All opinions expressed in the blog are solely my own.
Ask better questions. Here are some suggestions:
1) How can I improve today?
2) What's my big picture view for MVB? What does it mean for me?
3) What strength should I leverage to perform my best?
4) What "need area" can I improve to impact winning?
5) What will I do today to become a better player?
6) What can I do to become a better teammate? Communication, positivity, encouragement, et cetera...
7) Have I worked out with a teammate to move both of us into the top ten percent?
8) What physical training am I doing to improve strength, vertical jump, lateral quickness, and endurance?
9) How can I become more resilient, improving my mental toughness?
10)How can I become a better leader?
You're not on an island. Get help from family, coaches, teammates, and even artificial intelligence if you're struggling for ideas.
How you do anything is how you do everything.
Lagniappe. ChatGPT answer about building mental toughness:
Building resilience and mental toughness takes deliberate effort, and the best approach combines mindset shifts with specific, actionable strategies. Here are some ways a player can work on this:
1. Reframe Challenges as Opportunities
Instead of seeing failure as a dead end, view it as a chance to learn. Encourage the mindset of "I get to do this" rather than "I have to do this."
Drill:
- "Failure Recovery Drill" – Set up a blocking or defensive drill where the player will inevitably struggle at first. After each mistake, she must take a deep breath, reset, and immediately re-engage with positive self-talk before the next rep.
2. Embrace Discomfort
Resilient athletes get comfortable being uncomfortable. They push through fatigue, frustration, and self-doubt.
Drill:
- Fatigue Challenge – Have her execute a technical skill (e.g., blocking footwork or serve receive) while exhausted. Learning to maintain form and focus under stress builds mental toughness.
3. Train Emotional Control
Staying composed under pressure separates great players from good ones.
Exercise:
- "Reset Routine" – Teach her a personal reset ritual (breath control, cue word, or a physical action like wiping hands on shorts). Practice it in practice and games.
4. Develop a Short Memory
Mistakes happen—what matters is the response. Help her avoid dwelling on errors.
Drill:
- "Mistake Response Game" – After an error, she has three seconds to reset and call out what she’ll do next (e.g., "Next ball, strong hands!"). This builds forward-thinking focus.
5. Visualization & Self-Talk
How she speaks to herself matters. Resilient players talk to themselves like they would a teammate.
Exercise:
- "Film Study with Positivity" – Watch clips of her best plays. Have her narrate what she did well, reinforcing her identity as a strong player.
6. Expose Her to Adversity
The best way to develop resilience is to face challenges in controlled settings.
Ideas:
- Have her play out-of-system scenarios regularly.
- Simulate crowd noise or distractions during pressure drills.
- Put her in game-like high-pressure situations with consequences for performance.
7. Accountability and Ownership
Resilient players don’t make excuses; they own their performance.
Practice:
- Ask her: “What’s within your control in this situation?”
- Have her reflect on what she can do after a tough match instead of what went wrong.
Resilience is built over time with consistency.