"Kind" and Hard

In an age of bright and shiny objects, hacks, and fads it’s utterly refreshing, but not at all surprising, to see an obsession with craft and nailing the fundamentals rise to the top.

- Brad Stulberg

Read on Substack

AI Introduction:

A wicked domain is an environment where learning from experience is difficult because the rules are unclear or changing, feedback is delayed or misleading, and similar decisions can produce different outcomes.

Psychologist Robin Hogarth contrasted it with a kind learning environment, where patterns repeat and feedback reliably teaches you what works.

A "Kind" domain doesn't mean easy, although deliberate practice can improve the fundamentals underpinning the game. 

Data is feedback. Working your process is essential with clarity and specificity. 

• Practice serving to spots
• Reading the game is an edge. Anticipate the type and direction of serve or attack. 
• Focus. "Stops (defense) makes runs (offense)

Reading the game confers disproportionate advantage to players with the skill and athleticism to benefit from early recognition. (see Lagniappe)

Lagniappe. (Via ChatGPT Plus) "Sources of Power" informs life-and-death decision-making such as firefighting and military operations. Apply its lessons to your game. 

Gary Klein’s Sources of Power explains how experienced people recognize patterns and find workable responses under pressure. In volleyball, a setter sees a middle blocker leaning toward the pin and recognizes an opening. A defender reads the hitter’s approach and anticipates a tip. These decisions draw on accumulated experience: familiar cues suggest what is happening and what action fits.

Coaches can develop that judgment through realistic practice and brief questions: “What did you notice? What did you expect? What would change your decision?” Players learn to picture whether a response will work and adjust when the situation contradicts their expectations. The goal is thoughtful preparation that supports fast execution—seeing earlier, anticipating better, and acting with purpose.

Film study creates opportunity to accelerate learning.