Cross-posted from my basketball blog.
A quarter of Americans never read a book. That shuts them out from change. The books included are exceptional and well-written. Many others belong on the list such as some from Jon Gordon like The Positive Dog and The Hard Hat, Darren Hardy's The Compound Effect, and the Heath Brothers' Made to Stick.
When we encounter a bad book, abandon it. When we discover a great read, read it again.
"We make our habits and our habits make us."
What kind of person do you want to be? Elite grades demand elite study habits and "unrequired work." If you want to become an excellent athlete, you need skill, tactical excellence, physicality (strength/conditioning/endurance), and strong psychology (resilience).
Develop better habits. Listen to this podcast featuring James Clear, author of Atomic Habits.
Ask yourself these dozen questions from Stoicism.
The MIAA basketball committee is revising policies for this season - eliminating margin of victory, extending the shot clock to 35 seconds, and scheduling quarterfinal playoff games at neutral sites. Will some of these spill over to volleyball?
Learn every day. Learn across disciplines. Here's a post shared from my basketball blog. Mise en place works in sports, in school, on the job, interviewing, and more.
How does that relate to volleyball? Have you gone to practice without your sneakers, uniform parts, personal items, hydration, medical supplies (e.g. an inhaler), tape, and so on? You probably have because you didn't use mise en place thinking.
Mise en place shares powerful analogy for life.
Elena Soukos complete the "Triple Crown" of All-State and Globe and Herald All-Scholastics. Congratulations and highly deserved...
Boston Herald All-Scholastics
Here are Melrose all-tme leaders
Most players in the volleyball program experience a lot of team success and winning. Since 2003, teams have won nine sectional championships and many top players have experienced that.
One of the fiercest, toughest, most skilled did not, but is one of the most successful, having been All-State and continuing to succeed in graduate school.
Ask ourselves whether we are doing the right things to succeed. Success is about more than winning.
Coach Celli has the team read and study a book together. There's a principle called cognitive dissonance. That embodies being conflicted about a topic.
Urban Meyer expresses that. He accomplished a lot in coaching, but has proven to have major shortcomings.
But his book, "Above the Line" is exceptional. Here's a link to a pdf summary.
Examples:
E + R = O (Event + Response = Outcome)
10-80-10 (How players fall on a continuum)
"Escape velocity"
"Crossing the red line"
Keeping the ball up can win a few more points.
Images courtesy of Jen Gentile. Click to enlarge.
Coach Scott Celli has a thorough and transparent process to select "official" team leadership. But everyone has leadership responsibility.
Jen Sinkler shares one of my favorite articles on coaching, about legendary Cal Rugby coach Jack Clark.
Here's an excerpt:
"5. EXPECT EVERYONE TO LEAD.
Jack Clark: We say that the definition of leadership is the ability to make those around you better and more productive. It’s a skill to us. Leadership isn’t a rank — it’s not only for the coach, it’s not only for the captain, it’s not only for the seniors. It’s a skill. Some guys develop big toolboxes with a lot of leadership skills very early on in their careers. Other guys, even when they’ve been here a while, might not have really comprehensive leadership skills. We’re all trying to get there. In our minds, just like there’s a glossary around the technical side of the game, there’s a glossary around the cultural side of the game. This builds commonalities of values that we all believe.
On this team, the leadership model is open to everybody. For instance, even if you’re a freshman, you have the ability to make those around you better and more productive: Don’t be a distraction, be on time, know your stuff, play hard and well when you’re called on.
I think when we really get it right — and we don’t every year — but when we really get it right, we have a lot of people on this team contributing to the leadership of the team. That gets pretty powerful. That’s magical, almost, to see a bunch of people trying to make each other better and more productive."
All the leadership in the world, by itself, won't produce excellence. Leadership complements athleticism, skill, effort, and resilience. In his book, "Above the Line," Urban Meyer proposes the 10-80-10 model, 10% of the team is at the top, most are in the middle, and 10% is at the bottom. He requires the top 10% to bring a partner to work out... to drag some of the "middle class" to the top.
As an outsider, I see players who benefit from not only more experience but the formal strength and conditioning program available through the Athletic Department. Take advantage of the services to become your best version.
Here's a cross-post from my basketball blog. It applies whether we're players, coaches, or professionals in any field, especially the inspiring Gawande video.
Excellence exacts a price...investing time, money, and thought about how to improve.
