Elevate Your Craft

Writer David Mamet reminds his children to "every day do something for your craft and something for your business." Life rewards action. 

Apply yourself fully to school and invest time in other activities - sport, the arts, writing - to pursue your dreams. 

"Great offense is multiple actions." Fans who watched Westborough win the state title saw not only their Player of the Year Quinn Anderson, but excellent defense (platform skills and blocking), and great setting. Great hitters pile up numbers as a function of the 'dig, set, spike' mentality that relies on excellent digging and 'on time, on target' setting. 

Every great hitter in Melrose history relied on passes and sets from teammates. Next year will be the same.

"Winners are trackers." Plan your offseason campaign of skill and athletic development. Write the plan down. A public plan increases your likely of sticking to it. 

"Two is one and one is none." This Navy SEAL adage applies to training and planning. Working out with a teammate lifts two players.

"Become your own coach." What? How can I do that? Years ago at Horace Mann on a hot Sunday afternoon, a young player struggled to  make a reverse layup. The next Sunday, she had it down. Hold yourself accountable to perform at a high level.

 

A few years later in the State Championship, she showed the value of becoming your own coach. 

Lagniappe. Winners do more. Here's the Anson Dorrance quote about Mia Hamm, working out, alone, unnoticed. "You own your paycheck." 

Lagniappe 2. Improve wrist strength for setting. 

Lagniappe 3. Setter dumps.