More Than Wins and Losses

Write a great narrative.

• Make memories
• Develop lifelong friendships
• Be part of something bigger than yourself 

Don’t think for one minute that team sports is only about the sport. Athletes gain confidence, work ethic, discipline, lifelong relationships. Sports teaches kids to find their voice, to stand on their own. Learning & playing the sport is great, but ultimately that’s secondary!

— Jon Beck (@CoachJonBeck) July 16, 2024

You will remember the experience and your teammates and coaches long after you have forgotten individual games. 

Lagniappe. Double the fun?  

100%

Muffet McGraw won two national championships coaching at Notre Dame. She only hired women. She implied that men favored the "Old Boys Network" and she gave preference to women. 

"I think the important thing that sports teaches is so many life skills.
You learn - how to handle adversity, how to sacrifice, you learn discipline...and a lot of commitment.
If you want to really be good, you have to be willing to make the sacrifice."@MuffetMcGraw pic.twitter.com/sM78WjiEwl

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) July 30, 2024

Sport is meritocracy, preparing you to handle anything.  

Girl Dad

The US Women's Rugby team did themselves, our country, and American women proud.

Many of the great MVB players of past and present are smart, tough, powerful women. As a "Girl Dad," I'm good with that. 

Post by @mitzimacintosh

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Be That Guy

Eleven time National Champion coach Geno Auriemma at UCONN addresses the team, "Guys" because 'girls' or 'ladies' sounds a bit off. This Threads post makes a wonderful point. Be the guy.  

Post by @hoopscompanion

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Women's Sports Grow in Popularity and Status

An electrifying finish on the last play of the game earns a medal.

Never give up.  

The Premortem Examination*

"What could possibly go wrong?" 

Speculators, companies, and sophisticated analysts perform a PREMORTEM EXAMINATION. They "look back" from a presumed future date to determine 'what went south'. The 'premortem' improves project outcomes an estimated 30 percent. 

The premortem informs what might go wrong, improving decision-making. It can avoid confirmation bias and overconfidence. 

Author Gary Klein, who wrote Sources of Power, shares insights on the Premortem at HBR.org. Here are excerpts:

"By making it safe for dissenters who are knowledgeable about the undertaking and worried about its weaknesses to speak up, you can improve a project’s chances of success." We all witnessed leaders who reject unwelcome criticism from concerned stakeholders.

"The team members’ task is to generate plausible reasons for the project’s failure." 

"Those in the room independently write down every reason they can think of for the failure—especially the kinds of things they ordinarily wouldn’t mention as potential problems, for fear of being impolitic." 

As we launch a season, asking "what went wrong" in advance seems painfully obvious. 

1) Attribution bias. Blame events beyond our control - bad luck in close games, officiating, injuries, or illness. Our key players were out. Does it matter? Control what you can control.  

2) Culture wars. Team chemistry failed. Who owns that? Players do not play for the community, their school, for their families, or even for the coaches. "Play for each other, the girl next to you." 

3) Development failure. Practice didn't produce communication, offensive cohesion (collaboration), skill growth (attacking), or reducing mistakes (serve receive). Players struggled to grasp new concepts. "What has not been learned hasn't been taught." Trade in reality, not in excuses. Melrose has the best floor communicator in MVB history. 

4) I am the problem. The coach owns culture, team selection, skill and team development, and the allocation of resources (practice time, philosophy, playing time). Focus on process - development and competitiveness are the primary goals. With the best process, the best outcomes follow. 

Heather McCloskey provides detailed inquiry into product rollout here.  

*Adapted from my basketball blog 

Lagniappe. Theory and practice, the short ball... 

Accountability

Be curious and open. Be coachable. Be accountable.  

Young players should listen to this approach

This is how you handle adversity

Accountability and work ethic

(Via @SamJAlves 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/MFqzzurvkb

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) July 23, 2024

How to Pass (Shorts)

Coach Donnie shares a series of passing tutorials:

Part 1

Part 2 

Part 3 

Lagniappe (bonus material). Make reading your attack hard by adding deception. 

Applying Professional Sports Approaches

What is professionalism? Professionalism consistently applies timely, efficient, detail-oriented approaches. Show up on time, ready to go, physically and mentally prepared. Be stretched out when practice starts and have total mental focus.  

1. Consider lessons from Gridiron Genius

"Champions behave like champions before they’re champions." —BILL WALSH 

As a young player or young coach, develop "professionalism" or something less leaves us short of our best version. Professionals are on time, "off book" and thoroughly prepared. If a player doesn't know her job, how can she do it?

"Moss displayed another Belichick staple: mental toughness, which the Patriots define as “doing what is best for the team when it might not be best for you.” In New England, Moss was a “program guy”: someone who works hard, is a supportive teammate, and cares deeply about winning. In other words, someone with football character.

2. Analyze a player using the Selection Process of Ed Smith

Physical makeup. It's not only about skill, size, and athleticism, but health history and durability. 

Psychological makeup. Can we look under the hood and examine the player's character, commitment, 'heart', and resilience? 

Performance. Smith reminds us of the difference between academics - those who often design by 'concepts' and the man in the street - who frames choices by experience. 

The Decision. Is our goal consensus, compromise, or getting the absolute best outcome? 

3. Professionals are different. 

Pete Newell said, "teach players to SEE THE GAME." 

Phil Jackson taught, "Basketball is sharing."

Bob Knight advised, "Basketball is a game of mistakes." His warning was to reduce them. 

Dean Smith's primary lesson was CARING. 

Bill Walsh coached to his "standards of performance." 

4. Leadership It takes many elements to win

Leadership. Leadership adds value to not just 'the game' but the lives of the individuals. Leaders get buy-in. Buy-in creates loyalty and starts the 'chain of belief', so well-developed in Ted Lasso. 

5. Develop great habits. Preparation is habit forming. Hard work is habit forming. Winning is habit forming. 

Grow our habits. "We make our habits and our habits make us." Habits can be pleasurable - a walk, a workout, reading, mindfulness, writing. Attitude is habit. I read a suggestion to put an elastic on our wrist and switch to the opposite wrist every complaint. That makes complaining obvious. One of James Clear's signs to change habits is "make it obvious." Change the elastic a few times in an hour and grievance is real. 

The Most Important Skill

What separates exceptional teams from excellent teams? It goes by a variety of names - heart, toughness, fortitude, resilience.

Exceptional teams have "another gear" and the capacity to play "harder for longer." 

"Hard work is a skill." 

"Discipline is a skill." 

"Toughness is a skill." 

Conditioning helps. 

🏅Resilience ⬇️

If I could magically give all my players 1 trait, it would be resilience. When adversity hits. They have the ability to fight back and find a way forward.

It would instantly make players more valuable and help them impact winning more! pic.twitter.com/xpzBb8x6rS

— Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) July 26, 2024

Better Athlete, Better Volleyball

"Better ingredients, better pizza."

Sport rewards athletic explosiveness.  

To become a better athlete, you must train all components of athleticism

- Speed
- Power
- Strength
- Change of Direction

Don't waste your time on exercises that won't get results

Here are 12 exercises I use with my athletes to build better athleticism, that you can use too: pic.twitter.com/R5YXF0guyU

— Keith Ferrara (@keithjferrara) July 29, 2024

Better Blocking

MVB developed a series of exceptional blockers over the course of three decades. Great blocking scores points and denies opponents from scoring points. 

Size, jumping ability, timing, and technique (footwork, hand position) all contribute to elite blocking. 

MVB '24 has a chance to be one of the top blocking clubs in Melrose history. Melrose has two of the best middles in the ML12 in Sabine Wenzel and Sofia Papatsoris, a tall elite setter in Leah Fowke, and other strong competitors for the double blocking positions. 

 

Communications Gap

Dealing with conflict helps bridge adolescence into maturity. Hard conversations are hard at any age.

Adam Grant shares ideas on better and worse ways to end convos. The goal shouldn't be to "win" the discussion but find common ground with mutual understanding. 

Coaches, players and families won't always see eye to eye on minutes, role, and recognition. 

Post by @adamgranthas 

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Learning to reconcile differences at home, school, and other settings has lasting value. 

Lagniappe. Jayson Tatum did not play in the opening game of the Olympics. 

Sometimes your toughest players don't get many minutes.

It takes a tough player to accept a small role and stay 100% committed to the team.

— Coach Mac 🏀 (@BballCoachMac) July 26, 2024

Grateful

When you have an excellent coach, count yourself fortunate. Top coaches:

• Put teams in position to succeed. 
• Coach positively. 
• Help grow skill, strategy, physicality, and psychology. 
• Motivate. 
• Communicate, including the hard conversations. 

Great stuff here

Coaches, try to process all of this pic.twitter.com/zUwPjN8l1F

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) July 27, 2024

Brad Stevens says, "Coaches get more than we give." Most coaches agree.  

Play Smarter

Because I am NOT a volleyball expert, I share this basketball thread about developing basketball IQ (BBIQ).

Your coaches (and some of you) will see the analogous situations (e.g. scrimmaging, targeted serving, practicing 'out of system') where vision, decisions, and execution make you smarter, more effective players.  

I keep hearing, "We need to develop players with better basketball IQ's" through all my travels through grassroots circles.

🧵 Thread: Building Better Basketball IQ with Meaningful Learning 🏀🧠 pic.twitter.com/b9tTCG6dJX

— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) July 25, 2024

 

Manifesting

We are the sum of our actions. It's not perfection although we've discussed "touching perfection."

Among the millions of "Threads" users is Tiny Kindnesses. It speaks for itself. Manifest kindness. 

Post by @tinykindnesses

View on Threads

Years ago, 2004 I think, MVB won the MIAA Sportsmanship Award. Just be you. 

Correction Fluid

“I’m trying to do my job to the best of my ability at all times. Part of doing your job is to never have any sort of complacency. Always assess and always embrace the fact that you’re fallible. The enjoyment of identifying, correcting and improving, that’s the name of the game,”… pic.twitter.com/jQn14ZVA0V

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) July 26, 2024

Back in the day, before word processors and computers, there was correction fluid. 

Students didn't erase; they overwrote. Messy. 

Coaches don't have that option. They put teams in the best position to succeed...with no guarantee of success. They're in the same boat as players, doing whatever it takes...without correction fluid. 

Reaching Your Potential

Coaches concern ourselves with effort and execution. Years ago our middle school travel team lost 47-43 to top-rated Andover. Four years later, players from that Andover group won a state basketball championship.

The girls said that the Andover parents told them that was the hardest any team had played against them.

Effort and execution help you to approach your competitive ceiling, always your goal. Everyone wants to win. Focus on process, being a worthy opponent regardless of your opponent.

Control your professionalism, effort, communication, and teamwork.   

"I do not judge success based on championships; rather, I judge it on how close we came to realizing our potential"

– John Wooden

— Coach Mac 🏀 (@BballCoachMac) July 27, 2024

Lagniappe. Blocking fundamentals... MVB has an experienced blocking group. 

Earned

Everything is Earned.

You either believe that, or you risk living with a victim or entitlement mindset.

What is Earned?

- Your Role
- Your Impact
- Your Influence
- Your Playing Time
- Your Opportunities

Live with a ‘No Deposit - No Return’ Mindset.

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) July 26, 2024

Position is either earned or gifted. Melrose had numerous 'sister acts', every one earned. There's neither entitlement nor nepotism. Earn your spot. 

The Exceptional Player

Don't toss around superlatives as though they're pennies. Reserve them for the truly deserving. Think Bill Russell, not on basketball's Mount Rushmore, because he's on Mount Olympus. Lightly recruited in high school, all he did was: 

• Win a pair of NCAA championships
• Win an Olympic Gold Medal
• Win 11 NBA titles in 13 years
• 14 Championships in 15 years
• In "win or go home" situations, his teams were 21-0. 

The best players make their teammates better. They impact winning and energize. They are relentless. 

"The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I’d made my teammates play"

- Bill Russell

— Coach Mac 🏀 (@BballCoachMac) July 24, 2024

Working on Memory

Memory helps us navigate both familiar and unfamiliar circumstances. One advantage of life experience is exposure to a variety of situations that turned out differently.

The recent MasterClass on Brain Health discusses memory and how to work it.

First, the "Professors" discuss our memory relative to chimpanzees. They point out for finding objects, chimps rule. They need to forage for food, so they know what locations "pay." 

Accepting that, we still can improve our memory. How? Use the acronym RANE. 

Repetition. When we repeat activities, especially over time, we strengthen "neural connections" between the frontal cortex and hippocampus. We know from the popular, free Coursera Course "How to Learn," that spaced repetition and self-testing are among the most powerful methods available. 

Repeating your service toss helps your consistency.

Association. How many times have you tried to recall something and related it to something else? When having trouble recalling an actor or celebrity, our brain 'circles around' looking for associations. Who's that? That's Matt Damon's friend, er, Ben Affleck. Or who's she? She was in Million Dollar Baby...Hilary Swank. Whom does Sabine Wenzel remind us of? It's Kara Charette, who tormented Melrose while at Fairhaven. 

That is, a player "comparable" to a well-known and highly regarded player makes an evaluating coach see her more favorably. 

The "memory palace" technique helps some memory wizards.  

Novelty. We remember the new and the different which may be important to our survival. Joe Mazzulla has become 'the next new thing'. What varsity players will have a breakthrough season?  Of course, remember the adage, "Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold."

Emotional resonance. Strong emotions encode powerful memories upon us, good and bad. We'll never forget the greatest successes and abject failures. Fans will remember the great 2012 postseason run. Great for the positive but sometimes worse as we can't unsee the negative. 

Lagniappe. Develop personal leadership strategies.

 

Sign of the Times

This sign appears in the Chargers' locker room. 

Slogans, by themselves, don't win championships. Actions do. MVB is having a strong showing in Summer League, currently at 15-1. Those wins and single loss don't carry over to September 4th.

"Bring your best self to every day."

"Improve skill, game understanding, physicality, resilience."

"Never bigfoot younger players." "Be a good ancestor."

"Do the unrequired work," at home, school, and the court.

MVMMS is your volleyball home. Take care of it. 

The team had not been in the postseason for almost a decade. The coach said, "this team can give you a game." The players looked at each with confidence, thinking "that is not happening." The scoreboard flashed 76-23 with reserves playing the second half. 

Recognize the Power

It takes millions of years for nature to cut canyons through rocks. Yosemite is a giant volcano that erupts every few hundred thousand years. Results take time and belief.  

The team that takes the court on September 4th won't have the same cohesion and production as the one in November. Keep grinding. 

Usain Bolt said, "I trained 4 years to run 9 seconds and people give up when they don't see results in 2 months."

Patience isn't just sitting around and waiting.
• It's doing the work.
• It's being focused.
• It's having faith in the process.

We live in a world of instant… pic.twitter.com/Z00UB8Wngl

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) July 26, 2024

Self-Belief

"Confidence is what happens when you've done the hard work that entitles you to succeed"

- Pat Summitt

— Coach Mac 🏀 (@BballCoachMac) July 25, 2024

Confidence balances arrogance and doubt. 

Confidence cannot be bestowed; you earn it. Not everyone believes in Malcolm Gladwell's "10,000 hours." You craft expertise and experience, you don't discover it.  

From Brave AI: Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea that achieving world-class expertise in any skill requires approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. This concept, often referred to as the “10,000-hour rule,” is based on research by psychologist Anders Ericsson.

Key Points:

1. Deliberate Practice: The quality of practice matters more than the quantity. Focused, structured, and guided practice is essential for improvement.
2. Time Investment: 10,000 hours is a rough estimate of the time needed to achieve mastery in a particular field. This translates to around 20 hours of practice per week for 10 years.
3. Exceptions: Gladwell acknowledges that innate talent exists, but argues that talent alone is insufficient for achieving expertise. Practice is necessary to develop and refine skills.
4. Examples: The Beatles’ success is attributed to their extensive live performances in Hamburg, Germany (over 1,200 shows), which exceeded 10,000 hours of playing time. Bill Gates’ access to a high school computer at age 13 allowed him to accumulate 10,000 hours of programming practice.
5. Limitations: Critics argue that the 10,000-hour rule oversimplifies the path to expertise and neglects other factors, such as good teaching, access to resources, and individual differences.
6. Debunking: Recent studies have challenged the universality of the 10,000-hour rule. Research suggests that practice is important, but good teaching and individual differences also play significant roles in achieving expertise.

In Conclusion: The 10,000-hour rule provides a rough estimate of the time required to achieve mastery in a particular field, emphasizing the importance of deliberate practice. However, it is essential to recognize the limitations and exceptions to this rule, as well as the complex interplay of factors that contribute to expertise.

How can you grow confidence? 

• Build skill. Skill increases results. Results boost confidence.
• Imagery (visualization). 
• Conditioning. Superior conditioning helps playing "harder for longer."
• Put process ahead of outcomes.
• Leverage coaching into personal growth.

Don't Give Away At Bats

"Make the big time where you are." Return to the "achievement equation," the product of performance and time.

Your performance sums every serve, attack, and dig. Whether you're up or down, stay focused and play present. When you constantly bring your "A" game to the court, you never have to apologize.

Be the player who plays hard, day in and day out, practice or games. Set an example of professionalism. Be the guy that teammates tell young players, "play like she does." 

Years ago we were at the next-to-last game of the season at Fenway. The Red Sox and Orioles were out of contention for postseason play. It was the bottom of the eighth, one out with a man on first. There was a ground single to right and the right fielder threw wildly to third. Backing up the throw from left field was Oriole outfielder B.J. Surhoff. The play was meaningless in the big picture, but not. It revealed the 'competitive character' of Surhoff.

Everything doesn't show up in the scorebook or the media. Most people won't see your attitude, your teamwork, and your practice ethic. But you do.

Lagniappe. Having veteran leadership doesn't guarantee success. Experienced players often 'know how to win." MVB '24 has abundant veteran leadership. 

7 Things Mature Athletes Do.

1. They are Present
2. They Lead by Example
3. They Do the Right Thing
4. They Listen with their Eyes
5. They are Focused Students
6. They Show Respect for Others
7. They are Healthy: Nutrition and Sleep

Mature Teams WIN.

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) July 23, 2024

Cross-Posted - Servant Leadership

Continue a culture of servant leadership - service, stewardship, growth, and community. Posted from my basketball site. 

Tension

"I can make a bowl of rice using brown Nagano Milky-Queen rice from Japan. I can prepare it in a Cuckoo pressurized rice cooker. And I can serve it in a handmade ceramic bowl. All in, perhaps this bowl of rice costs me an extra twenty cents and takes a few minutes longer. And when I eat this bowl of rice, I can pause for a minute and think of all the resources and all the labor that went into bringing it to me.

Better is possible." - From Seth's Blog, Seth Godin

Tension exists between "Better is possible" and "It takes what it takes." That's the difference between theory and practice. Imagine you're a B+ student. How do you reinvent yourself as an A student? 

• Revise your attitude. Become the "do five more" student-athlete...more spaced repetition, more sustained concentration, more self-testing. What are the key lessons here? 
• Redefine your choices. Engage more with books and less with texting and social media. "Sacrifice." 
• Effort. "Always do your best," the fourth agreement. Ask for help from mentors and put in the time it takes. 

You see where this is headed. Your best at home, in school, and on the court means continual evolution. Today, you are who you are. Decide whom you choose to become. It's your team; it's your dream. 

Playing Time

Varsity sports reflect the importance of winning. Participation fees muddy the waters, but they don't buy playing time.

MVB sets high standards and goals. Every year the goal is to "win the last game." That's only happened once, although MVB has gotten to the Finals four times.

How can you increase your playing time? Greg Berge has a lengthy thread below. I'll shorten the list. 

1. Earn the position with commitment, skill, and effort. All the effort and commitment in the world won't overcome limited size, athleticism, and skill. Back row players can be short but not unskilled and unathletic. 

2. Outwork the competition. If two players have similar size, skill, and athleticism, the "hungrier lioness" will generally win. 

3. Be Darwinian. Be versatile and flexible. Darwin didn't say "survival of the fittest" but most responsive to change. 

4. Earn the coach's trust by impacting winning. That usually blends vision, decisions, and execution especially but not exclusively during "winning time." 

5. Be a great teammate. The players voted for the "Best Teammate," who wasn't necessarily the best player or the most valuable player. They always got it right. 

Playing Time is EARNED.

But how can athletes EARN playing time?

Here are 10 ways.

[THREAD] 🧵

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) July 21, 2024

Lagniappe 2. Setting tips.  

 

Being a "Dirt Dog"

Are you a dirt dog? That's a compliment of the highest order.

From ChatGPT: 

"Dirt dog" is a term that can have different meanings depending on the context:

1. Baseball Term: In baseball slang, a "dirt dog" refers to a player who is gritty, hardworking, and gives maximum effort on the field, often getting dirty (hence "dirt dog") by diving for balls, sliding into bases, etc. It's a term of admiration for players who hustle and play with intense determination.

2. Racing Term: In motorsports, particularly off-road racing like motocross or dirt biking, a "dirt dog" can refer to a competitor who excels on dirt tracks or in rough terrain.

3. General Slang: Outside of specific contexts like sports, "dirt dog" can be used informally to describe someone who is tough, resilient, or willing to get their hands dirty (literally or metaphorically) to get things done.

The exact meaning depends on where and how the term is used, but it generally conveys a sense of toughness, determination, and willingness to work hard. 

The 'dirt dog' goes above and beyond. She has the skill and will to do the "dirty jobs" that coaches need done. 

If we ask Coach Scott Celli who are the MVB 'dirt dogs' I bet the same names come up. 

Lagniappe. Dirt Dog Mentality. 

Lagniappe 2. One contact championship. Great for dirt dogs. 

What Is Coaching?

I love practice, seeing players grow skill, strength and conditioning, collaboration and more.

My volleyball knowledge is limited so I'm not sure which parts of practice could seem 'tedious'. 

"Coaching is making players do what they don’t want to do so they can become the player they want to become"

- Kevin Eastman pic.twitter.com/HISP62xPuJ

— Coach Mac 🏀 (@BballCoachMac) July 23, 2024

Coaches want to see you grow as an individual and player. When they make suggestions, listen. 

• Be coachable.
• Always be early. Never be a distraction.
• Setup and cleanup are part of life. Leave the gym better than you found it.
• "You own your paycheck" - minutes, role and recognition.
• Advocate for yourself by asking how you can contribute more. 

As a middle schooler, I heard my coach tell me that I lacked the height to play forward. He said my role would be defense, ball handling and taking care of the basketball as a guard. That gave me a choice. Sulk about DNA or embrace the available opportunity.

As a senior, I heard the same coach say, "You're going to start. Not because we like you, but because you're one of the best five." 

Coaching isn't "handling players" or "managing expectations." Coaching is about relationships and communication. Remember the "Ration sisters." The little sisters are Inspi and Aspi and the big sisters are Prepa and Perspi." Perspiration and preparation do more than inspiration and aspiration. 

Last season I told a young player before the Wakefield match, "I believe in you," because I believe that she will have a big role going forward. Nothing has made me think differently. 

Past Performance

MVB record versus the other ML11 (from a reliable source):

2000 to 2009 - 100-9

2010 to 2019 - 151-9

2020 to 2023 - 58-3

Overall 309-21

There has been 'expansion' to include all ML12 schools, explaining the difference in games played. 

Past performance never guarantees future results. Melrose has produced many exceptional teams and players. Most of all, Melrose graduates have gone on to excel in many domains from parenting to professions. 

Two more MVB players enter the MHS Athletic Hall of Fame on September 21st. Many more will follow over time. 

Hannah Brickley, MVB 2006-2009, three-time Massachusetts Volleyball Coaches All-State selection

Compete Level

Get past hard. Compete. "How you do anything is how you do everything."

Earning a spot on MVB might be the toughest assignment in MHS sports. Earning a role demands more. MVB forged a winning tradition and positive culture as a 'legacy program' over three decades.  

That brings responsibilities to MVB team members: 

• "Leave the jersey in a better place." (Legacy, James Kerr) 
• "Be a good ancestor." (Legacy)
• "Always do your best." (The Four Agreements, Miguel Ruiz)
• “Physical dominance can make you great. Mental dominance is what ultimately makes you unstoppable.” (Relentless, Tim S. Grover)
• "I never tried to prove anything to someone else. I wanted to prove something to myself." (Mamba Mentality, Kobe Bryant)

You got this. 

Lagniappe. Overhead digs. 

Overhead digs are not just for back row players. In the 2010 North final, Rachel Johnson's overhead dig starts the final attack for Athena Ziavras off a Brooke Bell assist. 

 

History Lesson - The Downside

Strong emotion imprints strong memories. MVB has enjoyed success for over two decades but a few teams have held the upper hand over Melrose.

Medfield beat Melrose in the 2005 State Final (3-2) and later in 2009. 

Fairhaven dismantled Melrose in the State semis with an otherworldly performance from Kara Charrette.

Marlborough beat Melrose in 2003 in the State semis and again in 2011 in the State Finals. 

King Philip beat Melrose in the State semis. 

NDA (Hingham) holds a 3-1 edge in a series that ended in 2017.

Westborough has a sizable edge (9-2) versus Melrose and will face MVB again this season in non-league play. 

A pair of D1 teams also have an edge over MVB, with Newton North leading (6-2) and Central Catholic (6-9), not including games prior to 2006. Newton North's Nigel Fox also piloted his boys to capture the State title this year. 

Within the ML12, Winchester has split the last ten matches with MVB and always has a strong club led by John Fleming. 

As they say on Wall Street, "past performance does not guarantee future results." MVB '24 travels to Frontier and Duxbury and hosts Westborough and Newton North in a highly attractive nonleague schedule. 

"Love our losses." Often losing dispenses more lessons than victories. Seldom does one issue explain the differences between success and struggles. Trust your coaches to diagnose and manage need areas. 

Chekhov's Gun

(Via ChatGPT) Chekhov's gun is a principle in storytelling often attributed to Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. The principle suggests that every element introduced in a story should serve a purpose. Specifically, if a gun is shown in the first act of a play, it should be fired by the third act. In broader terms, it emphasizes the importance of narrative economy and the avoidance of unnecessary elements that do not contribute to the plot, characterization, or themes of a story.

In modern storytelling, Chekhov's gun is often used as a guideline for ensuring that all elements introduced in a narrative have relevance and contribute meaningfully to the overall story. It encourages writers to carefully consider the inclusion and development of plot points, objects, characters, and themes, thereby enhancing the coherence and impact of their work. 

What does that mean for volleyball? Make everything advance the story. 

• Revise or trash drills that don't impact winning.
• Make everything serve efficiency at practice.
• Don't be 'superfluous' to the process as a player. Practice hard to improve your teammates; support the team regardless of your playing time.  
• Never overlook any opponent. Don't let them interfere with your success. 
• Credit the people who help fashion your success - your parents and coaches. 
• Investing our time don't spend it.

Lagniappe. Mental qualities of top athletes.

- Optimism

- Vision

- Motivation

- Goal-oriented

- Self-talk

- Visualization

Lagniappe 2. Setting is a core skill to be learned by all. 

Dealing with Downballs

Playing downballs is an underrated skill. Sadie Jaggers was one of Melrose's best. Avoid overaggressive and passive attacks. Watch the videos.   

First, the mechanics... 

Defending downballs (and free balls)

PSU drill with digging and downballs. 

Defeating Superior Opponents

Attention to detail separates the top teams. The Celtics won a championship by creating mismatches on offense and refusing to allow Dallas to get mismatches.

Part of attention to detail is passion to do the work. Coach Dick Bennett gave players a sheet with five elements.

Passion - care exceptionally for your sport, work, study

Unity - you can overcome together. Coach Mike Krzyzewski asked whether you would poke someone with one finger or deliver a punch with a fist.

Servant leadership - the best leaders serve others, their teammates and community.

Humility - humility isn't thinking less of yourself; it's thinking less about yourself.

Thankfulness - power exists in gratitude; be thankful for your families, teammates, and coaches.

"Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm." Leverage your talent and competitiveness into communication, confidence, and consistency.

Stay passionate for your sport, your teammates, and your game.  

The Truth Is Out There

Video is "the truth machine." When assessing players, what is the hierarchy of tools available, from lowest to highest, realizing overlap and oversimplification? Everything matters. 

1) Raw statistics. "There are three kinds of lies - lies, damned lies, and statistics." - Mark Twain  Statistics show a lot but not all. 

2) Highlights. Highlights compile good plays from players.

3) Full game tape. Full games show "warts and all" the performance of players.

4) Direct observation. Coaches see a player's skill but also their energy, interaction with teammates, coaches, and officials. How does the player respond to success and failure? College coaches have plenty of headaches; they don't need another prima donna or 'head case'. 

5) Site visits. Coaches can 'work out' a player with their prospective team and teammates. How does she 'fit in'? Do potential teammates like her and enjoy spending time with her. 

Coaches also talk with your coaches about your academics, level of commitment, discipline, leadership, coachability, and other 'intangibles'. 

Coaches also provide "comps" or comparables. That's harder for volleyball than for some other sports because our intellectual databases differ. Even if someone asks for comparison with another front or back row player, that presents problems as an excellent player may have "unicorn" features (imagine a Kristaps Porzingis) that make comparison difficult. MVB 24 has multiple excellent players who are not 'strictly comparable' with past Melrose successful players. 

Lagniappe. Enormous emotion and suffering enters the ascent of the mountain.  

Amat Victoria Curam

 "Knowledge is power." School teaches you to apply knowledge - through attention to detail, decision-making, and execution.

Study the height of your toss, how far in front of you, your contact point, the sound the serve makes. When all align, your results improve. 

Amat victoria curam. "Victory loves preparation." 

Preparation includes skill development, strategy, physical and psychological training. Results reflect the sacrifices of you and your family, and the people who support you. For those seeking the highest achievement, it never stops. 

From ChatGPT:

The phrase "Amat Victoria Curam" is a Latin motto which translates to "Victory loves preparation" in English. It is often used to convey the idea that success or victory is more likely when careful planning and preparation have been undertaken.

The exact origins of this motto are not definitively traced to a single source, but it reflects a sentiment that has been echoed in various forms throughout history. It encapsulates a timeless wisdom that thorough preparation and diligence increase the likelihood of achieving one's goals or winning in any endeavor.

The motto is frequently used in military contexts, sports, business, and other competitive fields where preparation and readiness are critical to achieving success. Its succinctness and clarity make it a powerful statement of the importance of readiness in achieving victory