Advice

This guy literally dropped the best life advice you'll ever hearpic.twitter.com/cTfTSNwfXs

— Arjun Patel (@ArjunPatel_AI) January 25, 2026

In an ideal world, we accumulate wisdom and dispense good advice. Grateful to those who shared theirs.

First, a few relevant quotes:

"There is nothing cheaper than free advice." 

"Never take criticism from someone from whom you wouldn't take advice."

"Your friends stab you in the front." - Oscar Wilde

Advice is not monolithic. It's not one-size fits all; each tidbit won’t resonate. Good advice is rare yet often crosses domains. Good advice is timeless. Choose some and think how it can relate to sports:

1) Develop a clear and relevant philosophy. 

For example, the Fourth Agreement, “Always do your best.” Your philosophy informs your ideals, values, and standards. 

2) Learn every day. 

Learning pays you every day.

3) Read. Read. Read. 

Reading takes us to meet people and see places we wouldn’t otherwise know. The differences between who you are today and whom you become in five years are the people you read and the books you read. 

4) Make friends with the dead. 

Get to know Eleanor Roosevelt, Lincoln, and Franklin. 93 percent of people ever born are dead.

5) Place your character above your reputation. 

Reputation is what people think about someone. Character is who they are. 

6) Establish priorities. 

Coach Ellis Lane taught timeless priorities - family, school, sports.

7) “Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence.” 

Find a mentor. Mr. Rogers shared good advice, “Look for the helpers.”

8) Many key words end with _bility:

• Ability
• Durability 
• Reliability
• Responsibility 
• Accountability 

9) Have a “NO” button. 

A NO button keeps you out of trouble. “Never follow a lit fuse.” - Dr. Tom Walsh

10) Surround yourself with good people. 

Good people avoid the killer S’s - softness, selfishness, sloth (laziness). Some say we become the average of the five people we are around the most. Choose well.

Lagniappe. Anne Lamott is a favorite writer. She says her six year-old grandson often wakes and says, "Today could be the best day ever." Make that happen.

Lagniappe 2. Own the standard. 

On losing teams, players talk about what should happen.
On average teams, coaches have to reinforce the standard.
On elite teams, players own the standard—effort, attitude, details.
When the team is player-led, the process becomes the culture.
And the culture wins.
🎥@tbhorka pic.twitter.com/6ys8Sm9Mgp

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) January 26, 2026

Coaching - Process, Consistency, Standards

Coaching isn't a monolith. It's team selection, player development, lineup selection, game strategy, strength and conditioning, practice, in-game adjustments, and the essentials - motivation, encouragement, support and more.

The truth about coaching:
You’ll spend hours drawing up plays and planning practices.
But the hardest, most important work?
Teaching kids how to handle adversity, how to trust their teammates, and how to grow into confident young men and women.

— Steve Collins (@TeachHoopsBBall) January 23, 2026

Every player and team faces adversity, each different. It reminds me of the beginning of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." 

Coaches are economists. Economics is the allocation of scarce resources. There's only so much practice, individual attention, playing time, recognition, health, and luck. Coaches don't control as much as people think they do. 

Relationships, mentoring, and modeling excellence separate programs and coaches. And no matter what you do, it's never as good as you want. 

Lagniappe. From ChatGPT Plus:

Here are three core principles from Alistair McCaw's Habits That Make a Champion, distilled to what actually matters in sport and life:

1. Champions obsess over process, not results

McCaw is relentless on this point: outcomes are lagging indicators.
Elite performers anchor their identity in daily behaviors they can control — preparation, recovery, focus, and effort.

“You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your habits.”

Coaching translation:
Scoreboards don’t build confidence. Reps do. Film study does. Sleep does. Warm-ups done with intent do.

2. Consistency beats intensity

Champions don’t rely on motivation spikes. They rely on repeatable systems. What matters isn’t the heroic workout or inspired practice - it’s the quiet, boring, done-again-today habits.

Small advantages, practiced relentlessly, compound.

Key insight:
Missing occasionally isn’t fatal. Being inconsistent by design is.

Sport lens:
Show up on time. Same pre-practice routine. Same recovery habits. Same attention to detail — whether it’s a Tuesday in January or a playoff game.

3. Standards > goals

Goals are temporary. Standards are permanent. McCaw argues that champions don’t ask, “Did I hit my goal?” They ask, “Did I live up to my standard?”

Standards remove negotiation.

Examples of standards:

• I finish every rep with intent

• I respond to mistakes with composure

• I prepare as if I’m playing tomorrow

This aligns perfectly with culture building: standards travel with you when conditions change.

The through-line

McCaw’s central claim is simple but ruthless:

Excellence is not an event. It’s a habit stack.

Be Seen and Be Heard

Brad Stevens says the teammates he respects most aren't the stars.

They're the ones who "can play but don't need to play."

After 20+ years of coaching, he's identified 5 traits that great teammates all share:
(📌Bookmark this) pic.twitter.com/kVqvx1cibE

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) January 24, 2026

Everyone wants to play, to contribute, and to excel. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra reminds us that "there is always a pecking order." 

Basic rule: Control what you can control. 

1) "Always do your best." 

2) "Excel in your role." If you get limited time in games, there's no reason to give less than maximum effort in practice to make players ahead of you better. 

3) Be a great teammate. Support, encourage, and be the player that others call. 

Everyone should be able to identify you as a great teammate. The coaches and your teammates should see and hear it. During games the families and fans should see and hear it. Be seen and be heard.  

Get in Your Notebook

Volleyball is a thinking person's game. Top players track development of:

• Skill (technique)
• Strategy (tactics, volleyball IQ)
• Physicality (strength, quickness, endurance)
• Psychology (resilience, emotional control)

 They monitor knowledge and performance over time in a notebook or "commonplace book." Winners are trackers. 

What belongs? 

• It's YOUR journal. You curate what resonates for you. 
• Quotes
• Tips
• Articles
• Video links (personal and other)
• Philosophy

As a student, athlete, or a professional, you own your work, your growth, your education, and ultimately your results. 

Sometimes it helps to "show your work." Here are five highlights abstracted by AI from Austin Kleon's "Show Your Work." 

1. Process beats product

Don’t just share the finished masterpiece. Share the work in progress: drafts, notes, failures, revisions, questions. People don’t connect to polish first - they connect to process. Seeing how the sausage is made builds trust and curiosity.

Think: practice clips, whiteboard photos, marginal notes, ugly first drafts.

My take: Jump start your creative and critical imagination. 

2. You don’t have to be an expert — just a few steps ahead

Kleon pushes back on impostor syndrome. You don’t need mastery to share value. If you’re learning something today, someone else needs it tomorrow.

Teaching-as-learning is legitimate. Humility + clarity > authority.

My take: "share something great every day." Maybe it's a dog video. 

3. Share something small, every day

Consistency matters more than volume. A paragraph, a quote, a sketch, a drill idea. Small daily signals compound into a recognizable voice and body of work.

This is Atomic Habits before Atomic Habits: identity is built by repetition.

My take: Win the grind. Press on.

4. Be generous, not promotional

“Show your work” is not self-marketing. It’s contribution. Credit sources. Link freely. Celebrate others. Make your corner of the internet useful.

Generosity is the flywheel. Attention follows value, not hype.

My take: Make your work championship quality. 

5. Build a home base

Social platforms come and go. Algorithms change. Have a place that’s yours - a blog, newsletter, archive - where your work lives and accumulates.

Rent attention, but own your library.

My take: Your thoughts and ideas have value. Write them down. 

Big takeaway:

Show Your Work isn’t about visibility. It’s about participation - joining the conversation by letting people see how you think, struggle, revise, and grow.

Discipline

All opinions expressed in the blog are mine. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. It is designed to provide volleyball, sport, and life tools. 

Every activity (home, school, extracurriculars, work) requires discipline and "coloring inside the lines." The "star player" can't show up late and lead.

Someone shared Coach Mike Vrabel's introductory message to players (mild language). He doesn't ask for the moon and the stars, just common sense guidelines. 

Lagniappe. It's not enough to have the "golden ticket." 

THE TRICK OF LIFE

"If you don't personally develop ... if you don't grow ... if you don't evolve; at a certain point in your life, your advantage is going to become your disadvantage."

~ this entire clip from @InkyJohnson is powerful and motivating! pic.twitter.com/pObvw3NZg7

— Jamy Bechler (@CoachBechler) January 22, 2026

"*The Smartest Guy in the Room"

*Adapted from my basketball blog

A line often attributed to Lincoln says, “I learn from everyone — sometimes what to do, sometimes what not to do.” 

What tools can we share with players to help them learn, to become "the smartest guy in the room?"  

Add value

• "This is what I can do for you." LA Rams coach Sean McVay says, "Everyone benefits from coaching."
• Are we investing our time or spending it? Limit distractions. Cellphones are great tools and distractions. 

Improve attention

• Recognize attention limits. The Pomodoro Technique uses 25 minutes on and five minutes off. Study with a strategy. 
• Mindfulness improves attention and behavior, even in elementary school aged children

Learn about learning

• Spaced repetition extend the learning period, don't cram. "Repetition is the mother of learning." Wooden's EDIRx5 (explain, demonstrate, imitate, repeat x 5) was ahead of its time. "Repetitions make reputations."
• Self-testing after study, ask ourselves "what did I learn?" and "what was the author's intent

Simplify

• Simplifying recognizes limited "working memory." Jocko Willink, Navy SEAL leader, tells of an operator who says to reduce the plan to three items, because that's all he can remember. There's truth in that. 
• "He who chases two rabbits will catch neither." - Russian proverb  Teach players and teams to be good at what you do a lot. Being good at half-court defense and handling pressure will keep you in a lot of games. A variation from Wooden, "“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

Checklists 

Teach the symmetry of the game. Coach did it another way with a hand-drawn "Key" and three "Keys to Victory." 

Storytelling

• Man is the storytelling animal. People remember stories. We tend to remember 'peak' and 'end' experiences. The end experience of the Webber timeout, Princeton backdoor winner against UCLA, or Carolina eight points in eighteen seconds to take Duke into overtime stick with you.
• Capitalize on storytelling features - SUCCES - simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, stories  

Habit formation

• "Win the morning; win the day." Develop a morning routine that works for you. Pick (the items), Stick (with them), Check that you're applying them. 
• "Make good habits easier and bad habits harder." If something is a distraction, get it out of the way. If something helps, keep it obvious. 

Summary:

• Add value
• Improve attention
• Learn about learning
• Simplify
• Use checklists
• Become a storyteller
• Habit formation

Did you notice that these are not specific to sport? They work for most aspects of life, including relationships and work. 

 

Somewhere

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose organization. 

Years ago I had a patient in his 30s who hated his job...and loved acting. He said he had done some commercials and dinner theater. He had neither wife nor children but had a dream...to act. I asked why he didn't follow his dream. He said, "My friends say that I'm not good enough." I replied, "Get new friends." He went to Hollywood. I never saw him again. 

Maybe not so many people believe in you. Do you believe in yourself? Are you willing to make the sacrifices and have the resources to follow the dream? It doesn't have to be volleyball. 

Sometimes the dream seems impossible, unfathomable. And yet it comes to pass because you willed it. This is such as story. 

Fight for your dream and sometimes it comes true. 

Lagniappe. Own it. 

A true leader of men! He doesn’t make excuses but instead preaches about accountability starting with himself. A quality of a great leader! pic.twitter.com/Y0aETWAWT5

— Bruce Straughan (@bruce_straughan) January 19, 2026

Simplicity Wears Well

Every leader needs to read this paragraph and this book. It came out today. https://t.co/hKHaZCbrMA pic.twitter.com/hSNqYH4RQc

— Jon Gordon (@JonGordon11) January 21, 2026

I've read a few Jon Gordon books:

• "Soup"
• "The Positive Dog"
• "Training Camp"
• "The Hard Hat"
• "The Energy Bus"
• "You Win in the Locker Room First"  

My favorite is "The Positive Dog." Naturally, it's about the power of positivity. Positivity and belief go a long way. 

What five simple things power student-athletes? 

- Take care of business at home and in school.

- Treasure and treat your body...sleep, nutrition, hydration, recovery.

- Be in great physical and mental shape. 

- Work hard. 

- Don't overcomplicate things. Simple works. 

Four Levels of Mindset from Robert Saleh

All opinions in the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any Melrose institution. 

Learn from leaders and other sports. Former Jets coach and 49ers Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh describes four levels of "mindset." The ideas today are stolen from Saleh (the language in the video is not appropriate). 

Commanders

Competitors

Contenders

Survivors

...............................................................................................

Survivors look for the easy way out. They're not about achievement or excellence, but getting by. They find the sustainable path of least resistance.

Contenders are higher on the food chain. They're motivated by external factors - playing time, money, or fame. They do what they can to achieve their specific goals. The do their best only when their minutes, money, or recognition are on the line. 

Competitors have internal motivation to be their best regardless of the situation. "This dude is trying to personal record every day of life"...and has a championship mindset.

Commanders are competitors with an additional quality, "they bring others along with them." Saleh says they created "a standard, a way of life...it's who you are, your DNA."

Programs win with competitors and commanders. Which are you? 

Lagniappe. You have a job to do. My boss in the Navy, CAPT Walsh, would tell us, "Handle it, boys." We handled it. 

Geno Auriemma shares the difference between successful people and everyone else.

"Don't tell me how rough the ocean was, just bring the boat in."pic.twitter.com/o93bpq18KD

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) January 21, 2026

 

Managing Disappointment

You'll learn a lot about your players by watching how they handle disappointment after a loss.

— Coach Mac 🏀 (@BballCoachMac) January 21, 2026

MVB has never had an undefeated season despite winning a state championship, four semifinals, and ten sectional titles. The goal each season is to win the finale. 

Some seasons end with a 'sense' that teams "left everything out there" and others that "there was still meat on the bone."

How do you respond to disappointment? How do you rebound when playing the best available opponent? 

We're either getting better or we're getting worse. We never stay the same. 

Lagniappe. Chessmasters "chunk" positions, mentally organizing attacks and defense by grouping pieces. A pawn can defeat a king.  

Become a Volleyball Expert - A "CPA" Hitter

At some point, you become your own coach, video 'guy', strength and conditioning expert. Part of that demands using exceptional resources like the video above. 

If you have to watch it five times, do so. Take notes in your notebook. Every exceptional player has a journal or notebook. Study and take notes with the purpose of impacting the game. 

Karch Kiraly breaks better "pin hitting" into three parts - let's call them CPA - checklist, preparation, and answers. 

The checklist is primarily knowing the blockers and having a "bail out" plan instead of just slamming into the teeth of an excellent block. "Plan your trade and trade your plan." 

Preparation is simple. Effort. Extreme effort. I've rarely thought that effort was a limiting factor in outcome. 

Answers. Young hitters seldom have a "portfolio" of solutions to call upon to score. Your offseason mission is to acquire "leverage" of more ways to score. 

• Full force attacks
• Camouflage and tip
• Cut shots. "Thumb down" 
• Fingertips (of blockers)
• Push off the outside blocker

"Figure out" how to do more with less height, less vertical, or less strength and still find ways to score. 

Lagniappe. Study tape. Here's the D1 final. Can you read the hitters, read the block? 

 

Impactful

You won't have your best stuff every day, but excellent players find ways to win without their best stuff.

Having "craft versatility" allows you to attack with more than smashes. Have other arrows in your quiver - tips, cut shots, pushes to the deep corner. And don't let your offense interfere with your defense.

Bob Rotello tells a story about Tom Kite playing with the legendary Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus played the first three holes perfectly, then hooked a shot with his driver nearly out of bounds. From then on that round, Nicklaus buried the driver in the bag and played great golf with his three wood and long irons.

The message is that Nicklaus understood he couldn't use the round to work on his mechanics. He needed to impact the golf course with other clubs. Nobody can focus on the game and their mechanics during a match. 

Your other clubs also include intangibles:

• Focus
• Communication
• Energy - energizing yourself and teammates
• Leadership 
• Resilience

Lagniappe. Working on your habits is working on your results. 

Championship habits always show up before championship results. pic.twitter.com/3UukyKgp8R

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) November 10, 2025

Relationships Are Primary

Seattle Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald - What Players Want

- "Players want to be coached. They want a connection. They want a coach that trusts/believes in them & to teach them the stuff that works. They want to be challenged but you have to build a relationship first to challenge… pic.twitter.com/pBVcxkeV2k

— James Light (@JamesALight) January 18, 2026

Relationships allow mutual trust among coaches and players. The coach wants the team and each player to succeed. How do you measure success for the elite player, the 'average' player, and the less gifted but good player? 

• Respect that the team comes first. And act that way. 
• Demand more from yourself to make the team better. 
• Don't make "trust" or "respect" dependent on playing time. 
• "Block out the noise." 
• Solve problems "inside the boat." 

Lagniappe. You impact the whole. 

If every player on your team behaved like you do, how good would your team be? #DailyWisdom pic.twitter.com/Ec2oJlaazO

— Ball is Psych (@BallisPsych) January 19, 2026

 

This "I" Word, Not That One

Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley on Kelvin Sampson's 17-1 team: "Houston just tries to beat you into submission. And make you want to quit or be somewhere else. The intensity that they play with is probably different than anything that I've played against this year." pic.twitter.com/GYRzGcDnY0

— Chris Baldwin (@ChrisYBaldwin) January 19, 2026

"Be easy to play with and hard to play against." - Anonymous

The "I" word is intensity. This appears over and over again in sports and life. 

• "The best teams play harder for longer." - Coach Dave Smart
• "Intensity, immediacy, and intelligence." - Coach Nick Saban
• "Throw her into a room full of wildcats and she comes out with a fur coat." 

"Play with force." Teams that are hard to play against apply constant pressure - pressure on the serve, aggressive attack, and force on the block. 

Play fully engaged, focused all the time. 

• Focused teams communicate. 
• They surrender momentum as easily as pulling teeth. "Stops make runs." 
• They anticipate, reading plays early, to execute better. 

Lagniappe. Excellent video on defensive positioning with lots of emphasis 

on why. 

  

Become the Standard

“Rules are for those who cannot follow direction. Standards are for those who aspire to do special things.”@TimCorbin pic.twitter.com/84HWWufScM

— Bob Starkey (@CoachBobStarkey) January 12, 2026

Players create memories - of the 'guys' who show up every day as competitors, communicators, and great teammates.

When you coach and watch sports for ages, players and plays resonate. 

The 2022 team showed maximum resilience during a postseason match with Billerica with one of the greatest points in MVB history. 

Set 4, Melrose leads 23-22. Ruth Breen slows an attack, Emma Desmond makes a running one-handed save going out of bounds, and Chloe Gentile gets a kill with an athletic adjustment. The bench goes wild. 

The standard happens at the intersection of skill, strategy (including game understanding), physicality (conditioning), and psychology (resilience). 

Become the standard. It's dishonest to say you'd rather have a 2-star player with a 5-star attitude than a 5-star player with a 2-star attitude. Coaches want 5-star players with 5-star attitudes. 

"Always do your best." Being the best version of yourself daily won't come easy. It won't always win or make you an all-star. But it brings peace of mind and dispels regret. 

As Jim Rohn said, "we suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret." 

Lagniappe. Timeless..."an accumulation of your thoughts, your habits, and your priorities." 

This advice will change your life. pic.twitter.com/lk91ShlR2h

— Words of Wise | Mindset Coach (@Wordofwise_) January 9, 2026

Don't Be a Magician with a Disappearing Act

Coach Jiri Popelka shares a plea for craft.

Velocity is a tool. Craft is a skill. MVP hitters master both and rely on judgment.

Popelka expounds:

MVP hitters play a different game 🏆

If you want to be MVP of the match, you need a different setting in your mind.

MVP hitters think:

• What information did the block just give me?

• What shot keeps pressure, even without full power?

• How do I stay useful on every ball?

I don't pay attention to pre-game warmups because I've seen hundreds of "warmup heroes" be non-impactful during games.

Why? Because KPH (kilometers per hour) don't automatically transfer to KPM (kills per match). Some of MVB's best hitters were "Slam Mastersons" and others balanced power and placement. Create pressure without maximum force. 

• Power-only hitters are predictable

• Craft hitters are stress multipliers

Every elite hitter carries a portfolio. Some days the fastball wins. Some days it’s placement and disguise. For example, as an outside hitter, what is you attack portfolio? 

• Full attack (line or crosscourt) 
• Cut shots 
• Tooling the outside blocker 
• Tips
• Roll shots 

Those who transform athleticism and game understanding into skill that wins points will have invested time to create opportunity for themselves.  

Lagniappe. "Form begets function." In addition to "live ball" training, you can do "shadow drills" without a gym or teammates. 

Have a Plan to Win Today

Coach John Wooden's UCLA Bruins won ten NCAA Men's basketball championships, including nine in ten years.

It wasn't overnight success. He won his first in his 16th season at UCLA. He is in the Basketball Hall of Fame both as a player and a coach. 

In less than a minute, John Wooden explained how to conquer each day better than anyone I've ever heard‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/IYReRIGir0

— Leaders 𝕏 Junction (@LeadersJunction) January 15, 2026

Wooden earned a Bachelor's Degree in English from Purdue in 1928. He was a teacher, coach, and philosopher. His father Joshua had a profound influence on him including some of his sayings.

- "Make every day your masterpiece" was his father's adage. 

- Put yesterday in the rearview mirror, win or lose.

- "Win today" is the message. 

Lagniappe. Turn possible into excellence. 

Bill Belichick shares the 3 things he saw in Tom Brady that made him great.

"His talent was okay. But he was very smart, he loved football, and he worked extremely hard."

"Day after day after day after day, he just kept improving."

Brady came in as the 4th string quarterback -… https://t.co/TeeDOBYcbt pic.twitter.com/qSADdgbXFg

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) January 15, 2026

 

Higher Impact Service

"Life is about the management of risk."

Be a thinker - a volleyball machine that is a fighter. The one area that falls fully under team control is serving. And each serve comes with a balance between reward (the possibility of an ace or hard to return serve) and risk (service error or 'easy to return' serve).

The server chooses among:

• Pace (velocity)
• Spin (topspin, sidespin, no spin)
• Direction (zone, seams)
• Depth (e.g. short or deep)
• Receiver

What are viable options and why? Think first, then read on. 

Think about a Stable of S's. And remember that "setting is your first attack." 

Sideline

Mark Twain is credited with saying, "there are three kinds of lies - lies, damned lies, and statistics." Imagine that serving between the receiver and the sideline has the highest chance of scoring. It probably has the highest chance of going out of bounds, too. 

Seams (between zone 1-6 or 5-6)

Serving to seams can create confusion among receivers. Is it mine or is it hers? Better teams communicate (ELO - early, loud, often) and don't get confused. Under pressure or noise, receivers may make errors). 

Short

Short serves barely "clear the tape," seeking sanctuary near or inside the ten-foot line. This can happen with short serves (e.g. Brooke Bell) or high topspin (Karen Sen). This stresses the back row defender to make a play on the ball or a credible pass. The risk is service error failing to clear the net. I'll argue that in a "gotta have it" point, the risk dominates. 

Softee

Ms. Softee is the weakest receiver. 2500 year-old advice comes from General Sun Tzu, "Utilize strengths. Attack weaknesses. Attacking the "weak sister" defender is just smart. 

Setter

Attacking the setter creates "out of system" play...pass-set-hit...becomes setter-secondary-attacker. 

Lagniappe. Sport is symmetry. If we attack weaknesses, defenses seek to bolster them. 

Bonus video.

 

Bonus Recipe: Desperate Cinnamon Rolls - Memories from the early 1960s

Bonus recipe for regular readers - "Desperate" cinnamon rolls. Why desperate? Because they're ready fast when you need them! 

No yeast, no rise, and ready in a jiffy. This reminded me of pie crust leftovers from my grandmother when I was a boy...she rolled and filled the extra dough and baked.  

Recipe from ChatGPT Plus (could probably use 1/3 cup of brown sugar instead of a half) 

Why this works

• No yeast

• No rise time

• Soft, biscuit-like texture

• Cinnamon-forward (your preference)

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tbsp baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

• ¾ cup milk

• ¼ cup melted butter

Filling

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 2 tbsp cinnamon (don’t be shy)

• 2 tbsp softened butter

Optional glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1–2 tbsp milk

• Splash of vanilla

Steps (15 minutes prep)

1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. Mix dry dough ingredients, stir in milk + butter.

3. Roll into a rectangle.

4. Spread butter, sprinkle brown sugar + cinnamon.

5. Roll tight, slice.

6. Bake 20–25 min.

7. Glaze warm.

Enjoy! 

Checking In with Yourself

https://t.co/zMjrmuBssf

— Thad Wells (@ThadWells) January 14, 2026

Bringing your best version takes work. Your best is the mix of your condition and rest, your soreness, your mental state, and checking in publicly.

If all your teammates were getting eight hours of sleep nightly and you were getting six, you are not competing on a level playing field.

Robust training and recovery are needed for high performance. Make it a priority. 

Lagniappe. There's work to do before you make plays. 

Seven Words

Simplify your story. What MVB narrative are you writing? Only you can provide that answer.

Key Point 1. You define your destiny.

You start with a blank slate. 

• What are your goals? 
• What advances your goals? 
• How do you track progress? 

Key Point 2. You are not alone. 

• "Everyone benefits from coaching." - Sean McVay
• "The only shortcut to excellence is mentoring." 
• "Look for the helpers." - Mr. Rogers

Key Point 3. Make your story great.

• Be memorable. Winning is memorable. 
• Your light reflects off your teammates. 
• To lead is to serve. 

The best players keep it simple. They see the game. They make good decisions. They execute the plays. They make others better.

Use no more than seven words. What are your seven words? Now write. 

Lagniappe. Form begets function. 

 

  

Playing Time

Gregg Popovich said, “It’s your job to make me play you.”

Playing time is earned.

A victim mindset says…I didn’t play because coach doesn’t like me.

A winning mindset says…I didn’t play because I haven’t earned it yet.

Don’t be a victim.pic.twitter.com/6iGZp3Xhe4

— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) January 14, 2026

Everyone wants more playing time. How do you get it? There are no secrets.

• Make the players around you better. 
• Earn Coach Scott Celli's trust. 
• Impact winning. 
• Trust the process - preparation, practice, execution.
• Be ready for every opportunity.

Without exception, everyone gets opportunities. The players able to take advantage of them earn more opportunities. Player performance sets the lineups. 

"Imitatsiya" - The Talent Code

An "elevator pitch" is a summary, distillation of an idea or process into a one-minute elevator trip. Here's the pitch. 

Where does greatness arise? In tennis, it began in a rundown, ancient facility with coaching from a 77 year-old woman with a bad hip. Some from "The Little Group" of 7U with backpacks, stuffies, and racquets became champions. 

If Preobrazhenskaya's approach reduced to one word (it frequently was), that word was tekhnika - technique.

Some of you want to be great - exceptional students, exceptional players, exceptional leaders. Coaches don't produce that fire. We add oxygen.

Special isn't born, it's aburrido...boring. It's perfecting your attack footwork, your platform skills, setting cheddar biscuits, and delivering serves that drive, dip, and dart.

Here's the Chat GPT Plus "top three summary" from "The Talent Code"

1. Deep Practice Builds Skill Faster Than Anything Else

Deep Practice means:

• Breaking skills into small chunks

• Operating at the edge of your ability—where mistakes occur

• Slowing down, correcting, refining

• Repetitive, mindful reps that strengthen myelin (the literal insulation around neural circuits)

Why it matters: Errors are not setbacks; they are the raw material of growth. The athlete who practices with attention, precision, and purpose accelerates faster than the one who simply “puts in time.”

For coaching: This is the foundation of game-speed drills, blocked-to-random progression, and high-quality feedback loops. It’s where volleyball, basketball, or any pursuit becomes craftsmanship.

2. Ignition: Motivation Is Sparked by Identity and Emotion

People do not work hard because they “should.” They work hard because something inside them is lit. Coyle calls this Ignition—an emotional spark, often triggered by:

• A role model (“someone like me did this… so maybe I can too”)

• A defining moment (“I want to be part of that”)

• A vision of future identity (“this is who I am becoming”)

Why it matters: Without ignition, practice stalls. With ignition, players self-drive improvement with remarkable intensity.

For coaching: This is the heart of culture building—role models, storytelling, reinforcing identity (“We are MVB; we train like champions”), and creating an environment where effort means something.

3. Master Coaching: Great Coaches Are Talent Whisperers

• They give clear, concise, actionable feedback

• They create a culture of safety and high expectations

• They model calm, patient, craftsperson energy

• They teach athletes how to practice, not just what to do

Why it matters: Coaching quality is multiplicative. Great coaches create great learners; great learners create great outcomes.

For coaching: This is Brad Stevens’ “be a truth-teller,” Wooden’s “be quick but don’t hurry,” and your own emphasis on clarity, decisiveness, and identity-building. The coach’s job is not just instruction. They shape the environment where deep practice and ignition thrive.

The Talent Code in One Sentence

Skill is built through deep, intentional practice, fueled by emotional ignition, and guided by master coaching.

Rhetoric*

*Adapted from my basketball blog. 

All opinions expressed within the blog are solely my own. The blog is not an official publication of any City of Melrose Organization

"No lines, no laps, no lectures..." - Brian McCormick

Coaches teach life, sport, and more - even language. Rhetorical devices are language tools of persuasion. Everyone uses them. Everyone can use them better. McCormick's quote stresses efficiency - getting more done in the time alloted. 

Coach Scott Celli asks players to give "shout outs" recognizing a teammate for extra effort or focus. During the Belmont game last year, a parent said that in their family, "there are only two seasons - volleyball season and offseason volleyball." 

Tricolon

McCormick's quote uses tricolon, three words or phrases used to grab attention and make an impression. You know Caesar's "I came, I saw, I conquered" or MacArthur's "duty, honor, country."

"Play hard, play smart, play together." I've heard that credited to Morgan Wootten 

"Vision, decision, execution." I've chosen that as another version of "see it, choose it, do it." 

"Teamwork. Improvement. Accountability."  Asking team members to remember laundry lists of values can be a "fool's errand." In his MasterClass, Navy SEAL team leader Jocko Willink tells the story of a team member who asks for three things to remember, "because I can't remember more than that." 

Metaphor

Metaphor compares two dissimilar things to highlight similarities. 

"Basketball is sharing." - Phil Jackson   Jackson expresses a core value similar to "force multiplier" or a team can be greater "than the sum of its parts." 

"The ball has energy."  Willing passers create not only better angles and better shots but goodwill. Players have less incentive to pass or to move if they believe they won't get the ball back. 

"The ball is a camera."  If you want the ball, then you must get in a position where the ball (the passer) can see you. The camera metaphor emphasizes the value of playing without the ball. 

Chiasmus

Chiasmus mirrors words, phrases, or ideas in reverse order, often an A-B-B-A pattern. Kennedy's 1961 inauguration featured, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." 

"Do more to become more. Become more to do more." Encourage players to embrace their roles while working to grow them. 

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." - John Wooden   Better coaches and players have specific plans to create advantage when facing tough opponents. Belichick shared Sun Tzu's Art of War advice, "Utilize strengths; attack weaknesses." Trader Linda Bradford Raschke reminds investors to "Plan your trade and trade your plan." 

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” - Phil Jackson   This reminds all of us of the famous line, "the strength of the wolf is the pack." 

Some lines do heavy lifting.

Dean Smith said, “A lion never roars after a kill.” Smith's quote applies multiple metaphors - the lion is the winner, the kill is victory, and roaring symbolizes boasting or taunting. He messages his team to "Act like you've been there before."

Studying effective players, coaches, and their language helps us to become better communicators and influencers for our teams. 

Lagniappe. Adversity is our companion. We cannot wish it away.

Nick Saban said, "There can be no great victories in your life unless you overcome adversity."

"You can’t be a great competitor unless you overcome adversity. That's mental."

The best aren't fearless - they just keep showing up.

They choose toughness, persistence, and grit. pic.twitter.com/ybVBSwHbSv

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) December 28, 2025

Lagniappe 2. “There is seldom just one cockroach in the kitchen. You know, you turn on the light and, all of sudden, they all start scurrying around.” - Warren Buffett

Good teams have solid organization, training, and discipline. Less effective teams seldom have "one cockroach." There are usually correctable issues with preparation and training leading to execution problems.