Being Present

Full commitment helps elite operators make faster, better, instinctive decisions. Total commitment "takes a lot of work," the opposite of multitasking.

“I’m letting the team down because I turned the ball over, I’m letting the team down because I missed a shot

No, you’re letting the team down when it parlays into 4-5 possessions after that.”

The best have a next play mentality

(Via @BallisPsych 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/A2jskIQgjd

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) February 14, 2026

How can we build the habit of "playing present?"

• Reduce distractions (e.g. background television)
• "Pomodoro technique" - 25 minutes work/study, 5 minute break
• Mindfulness. Mindfulness improves attention. 
• Remove the cellphone from our immediate environment. Schools recognized this and banned cellphone use during class. 

Input from AI (ChatGPT Plus)

Attention Wins Points

Volleyball is not chaotic. It only feels that way to the unfocused mind.

The ball moves fast. The rallies are short. One lapse becomes a point. The scoreboard is an honesty machine.

We talk about skill, vertical, strength, speed. All matter. But attention may be the most undertrained skill in high school sports.

You can be strong and distracted.
You can be talented and late.
You can be athletic and unaware.

Attention is the separator.

Focus Is a Trainable Skill

Attention is not a personality trait. It is a habit.

Five minutes a day of quiet breathing — count from one to ten and restart when your mind wanders — builds the same muscle that allows a libero to read a hitter’s shoulder or a blocker to hold discipline on a slide.

If you can’t hold your attention in a quiet room, you won’t hold it in a loud gym.

Shrink the Target

“Play better” is useless.

“Low and loaded before every serve receive” is actionable.
“See the setter’s hands before I move” is actionable.
“Call seam early and loud” is actionable.

Attention improves when the cue is specific.

Big goals distract. Small cues anchor.

Pre-Decide Under Pressure

Great teams reduce thinking in the moment because they’ve already thought before the moment.

If we give up three straight points, we huddle and reset.
If I miss a serve, I breathe and repeat my routine.
If I feel tight, I exhale and say my cue word.

Pre-decisions protect attention from emotion.

Respect the Routine

Watch elite servers. Same breath. Same bounce. Same target.

Routine reduces randomness.

Before every serve:

• Deep breath.

• Visualize zone.

• Cue word: “High and hard.”

Routine shifts attention from fear (“Don’t miss”) to execution.

Eliminate Attention Leaks

Sleep matters.
Phones fragment attention.
Emotional drama drains bandwidth.

A tired brain makes more unforced errors. A distracted athlete misses seams and tips. A reactive player chases the ball instead of reading the play.

Attention requires recovery.

Make Focus Measurable

If you want attention to improve, measure it.

Track:

• Serve routine adherence.

• First contact quality.

• Communication errors (“campfires”).

• Late transitions.

Film should not be passive. Show ten clips. Ask one question per clip:
Where were her eyes?
What cue was missed?
What happened first?

Attention sharpens when thinking is active.

Process Before Outcome

Scoreboards are outcomes. Attention lives in process.

Control what you can control:

• Attitude

• Choices

• Effort

Every rally asks one question:
Were you present?

The teams that sustain focus win the long match. The ones that drift lose tight sets.

Talent sets the ceiling.
Attention sets the floor.

And in volleyball, the floor matters.