Stoicism found a home in sports, especially in volleyball, because it teaches poise under pressure. The game moves fast. Stoicism provides a framework to stay steady, present, and accountable.
I don't know enough about volleyball to coach, but I can consult on several areas, including physical and mental training.
What Is Stoicism?
The name comes from stoa, meaning porch. The early Stoics were literally “porch guys,” teaching in the shade of the Stoa Poikile in ancient Athens. The philosophy spread through remarkable figures such as Marcus Aurelius, an emperor; Seneca, a statesman; and Epictetus, a formerly enslaved man, later a renowned teacher.
The message: Stoicism is for everyone, the powerful and the powerless, the veteran and the role player. Everyone can practice Stoic habits.
What Do We Control?
The Stoics had one foundational question: What is actually in our control?
Their answer: our mind.
In volleyball terms, that becomes ACE, your Attitude, Choices, and Effort.
You don’t control the officials, the crowd, or bad bounces. But you can control:
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your body language after an error
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your communication with teammates
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your footwork, discipline, and preparation
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your willingness to work and learn
Author Ryan Holiday summarizes it this way:
“We control our opinion, choice, desire, aversion…everything of our own doing. We don’t control our body, property, reputation, position…everything not of our own doing.”
Matches often turn not on skill alone but on self-regulation. A team that controls its mind controls its moment.
Stoic Skills for Volleyball Players
1. Saying “No”
Stoicism teaches the power of protecting your time and attention.
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Put the phone down before matches.
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Avoid the gossip after losses.
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Prioritize rest, preparation, and training.
Good athletes prune distractions.
2. Not Needing an Opinion About Everything
The Stoics believed you don’t need to react to every comment or event. In volleyball, that means:
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Don’t judge every teammate’s mistake.
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Don’t take every correction personally.
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Don’t feed emotional fires that hurt team chemistry.
Make silence strength.
3. Pain Comes From Reaction, Not Events
A shanked pass is not destiny. A service error is not your identity.
A tough remark from a coach is not an injury.
What hurts most is often our narrative about the event, not the event itself.
4. Humility and Growth
Epictetus once replied to criticism:
“If you knew me better, you could find more and better faults.”
Great players welcome information, not praise. Feedback fuels growth.
5. Knowledge Creates Freedom
Stoics valued learning because it sharpens perception.
Volleyball mirrors that:
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Learn to read hitters.
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Learn setter patterns.
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Learn defensive cues.
The more you understand, the freer you play.
Perception, Action, Will
Holiday distills Stoicism into three pillars:
Perception - see clearly
In volleyball: read the block, sense the tip, diagnose seams in serve-receive.
Action - move decisively
Commit to your footwork.
Place your serve with intent.
Put the set in the window.
Will - endure adversity
Bounce back from errors.
Stay steady during a run.
Finish the fifth set with composure.
A trained mind becomes an asset under pressure.
Stoicism in Daily Life
Stoicism is not a religion, but it carries a spiritual component as the pursuit of a disciplined, intentional life. It teaches players to master habits, avoid excess, and refuse anything that diminishes clarity. Even minor addictions, coffee included, fall under “manageable” for the Stoic-in-training.
Modern “Stoics”
Stoic ideas have influenced leaders and competitors across history:
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Teddy Roosevelt
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Admiral James Stockdale
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Tom Brady
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Malala Yousafzai
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Nassim Taleb
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Coach George Raveling (who lived Stoically without naming it)
Across eras, Stoicism has served people who needed courage, clarity, and resilience.
Your Volleyball North Star
Holiday asks:
“Whoever we are, wherever we are - what matters is our choices. What are they? How will we evaluate them?”
Volleyball asks the same questions.
Your choices appear in your communication, discipline, attitude, and resilience. Your character shows up in transition, in the huddle, after the error, and during runs.
Make your mind your strength. Protect it, train it, and use it well.
Lagniappe. Serve specifically.
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