"Toughness" Rules (1)

Jay Bilas wrote the article and book "Toughness." Some of you have read it. He helped define basketball toughness for tens of thousands of players and coaches. Not all the rules applied to volleyball, but key ones do.

Most of these are self-explanatory. Amplification occurs as needed.

"It's not your shot, it's ours." Decision making is an underappreciated part of hitting. 

"Get on the floor." 

"Talk on defense." Communication problems lead to 'campfires' and players running into each other. 

"Get your hands up." Desire is an enormous part of the block. 

"Play so hard your coach has to take you out." Exceptional players have exceptional drive, the motor pushing them forward. 

"Take responsibility for your teammates." It's not enough to play hard. Lead and energize teammates. 

"Finish plays." Make the best play. Not many players are so powerful that they can just whale away. 

"Work on your pass." Passing is an underrated skill. "Great" is the enemy of good. 

"Take and give criticism the right way." John Wooden tells the story of being unable to "move" the family mule no matter what he tried. His father Joshua approached the mule, whispered something in her ear and she cooperated. Become a coach-whisperer. 

"Show strength in your body language." Don't allow your opposition to drink your tears. 

"Be alert."

"Concentrate and get your teammates to concentrate." Next play. 

"Take responsibility for your actions." Accountability means holding yourself to a high standard. 

"Look your coaches and teammates in the eye." Coaches remember great eye contact. "The eyes are the window to the soul."

"Move on to the next play." As Ted Lasso would say, "Be a goldfish, the animal with a ten second memory."

"Be easy to play with and hard to play against." Your opponents and teammates respect players who give great effort and teamwork. 

"Make getting better every day your goal." Nothing has changed since the banquet at the end of last season. The goal is to win the last game of the season.

Lagniappe. Who's the future setter for MVB? Someone with great hand-eye coordination, athleticism, maturity, calmness.