Surviving

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own.  

Post by @zvonimirfras

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Solving problems may require "unavailable" information. There's an old saying, "you can't make the shots you never take." Statistics such as those above don't reveal everything. 

If a player chooses "not to attack" but to push the ball over, that doesn't get counted. If the team had a sixty percent chances of scoring with an attack and a forty percent over with a 'safe' return, the safe play is often the worse play. 

In 2010, Melrose served for match point. If you were there, you heard someone say, "Just get it over." Those words often presage defeat. Athena Ziavras finishes. 

 

For example, in the final point of the Billerica quarterfinal in 2022, they played it 'safe' with a worse result. That doesn't mean that an aggressive approach would have been better. We can't know.

Conversely, sometimes no 'aggressive' play exists. If you're hit a 'get me over' push shot or a free ball, hitting into the net or out of play is a major setback. 

Know when to survive and when to be aggressive. 

Lagniappe. More Coach Donnie on setting.