Getting It Done: One Way or Another

There's no "one way or the other" to play or coach volleyball. My daughters loved the game, partly because I couldn't tell them what to do, when or how to do it. Hand positioning on an outside double block partly determines whether the block works or gets wiped. Run-up, core strength and turn, and arm swing all inform an attack's power. And the game looks a lot easier from the stands than courtside. 

Cuba's Mireya Luis developed a 45-plus inch vertical jump by...jumping. As a child she jumped to pick fruit from trees. 




Mike Hebert's book shares the broader background for volleyball, a global game. His top 20 US team went to Japan and got culture shock. 

"Our nationally ranked Minnesota team competed against four different Japanese college teams. Altogether we played 42 sets against them. Our overall record was 0-42. We scored in double figures three times (side-out scoring). After one of our double-figure outings, the coach of the Japanese team was furious. He ordered his team outside to practice on the asphalt parking lot. There were a few scrapes and bruises visible on his players when they reentered the gym an hour later. As a gesture of kindness, the trip organizers arranged for us to play against an all-star high school team from the local Akita prefecture. We went 8-3 against the high schoolers and were fortunate to do so. They were very good. In my opinion they were better than a lot of college teams in the United States. For the record, the University of Minnesota team returned home to post a 30-4 record for the season and a number 11 national ranking."




It's about getting it done, "one way or another."