In English, it’s often used to describe someone’s core purpose, guiding motivation, or fundamental justification - the thing that gives meaning to what they do.
Teachers teach, writers write, coaches share their knowledge and experience to help players "see the game."
Coach John Wooden said of Bill Walton, a basketball Hall of Famer (whom me coached at UCLA), "He never tired of doing the little things like footwork." Little things make big things happen.
You've heard or maybe said, "I can't practice that because I don't have a gym." Coach Popelko discusses 'shadow drills." This recalls "shadow boxing."
And it recalls a story from Daniel Coyle's book, The Talent Code about the Spartak tennis club. "A rundown tennis club (and that’s putting it politely) in a freezing climate which, with one indoor court, has in recent years produced more top-20 women players than the entire United States. (Yes, you read that correctly.)"
The coach, Larisa Preobrazhenskaya, didn't permit players to play competitively for THREE years. She insisted on developing technique, repetition until their strokes were perfected.
Over time, you become your own coach, working on the core skills that translate to game play. You grow your athleticism and resilience to complement your tactics, your volleyball IQ. And you apply Thomas Edison's three principles of invention - imagination, persistence, and analogy.
And remember the term, "Chekhov's Gun," where something in a story foreshadows future events. The underdog mentality can carry players beyond what is expected.
What is your theme as a player? Compete. Stay in the fight.
Lagniappe. Don't let a bad play or a bad day live 'rent free' in our head. Stay focused.
— Today I Learned (@TodayiLearrned) October 19, 2025
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