Defeat strength with strength. Find 'force multipliers'. Take the fight to your opponent.
The expression "death by a thousand cuts" evolved from lingchi, a form of torture, to mean excruciating, drawn out failure. Ironically, in sport it often applies to self-inflicted mental and physical mistakes.
How would that appear in volleyball? At the highest levels, points get won more than lost by opponent inconsistency. Examine how teams fail.
Mental mistakes (examples)
Lack of communication - Balls drop in because nobody 'calls the ball' or players 'presume' they know who will play a ball.
Failure to play present, allowing previous error to carry forward
Rotation errors
Service faults via time or foot faults
Lack of alertness
Lack of appropriate aggression, playing soft
Playing balls that are clearly going out
Low percentage plays
Physical mistakes
High volume service errors
Poor passing
Overpasses
Inconsistency and shanked balls
How to reduce mental and physical mistakes
Experience - "Experience is the best teacher but sometimes the tuition is high."
Play a lot.
Skill development
Video study - study great teams and players as well as watching your individual and team play
Improved focus - sport psychology (e.g. Ten-minute Toughness, mindfulness)
Lagniappe. I am not a volleyball expert. Free ball "burn drill"
Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't judge coaches by their books. Character, coaching and writing ability aren't closely related.
Urban Meyer, Aaron Hernandez's coach, wrote a terrific book, Above the Line.
Here are some "priority" thoughts I recall and some notes:
1) Crossing the red line. When you cross that line around the court, be fully engaged and ready to go.
2) E + R = O (event plus response = outcome)
3) 10-80-10 players sort themselves into top and bottom ten percent and the 'middle eighty percent'. Meyer required players in the top ten percent to bring a middle class teammate to 'drag them upward'.
4) It takes a lot to achieve "escape velocity" from mediocrity.
5) "Below the line" behaviors include blame and complaining. As players, we decide to live "above the line" or "below the line."
Here are a few quotes:
“Average leaders have quotes. Good leaders have a plan. Exceptional leaders have a system.” (habits stack into process and systems)
“If you don’t identify and expose the issue, you are never going to be able to solve it. If you try to ignore a problem, or run from it… it is only going to get worse.” (a player sees the team first or herself first)
“I’ve come to learn that your football system gets better when your leadership system gets better.” (leaders make leaders)
“Your team, business, or organization will perform to the level of leadership you provide.”
“We teach our players to replace low-performance self-talk with high-performance self-talk. We tell our players, ‘The voice in your mind is a powerful force. Take ownership of that force.’ (you can only be as good as your belief in yourself)
“Under pressure, we do not rise to the occasion. We rise or fall to the level of our training."
“You don’t get the culture you want; you get the culture you build.” (culture eats strategy for breakfast)
“We grade our players on every measure of performance possible at Ohio State. We grade their performances in games, practices, weight room, conditioning, nutrition, rehab, and especially, in the classroom and tutor sessions." (at the University of North Carolina, women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance provides the 'competitive cauldron' to get 'continual ascension' from players...and over twenty national championships)
"Variety is the spice of life." There's a saying in baseball from former Oriole pitching Coach Ray Miller, "Work fast, change speeds, and throw strikes." There's volleyball wisdom there, too.
The game is played faster.
Vary your attacks.
Be efficient.
With a dominant outside hitter like Elena Soukos or Gia Vlajkovic, a heavier emphasis on outside attacks makes sense. With more middle strength or diversity, have a different "pitch mix." Last year Melrose didn't score much with back sets or setter dumps. Year-to-year that mix varies.
Among Melrose's top statistical "kill" seasons, only Elena and Gia scored predominantly from the outside.
Among the 21 Melrose "All-State" seasons, the distribution by position (there is overlap):
Middle hitter (11)
Setter (4)
Outside hitter (3)
Defensive specialist (3)
And a little over a third played "all-around."
As a player, improve your skills and athleticism to be ready when called on.
It is likely that Melrose will have a more balanced attack this season, which could make them more difficult to defend.
Perception is reality. People sometimes criticize aggressively with what are perceived as macro-aggressions. But what about microaggressions, painful comments that are less obvious to some?
“The standard definition for microaggression is a verbal or nonverbal slight that impacts an individual who might identify as being from a marginalized or non-mainstream community.”
1) Microassaults "deliberate and intentional slights or insults that are meant to hurt the intended victim through name-calling."
A college hockey coach with multiple players of Native American descent allegedly said, "we have too many Chiefs and not enough Indians."
Patriots coach Bill Parcells ostensibly referred at one point to Terry Glenn as "she," questioning his toughness.
"Weight shaming" players can be harmful.
2) Microinvalidation "attempts to discredit or minimize the experiences of a person who is from an underrepresented group."
A person born into advantage might tell a coworker or subordinate, "you're not the only one who had it tough growing up."
Comments about where a person grew up could insult them. "How are things in the trailer park?"
3) Microinsults "comments that subtly disrespect a person’s racial heritage or identity."
When I was on rounds at Bethesda Naval a patient asked "what country I was from?" I answered, "Massachusetts."
Commenting that someone is articulate presumes that somehow they shouldn't be.
Nonverbal insults can cut deeply, too.
- Eye rolling
- Ignoring
- Benching (putting players in 'the doghouse')
Help players with microaffirmations.
"Catch people in the act of doing something right."
"Recognize the passer" on assists.
The Ted Lasso "Believe" motto is a regular affirmation.
Most people have to deal with them sometimes. Consider two of The Four Agreements "Don't make assumptions" and "Don't take anything personally." Ultimately, the source of the microaggression says everything about them and nothing about the target.
Effective coaches model and teach leadership. Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg was asked about his team. He answered, "ask me in twenty years and I'll be able to give you a better answer."
Navy SEALs Jocko Willink and Leif Babin wrote the book Extreme Ownership about leadership and followership as practiced in the elite military unit.
Almost forty years ago a SEAL came in for a checkup, saying he didn't feel well. He looked like Rambo. He couldn't share where he had been or what he was doing. "It took me an hour to run the ten miles to get here." During training, they have to complete a four-mile run in boots on the sand in about thirty minutes.
Their commitment to each other and to their missions is complete.
Where do you begin? You could do baseline testing such as vertical jump (chalk touch on a finger), broad jump, and your home version of a 'three cone drill'. You don't have to run a mile.
Establish your baseline then go to work.
Controlled jumping drills (you could use chalk lines or duct tape).
Change of direction half-circle drill. You can do it without a basketball (not as good).
Ten jumping drills (across sports).
Agility drills (volleyball emphasis but across sports)
Don't buy expensive equipment. Use chalk or tape lines and you can make "hurdles" out of bundled newspaper.
You won't magically become a better athlete. "Champions do extra."
After you've worked out three to four times a week for a month, repeat your vertical touch, broad jump, and three-cone time.
Coaches like Scott Celli help take teams to places where they cannot go alone.
Effective coaching:
1) Adds value
2) Puts players in the best position to succeed
3) Helps creates "moments"
Add value. Coaching adds value through your big four of building skill, strategy, physicality, and psychology. Of course, players have a major responsibility, too. It's analogous to surgery...there's the procedure itself and the rehabilitation and recovery which are patient-dependent.
Work to improve your offseason skill and physicality with the drills available here and elsewhere.
Position to succeed. Strong teams have the ability to win at home, on the road, and to defeat other capable teams. Scheduling "cupcakes" to improve the record doesn't make teams better AND weak strength of schedule can keep teams out of the playoffs under the new format.
Consider the Bishop Fenwick basketball team. They finished 18-8 en route to a loss in the state championship. Among their eight losses were seven against the Boston Globe top nine and six against the top five (three to St. Mary's, two to Bishop Feehan, and one versus Cathedral). Melrose volleyball went to the Final Four despite losing all four non-league games.
"Iron sharpens iron."
Manufacture moments. Enjoy the process, the day-to-day experience with friends and teammates. It's ephemeral. Make daily improvement and bringing your best self the goals. You don't get a do-over. Enjoy the struggle - shared vision, shared sacrifice, and shared results.
Lagniappe. Set the captions to on...the video shows good and bad examples.
There are several ways to train aggression in volleyball:
Incorporate competitive drills and games into practice. This can help players develop a mindset of winning and pushing themselves to be more aggressive.
Use visualization and mental imagery techniques. Players can imagine themselves being aggressive and successful in various game situations.
Encourage players to take risks and make bold plays. This can help them become more comfortable with being aggressive on the court.
Provide positive reinforcement for aggressive play. This can help players develop a sense of confidence in their aggressive abilities.
Practice different scenarios and different situations to be able to make quick decisions on the court and in the game.
Finally, You can also work on physical training, such as weightlifting, to improve the players' strength and power, which can translate to more aggressive play on the court.
In most volleyball matches, the more aggressive team wins, provided they have the requisite skill and consistency. Much like in boxing, you can't just be a puncher but a fighter.
Aggression requires confidence. NFL coach Bill Parcells says, "confidence comes from proven success." Proven success required a willingness to "hit out." All the big hitters in Melrose history, those at the top of the single season leader boards, hit aggressively.
The higher the quality of the opponent, the greater the need to WIN points. You can't beat top clubs waiting for them to lose points. "Hope is not a plan."
“I don’t care how good you think you are, or how great others think you are—you can improve, and you will. Being relentless means demanding more of yourself than anyone else could ever demand of you, knowing that every time you stop, you can still do more. You must do more. The minute your mind thinks, “Done,” your instincts say, “Next.” ― Tim S. Grover, Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable
Lagniappe. Sarah McGowan's 2011 highlights foreshadowed a 2012 State Championship.
As a supporter of Melrose volleyball, I have an interest in putting a 'thumb on the scale'.
The original meaning of "thumb on the scale" refers to cheating, attempting to take advantage, such as a butcher increasing weight artificially.
Over time, I think the idiom has moved toward 'influence' with less nefarious connotation.
In Mike Lombardi's book, Gridiron Genius, he discusses the difficulty of judging character of potential NFL draftees. He developed contacts within Southeastern Conference sororities to get the inside scoop on football players. What coaches might not say, the sorority sisters informed willingly. He put a thumb on the scale for the Patriots.
How might we put a thumb on the scale?
Sara Blakely built a five billion dollar company (Spanx) from scratch without ceding control or selling shares in the company by "obsessing the product." Liken your program to a business. Are you a "mom and pop" shop or a "blue blood?"
Make it.
Sell it.
Build brand awareness.
Directly - build a better product. That's coaching, on court player development, and teaching 'theory' into practice (study the game).
Indirectly - increase awareness and influence. On Wall Street there's a saying that "price makes news." Sustainable competitive advantage requires more than a 'flash in the pan' good record attained against weak competition (cupcakes).
People remember "peak" and "end" experiences. A stellar regular season resume followed by one-and-done in the postseason leaves a bitter aftertaste for competitors. Awareness and influence happen when you build castles with moats.
*Use analogies (highlighted in green) to increase understanding.
"Good artists borrow; great artists steal." - Picasso
As one great author said, "there is no idea food truck." But many know that reading widely is the next best thing. And "Poor Charlie's Almanack" by Charlie Munger, is one such source.
In a commencement address, Munger expanded on Johnny Carson's graduation address, noting Carson's prescription for sure misery included:
l. Ingesting chemicals in an effort to alter mood or perception
2. Envy
3. Resentment
Munger expands on resentment, "Disraeli, as he rose to become one of the greatest prime ministers, learned to give up vengeance as a motivation for action, but he did retain some outlet for resentment by putting the names of people who wronged him on pieces of paper in a drawer. Then, from time to time, he reviewed these names and took pleasure in noting the way the world had taken his enemies down without his assistance."
This is a poor substitute for the Jar of Awesome, but I digress.
Avoid misery:
Outwork the competition.
Control what you can control - attitude, choices, effort.
Develop better habits. Invest time, don't spend it.
"Premortems– When you do a premortem, you imagine a world in which you don’t achieve your goal – your plan failed. You then think about all of the reasons the plan might fail, and this helps you create a plan that reduces the probability of these things from happening."
When we think in terms of "The Four Agreements," the fourth is, "Always do your best." It won't be perfect but helps to limit regret.
Lagniappe. Competitive 'serving' versus 'passing drill'. 0-10-20
Our brains are wired to have us believe what we see and hear as a matter of self-preservation. The noise in the brush may not be a dangerous animal, but it's safer to run away than risk the consequences.
The power and danger of ideas lies in their use. The Dartmouth girls who told each other the Big Lie, "Today is an easy game" fell victim to overconfidence.
Let's review a few mental models from mathematics.
Multiplying by zero
Regression to the mean
Compounding
Probabilistic thinking
Multiplying by zero. "Anything times zero equals zero." This translates into 'fatal mistakes' such as in the case of Len Bias who died of a cocaine overdose, "the greatest basketball player who never played professionally." It shows up in aphorisms like, "an army of asses led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by an ass." And in the reality that "a rotten apple spoils the barrel."
Leadership matters. Coaching matters. Effective coaches exert a multiplier effect. A bad teammate can ruin a group. Don't multiply by zero.
Regression to the mean. Hot streaks and 'divergence from historical norms' end. This gets illustrated in many fields, especially investing.
Stock prices can maintain divergences from the 40 week average (blue) for years during "bull markets" but invariably return like most lost puppies.
Even the strongest programs have down periods. The bull market in Melrose volleyball has been ongoing for over twenty years, an exceptional run in high school sports.
Compounding. Darren Hardy wrote The Compound Effectabout the power of compounding. What is compounding? "Compound, to savers and investors, means the ability of a sum of money to grow exponentially over time by the repeated addition of earnings to the principal invested."
Work invested in skill, strategy, physical and psychological development grows over time. It's one reason that veteran teams have an advantage, an "in the long run" effect.
Here are a few quotes:
“A daily routine built on good habits and disciplines separates the most successful among us from everyone else.”
“Ask yourself each day:
If I only did 3 things today, what are the actions that will produce the greatest results in moving me closer to my big goals?”
“Track every action that relates to the area of your life you want to improve. All winners are trackers.”
The work you invest in yourself defines you. "Champions do extra."
Probabilistic thinking. Seldom is there the 'sure thing'. Note the proliferation of ads for sports gambling. If it were that easy, everyone would be rich. In her book, Thinking in Bets, World Series of Poker champion Annie Duke explains that in poker and life, probability impacts risk and outcomes. She opines that Texas Hold 'Em at her level is 76 percent skill and 24 percent luck.
"Overplaying your hand" can produce big wins or catastrophe such as the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster where the data suggested safety within certain launch temperature levels and uncertainty outside.
Effective coaches put teams in the best position to succeed. On a scale of 1 to 10, I put 'pep talks' about 3 on that scale. Maybe it's too low. When playing in a championship game, that's enough motivation.
I can think of a few instances when it might have helped. Our best player and rebounder was out and I asked everyone for "one more." Get one more rebound. Make one more play and we can win. They did. Maybe they would have played just as hard if just said, "go have fun."
I think UNC Coach Sylvia Hatchell gave a different halftime speech to her team after a lackluster first half. "Everyone put your hand over your heart. Anybody feel it beating?" They rallied to win.
Can we measure the impact of a pep talk? Simulated pep talks to athletes affected players. "The experimental group was more inspired by the movie clip [F(1, 139) = 29.06, p < .001], more inspired to perform [F(1, 139) = 24.10, p = .000], and indicated greater emotional dominance [F(1,139) = 7.19, p = 008] than the control group."
A separate question is the impact of emotion versus a few clear instructions.
"Take care of the basketball. The ball is gold."
"Get great shots."
"Hold them to "one bad shot.""
With one group of middle school girls that spawned a D1 player, I finished each pregame huddle with this line.
The girls would answer as one, "Fight!"
I wouldn't have it in me to give this speech to high school girls. Before your biggest game, could you unleash it on your team?
Lagniappe. Arm swing detail (tip: get cellphone video of yours. You can upload it to YouTube and study it in slow motion.)
All opinions expressed in the blog are my own. They do not represent those of the City of Melrose, the Melrose School Department, Melrose High School, or the Athletic Department. Don't blame them.
Is she high character, a good teammate, a good person?
What is her work ethic?
Do they show up ready to go, physically and mentally prepared?
Is she a good student? You can be the greatest athlete in the world and you don't go to the Ivy League without the academic resume.
2. "Logos." Logos is reason, the 'there' when there's a there there.
How does the player impact winning?
Do they play both ends of the court?
Do they make good decisions passing and in shot selection?
What is their attention to detail on the court and in the classroom?
Is she accountable, "holding herself to high standards?"
3. "Pathos." Pathos is emotion.
What is her passion and purpose?
What is the player's commitment level both in the season and the offseason?
Does she bring energy to the court and energize teammates?
What is she like with her family?
Age doesn't bring a lot of benefits. As a young player, I heard Coach Sonny Lane tell us his expectations and priorities: family, school, and then sports. Nothing has changed in over fifty years.
Lagniappe. The Boston Globeshares an article about Bill Belichick at the LSU 'pro day'. Note their concerns about fundamentals, competition, interviews, and character.
Years ago after a horrible loss where we never responded physically or mentally, I told the girls, "You have to stand up for yourselves on the court. How you play reflects how you live your life."
Six months later one approached me, "that how you live your life talk really got to me." She's at a highly competitive college now.
Mental models help you think in class, at home, and on the court. I recently shared:
Sample size
Circle of competence
Inversion
Charlie Munger wrote, "You must know the big ideas in the big disciplines and use them routinely- all of them, not just a few. Most people are trained in one model-economics. for example-and try to solve all problems in one way. You know the old saying: To the man with a hammer, the world looks like a nail. This is a dumb way of handling problems. You need a different checklist and different mental models."
Today, let's investigate three more:
Simplicity
Swiss-Army knife
The Fat Pitch Approach
Simplicity. Coach Don Meyer said coaching evolved in three stages - blind enthusiasm, sophisticated complexity, and mature simplicity. For years, Coach Scott Celli discouraged back row hitting because Melrose didn't have the players to do it consistently. That changed with Elena Soukos and Gia Vlajkovic.
When simple works, do simple. If you set the outside hitter and she's delivering 'bombs' and scoring points, keep pressing your advantage. "Fall in love with easy."
If you have a great jump serve, use it. But Melrose had numerous servers like Alyssa Diraffaele and Cassidy Barbaro who served sliders and rockets without a jump serve. Lea Fowke has a dynamic 'conventional' serve.
Swiss Army knife. Early on in her volleyball career, Rachel Johnson was a single-edge razor, an exceptional blocker. As she gained experience she added the ability to set and became a strong hitter for the 2012 State Championship team. That team had two All-State players, Brooke Bell and Sarah McGowan, but Rachel and Jen Cain, another "Swiss Army knife" were not far off.
The Swiss Army knife player is versatile with a multitude of skills. I've shown you video of Victoria "V-Rex" Crovo who was a great player, great leader, and great teammate as a freshman.
Work to become proficient in more areas, a generalist.
The Fat Pitch approach. If we "swing for the fences" on every pitch, we'll strike out a lot. Look for your pitch. Ted Williams was the last player to hit .400, about eighty years ago. How?
The Splendid Splinter had an uncanny knowledge of the strike zone, when to take and when to swing. The graph above was his view of the zone.
"Fat pitches" come along in many disciplines - investing, job offers, relationships. Seize great opportunities and let others pass.
I know little about opera, but once I was offered a pair of tickets to see "Miss Saigon." Ellen asks me to call her "Pedro" because I never take her out (you have to be a Red Sox fan to know that) but we went and the tickets were in the front row just behind the orchestra. A fat pitch.
Add more mental models to your toolkit.
Lagniappe. Build your physicality. You don't need a gym or expensive equipment.
Twenty plus years watching Melrose volleyball reveals truths. Sport dispenses unfettered joy and immeasurable pain.
1) Control what you can control. What you control is your attitude, your choices, and your effort.
2) What has happened before can happen again.
3) This is not a union job. There is no seniority. If there is an eighth grader practicing and playing at a high level who is a rising freshman, she can earn the job.
4) "Become more to do more; do more to become more." In the long run, "you earn your paycheck" - minutes, role, and recognition.
5) Sometimes the best players on the team have been four year varsity players and on one it was a freshman.
6) The more skills you have, the better your chance to contribute. There's symmetry in volleyball:
Attacking - blocking
Serving - passing - digging
Setting
7) Strong front row players help each other by being able to set each other or sometimes the back row.
8) Playing 'all around' was once more common than today. Not everyone had the skill, athleticism, size, and resilience needed. It allowed for more rest for front row players. And it encouraged specialization, which often raised the overall level of play.
9) Ignore the noise. Coach Celli is the evaluator, the decider, as it should be.
10)"Learn every day." As time passes, you become your own coach...developing and monitoring your physical training and skill development.
Lagniappe. Pay attention to the major subheadings, such as get on top of the ball. You can't hit "down" (bounce) without getting on top.
I hear the whispers. "Have you thought about hiring him?" "He's really old. Cripes, he knew God's dog when he was a puppy."
Yes, coaches are not immune from aging. Remember, President Reagan's line about youth and inexperience.
The twin torments of studying older coaches are 1) lengthy resume and experience and 2) the legacy of any failure to use against them. Warren Buffett's partner Charlie Munger (age 99) says,
"We try more to profit from always remembering the obvious than from grasping the esoteric. It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent."
Part of the coaching game is studying to become better year after year. Older coaches have the advantage of "compounding," leveraging gains accrued over time. "Experience is the best teacher, but sometimes the tuition is high."
There's something called the 'survivor effect'. You seldom see full-on hatchet jobs done on older coaches. If they were so incompetent and contentious, they'd already be out.
Use analogies. Here's another Munger quote on Berkshire-Hathaway, their company in Munger's book, Poor Charlie's Almanack:
"The key is having good businesses." There's a lot of momentum here. I don't think our successors will be as good as Warren at capital allocation. Berkshire is drowning in money-we have great businesses pounding out money.
Restate: "The key is having good players. I don't think our successors will be as good as Warren at player development. (We) are drowning in performance- we have great players pounding out performance."
Another Munger quote, "We're trying to buy businesses with sustainable competitive advantages at a low, or even a fair, price." The question for us old coaches becomes, "what are the sustainable competitive advantages?" A legacy might help with recruiting but not necessarily player development.
1) Recruiting. There are some programs that aggregate talent. I'll credit the coach for his recruiting. Great job finding those players.
2) Player development. I've seen a number of highly competitive youth teams whose development didn't translate into high school. I doubt it was because the high school coach was incompetent. I suspect the players scattered to the winds. I can name some exceptional coaches who develop players and teams, but get overshadowed by the aggregators.
The lessons? Study, study greatness, keep getting better, whatever our age.
Lagniappe. Devise a workout you can follow a few days a week. Obviously, you're using lighter weight and you don't need "boxes" for things like reverse lunges. You can use a single stair.
Learn from great sharers like MasterClass professors.
"You don't have to be perfect to be confident." - Malala, Nobel Peace Prize winner
"All it needs is you believing in yourself." - Malala
"The stage is yours." - Malala
"Align our North Star with our actions...say no to what doesn't matter." - Robin Arzon, influencer (Another saying for this is, "Don't major in the minors." Be good at what you do a lot.")
"Moments of self-doubt usually mean you're getting out of your comfort zone." - Robin Arzon
"Success is the by-product of hard work..." - Samuel L. Jackson
"Can't be a great basketball player if you can't dribble and can't shoot." - Sam Jackson (on career fundamentals)
"Do you want to be an artist or do you want to be famous?" - Sam Jackson
"The best antidote for fear is competence." - Chris Hadfield, Astronaut
"To hear male colleagues dismiss other women...is scary." - Issa Rae
"You don't have to be a mean person...to get your message across." - Issa Rae
"Men get to do it...they get called visionaries." - Issa Rae
"You can use your voice to make sure the job gets done right." - Issa Rae (Don't be afraid to lead when your message is pure.)
"You can't have any self-doubt about your conviction and commitment to do this." - Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO
"Are you willing to sacrifice so much for this endeavor?" - Howard Schultz
"Don't look back and have regrets...I tried something." - Howard Schultz
"I believe we are here to serve the world...render service." - LeVar Burton, actor
"It's important to learn to delay gratification...in favor of process." - LeVar Burton
Lagniappe (something extra). Odd volleyball rules. Will we see any of them?
