Adam Grant wrote "Think Again," discussing how rethinking benefits us in daily life. Knowledge about sport theory and practice takes years, especially the mental part of sports. In the interim, we inhabit an incomplete or erroneous database.
Grant suggests keeping a 'rethinking scorecard', a storehouse of corrected misconceptions. The best truths work across domains.
1) Officiating. Don't overthink it. I only recall a few games over the years where officiating mattered...the most consequential from 2006. No more details. Mostly, "it's how you play, not whom," or the officials.
2) Simplify. This isn't rethinking, rather consolidating. Melrose has been celebrated and criticized for its 'simple volleyball'. Don't go off the rails by reinventing the wheel or quitting what works. Versatility of attack is good, except when it isn't.
3) Inside out. There are insiders, those with the most intimate knowledge of the program, at practice, with 'coaches' eyes' seeing strengths and weaknesses. Then there are outsiders who see the 'finished product', games and video. That doesn't reduce the outsiders to zero, but we have a fraction of insider knowledge.
4) False idols. Win-loss record isn't the "be-all, end-all." It's much like baseball and better analytics. ERA, WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched), and K/BB (strikeout/walk ratio) often share more insight than wins and losses.
5) "Scoring." Watch a game and mentally score, positive and negative points by each team. The best teams score the most points through their actions and losing teams often surrender points through errors, inconsistency, and mental mistakes. Watching is not seeing.
6) It's not so simple. Volleyball craft extends past "put the ball down" and "keep the ball up." Technique and tactics have nuances far beyond vertical jump, lateral quickness, and Bernoulli Principle. Balancing the big picture and granular details separate extraordinary from ordinary.
7) The Craft. Don't hesitate to use New Age training. Use the Jedi Mind Tricks. It's not enough to play a lot or to love the game. Study great teams, great players, and great coaches. Study the mental game. Maybe "Search Inside Yourself" or "The Inner Game of Tennis" are too much for teens. Or not.
8) The "Prime Directive." In Star Trek, the Prime Directive was not to interfere with the development of civilizations encountered during intergalactic exploration. In sport, The Prime Directive is parental advocacy for the well-being and situation of their children above those of the team. Parental advocacy is normal and expected. It can go badly, like a story of a Texas basketball coach fired by a parental donation of tens of thousands of dollars to a private school.
9) Transparency. How much is good, or bad? This is unresolved. Players need to know what to work on to improve. Coaching is a relationship business and the 'right amount' of transparency is hard. Two rules that help include the '24 hour rule' not to discuss a game until emotions have cooled and 'Your Child Only' rule, discussing your child's situation alone, never involving another team member.
10) Secrecy. Some communications are absolutely privileged. Those can't be revealed and go 'to the grave'. Even if a coach says, "this player is the best thing since sliced bread," don't share unless it's authorized.
These are just a few lessons learned over seven decades in sport.
Lagniappe. When the game is on the line, demand high performance from everyone.
"Great leaders are not askers.
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) October 27, 2024
They're demanders.
They're lovers, they're carers, they share...but they hold their players accountable." pic.twitter.com/JhrVoJbGvz
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