Your Commencement Address

Coach, imagine you're under consideration to deliver the commencement address at your local high school. The committee asks you to prepare a speech for them to judge. What's your strategy? 

• Why are they asking me? 
• Who's my audience?
• What do I want to say? 
• Add "nots". Not too long, not stuffy, not boring. 

"Congratulations. You made it. Graduates. 

The selection committee asked me to create an argument why they should pick me. My first thought was, "with a straight face?"

Brevity is the soul of wit. Don't be too long and don't be too boring. Picasso said, "good artists borrow; great artists steal." Here are lessons that I've stolen that you can use every day.  

1. Thank you Principal Dumas for that spectacular introduction. And the best part was that you delivered it just as I wrote it. 

2. At Celtics' practice, Brad Stevens said, "basketball, it's not rocket science." The best part about science, whether you believe it or not, is that it's true. They don't call The Law of Gravity "The Theory of Gravity." 

3. Bring your best self every day. Stand tall. Make eye contact. Have a firm handshake. 

4. Be a good teammate. Not everyone can be a great player. But everyone can be a great teammate, but everyone can choose to be a great teammate. Being happy for another's success is a skill. Life is a team sport. 

5. "Look for the helpers." That's Mr. Rogers. Don't go it alone. The Navy SEALs say, "two is one and one is none." Not for nothing.

6. For interviews, dress for success. Sure, it's 90 degrees but cover those sleeve tattoos. And always remember, "flip flops are not shoes."   

7. Appreciate irony. My first day of school, a six year-old was banging on the door saying, "Mommy, don't leave me." I never did that again. No, seriously, decades later I asked that kid's mother what he's doing. "He's a principal in New Hampshire." School got better for him from there. That's called 'overcompensating'.

8. Think again. Do you know how long English has been America's official language. <I see wheels turning.> It's not. Don't believe everything you here. Ask yourself, "can that be true" or "is that even possible?" Some will try to take advantage of your kindness and trust. "Would you like some candy, Little One?" Don't fall for that stuff. As Adam Grant, author of Think Again advises, "Keep a rethinking scorecard." 

9. Read, read, read, read, read. Reread a great book. It's better to reread something great than to read ten bad books. Abandon bad reads. 

10. Share. Eleven-time NBA championship coach Phil Jackson says, "basketball is sharing." Share something great - a book, a quote, a recipe, a movie. 

11. Give and get feedback. Be "performance-focused, feedback-rich." You can't know if others are on the same page without asking, "what is your understanding of the message?" 

12. Avoid dumacity. You're asking, "what is dumacity?" It's the act or condition of being a dumb*ss. Don't take selfies hanging off cliffs. Don't drink and drive or ride with a drunk driver. If that someone special says he doesn't want to be with you, don't jump off a bridge. There's someone more special out there.

13. Have a plan. Nature finds a way. Greatness has to make its way. Do something every day for your craft and something for your business. 

14. Ask better questions. "Why am I wrong?" or "what could go wrong?" Players might consider how can we win. Coaches ask what puts us in the best position to win and what can we do to avoid losing. 

15. Hard work is a skill. It's not for everyone. "There's never a crowd on the extra mile." Kobe Bryant took a thousand shots a day in the summer. Larry Bird took 500 free throws before school. Isiah Thomas played for up to eight hours a day at the playground. Bill Bradley worked out for three hours a day and all day Saturday starting at age twelve. 

16. Obsess the product. Sara Blakely took an idea of better undergarments and turned it into a five billion dollar business. She never raised money with stock or bond capital. She lived the concept of "make it, sell it, build brand awareness." What's your brand going to become? 

17. Become a storyteller. We are storytelling animals. I knew a physician's assistant who asked people for their best advice. The Dalai Lama explained much of his wisdom occurred by listening to the many leaders with whom he had met. Learn to craft stories of SUCCESS - simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, stories. 

18. Study greatness. Study leaders. Character is job one. Leaders have different approaches that work for them. For example, Nelson Mandela learned from his father to speak last. You can give a more thoughtful and nuanced opinion and response when you've heard what others say. 

19. Make friends with the dead. Some of my heroes, my role models have long departed - Bill Russell, Dean Smith, John Wooden. Were they perfect? Of course not. But they shared memorable lessons.

• "My ego demands the success of my team." - Russell
• "A lion never roars after the kill." - Smith
• "Make every day your masterpiece." - Wooden

20. Dream big. Work bigger. You graduated. You can do anything.

Lagniappe. Directional attack from the middle. 

Post 2700: "Success Leaves Fingerprints"

The opinions expressed on the blog are solely mine. They do not reflect those of the City of Melrose, Melrose School Department, Melrose High School, or the Athletic Department.  

Since 2003, during twenty seasons, Melrose has won ten sectional titles and a State Championship. How?

1. Players. Melrose developed terrific players that know how to win and have extensive playoff experience. Seventeen have earned All-State status. 

2. Coaching. "Every day is player development day." I've heard people say, "Any idiot with a whistle can coach." Little could be further from the truth. Coaches help players write their narrative. They take them where they could not go alone. Coach Scott Celli achieved Hall of Fame honors. 

3. Culture. Everyone understands what is best for the team comes first. "This is not a union job."

4. Collaboration. The best players make everyone around them better. It reflects the sign in the UNC Women's Soccer room: 

Excellence Is Our Only Agenda 

5. Commitment. Offseason play is widespread with more players at higher levels.

6. Meritocracy. If your play gives Melrose the best chance to win, you play. It doesn't matter whether you're a freshman or senior captain.

7. Consistency. The style of play, offensively and defensively, doesn't change. Coach Celli doesn't chase fads or change strategy easily. 

8. Scheduling. "Iron sharpens iron." Top competition (champions and finalists in multiple divisions) prepares the team for tough playoff competitors. The Middlesex League improves every year. 

9. Depth. Melrose has reserve players who could get more playing time at many teams in the Middlesex League. Their 'practice toughness' prepares the team for top league and non-league games.

10.Urgency. The team 'shows up' and competes at a high level, especially against better competition. 

Ask yourself, "what fingerprints am I leaving as precursors to success?"

Lagniappe. Work on enhancing concentration. 

Lagniappe 2. Impact the game. 

Post 2699: Lead Across Levels

Malcolm Gladwell shared a different interpretation of David and Goliath in the Valley of Elah. David served his people as a deadly accurate marksman firing 60 mph projectiles. Goliath was a giant with acromegaly, blinded by a pituitary tumor impinging on his optic nerve pathway. Goliath had no shot. 

Leaders arise at any age. Cal rugby coach Jack Clark emphasizes that he expects leadership from freshmen. They lead by knowing their job, not being a distraction, and being ready for opportunities. 

Young leaders don't 'steal' leadership or roles. They supply and/or supplement leadership. One of the great leaders in Melrose volleyball history was Victoria Crovo. As a freshman, 'the V-Rex' was the best player on her club in a sectional defeat. She earned captaincy as a sophomore as the extension of her excellence.

 Lolly Daskal informs why leadership at all levels benefits an organization. 

• "It fosters a culture of growth and development. When employees feel that they have opportunities to grow and develop as leaders, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated in their work.
• It helps to build a strong leadership pipeline. 
• It promotes collaboration and teamwork. When everyone is a leader, there is less emphasis on hierarchy and more focus on teamwork and collaboration. 
• It helps to build resilience and adaptability. 
• It leads to better decision-making and problem-solving. When there are leaders at every level, there are more perspectives and ideas." 

The best teams are often "player-led." More leaders add perspective and nuance to solve problems. The words, "what if" and "have you thought about" sometimes separate success and failure. 

On a basketball site, I asked coaches what disrupts team chemistry, the opposite of leadership. The answers included responses from elite coaches and a former player from a UCLA National Championship team. Here's a sample:

"A selfish player who truly thinks he is better than he is. He's greedy, berates his teammates and thinks he knows more than coaches. When he's benched for abhorrent behavior and play detrimental to the team, he degrades the staff to other players."

"self-absorption by coaches and players"

"Me-guys.. worried about their own situation & not much regard for the team, then complaining quietly on the bench trying to get teammates on their side.. “yeah, you should be playing over that guy...”"

"Agendas."

"Conversations at the dinner table and after games"

Ego can block young leadership. Some upperclassmen with big egos won't accept "team first" behaviors. Experienced coaches see this and give players the choice to embrace team or leave. 

Return to core values from Coach Don Meyer - passion, unity, servant leadership, humility, and thankfulness. Excellent leaders commit, put the team first, serve, respect the game, and appreciate the opportunity at hand. Leaders serve. 

Lagniappe. Passing the ball high instead of over the net. 

Coming and Going

"Leaders make leaders." Leaders came from somewhere and are going somewhere. They get others to say, "I'm leaving on the journey with her."

Add value. Value arises in skill, game understanding and creativity, physical and emotional growth. Make a mental checklist and get people to follow you. 

• Always be on time. 
• Make teammates better.
• Be coachable.
• Be positive.
• Energize teammates.
• Mentor younger players. 
• Share your knowledge. 
• Practice hard. 
• Follow game flow on the bench.
• Be ready when opportunity comes.
• Support your teammates.
• Be accountable.     

Everyone wants to play more. 

• Ask coaches where you need improvement. 
• Ask what drills or activities can help you improve. 
• Don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses. 

Lagniappe. Where to serve? 

Lagniappe 2. (Via Coach Celli)... seek balance

 

Second Melrose Volleyball Playday

Melrose's preseason schedule adds value. The second volleyball Playday is confirmed. 

Date: Saturday, 2 September 2023

Time: 9:00 A.M.

Place: Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School

Format: 30 minute mini-scrimmages

Participants:

- Melrose

- Arlington Catholic

- Masconomet

- Lynnfield

- Methuen

- Peabody   

Practical Magic: Packing Your Bag

The Scouts' motto is: "Be prepared."

You've heard the story from 2005 at Andover when setter Amanda Hallett broke a shoelace and reserve setter Taylor Pearson came in to win six of seven points until another player's shoelace replaced Amanda's.  

I've seen basketball parents buy sneakers because their daughters forgot theirs. Don't be that girl. 

Make a checklist (spreadsheet) Pack your bag the night before and check your list. 

1) Uniform: Including knee pads and ankle supports

2) Footwear: Volleyball shoes and extra shoelaces 

3) Nutrition: Water, sports drinks, snack 

4) Accessories: Hair bands, extra contact lenses, lens solution

5) Medicals: Tape, Band-Aids, medications (asthma, migraine, anti-inflammatory, personal care products)

6) Miscellaneous: Compression stockings, arm sleeves, and extra anything that pertains for you

Lagniappe. Dealing with the big block. 

Title IX, a History Lesson

Women's education matters. In 1972, Title IX amended the Higher Education Act of 1965 through these words. 

"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

Finally implemented in 1975, the law changed the landscape of women's sports. Madeleine Blais defined the impact with In These Girls Hope Is a Muscle:

"Coaches were given better salaries. Schedules became more competitive, equipment upgraded, practice time more equitable, and more college scholarships were made available...in 1983 there was a major setback for women's athletics. Title IX was temporarily disemboweled by the U.S. Supreme Court...in Grove City College vs. Bell...ruled that the laws provisions did not apply to athletics. Then Congress passed (over Ronald Reagan's veto) the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988, which made clear that Title IX did apply to athletics." Between delayed implementation and Grove City College vs Bell, eight of the first sixteen years of Title IX lacked implementation. 

Blais continued, "Through basketball women can learn what it is to make a commitment to themselves as well as a team...and they will know they can be a leader without being a star. Women who play basketball have more self-confidence and self-esteem." Grove City College vs Bell, Title IX missed EIGHT years of implementation of the first sixteen. 

Contemporary athletes should understand that Title IX helped level the playing field. I never saw my sister compete in high school sports. Girls' and women's sports never got credibility or media attention in the 1970s. 

Winning creates interest and attention. Over time, girls volleyball (ten sectional titles and a state championship) and previously girls basketball 

with nine consecutive league championships including five undefeated seasons developed loyal followings. 

Equality creates opportunity, raising the quality and standard of performance. Without Title IX, women's sports almost certainly remains hidden in the shadows. That's a loss for all of us. 

Lagniappe. Set straighter. 

Lagniappe 2. Set better. The setter is the quarterback of the team. Excellent setting is the springboard for success. 

"Chop Wood, Carry Water" (Clip and Save Edition)

Young Richie McCaw wanted to play for the legendary New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team someday. His uncle knew that and told the eight year-old to write his name, Richie McCaw, G.A.B. Richie McCaw, Greatest All-Black. 

Seeing it helped the youngster become it.

Joshua Metcalf wrote the book, Chop Wood, Carry Water. Fall in love with the process of becoming the metaphorical elite archer. Devote yourself to the daily hard work of skill building, game understanding, physical and psychological hardening. "Understand that creating something worthwhile requires time, discipline, and being in love with the process."

Doing extra workouts during the summer won't guarantee that you'll be 'the best' but it helps you to become your best. 

Can you jump rope continuously for five minutes? Fifty plus years ago, we began basketball practice with five minutes of continuous jumping rope. 

You might say, "that's hard." The process is hard. Winning is hard. That's what makes it valuable. 

Lagniappe. "Blocking is an attitude." 

Blocking always is critical to a team's success. In 2004, a Lynnfield All-Scholastic came into the Daffinee Gym hoping to upset Melrose. Paula Sen was having none of it with four early blocks that demoralized Lynnfield. The 2023 version of Melrose volleyball has the potential to be an excellent blocking squad, if they make a supreme commitment to blocking. 

Lagniappe 2. Coach Celli shared yesterday that there are 58 days until tryouts, with home scrimmages at 5:00 against Peabody on August 29 and Marblehead on August 31. The playday is expected on September 2. 

Lagniappe 3. Summer is a great time for learning. What book are you reading today? Today, I reread Chop Wood, Carry Water. 

Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident

In 1995, Erik Spoelstra was a video coordinator for the Miami Heat.

In 2008, he became the team’s head coach, won 2 NBA titles, & is one of the best coaches in NBA history.

Get your foot in the door—and put in the work. pic.twitter.com/96vjnSvzxb

— Andrew Moses (@andrewhmoses) May 20, 2023

"It takes what it takes." - Nick Saban 

What do great players have in common? 

They do what others don't. 

From Anson Dorrance's "Vision of a Champion"

• They do unrequired work. 
• They say 'yes' to growth opportunities. 

They are relentless. 

• They show up early and stay late. 
• They do not quit.
• They never cheat the drill. 

They make everyone around them better.

• Excellence impacts winning. 
• Greatness isn't always scoring.
• Great players end possessions - get stops, scores, rebounds, assists. 
• Consistency matters. 
• You know it when you see it. 

They bring intangibles every day. 

• Toughness is a skill.
• Basketball IQ is their calling card.
• They embrace challenges. 
• Coachability...they want improvement.
• They make winning plays. 

Envision players in four 'now' and 'future' categories:

- Lottery picks

- First round draft choices

- Second round draft choices

- Street free agents

It's possible to move up or down a level but tough to go up two levels. When one team has multiple 'lottery picks' or rosters studded with first round picks, they have a formidable edge. 

As a player, move up a level.

• Become more athletic...strength, conditioning, explosiveness.
• Find a mentor. Get suggestions on 'need' areas. 
• Play a lot, including against better competition. 
• Outwork everyone. 
• Work on skills with a partner.
• Be a tracker. Constantly seek personal bests.
• Become your own coach.  
• "Invest your time, don't spend it."
• Edit the physical and mental mistakes out of your game. 

Greatness is a cruel master. 

Lagniappe. Try something different? 

Most Seasons End with Defeat. Get Back Up on Your Feet.

Melrose Coach Scott Celli has never backed away from scheduling tough non-conference opponents. Back in the day it was Andover, Central, and Arlington Catholic. Notice that the top teams play quality opponents during the season. "Iron sharpens iron." A great regular season record becomes bittersweet when followed by playoff losses. 

The court is a coach's laboratory. Excellent coaches identify 'needs' and find solutions among personnel, strategy, and operations. "Seek understanding not validation." 

From Bill Walsh's The Score Takes Care of Itself. 

FIVE DOS FOR GETTING BACK INTO THE GAME:

1. Do expect defeat. It’s a given when the stakes are high and the competition is working ferociously to beat you. If you’re surprised when it happens, you’re dreaming; dreamers don’t last long.

2. Do force yourself to stop looking backward and dwelling on the professional “train wreck” you have just been in. It’s mental quicksand.

3. Do allow yourself appropriate recovery—grieving—time. You’ve been knocked senseless; give yourself a little time to recuperate. A keyword here is “little.” Don’t let it drag on.

4. Do tell yourself, “I am going to stand and fight again,” with the knowledge that often when things are at their worst you’re closer than you can imagine to success. Our Super Bowl victory arrived less than sixteen months after my “train wreck” in Miami.

5. Do begin planning for your next serious encounter. The smallest steps—plans—move you forward on the road to recovery. Focus on the fix.

Keep these four questions from The Leadership Moment in mind:

• What went well?
• What went poorly?
• What can we do differently next time to get a better result? 
• What are the enduring lessons? 

Live in the past and die in the present. 

Lagniappe. Learn from experts... 

Winning Big: Containing the Outside Hitter

Championship teams have elite attackers. To beat the best, you must contain All-State players. That's no exaggeration, Melrose produces a steady stream of All-State players as do top opponents.

Study the video. Study, not watch. Always confirm with your coaches the technique they prefer.

Don't fear. Prepare. 

1. Contain LINE ATTACKS 'down the line' - right, left, hop on balance

2. Concept of "better errors"

3. Different technique to handle different type/direction of attacks

Nobody nullifies the exceptional player. Make them work for everything, rotate them off the front, and put pressure on the defense. 

Lagniappe. More on defensive positioning relative to the block. 

The Score Takes Care of Itself

Bill Walsh's "The Score Takes Care of Itself" is a leadership classic. Walsh coached multiple Super Bowl winners in San Francisco and taught at the Stanford Business School.

Set your personal standard of performance.

Model excellence every day at every part of your organization, from answering the phones, to striping the field, to the fine details of coaching hand position during play.

Be accountable (hold yourself to your standards). 

While 'school's out for summer', that doesn't free you from the obligation of learning. Read the summary. 

Timeless Advice

Your periodic reminder that the greatest gift you can give a team member who is early to mid-career is telling them what you see as their superpower, with sincere optimism about what this superpower might enable for them in the future.

pic.twitter.com/jyZYb5bOf5

— Shreyas Doshi (@shreyas) May 31, 2023

Age offers the wisdom of experience. "Experience is the best teacher, but sometimes the tuition is high." 

1. Remember your varsity skill. Prioritize the skill that gets and keeps you on the floor. That could be hitting, digging, serving, or blocking...or multiple skills. The top players in Melrose history had multiple dominant skills. 

2. Love your losses; learn from them.  

3. "Be a great teammate." Everyone can't be a great player. Everyone can choose to be a great teammate. Support is a skill.

4. "Are you investing your time or spending it?" - Nick Saban  

5. "It takes what it takes." Keep building skill, strategic understanding, physicality, and psychology (resilience). 

6. B+ Be positive. "Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm." Bring energy and energize teammates. 

7. "Every battle is won before it is fought." - Sun Tzu, The Art of War, fifth century B.C. 

8. "Don't cheat the drill." Exceptional players have impeccable work habits. Perfect practice make perfect. 

9. “Arrogance gives confidence … a bad name.” - Mokokoma Mokhonoana  

10. "Always do your best." - the Fourth Agreement from The Four Agreements

Lagniappe. "Set up EARLY and QUICKLY." 

Lagniappe 2a and 2b. 

• Study cellphone video of yourself. 
• Consider NOT using cellphones on game day to expand your vision. 

Coaching Empathy

Understanding empathy isn't always easy. An easier way to think about it is to "put yourself in the other person's position." That arises in many situations in coaching. 

Let's imagine a few:

• A person* loses confidence after less effective play
• A person becomes ill or injured and can't play
• A person has a change in role (bigger or smaller)
• A person is passed over for a leadership position
• A person feels unappreciated
• A person's effort or performance drops off unexpectedly

*Note person > player

Coaches wear many hats - organizer, teacher, evaluator, disciplinarian, psychologist, and more.

Two critical functions are getting the most from each individual and putting the team in the best position to succeed. Those don't always align because players may not see their role the same as the coach.

Loss of confidence. Some players need a lot of positive reinforcement. There's a saying, "the bigger the star the bigger the insecurity." Coaches may only need to tell one player, "I believe in you" once and others need more. 

Illness or injury. Exercise releases positive hormones like endorphins (some call then endogenous opioids), dopamine (the reward hormone), and oxytocin (part of bonding and nurturing). Injury or illness strip those away from individuals. Everyone needs to feel valued and it's important to recognize this. 

Role change. Roles have flexibility. They can increase, decrease, or change. Injuries may require a player to assume a new position. Strong performance may increase your role. Struggles may decrease it. A coach told me that an AD suggested he have longer tryouts because a politician's child might end up getting cut. 

Leadership positions. Everyone can't be the leader although everyone can lead by knowing their job, doing it to their best, and avoiding being a distraction. When underclassmen earn leadership positions, sometimes upperclassmen feel angry, sad, or hurt. Coaches navigate those waters by asking whether players can accept the leadership and their role. When they can't, it may be better for them to move on.

Underappreciation. "Ego is the enemy." Sometimes neediness is part of 'The Disease of Me." Coaches work to 'read the room'. A highly successful Massachusetts coach got a lot of grief when a few parents felt their children had not been "promoted" to the Boston media to the same degree of previous players. The best way to earn appreciation is through the hard work of being "a star in your role." 

Here are Pat Riley's signs of The Disease of Me:

1. Inexperience in dealing with sudden success.  
2. Chronic feelings of under-appreciation.  
3. Paranoia over being cheated out of one’s rightful share.  
4. Resentment against the competence of partners.  
5. Personal effort mustered solely to outshine a teammate.  
6. A leadership vacuum resulting from the formation of cliques and rivalries.   zones.
7. Feelings of frustration even when the team performs successfully.  

Underperformance. A player may be doing her best under unique circumstances. Players can have mental or physical health issues, academic problems, family problems, interpersonal issues, chemical health challenges, or just be in a slump. Sometimes they're obvious and often not. Team leadership can play a good role as intermediaries. It's a challenge because players may see them as "narcs". 

Empathy is understanding and communication. Most coaches want a culture or support and growth for both individuals and teams. At the same time, adolescence is change and change is difficult. "It takes a village to raise a child" and that's especially important in coaching. 

Lagniappe. Spike using angles to deep cross corner. 

What Does Sacrifice Mean to You?

As a young coach in the early 1970s, former Melrose AD Sonny Lane preached sacrifice. Hard work was the norm. What does sacrifice mean to you?

"There are no crowds on the extra mile." It means running sprints or 'stadium stairs' when no one else is watching. It means "doing five more." Memorable results arise from extraordinary effort. 

Sacrifice demands whatever it takes.

 

Sacrifice links shared vision and shared results. 

Sacrifice means delayed gratification - put off what you want to do now so you get to do what you want later. 

Sacrifice means sharing credit and avoiding neediness. It means doing the right thing not just doing the thing right. 

Sacrifice means an attitude of "get to" not "have to." I get to run sprints. I get to improve explosiveness. 

Sacrifice doesn't come with a guarantee. 

Sacrifice means, "put the team first." Your friends are out 'partying' and you won't violate chemical health rules. Do you feel sorry for yourself? They weren't on the court in a sectional championship game, were they? 

 Lagniappe. Read the ball. 

Lagniappe 2. Find the seams. 

The Coach As Teacher

Some books 'belong' in our coaching library.

Basketball: Multiple Offense and Defense (Dean Smith)

Legacy (James Kerr)

Game Changer (Dr. Fergus Connolly)

Coach's Guide to Teaching (Doug Lemov) - Read the summary provided if not the whole book. 

The Score Takes Care of Itself (Bill Walsh)

If stranded on a desert island, any one would provide a lifetime of reading pleasure and education.  

Let's focus on Coach's Guide to Teaching. As a physician, I'm a teacher. Education changes behavior, but it's tough. It's about habit formation and consistency. During medical training, doctors combine learning and mentoring younger doctors. During my six years of training - residency, chief residency, fellowship - teaching was a daily responsibility. Even the youngest doctors, interns, have a big responsibility to teach medical students. I shared the two best answers in medicine to all:

• "I don't know but I'll find out."
• "That's a good idea. We should do that." 

Coaches need to apply these concepts:

Three types of training activities leaders should do:

• Skill-acquisition - Learning to execute a skill, under pressure without thinking.

• Game-based - Applying skills within the context of a constrained game environment. For example, a game of 11 vs 8 or a smaller pitch.

• Tactical - Recreating specific situations that may occur during a match.

Here are a few quotes:

"There no difference between playing fast and being fast..." players with better game understanding and vision play faster.

"guessing is not critical thinking"

"What do you see?"

"It is the coach's job to build knowledge."

"If you start with a clear vision...the problem-solving is much more effective."

"Teaching technical vocabulary...is one of the fastest ways to accelerate learning." 

"The good coach should recognize the need for a variety of exercises to build perception..." 

"An athlete must be able to recall her knowledge very quickly at a high level under pressure."

"I have six different layers that I use to add variability: distance, speed, movement, dribbles and catches, defenders, and decisions." 

Reviewing notes reminds me that rereading excellent books adds more value than reading many books. 

Lagniappe. Wiping the block technique 

Coming Attractions

Volleyball season is only about two months away. Keep building your skill, game knowledge, physicality, and psychology/resilience. 

Years ago a 90 year-old speaker at the PGA annual meeting asked attendees to spend at least two hours a day on their short game. The following year, he spoke again. "I'm sorry to have let myself down about two hours a day short game practice. I missed two days." 

Don't miss any days here. Coming pieces: 

Define Your Legacy

Legacy - Something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past: synonym: heritage. 

Decide your desired legacy. An African proverb says, "I can go faster alone, but we can go farther together." 

Remember the mantra of the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team, "leave the jersey in a better place." 

Put the team first. General George Marshall had a chance to be European theatre commander during World War II, but yielded to General Eisenhower. Marshall, a master of logistics, believed that was his best role. He put winning before ego. 

In basketball, they call it "hero ball" when players put their choices ahead of team play. 

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has guided his team to six NBA Finals. He began his career in 1995 as a 'video coordinator', the bottom rung of the coaching ladder. He preaches that most players are role players and "on every team there is a pecking order." By inference, role players have important roles on winning teams. 

Winning builds legacy. The 2012 State Championship team had four players who ultimately earned All-State honors. Yet, they won with extraordinary play from Jen Cain who played D1 volleyball, the 'Great Wall' of Rachel Johnson and Kayla Wyland, and superb defense from Amanda Commito. 

Add value in your role. Embrace your role while training to expand it. 

Lagniappe. Friction, not magic.

 

Lagniappe 2. Player movement is interdependent and non-random. Good demonstration of the constant relocation of a player. 

Lagniappe 3. "Find a reason to keep going."