What does an AI 'coach' (ChatGPT Plus) advise for tryout preparation? Here's the prompt and response (hallucination).
RESPONSE: If I were preparing an athlete for a Melrose-style varsity volleyball tryout in August, I would focus on one principle:
Don't try to become a different player by August.
Become a more reliable version of yourself.
How you do anything is how you do everything. The Fourth Agreement is, "Always do your best." Bring the best version of yourself to every day.
Tryouts rarely go to the most talented player. They often go to the player coaches trust.
Train and trust. Earn the right to confidence.
You already possess two valuable assets:
- solid fundamentals
- mental consistency
So the objective is not to reinvent yourself. It is to make your strengths impossible to ignore.
The Five Pillars
Pillar 1: Skill Reliability
At tryouts, coaches are unconsciously asking:
"Can I trust this player?"
Build reliability in:
Serve Receive
Goal:
- platform angle
- early movement
- communication
Target:
- 100 quality passes daily
Not perfect passes.
Quality passes.
Gia Vlajkovic advised Sadie Jaggers to focus on making good passes not great ones. Sadie, like Gia, became invaluable.
Serving
Target:
- 50 serves daily
- 90% in
Coaches notice:
- misses
They rarely notice:
- an extra 3 mph.
Ball Control
Every day:
- wall work
- pepper
- platform touches
You should become difficult to make look bad.
Pillar 2: Athleticism
You don't need to become an Olympic athlete.
You need to become:
- quicker
- more explosive
- less fatigued
Three days weekly:
Lower Body
- Squats
- Split squats
- RDLs
- Step-ups
Power
- Box jumps
- Broad jumps
- Lateral bounds
Quickness
- Shuffle drills
- Reaction drills
- Short sprints
Remember:
Athleticism reduces friction.
Everything becomes easier.
"The magic is in the work."
Pillar 3: Volleyball IQ
Most athletes ignore this.
Watch 20 minutes of volleyball daily.
Study:
- serve receive formations
- hitter tendencies
- defensive positioning
- setter decisions
Ask:
"What happens before the play?"
That's where elite players live.
Not reaction.
Recognition.
Ability to CARE - concentrate, anticipate (read), react, and execute separates players. Seeing is different than looking.
Pillar 4: Resilience
The athlete who survives August wins.
Practice:
Reset Routine
After every error:
- Exhale
- One teaching point
- Move on
Example:
"Late feet."
Done.
No drama.
No self-criticism.
Controlled Failure
Every week:
Attempt difficult tasks.
Learn to struggle.
Confidence is built from surviving failure.
Pillar 5: Teammate Value
This is the hidden separator.
Coaches love athletes who make teammates better.
Become:
Early
Loud
Positive
Communicate:
- "Mine!"
- "Short!"
- "Line!"
- "Help!"
The athlete who talks intelligently appears faster.
Because she often is.
The best players 1) make the team better, 2) make teammates better, 3) impact the game. Everyone can lead.
The 80/20 Rule
If I could only choose five habits between now and August:
- Serve every day.
- Pass every day.
- Strength train 3x weekly.
- Watch volleyball 20 minutes daily.
- Improve communication every time you touch a ball.
Those five activities would probably account for 80% of the improvement.
What Stands Out at Tryouts
Not:
- spectacular kills
- one amazing play
- flashy highlights
What stands out is:
Consistency
Coachability
Communication
Athletic movement
Positive body language
Competitive character
Coaches notice the athlete who:
- hustles after mistakes
- talks after mistakes
- learns after mistakes
Those behaviors travel.
The August Mindset
When tryouts arrive, don't try to impress.
Try to contribute.
The athletes who press often tighten up.
Instead:
Win the next ball.
Win the next rep.
Win the next conversation.
Be the teammate everyone wants on their side of the net.
That's how players separate themselves.
The goal isn't to make the team.
The goal is to become the kind of player that teams want to keep.
There's a saying in "pickup" games, "be the guy everyone wants on their side."
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