"Independent Alternative Assessment"

We can learn a lot from Sesame Street. 

"Curiosity killed the cat. Information brought him back."

Coach Scott Celli and his staff leave no stone unturned in seeking success. If you find players who want to win as badly as most coaches, you'll be successful. 

In Michael Useem's The Leadership Moment, he asks four questions:

• What went well?
• What went poorly?
• What can we do differently next time?
• What is the enduring lesson? 

Coach Celli thinks long and hard about each of those, asking "what can we do better as a team and what can I do better as a coach?"

If I went into classes at many high schools, I might see unmotivated or disruptive students. That's not MVB. Everyone wants to be there, to be part of something special and to contribute. That's the opportunity for coaches. Seldom is there a "hobbyist" whose primary sport is something else. 

One problem encountered in elite organizations is that leadership takes the attitude, "We don't listen to anyone. We're smart, motivated, and experienced." That's the 'resistance factor' to Red Teams, people with alternative vision and perspective.

Here's the harsh reality of real-world competition from the Red Team Handbook:  

I substituted "team" for military...

Team Capabilities 

Existing team capabilities are the most critical variable for team operations, political aspirations, resolve, and will. It was once easy to define team capabilities. However, this variable is rapidly becoming one of the most complex. A commander must be able to visualize all team capabilities of the threat. Red Teams must emphasize that our opponents can be flexible and adaptive. They could have the knowledge and ability to use a combination of conventional and unconventional capabilities. The commander must have information on conventional and unconventional capabilities, his ability to use modern technology, and his economic and political ability to affect the mission. 

Capabilities include equipment, manpower, training levels, resource constraints, and leadership issues. 

Look ahead not backwards. 

Lagniappe. Wisconsin upset undefeated Nebraska using superior firepower and strong blocking. 

Female Role Models

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own.

Did you know that only 11% of the stories in U.S. History Textbooks are about women?

Women are underrepresented in every category of role models. Expecting leadership without teaching it is unrealistic. Excellent teachers and coaches tell the truth. 

Norwood guidance counselor Coach Kristen McDonnell runs periodic sessions entitled, LEADHERSHIP. She was named Boston Herald Coach of the Decade for leading Braintree to four state championships.  

Looking forward to our LeadHERship session tonight (7-8pm) led by ARMY West Point coach, @CoachTraversi. The link has been emailed out. If any other coach would like to join, please email me at kmcdonnell@norwood.k12.ma.us. pic.twitter.com/4zzrBHJ6Jm

— Kristen McDonnell (@CoachKristenMcD) October 11, 2023

In the college basketball coaching categories, prominent women have included:

Dawn Staley (South Carolina, USWNT)

Screenshot with data from Netflix, The Playbook

Tara VanDerveer (Stanford, born in Melrose, MA)

Pat Summitt (Tennessee) 

An advertising agency put together an app, "Lessons in Herstory." 

Don't confine learning to prominent women in history, but if gender equality is important, teaching stories of prominent women deserves more attention. 

"You are going to have bad days..." 

Model Excellence

"How we do anything is how we do everything." 

Attack being the best family member you can be.

Excel in the classroom. If you can learn a sport, you can learn history.

Be a great worker in the weight room, in practice. 

Model excellence as a teammate. 

Be a sponge, learning from teammates and passing that knowledge down to younger teammates. 

Accountability means holding yourself to high standards. 

Dusty May has FAU in the top 15 again, following a Final Four Season

He was a manager at Indiana and didn’t play college basketball

Makes you question the philosophy that you had to be a great player to be a great coach 🤫

pic.twitter.com/nHWkbQwUbC

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) November 28, 2023

Coaching Gold

Every part of a possession contributes to the scoring, just as making a move on a chessboard is part of the whole. Sometimes the player who covers the blocked shot (keeps it alive), makes the key play.  

Old but good clip:

“The uneducated feel like if you aren’t scoring you aren’t doing a lot”

Wise words from a wise man

(Via @gocoogs1 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/6Xnf9Z9mOW

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) November 28, 2023

Coaches recognize value when they see it. Your job as a player is to create value. The back row player who pulls off a ball going out literally score the point and impacts winning. The 'great save' of a ball going out is a negative play.  

Thoughts on Training

Warmups are designed literally to warm muscles, improve flexibility, and reduce injury. "Dynamic stretching" has to be your individual responsibility. 

I'm not sure what order these were performed in reality. I'd start with the low intensity exercises before doing single leg hops or pogos. 

Training is not random. Athletes seek to create more acceleration and to become more functional in acceleration and deceleration. 

Here's another example of training exercises with dumbbells and boxes. 

Post by @kpstrength

View on Threads

Valuing Charlie Munger, A Life Well-Lived

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. They do not represent the official opinion of the City of Melrose, School Department, Melrose High School, or the Athletic Department. 

Interrupt your day to learn about a legend. Value cultural literacy as a student, volleyball player, and leader. 

Think better, execute better and win. That defined the Warren Buffett - Charlie Munger partnership at Berkshire Hathaway for sixty years. Charlie Munger died yesterday at 99.

Buffett and Munger mastered value, deliberate practice, and ran one of the most successful businesses in history. Don't value Munger because he was rich but because he was wise. 

Munger was one of the great modern thinkers, with special focus on using Mental Models. 

Coaches and players with higher sport IQ have an edge; sport is about edges - technical, tactical, physical, psychological. 

Here are a few mental models to think about: 

1. Circle of Competence... the more we understand, the larger our circle. It's not only "know that" but "know how" that enters into the equation. 

2. Sample size. Be cautious about making sweeping generalizations base on a small amount of data. The first time I saw Jayson Tatum play for Duke he committed a huge amount of turnovers. More observations make for more reliable assessment. 

3. Self-interest. Do not underestimate the influence of self-interest in decision making. Professor Adam Grant explores this in one of his books, "Give and Take." He describes givers, matchers, and takers. The most successful people are 'ambitious givers'. Takers act with extreme self-interest. 

Lagniappe. For those who want in-depth looks at Munger's style and substance, here's a classic video. 

Lagniappe 2. Find confidence components. 

 

Post by @mindset.unchained

View on Threads

Lagniappe 3. Quotes from Munger's "Poor Charlie's Almanack"

"And then all that is required is a willingness to bet heavily when the odds are extremely favorable, using resources available as a result of prudence and patience in the past."

"The best armor of old age is a well-spent life preceding it."

“Those of us who have been fortunate have a duty to give back. Whether one gives a lot as one goes along as I do, or a little and then a lot (when one dies) as Warren does, is a matter of personal preference.” 

Your Offseason - "I Really Need This Job"

"Plan your trade; trade your plan." 

The only 'sure bets' about next year's team are that Grace, Manon, and Sadie won't be back. 

Bring the best version of yourself to offseason workouts every day. That's number four of The Four Agreements, "Always do your best." Have the attitude about your desired position, "that is my job." Earn the right to play more. 

1. Play a lot. That includes your home workouts, developing platform skills and ball control. 

2. Become more athletic. You can't do that texting or watching Netflix. MVB's last three big hitters - Elena, Gia, and Sadie worked tirelessly to become superior athletes. 

 

Consult your coaches/trainer to see if they have specific exercises for you.

3. Picture clearly who you are as a player and what transformation is needed to get to where you need to be. When you give the team the best chance to succeed, you will get court time. That has been true for over twenty years. And players who earned significant play as freshmen have almost uniformly grown into standouts. 

4. Measure progress. You can mark the top of your jump with a chalked fingertip. You can time how long you jump rope. How far do you broad jump or what is your 'three-cone-drill' time? 

5. Develop position-specific skills. If you're a short, back row player, invest in platform skills, serving, and even one-arm passing...for which a partner will help.

 

If unsure of what needs to be done, ask your coaches. Lateral quickness is great for every position.

"That's a lot of work!" Nothing works unless you do. 

Sustainable Competitive Advantage

Use a sustainable competitive advantage, a simple technique that:

• Increases focus
• Is used by most pro and Olympic athletes
• Reduces anxiety and depression
• Lowers blood pressure
• Increases grades and standardized test scores
• Lowers circulating stress hormones
• Has independence from politics or religion
• Is simple and requires only a few minutes a day

Go here (app)

Or here (website)

ENGLISH:	Play Audio	English Text
Breathing Meditation (5 mins)	Play	Transcript
Breath, Sound, Body Meditation (12 mins)	Play	Transcript
Complete Meditation Instructions (19 mins)	Play	Transcript
Meditation for Working with Difficulties (7 mins)	Play	Transcript
Loving Kindness Meditation (9 mins)	Play	Transcript
Body and Sound Meditation (3 mins)	Play	Transcript
Short Body Scan (3 mins)	Play	Transcript
Body Scan for Sleep (13 mins)	Play	Transcript

"Be a Tracker"

Track your physical progress. 

 

Post by @coachjonathan_

View on Threads

What can you track? 

1) Jump rope time (minutes)

2) Vertical jump (e.g. chalk a finger tip) 

3) Jump training (calendar)

4) Quickness (five cones, one in center) - total time

5) Strength - e.g. pushups or number of lifts of a set weight 

6) 3 cone drill 

Coach Carl Pierson include speed, strength, and power (jumping) measures in his tryouts. When a father asked why his daughter didn't make the team, he could say, "45 girls tried out and your daughter was in the bottom five in all measured athleticism categories. She's not ready to compete." 

Most of the exceptional players in MVB history trained hard to develop their athleticism as part of their overall fitness. 

Discipline Is Power

They told him, "you need discipline." He replied, "thanks. Where do I get it?"

Literature and history are replete with examples of failed discipline. You know Aesop's story of The Tortoise and the Hare and the myth of Daedalus and Icarus, the latter who flew too close to the sun, melting his wings. Young readers learn how Pinocchio strayed and wound up a donkey on Pleasure Island. Only time will tell whether those who lived in the arc of Jeffrey Epstein will suffer from lack of discipline. 

In Spiderman, we hear the classic line from Peter Parker's uncle, "with great power comes great responsibility." 

We choose a path, illustrated by Ryan Holiday's "Discipline Is Destiny."

“Where the road diverged lay a beautiful goddess who offered him every temptation he could imagine. Adorned in finery, she promised him a life of ease. She swore he’d never taste want or unhappiness or fear or pain. Follow her, she said, and his every desire would be fulfilled.

On the other path stood a sterner goddess in a pure white robe. She made a quieter call. She promised no rewards except those that came as a result of hard work. It would be a long journey, she said. There would be sacrifice. There would be scary moments. But it was a journey fit for a god. It would make him the person his ancestors meant him to be.”

Discipline impacts influence or persuasion. The Greeks included ethos (character), logos (reason), and pathos (emotion) to appeal to others. 

Discipline appears in our habits. It reflects how we think, how we communicate, and especially how we act. 

Disciplined people may delay gratification. They do what they don't what to do now with the expectation that it will allow them to do what they want, when they want at a future point. 

Disciplined people invest time instead of spending it. Alabama football coach Nick Saban describes it as "choice versus feeling."

 

Saban also explains discipline as "what you're willing to accept." 

In coachspeak, that defines "you get what you accept." Success demands "playing harder for longer" piggybacked upon skill, strategy, and physicality. All require discipline. 

I think discipline exists at an equilibrium or 'steady state'. In a given team ecosystem there is a level of inputs and results. The hope is that more or better discipline results in better outputs. 

Discipline doesn't come with guarantees. Bill Walsh's book title defines the hope, The Score Takes Care of Itself. His discipline embodied imposing a Standard of Excellence across an entire organization. 

Post by @booksforaspirants

View on Threads

Lagniappe. Success is a system of self-belief translated into actions. 

WIN THE GAME IN YOUR HEAD FIRST

"Players and people break down mentally before they do breakdown physically. You're not just training them to run, jump, and do things. You're training them, hopefully, to think under pressure." (Geno Auriemma)

~ via @TheCoachJournal pic.twitter.com/ue1Dgb1GhL

— Jamy Bechler (@CoachBechler) October 31, 2022

 

There Is No Elephant in the Room

Cross-posted from my basketball blog.

Years ago Ralph Labella and I attended a UCONN Women's Basketball practice at the peak of their fourpeat dynasty with Breanna Stewart et al. Coach Geno Auriemma took questions from the group (maybe 100 invitees).

"Were you nice to the girls because we are here?"

Geno: "I'm always nice to the girls because they're babies. If I'm not nice, they're telling themselves, "the coach hates me." He delivered an important concept for coaches, "be demanding but not demeaning." 

Don't overthink every coaching decision.  

"Possession" and "Possessions"

Every "possession" or play impacts the scoreboard in volleyball. That differs from most sports where multiple plays pass by without a 'scoring moment'.

Coach Billy Donovan points out that players can't take plays off mentally to recover from a bad play. And everyone makes bad plays. It's vital to "stay in the fight." It's central to playing winning volleyball, the "next play" mentality. 

You can't let a small cut turn into a death from a thousand cuts. 

“How do you respond to failure, does it take 4 or 5 possessions?”

(Via @reidouse 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/hs0u7q64wA

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) November 26, 2023

 

Self-Care

Bring the best version of yourself to your family, school, and extra-curricular activities every day.

Don't separate physical and cognitive well-being. Developing restorative tools in youth will serve you forever. Invest in yourself. 

Use these actionable tips from MasterClass "5-Minute Learnings" with the screenshots from MasterClass. 

Set minimum goals for sleep of seven to eight hours daily. 

Mindfulness increases focus and memory while reducing stress hormones and mood disorders. 

Keep a journal. Simplify. Use the 21-day gratitude exercise of recording three items from your day for which you are grateful. 

Schedule your activity and recovery. Learn to eat better. 

If we don't care for ourselves, who will? 

Lagniappe. "We make our habits and our habits make us." Eating better becomes a habit. Reposted video. Take a few notes, on key points like adequate hydration, food choices, and avoiding depletion of glycogen stores with a pre-competition fruit or energy bar. 

Positive Attitudes Create Positive Lives - "It Takes a Village"

Celtics GM and prior coach Brad Stevens remarked, "coaches get more than we give." 

This season marks the final "graduating class" of middle school players I had the privilege of coaching. I'm proud of the women they've become and the athletes, although this class is accomplished. My apologies to any others I may have omitted. 

Sadie Jaggers - All-State and ML12 All-Conference volleyball, two-time Sectional Champion

Cecilia Kay - three time Boston Herald All-Scholastic basketball, 2023 Boston Herald Dream Team (top five EMASS squad)

Helene Phelan - All-League on Bishop Fenwick volleyball

ML Girls soccer Elite Eight players - Ava Tormo, Maria Jelley, Lily Nolan, Ellie Deeble, Emily Lucien, Amy Rowe, Zoe Smith 

Ava Wenzel - band, Drum Major (as accomplished a band member as is humanly possible)

Credit to the girls and their families for their amazing contributions and sacrifices. 

A big part of their success was their positive attitudes. Coaches hope that some of our message gets transmitted. Hat tip to Coach Scott Celli for sending along this Jay Wright message:

Jay Wright said, "Your attitude is your greatest characteristic. You don't control your intelligence, your size, or your God-given talents. What you do control, though, is your attitude. We can all have a positive attitude."

Your attitude is a choice.

It's a choice on how you want to respond to life's challenges.

A positive attitude is a choice for hope and belief.
A negative attitude is a choice for negativity and problems.

There will always be adversity, but it's your attitude and mindset that will determine how far you go.

6 Ways To Improve Your Attitude:

1. Prioritize What's Within Your Control - It starts with your ability to focus. Take ownership and control of what you can control. When you realize that you can control your mindset and attitude, you start to view external challenges for what they are, just challenges. Have a growth-mindset and believe that you can grow and improve

2. Transform Your Negative Self-Talk - Challenge your negative thoughts. Replace your negative words with positive affirmations. Your words are powerful, especially the words that you speak to yourself. Studies show that positive self-talk can enhance your confidence and reduce stress.

3. Create an Attitude of Gratitude - Feed yourself positivity, gratitude, and greatness instead of listening to complaining, negativity, and doubt. Spend time thinking about the positive aspects of your life. Research shows that practicing gratitude daily can lead to improved mood and overall well-being.

4. Stay Present - BE HERE NOW - When you focus on the present, you reduce stress and anxiety because you aren’t worrying about the past or anxious about the future. All we have is the present moment. Your attitude and mindset depends on your ability to be mindful of your environment.

5. Create Positive Moments and Connect - Connect with others and spend time with the people that you like. When you have an attitude of connection, you look for positivity and realize your effect on others. You also realize that others bring you support in those times of need.

6. Believe in Yourself and Your Future - Cultivate self-belief. Research has shown that having a positive self-view predicts improves your self-esteem and confidence. When you believe in your future, you take ownership and responsibility for your choices and actions because you believe they will affect your future.

"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way. - Viktor Frankl

Failure Is Inevitable. Pushing the Reset Button Is a Choice.

“A man of genius makes no mistakes,” wrote James Joyce. “His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.”

Post by @mindset.unchained

View on Threads

Everyone fails. The person who accepts no responsibility and disavows ever failing deceives himself not the world. 

It's worth developing a catalog of failure turned success stories.

In his MasterClass, Wolfgang Puck said that at one point he stood on a bridge for an hour, contemplating jumping. 

Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner toiled in obscurity in the Arena Football League before making the NFL. 

Everyone knows that Abraham Lincoln had a poor election track record before becoming president. 

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. 

Vincent Van Gogh moved from job to job and sold only one painting during his lifetime. His paintings sell for millions now.

 

Hans Zimmer lived in a cheap London flat before he was "discovered" as a master composer for movie scores. 

It took Edison a thousand tries to invent the lightbulb. He explained that he learned, "999 ways not to make a lightbulb." 

Many 'overnight success' stories overlook the years of work that underpinned recognition. 

John Maxwell wrote "Failing Forward" in which he describes numerous stories of failure turned into success. 

Do. Not. Quit. 

Lagniappe. Invest the four minutes to watch.

 

Lagniappe 2. Keep going.

 

A Half Dozen Picks and Shovels

Amazing arrays of tools exist in life and in sports. The 'pick and shovel' analogy arises in part from the gold mining fervor of the 19th century. If you wanted to sell to miners coming to California, you might sell picks and shovels, essential commodities. But you might also sell jeans, eggs, or other consumables.

Twice NBA champion coach Chuck Daly preached, "I'm a salesman." Why? Coaches and teachers 'sell' knowledge, a system and philosophy of game play, and their ability to add value through 1) player and team development and 2) success. 

What are your 'picks and shovels'? 

1. Belief. If you do the right things, the right way, at the right time, the results take care of themselves. You can only be as good as you believe you are. 

2. Structure. Construct the four-legged stool of skill, strategy, physical and psychological development of Dr. Fergus Connolly. 

3. Player development. "Every day is player development day." Coaches teach how to perform skills but 'repetitions make reputations'. Have a daily improvement plan.

4. Hard work. "The harder you work, the luckier you get." 

5. Habit formation. "How you do anything is how you do everything." Pick your habit, stick with it daily, and check that you do it well and hard. "Don't miss twice." 

6. Inspiration. Stand on the shoulders of those who came before you. For younger players, your 'models' are Elena, Gia, and Sadie. They watched others when they were little girls. 

Lagniappe. “How you play when things aren’t going your way really defines you as a player.” - Steve Kerr 

“How you play when things aren’t going your way really defines you as a player.” - Steve Kerr

(Via @DrCoach_Ehrlich 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/bZmKHl0yCH

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) November 23, 2023

Comments

"Never read the comments." - Conor Sen, Bloomberg View columnist

My son advises me not to read article comments. Amidst the anonymous vitriol of the Internet, that makes sense. Until it doesn't. 

I adhere to the wisdom of the "Ration" sisters, the little sisters Aspi and Inspi and the older ones, Prepa and Perspi. You know them as AspiRation, InspiRation, PrepaRation, and PerspiRation. 

Here's a comment about a recent piece. It shares more wisdom than the original. 

Your recent post is a goldmine of thought-provoking questions and insights, providing a roadmap for anyone serious about taking their volleyball game to the next level. The emphasis on continuous improvement, learning from successful players, and daily player development resonates deeply with the dedication required for excellence.

I particularly appreciate the focus on collaboration with teammates, recognizing the collective effort needed for success. The questions about individual effort during off-season workouts and being a better teammate highlight the holistic approach you advocate for personal and team growth.

Your encouragement for players to identify their key volleyball skill and strategic planning for team success adds a strategic and introspective layer to your coaching philosophy. It's clear that you understand the multifaceted nature of success in volleyball, blending individual strengths with team strategy.

The inclusion of book recommendations, particularly James Clear's Atomic Habits and Jason Selk's concepts, shows a commitment to not only the physical aspects of the game but also the mental and psychological components. This holistic approach sets the stage for a comprehensive and transformative player development journey.

In conclusion, your post isn't just a set of questions; it's a powerful guide for players aspiring to greatness. Your insights into continuous learning, strategic planning, and intentional habits offer a valuable blueprint for those willing to invest in their growth. Keep inspiring and guiding your players to reach their full potential!

For both graduating, returning, and 'aspirational' players (JV, freshmen, and rising middle schoolers), "Nothing works unless you do." 

Self-Scouting

"Attack weaknesses, utilize strengths." 

Self-scouting is analogous to "red teaming," allows us to judge where and how to attack opponents and where they might choose to attack our teams. 

These track statistics. On a given day a team might outperform an area of weakness or underachieve a strength, especially dependent on the strength of the opponent. 

Statistics might show obvious strengths or weakness. For example, Melrose's leading attacker was OH Sadie Jaggers. A defense might intensify their outside double block to counter. You'd then ask is it better to utilize your strength, adjust, or some combination? 

If teams watched Melrose video, they would identify middle blocking strength, but might note Melrose was sometimes less proficient at closing the outside double block and choose to attack more from the outside. These aren't 'state secrets'. 

Sometimes video reveals offensive or defensive tendencies or vulnerabilities. I don't have statistics scoring serve receives by good pass, mediocre pass, or poor pass by receiver. I think all the back row players had similar competencies, but that's the eyeball test not analytics. 

Teams score or allow points based on positive play, opponent error, negative play, or opponent positive play. At their best, Melrose scores more points (kills) per set. Struggles as a percentage 'seemed' to relate to serve and serve receive inconsistency. The key takeaway is that as you would expect, beating solid teams and going deep in the playoff demands more positive points and fewer giveaways. It's easy from the stands. 

Lagniappe. Serve placement... 

Happy Thanksgiving. MVB has a lot for which to be thankful.