The Name of the Game

Sustainable competitive advantage is the name of the game. How do you get there? You see the same teams go deep in the playoffs, year after year. 

Melrose has been in the Final Four nine of the past eighteen years with playoffs. Twice they lost in the sectional finals to a Central Catholic team which was later moved to Division 1. 

What's the secret sauce? 

• Investment. Alabama coach Nick Saban asks, "are you investing your time or are you spending it?" What is your commitment level? Do you want to make the team, to become a contributor, or become a force?
• Sacrifice. Parents and players sacrifice time and money to play on competitive offseason teams. It's not just playing on any offseason team, but the right ones. You think Newton North is in the Finals by accident or that SMASH in their backyard helps? There's no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for almost all players. Club stars from volleyball hotbeds (California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio) get the lions share of scholarships. Offseason volleyball is expensive, as are personal training, athletic club membership (for weight training, etc.), and medical care for injuries (ankle, back, hand, etc.).
• Development. "Every day is player development day." There are a finite number of skills, but elite performance requires elite training. A top US team went to Japan and got annihilated by Japanese collegians on a team that trained eight hours a day, 363 days a year. The Japanese coach suggested that Minnesota try high school competition in Japan... and they went 4-9. We can argue Malcolm Gladwell's '10,000 hours' thesis, but deliberate practice matters. 
• Coaching. I know little about coaching volleyball but it's easy to see the impact of coaching locally (Coach Scott Celli recently reached 500 career wins) and throughout the Middlesex League. Kayla Wyland is turning around Wakefield. John Fleming made Winchester a Middlesex League force. 
• Scheduling. "Iron sharpens iron." Unless teams are willing to travel and schedule strong teams, they will not advance far in the postseason. Especially with the new playoff format, you won't "luck into a weak bracket" and get to the Final Four. 
• Talent. You need talent and you need to "keep it home" with a 'legacy program' with top coaching and scheduling. So many sports lose athletes to prep, private, and charter schools who recruit them away with scholarships and promises. 

What's the secret sauce? It's no secret.