Separating Yourself

Every elite player is a student of the game. And good players overachieve through enhanced game knowledge. The most talented player without game understanding can underachieve. 

You've seen the improvement framework 100 times:

1) Skill

2) Strategy

3) Physicality

4) Psychology

How can you improve your 'strategy' meaning game understanding/volleyball IQ? 

Study video. "Video is the truth machine." Study your positioning, technique, and your performance in specific situations like serve and receive, pin blocks, setting out of system and so on. 

Study great players and coaches. Use AI and search engines to get started. 

Study topics. YouTube has an enormous repository of free video from great developmental, college, and professional players and coaches. Watch anything from Karch Kiraly. Elevate Yourself, Volley Country, and others share excellent teaching. 

Ask your mentors. Coach Scott Celli is a Hall of Fame coach with a championship pedigree. Pay attention and ask how you can improve. 

Keep a notebook. Becoming a student of the game without a notebook makes your job harder. To start, write down three things you did well each practice (or game) and one area in which you think you can improve. 

Read. Read widely. General knowledge can apply to sports, leadership, and relationships. 

Lagniappe. Every team faces "out of system" (not pass-setter-hit) situations. Deal with them better. Top teams (like MVB 2012) were excellent in those situations.