guys speak of "Bro Code" and for women in sport, it's a special Sisterhood.
ChatGPT Plus steps in here, lightly edited. You never know when it might help.
On successful girls' teams, there absolutely seems to be an unwritten set of norms that transcend team rules.
A volleyball version of "The Sisterhood" might look something like this:
The Sisterhood
1. Protect Each Other's Trust
What is shared in confidence stays in confidence.
A teammate should never wonder:
"If I tell her this, will the whole school know tomorrow?"
Trust is a competitive advantage.
2. Celebrate Without Envy
When a teammate succeeds:
- applaud,
- support,
- encourage.
Jealousy fractures teams.
Great teammates understand: her success helps us all.
3. Don't Be a Rat
Not in the sense of hiding dangerous behavior.
Rather:
- don't create drama,
- don't weaponize information,
- don't run to authority figures over every minor conflict.
Handle small problems directly and respectfully whenever possible.
4. Don't Undermine Relationships
Don't pursue:
- a teammate's boyfriend,
- a teammate's crush,
- or situations that create unnecessary distrust.
Loyalty matters.
5. Defend Absent Teammates
If someone is being criticized behind her back:
- redirect,
- defend,
- or stop the conversation.
The true test of loyalty is what happens when the person isn't present.
6. Tell the Truth Kindly
Sisterhood is not blind agreement.
Sometimes the most caring thing is:
"You need to hear this."
Honesty delivered with compassion strengthens relationships.
7. Leave No One Isolated
Watch for:
- the quiet player,
- the injured player,
- the freshman,
- the athlete struggling with confidence.
Inclusion is a leadership skill.
8. Compete Cleanly
You can compete fiercely for:
- positions,
- playing time,
- recognition.
But never sabotage a teammate. Earn your opportunities through performance.
9. Carry Each Other Through Hard Days
Everyone eventually:
- slumps,
- struggles,
- doubts themselves.
The best teams understand:
today I carry you;
tomorrow you may carry me.
10. Put the Team First
Perhaps the highest principle.
The Sisterhood is ultimately:
"I choose us over me."
Not always. Not perfectly. But consistently.
What's interesting is that many of these overlap with the values you've repeatedly emphasized in Melrose Volleyball:
- Team First
- Accountability
- Trust
- Communication
- Being a great teammate over being a great player
In fact, if I were writing this for a volleyball team, I'd probably conclude:
The Sisterhood isn't about always agreeing with each other.
Create a circle of trust where every player knows:
"These women want the best for me, will tell me the truth, and will stand beside me when things get hard."
That's the kind of culture that tends to survive long after the final match is played.
Lagniappe. The toss.
Lagniappe 2. Develop a diversity of attacks.
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