"Good artists borrow; great artists steal." - Picasso
What's on your 'today' checklist?
1. Energize. Bring MVB energy to the classroom. "How you do anything is how you do everything."
2. Train your body. Weight train for power. Plyos for jumping. Resistance bands for lateral quickness?
3. Find your workout partner. Build platform skills.
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰. #GoBears🐻 pic.twitter.com/2N9ARxw14G
— Cal Volleyball (@CalVolleyball) January 23, 2024
Masslive.com used to have a forum for readers to comment on sports, including high school volleyball.
I remember two comments in particular. One said that Melrose plays a "simple" form of volleyball, ball control. That was their argument against Melrose winning a state championship.
The second was that the elite teams (specifically Barnstable) have more players playing on the best club (Gold) teams. They weren't commenting on Melrose, but at the time, not many players were playing high level club competition. That's changed...a lot.
MVB outlived the Masslive Forum.
MIT Sloan is known for their analytic excellence and academia. I wrote a basketball piece today partly about simplifying the game. MIT Sloan published a piece about moving from the "danger zone" to the "winning zone."
Post by @mitsloanView on Threads
Coach Don Meyer said it differently. Coaches evolve from "blind enthusiasm to sophisticated complexity to mature simplicity."
Lagniappe. I don't know what might prove useful... looks intriguing to me. Even better with two nets and maybe 3 versus 3.
Volleyball demands 'short area quickness'. But improving overall athleticism offers advantages.
Here's a brief video sharing one player's journey. DO NOT do these outside in the snow!
Post by @coach_hadacView on Threads
I don't know if this link will work... developing your core supports back health.
Never relinquish the joy of sport. Coaches feel it. Here's a quote from former Princeton basketball coach Pete Carril.
"Light bulbs, that's what I call them. Light bulbs. There's an intangible feeling a coach and a player have that you can delight in. When Armond Hill was at Princeton and he'd go up and down the court in warmups, that's excited me. Frank Sowinski walked onto the court in practice. I could be dead tired: I saw him, I felt good. Billy Omeltchenko. Craig Robinson. I call them light bulbs. They walk on the floor, the light goes on." - February 6, 1991.
Everyone isn't a fan of Russell Westbrook, but I think he gets it.
Post by @digits3hoopsView on Threads
Teams often break a huddle with an inspirational word, "Melrose" or "Team" or "Together." That's fine, but don't forget, "Joy."
Lagniappe. Preventing injuries has value in every sport. I started the course and it's well done.
All opinions in the blog are solely my own.
"Don't be judged on the things we cannot change." - Isabel Wilkerson, author "Caste"
Don't live your life. Star in your life. Don't be judged by your age, your gender, your ancestry, your status in life. Plan and articulate your long game. Don't answer, "where will you be in five years?" with a blank stare.
Plan. Execute. Edit. Director Ava Duvernay says, "the more you prepare, the more ready you will be when the time comes."
Take ideas from others. Analyze them. Rework and transform them.
Find resources to build your toolbox. MasterClass helps me. Anna DuVernay is an award-winning film director who shares her ideas. Directors coach. Ron Howard says, "the director is the keeper of the story."
Coaches "keep the story." Bill Parcells, former Patriots coach, says, "you are what your record says you are." Coach Scott Celli doesn't talk rebuilding. He doesn't sugar coat reality or apologize for youth, illness, or injuries.
Adopt the mindset that I need more knowledge and help. Coach Celli asks himself, "how can I be better and improve the team?" Coaching requires energy to motivate self and others. Exceptional coaches let each player know they are seen and heard, even if they likely won't play big minutes.
DuVernay talks about powerful statements leaders make.
1. "I don't know." Life presents us with challenges daily. The five statements a Naval Academy first-year must know are, "Yes, Sir. No, Sir. Aye, aye, Sir. Right away, Sir. "I don't know but I'll find out, Sir."
2. "Tell me what you think." When a coach thinks they're the smartest guy in the room, they're wrong. It doesn't matter where we went to school, whom we played with, against, or for, we don't know everything. Lean on others. Finding solutions often requires help.
3. "Show me how to do that." In medicine, a core concept is, "see one, do one, teach one." Sometimes you see something, like a hernia operation and it doesn't resonate. Don't become a surgeon. Rely on your senses to see, to hear, and to do new things.
Don't manage people or handle people. Work with them.
Lagniappe. Figure it out. More reps with lower weight will get you what you need.
Post by @drjohnrusinView on Threads
You will be underdogs sometimes. How will you approach that? Don't roll over and play dead. You show up. You fight, you scratch and claw and never give up. "Always do your best."
Tara VanDerveer tied Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski for the most wins in coaching history. She'd be first already if it weren't for Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith and 1998. I sent this to Coach Delaney-Smith today.
Post by @coach_gerhardView on Threads
NCAA Championship coach Tara VanDerveer was born in Melrose. Really.
Her point is well taken. Nobody becomes a great writer before navigating good writing. Playing or coaching, it's a process."It can't be all about winning. You need to work really hard at being good. If you want to be really good at something, you have to work really hard at it and you have to put a lot of time into it. Basketball isn't like instant oatmeal where you're going to be good just like… pic.twitter.com/HYRN7Fo17A
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) January 20, 2024
Volleyball excellence traverses the process of developing skill, experience, and becoming more athletic and mentally tougher.
Don't become frustrated because it doesn't happen overnight.
When you arise in the morning, what's your growth routine? Match your plan with your goals.
Control what you can control. You can't control the weather, when you have tests or assignments due. But you control your study habits and time allocated to home, school, and other responsibilities.
Do what must be done. Maybe you have to make your bed, clean a bathroom weekly, do some vacuuming, take out the trash. Do it. Allocate enough time for homework and other 'budgeted' activity (like athletic training and volleyball practice).
Build better habits. Sleep and nutrition are vital habits. Force yourself to be better. You can't fuel a race car with sand. Remember, habits are votes for the kind of person you want to become.
Be accountable, holding yourself to high standards. The fourth agreement, "always do your best" allows freedom from regret. If you just do your best, there is no way you can judge yourself. And if you don’t judge yourself there is no way you are going to suffer from guilt, blame, and self-punishment.
Fill your toolbox. Your metaphorical toolbox has room for improved communication skills, relationship skills, learning, athleticism, and so much more. Just as you're learning, your teachers have workshops and other professionals have continuing education. Learning doesn't stop when they hand you your diploma.
Take a breath when you wake to plan your day to be productive. That doesn't mean you get no "down time" to rest and recover.
Summary:
All opinions in the blog are solely my own.
The 2023 team expanded the "MVB Brand." It grew the brand with performance and promotion. Yes, some describe MVB as a legacy program because of its herstory.
The MVB brand grew with your performance. It grew with former player Kayla Wyland leading Wakefield to the D3 semis. Victoria Crovo raises it moving into her clinical years in veterinary school. Other graduates are rising, too.
Branding implies adherence to a theme. For example, Southwest Airlines branded itself as "the low cost airline." That didn't prevent the male flight attendant from saying multiple times, "let me know if you need anything."
In Legacy, about the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team, James Kerr informs readers of a common theme, "leave the jersey in a better place." He reminds players of the Maori culture, "be a good elder." He shares a Greek adage, "old men plant trees in whose shade they will never sit."
You are 'stewards' of the brand. You honor it with your behavior at home, in school, on the court, and in your community. When young girls come to watch you play, just as Hannah Brickley, Victoria and Stephanie Crovo, and others did, represent yourself with decency and dignity.
Lagniappe.
Post by @honorlaoisView on Threads
Lagniappe 2. Don't train to be good. Train to be great. This video will help. If you don't have the time to watch 15 minutes of elite hitting teaching, how will you make time to become a great hitter?
Happy New Year! Stay urgent! pic.twitter.com/vz30xmzsOK
— Kara Lawson (@karalawson20) January 1, 2024
Lagniappe 2. Earn elite status.
The Best Players do “Boring” Better.
— Greg Berge (@gb1121) January 19, 2024
They…
▪️Show up early
▪️Focus on fundamentals
▪️Do extra reps
▪️Give attention to detail
▪️Stay late
These are the things that separate good from great.
Trust the Process. Do Boring Better.
Work tirelessly on your attack footwork. Work on closing the double block. Work on your steps to pass. Do the work.
Ask yourself, "what 'skill' gets and keeps me on the court?"
The top players impact winning via "possession ending" offense (block-kills, kills, service aces) or "possession sustaining" by keeping the ball alive (note the Jill MacInnes libero video). Some have offensive and defensive skills, and off-the-chart intangibles like Victoria Crovo (energy, leadership, toughness). That's why I believe any MVB "All-Time" team has the V-Rex on it.
Charles Barkley says it this way, "what is your NBA skill?"
Also, you can't be aloof, a bad teammate, selfish, or manifest "below the line behaviors" (blame, complain, whine). That's a rarity on MVB.
"Your contribution doesn't have to be 25 points.
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) January 18, 2024
But, it has to be something.
And your number one contribution is the energy that you bring to what we are doing." pic.twitter.com/rNqKPL77rd
Lagniappe. There's "energy" and there's ENERGY!
PAOKARA is more than just Basketball and Football. Here is the mighty DIKEFALOS AETOS volleyball! PAOKARA is a way of life!#ΠΑΟΚ 🖤🤍🖤 pic.twitter.com/mfKScnqjFl
— Josh Bett (@JoshBett1) January 19, 2024
Tens of thousands of thoughts cross our consciousness daily. Make a few stick.
"You have a choice to make when you're not playing.
— Coach Mac 🏀 (@BballCoachMac) January 18, 2024
Either you're invested and a great teammate, or your not"
- Brad Stevens pic.twitter.com/poLnoc4SXj
If we're whining to ourselves or others about playing time, we're not.
Doc Rivers said, "The whole team has to make a choice at some point, is great worth it? But for winning, you have to sacrifice."
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) January 18, 2024
Winning comes from hard work, dedication, and sacrifice.
• It takes commitment.
• It takes selflessness.
It comes down to one question: "What are… pic.twitter.com/g3ovmzaHc0
Be all in or don't be in at all.
"Play and practice like you are trying to make the team"
— Coach Mac 🏀 (@BballCoachMac) January 18, 2024
- Mike Krzyzewski
Be full-tilt, full-time.
"The results don't really matter.
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) January 18, 2024
It's the figuring out that matters, and it's the consistency of the work.
Monday - get better.
Tuesday - get better.
Wednesday - get better.
When you do that over a period of time, you get to where you want to go." -Kobe Bryant
📽️@kobehighlight pic.twitter.com/562oZGXTUP
Look in the mirror, telling yourself this truth, "I did my best."
Your team has a habit of gossip because your culture allows it.
— Kevin DeShazo (@KevinDeShazo) January 18, 2024
Your team has a habit of selfishness because your culture allows it.
Your team has a habit of complaining because your culture allows it.
Create a culture where healthy habits are the standard, not the exception.
Be part of MVB to be part of something bigger than yourself. Do whatever it takes - hard conditioning and training, communication, genuine devotion to your teammates.
Handle hard better-Kara Lawson pic.twitter.com/0ZYSTgdOp7
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) January 11, 2024
At some point, most young people have told their parents, "you don't know how hard this is." I have four words, "I bet they do."
Lagniappe. 1) Start low, stay low. 2) Be LOUD. 3) Read the play.
Post by @robinsharmaView on Threads
Disprove the adage that "youth is wasted on the young."
Return to the Achievement Equation.
ACHIEVEMENT = PERFORMANCE x TIME
You have the advantage of time. Leverage that advantage through efficiency, more quality activity per unit time.
Further benefit through better performance, remember Coach John Wooden's quote, "Never mistake activity for achievement."
Higher performance and better invested time lift achievement.
Lagniappe. Study.
Review game film from 2023, strengths and weaknesses.5 Ways to Boost Your Basketball IQ:
— Steve Collins (@TeachHoopsBBall) January 16, 2024
1. Watch game film
2. Study the greats
3. Play different positions
4. Analyze game situations
5. Seek advice from coaches and teammates
- Jeff Janssen
All opinions in the blog are solely my own.
Teams reflect their leadership. Make our leadership transparent, simple, and clear. That starts with philosophy.
Respect. Respect the game. Respect your teammates. Respect your opponents. Respect the officials.
Team first. Represent. Never embarrass the team or yourself. Need an example? How do you represent the team and yourself on social media? "Don't let 140 characters remove your $140,000 scholarship."
Model excellence. Our actions and habits are 'votes' for the person we desire to become. Be the athlete that a coach chooses as the model player.
Core values. Teamwork. Improvement. Accountability. What is accountability? Hold yourself to a high standard.
Learning culture. Learn every day. Ask better questions? Revise...from Michael Useem, The Leadership Moment, required reading for UNC Women's soccer.
Elite athleticism doesn't grow on trees. Do the work. This well-defined workout is doable at home. Maybe you don't have heavy weights. Skip that. Some of you probably have a treadmill.
Call over a "workout buddy" if you do.
Post by @kpstrengthView on Threads
Coaching excellence includes optimizing success for our athletes. What options help athletes recover after intense training or competition?
Begin with an overview then focus on details. Seek sustainable competitive advantage and realize that resources are limited. Thanks to Dr. Fergus Connolly, author of Game Changer and 59 Lessons for his insight and helpful comments. Both these books added value to my coaching and writing.
Overview from the Cleveland Clinic.
Another recovery overview with specific suggestions.
Find an analogy. Consider athletes similar to high performance race cars.
1. Mechanical fitness. Needs full checkup, especially tires, brakes, suspension.
2. Fuel up. Can't race without gas.
3. Fluids - check oil, brake and transmission fluid, etc.
4. Driver readiness. NASCAR cars don't drive themselves. The controller of the vehicle needs management, too.
Dr. Connolly suggested this organization:
1. - Soft Tissue / Muscle Damage (Demand for protein & collagen to support repair)
2.i - Energy store depletion (Need for carbohydrates to restore fuel)
2.ii - Loss of fluids & electrolytes (Hydration, vitamins and minerals)
4. - Mental & Central Nervous System (CNS) fatigue (rest & sleep demand)
Dr. Connolly point out other key concepts.
1. Longer training, emphasis on energy repletion, shorter more protein.
2. Early phase recovery, protein and hydration. Late means stretching, central nervous repletion with rest and sleep.
3. Lifestyle factors - 'knowledge workers' (seated) need more activity while "stand up" workers will recover naturally.
Nutrition.
Excerpt:
In addition, there is an emphasis on the importance of nutrition during recovery. Protein shakes are great for recovery, especially after participating in an endurance sport, because they quickly provide important nutrients like protein. The student-athletes at UC particularly enjoy cherry juice as well, another great recovery drink. Both of these items are readily available to student-athletes after competition.
What are some protein shake "off the shelf" options?
Should you have a protein shake before or after a workout?
Want to make your own protein shake? This provides extensive discussion and options.
Excerpt:
The International Society of Sports Nutrition's (ISSN) position on nutrient timing states that protein before or after a workout may improve muscle strength.
But the ISSN also notes that having protein after strenuous exercise may greatly boost protein synthesis (MPS). MPS is a cellular process needed for muscle adaptation and growth. A review also found that consuming protein after exercise optimizes MPS and muscle protein remodeling.
Thermal contrast. What type of heat/cold/combination therapy helps athletes recover best from workouts and competition? This article discusses some 'low tech' approaches that have potential benefit.
Excerpt:
Hot/cold contrast therapy offers a number of positive impacts on health, particularly as it pertains to recovery:
This article focuses on the potential benefits (less muscle soreness, removal of lactic acid, less inflammation) and mechanics of thermal contrast (water temperature, duration). It offers specifics in time and temperature. Don't injure yourself with either too much heat or cold.
Myofascial release/Foam rolling.
Would foam rolling help? Some athletes have a lot of sore muscles after workouts. I think I could have benefited over fifty years ago after intense soccer or basketball training. Foam rolling may increase blood flow, loosen connective tissue, and impact neurologic signaling. Melrose's Cecilia Kay, Boston Herald dream teamer, is a big fan. Talk with your athletic trainer and get their perspective.
Active recovery after training.
Low intensity exercise may help transition athletes from one activity to subsequent activities. The exercises could include swimming or walking. This Medical News article discusses study background information on various types of active recovery. Even ten minutes of low intensity (e.g. walking) may be beneficial.
Excerpt:
A
Intangibles inform leadership. Yes, coaches see talent and its impact on winning. Nobody wins without talent. Coach K didn't change from criticizing Calipari to becoming him with one-and-done for nothing.
Leadership skills stay with players long after graduation. Which makes teaching them essential elements.
1) Be punctual. With younger players (developmental) they need transportation (parents). Older players mostly don't have that excuse. Remember "Dean Smith Time," where early is on time. Carolina guard Phil Ford set his watch ten minutes ahead.
2) Never be a distraction. Don't be drama queens at home, in school, or on the team. Nobody wants to hear it. Even if you've been a productive player, think Draymond Green, hold yourself accountable.
3) Be positive. Nobody builds a positive life from a negative attitude. Everything won't reap a "Panglossian" life, "all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds." But everyone isn't against you.
4) Energize. Bring energy to yourself and to your teammates. Verbal encouragement, touching, and consistency elevate people around you.
6) Communicate. "Silent teams lose." Verbal and nonverbal communication count.
7) Model excellence. "Your actions speak so loudly that I cannot hear a word you say." Mentor underclassmen don't 'dog' them.
8) Share. I can't do better than Phil Jackson, "basketball is sharing." Share the work, share the ball, share the shots.
9) Be a great teammate. Everyone can't be a great player but everyone can become a great teammate. Think empathy, about how actions feel from the other person's perspective.
10) Be coachable. Listen. Have great eye contact and a firm handshake. Great players always want to be coached.
11) Excel in your role. Everyone cannot be a star. Coach Erik Spoelstra reminds players that most players, even in the NBA are role players. "There is always a pecking order."
12) Commit to daily growth. Whether called "growth mindset" or commitment to become your best, do the work.
Lagniappe. Wisdom from Coach Collins.
Lagniappe 2. Defend better.5. Show respect to coaches, officials and opponents
— Steve Collins (@TeachHoopsBBall) January 14, 2024
6. Speak up when necessary.
7. Always have your teammates' backs
8. Lead by example on & off the court
Leadership in Basketball:
— Steve Collins (@TeachHoopsBBall) January 14, 2024
1. Being a leader isn't about being the best player
2. It's about being the best teammate
3. Be the first to arrive, last to leave
4. Work harder than anyone else on your team
Leading isn't about having a title, it's about having an impact. Coach Steve Collins shares his expectations for his leaders.
5. Show respect to coaches, officials and opponents
— Steve Collins (@TeachHoopsBBall) January 14, 2024
6. Speak up when necessary.
7. Always have your teammates' backs
8. Lead by example on & off the court
Leadership transfers to other domains - home, school, work, extracurricular activities. Coach Scott Celli's 'coaching tree' bears fruit with former player Kayla Wyland leading her Wakefield club to their first Final Four.
"A habit must be established before it can be improved." - James Clear
Know the four 'legs' of the development stool:
1) Skill (or technique)
2) Strategy (or tactics)
3) Physicality
4) Psychology
If any one leg of the stool is weak or broken, the stool is useless or dangerous. Great physical prowess without skill and game understanding isn't a solution.
Jumping rope is easy, inexpensive, accessible and great exercise. Over fifty years ago we began practice with five minutes of jumping rope.
