Problem Solving

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Sports and coaching require problem solving. As a young player, find multiple ways to solve problems.

"If all you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail."

Few players can "make a living" solely by hammering. Exceptional players fill their toolbox with more skills. 

• Marlboro used cut shots to help beat Melrose in the State semis in 2003
• Marlboro used pipe attacks (back row) to beat Melrose in the Finals in 2011
• Medfield had a trio of sisters with different skill sets who beat Melrose in the Finals in 2005
• Melrose had four current or future all-state players that enabled them to win States in 2012. A hard loss in 2011 hardened them for 2012. 

Craft shows up in technique, tactics, physicality, and resilience. The ability to prevent "one bad play" from becoming a bad set separates elite players from solid ones. 

And often the difference is focus, full engagement, "next play" mentality. Talent is not enough. 

• Become more versatile in your craft. An orchestra has drums, string, and wind instruments.
• Follow the conductor. The conductor communicates. So must you. 
• Sometimes the music is scripted, other times it's jazz. 

Lagniappe. Summary of Colvin's "Talent Is Overrated" (Via ChatGPT Plus)

🏐 Coaching Summary: “Talent Is Overrated” for Volleyball

Core Idea

Great volleyball players aren’t born — they’re built through deliberate practice: specific, structured, feedback-rich training that targets the skills just beyond their comfort zone.

1. The Myth of Natural Talent

• We often call gifted players “naturals,” but consistent excellence almost always comes from years of purposeful repetition.

• Even the smoothest players have put in hidden hours refining technique, decision-making, and anticipation.

• The “10-year rule” holds in volleyball too — mastery of reading hitters, serve-receive, and defensive positioning takes thousands of deliberate, high-quality reps.

Coaching cue: Praise work habits and learning behavior, not “talent.” What we reinforce shapes identity.

2. What Deliberate Practice Looks Like in Volleyball

Element	Volleyball Example
Specific goals	“Improve eye sequencing on blocks” instead of “work on blocking.”
Immediate feedback	Coach or video feedback every rep; measure success by execution consistency.
Concentration	Short, high-focus sessions — no going through motions.
Repetition with variation	Mix tempos, serves, and angles so players adapt while refining technique.
Stretch zone	Design drills where success rate hovers around 70–80%; enough success to motivate, enough challenge to grow.

Key distinction: Playing games isn’t deliberate practice. Improvement happens when training targets weaknesses under feedback, not when players just scrimmage.

3. How Coaches Create “Deliberate Environments”

• Film as feedback: Quick, specific reviews of footwork, platform angle, or hand positioning turn reflection into improvement.

• Segmented learning: Break complex skills (like serve-receive footwork → platform → shoulder control) into focused pieces.

• Mental modeling: Watch elite players with a purpose — identifying movement cues, timing, and spacing.

• Repetition under fatigue: Once mechanics are sound, add fatigue to simulate game-level decision pressure.

• Peer teaching: Have players coach each other — teaching strengthens retention and awareness.

4. Motivation: The Hidden Engine

• Sustaining deliberate practice takes intrinsic motivation — curiosity, pride, and the desire to master a skill.

• Help athletes connect work to purpose: “We’re training your serve to give us momentum, not just points.”

• Recognize that motivation ebbs; structure sessions so progress is visible — metrics, streaks, video comparison, or goal cards.

5. Implications for Team Development

• Practice structure matters more than practice volume.

• Feedback culture must be normalized — immediate, specific, and impersonal.

• Attention to detail is contagious; leaders model deliberate effort.

• Long-term development > short-term performance — Wooden’s “gradualness” applies here.

6. Coaching Takeaways

• “Greatness is grown.” Every rep should either build skill or deepen understanding.

• Make practice slightly uncomfortable — that’s where growth happens.

• Replace the myth of talent with a culture of craft: learning, feedback, precision.

• Celebrate process, not just outcome — the best players will be those who master how to practice.

Final Thought

“The difference between the good and the great is not genetics; it’s how they practice when nobody’s watching.”

Build that mindset into your gym, and “talent” takes care of itself.

Chat GPT Plus: “So What” – Miles Davis (from Kind of Blue, 1959)

Analogy: Structured freedom within a simple framework.

• The piece begins with a clear call-and-response bass line and horn motif — like a team’s set play.

• Then the solos (Miles, Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley) build off that structure, improvising within the modal scale.

• Everyone knows the “system,” but within it, each player has freedom.
  Sports parallel: A basketball team that runs motion offense or read-and-react — shared language, fluid roles, adaptability within boundaries.

Lesson: Master the system first; versatility grows from understanding structure deeply enough to play freely inside it.

“Take Five” – Dave Brubeck Quartet (1959)

Analogy: Thriving in unconventional rhythm.

• Built on an unusual 5/4 time signature, “Take Five” was revolutionary.

• Paul Desmond’s saxophone floats effortlessly over Joe Morello’s precise drumming.
  Sports parallel: A volleyball or basketball team that changes tempo or formation — a zone press, a quick transition, a hybrid serve receive — and still maintains rhythm.

Lesson: Versatile players are comfortable when the game’s rhythm changes; they keep poise in odd time.