"Red Teaming"

Red Teaming is similar to a premortem examination. Assess your and your opponents strengths and weaknesses and develop a plan to succeed. Sounds simple?

Complexity arises for many reasons including cognitive biases. Seeing ourselves through a reality lens is tough. For example, in the wake of "enhanced interrogations" during Iraq, the CIA conducted an investigation. But their investigators lacked the expertise to assess the problem and were not given the information needed to analyze it.

Outsiders need independence and insiders need objectivity.

For example, one could develop a report card for a team or a player, grading A-B-C-D-F-incomplete. Here's a partial list. 

Serve

Serve receive

Middle blocking

Outside double blocking 

Middle attack 

Outside attack 

Back row attack 

Digging (including decision-making on playing a ball)

Setting

In addition to grading, apply reasons for the grade and suggestions for change or improvement. 

Melrose had over 1500 serve attempts this season and had an error percentage of 13%. What is the ace percentage? I don't know. 

Duxbury had a serving percentage of 93% this season (errors 7%) and an ace percentage of 15%. That's greater than 2:1 positive. 

Westborough had a serving percentage of 86% (errors 14%) and an ace percentage of 16%. That's greater than 1:1 positive. 

If those stats are correct, they outperform all these college volleyball teams. 

Not that my grade matters, I'd give Melrose a 'C' for serving because of the high number of errors, relative to what I suspect are aces.  

The coaches will examine possible gains during the small break before the postseason. I'd guess the top three might include serve receive, serve, and outside double block. 

Lagniappe.