Compete Level

Do your players understand the difference between PLAYING HARD & COMPETING?

Have you defined those terms? If not, you need to - there’s a HUGE difference.

@KevinFurtado stresses it as part of Competitive Motivational Practice System.

Learn more here - https://t.co/NY2lDmbCeD pic.twitter.com/NO216EHWnZ

— Jeff Huber | Breakthrough Basketball (@HuberBasketball) February 12, 2025

One player will always stand out for me when it comes to ferocity. If I had an all-time "top twelve" roster, she is a "must have" for toughness and leadership in addition to talent. 

 

"Prove People Wrong"

All opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine. Blame nobody else. 

There will always be people who say, "you're not good enough." Be relentless. 

You've heard her songs but maybe never her name. She wrote the biggest hits for almost anybody who is anybody...but not the song above. 

"It's the story of my life, proving people wrong." - Diane Warren She had her first hit at 29 after writing songs since a teen. She had three qualities - talent, confidence, and relentlessness. Here's the ChatGPT list of 20 top hits she wrote:

"Because You Loved Me" – Celine Dion

"Un-Break My Heart" – Toni Braxton

"How Do I Live" – LeAnn Rimes

"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" – Aerosmith

"Love Will Lead You Back" – Taylor Dayne

"If I Could Turn Back Time" – Cher

"Can't Fight the Moonlight" – LeAnn Rimes

"There You'll Be" – Faith Hill

"Don't Turn Around" – Ace of Base

"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" – Starship

"For You I Will" – Monica

"Blame It on the Rain" – Milli Vanilli

"When I See You Smile" – Bad English

"I Turn to You" – Christina Aguilera

"The One I Gave My Heart To" – Aaliyah

"Because You Loved Me" – Johnny Mathis

"Rhythm of the Night" – DeBarge

"I'll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me)" – Exposé

"Saving Forever for You" – Shanice

Set the Night to Music" – Roberta Flack & Maxi Priest

"You just need that one believer...and that one believer has to start out being you." She doesn't like to be asked about process. "I just go to work."

If we want to be exceptional, then be relentless.

Who's the relentless word association? Kobe Bryant comes to mind first. A thousand jump shots a day in the hundred day offseason. 100,000 jump shots.   

Greg Popovich says, "you can't skip steps. You gotta pound the rock. If it takes a hundred hits..." 

Larry Bird made 500 free throws, before breakfast. 

Tim S. Grover wrote Relentless. Here are a few quotes:

• "Being relentless means demanding more of yourself than anyone else could ever demand of you, knowing every time you stop, you can still do more."
• "Do. The. Work. Every day, you have to do something you don’t want to do. Every day. Challenge yourself to be uncomfortable, push past the apathy and laziness and fear."
• "The drive to close the gap between near-perfect and perfect is the difference between great and unstoppable."

Isiah Thomas worked eight hours a day on the playgrounds of Chicago, honing his craft. 

Bill Bradley, from age twelve, invested three hours a day and all day Saturday working on skills. In the 1965 runner-up game in the NCAAs, Princeton's Bradley scored 58 points against Wichita State. 

Of course, others are or were relentless. Jordan, LeBron, Tom Brady, Dan Gable in wrestling, Sara Blakely in business. 

Anybody who became exceptional did the work. That doesn't guarantee that doing the work will make exceptional work. Volleyball has to have irrational meaning for you, has to speak for you. 

If we want to prove people wrong, then do the work. Only you can decide whether it's worth it. 

Lagniappe. 

“The greatest competitors attack every single drill like it’s life or death. Winning matters, and every time you’re okay with losing a drill, you become less of a winner” - Lute Olson pic.twitter.com/kAccwdfxxd

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) January 22, 2025

Lagniappe 2. Be a tracker. You have to monitor what you're doing to do it better. 

Every successful company in the world is DATA DRIVEN.

Tracking numbers in PRACTICE creates an automatic advantage for the coach's who utilize it. If used properly, it's like playing 6 on 5 because the COACH is impacting winning more.

TOTAL POSSESSIONS:

Are we simply…

— Chris Steed (@steeder10) January 21, 2025

MVB Greats Are Great Athletes

The third leg of the four legs of the development stool is physicality. 

• Skill
• Strategy
• Physicality
• Psychology

Strength, power, quickness, and conditioning allow you to do what others cannot. Exercise builds muscles but also builds confidence.

Squats and lunges should be a regular part of your training. 

Building your single leg athleticism with these three exercises

First one - for strength
Second one - for eccentric strength
Third one - “sink” into loading pic.twitter.com/G3ddrEp3XC

— Max Schmarzo (sbs) (@strong_science) August 26, 2023

Goblet squats are another important exercise. 

This Above All

Your athletic career is most likely temporary; your character lasts a lifetime. The person you are is far more important than the player you are! What are your habits/routines? Are you grateful, humble, honest. Do you care for others? Be someone people respect on & off the court!

— Jon Beck (@CoachJonBeck) February 11, 2025

Football Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg was asked about his team. He reportedly answered, "I'll be able to give you a better idea in twenty years." 

Value character above reputation. Your reputation is what others think; your character is who you are. 

You have made friends who will remain friends for life. You will network with people who value your lifelong success. Earn that every day with your habits and how you treat others and yourself. 

Remember this "equation" - PERSON > PLAYER.  

Lagniappe. “This above all: to thine own self be true

And it must follow, as the night the day
Thou canst not then be false to any man/Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!” - Polonius, from Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Lagniappe. Volleyball is a thinking person's game. All receptions are not the same. 

 

Be the Best Here

"Let’s be the best at everything that requires no talent.

There are lots of things in the game that require no talent; it just requires effort.”

Success is built on what anyone can do, but few choose to. pic.twitter.com/HJQmjVjJsm

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) January 25, 2025

It's hard to have the most talent, the most size, the most athleticism. Accept that almost every team will face another that has 'more'.

Have the best attitude. Bill Walsh said, "champions act like champions before they are champions." 

Be champions of teamwork. 

Communicate better than others. 

Be our best at what we absolutely can control.

Bring the most effort.

Be the most unselfish. 

Be elite competitors.  

Care more about each other. 

Lagniappe. Pros and cons. 

Strength and Conditioning Ideas from Volley Country

Exceptional players have an exceptional plan. Commit to excellence. 

• Develop your plan.
• Write it down. 
• Schedule time for your plan, e.g. 30-60 minutes three times weekly
• Measure baseline parameters. 
• Do the work and track your performance. 

 

The Cradle of Understanding - Core Concepts

View on Threads

Curiosity places us in the cradle of understanding. Have the capacity to seek knowledge.

The two best answers in medicine were, "I don't know" and "that's a good idea, we should try that."

For volleyball, have the intellectual integrity to ask, "how can I do this better" and "can you help me understand?"

Core concepts: 

1) On offense, "put the ball down."

2) On defense, "keep the ball up." 

3) Score more positive points and disallow opponents from scoring. Points come from team scoring and opponent errors. Opponent points come from opponent scoring and our errors. Control what you can control (your scoring and errors).

4) Do well what you do a lot as an individual and a team.

5) Do more of what works and less of what doesn't. That's been a core MVB concept. For example, if you have an excellent right side, use more back sets. 

6) Offense arises from service, block-kills, and attacks. 

7) So "net-net" MVB has to win the 'serve-receive' battle. 

8) The best players make those around them better. 

9) Excellence arises with vision, decisions, and execution. It's hard to overcome bad decisions with good technique. 

10) With no exceptions, great MVB players have been exceptional athletes. Invest time in strength, quickness, footwork, and conditioning. 

Study excellence. 

MVB has developed many great defenders. None exceeded J-Mac. Her game against Westborough seems unlikely to be matched. One way to study technique is to change the playback settings to a slower speed. 

Adding Value

Sport is open source. What hard-won lessons can add value for players and coaches? 

1) Everyone benefits from coaching. Atul Gawande, an experienced, highly-trained surgeon shares how hiring a senior surgeon to oversee his surgery improved his skills. 

The AI take from Claude.ai, "The piece challenges the notion that medical professionals should be completely autonomous once they complete their training. Instead, it suggests that ongoing coaching could lead to better patient outcomes and continued professional growth."

What is the 'right way'? Whatever your current coach wants is right. 

2) Reach out and get help. John Donne wrote, "no man is an island," and Coach John Calipari has an advisory group his "Personal Board of Directors" with whom he meets periodically for perspective and input.

This also includes networking in order to help players succeed after they leave our program. 

3) Be your own 'guy' because you can't be anyone else. Pete Newell said of coaches who install their coach's systems that it often results "in a poor copy of the original." Mr. Rogers reminded, "look for the helpers." 

4) "Every day is player development day." - Coach Dave Smart  Player development impacts players powerfully. Invest time in learning the wide variety of player improvement avenues - skill, strategy (including video study), physical training, and psychology/resilience.

Player development improves encouragement of, monitoring, and enhancing academic performance. 

5) "Give and get feedback." Feedback-rich coaching gives us a chance at sustainable competitive advantage. Without feedback, we cannot be our best and cannot know whether players are informed. With hard conversations, always have another adult present. 

6) Learn every day. "Be a learn-it-all not a know-it-all" says Kevin Eastman. Keeping a journal or a 'commonplace book' helps us with our growth and our players'. 

7) "Read. Read. Read. Read. Read." Read widely. The differences between the person we are now and whom we become in five years are the people we meet and the books we read. 

It doesn't cost a fortune to read. Local and area public libraries often have "free" online books available to borrow. I use BPL.com (Boston Public Library) and area apps "Libby" and "Hoopla." 

8) Seek balance. Coaching is a demanding and sometimes obsessive profession. Care of our family and self-care can both suffer under coaching and playing demands. 

9) Improve our teaching. Multiple free or low cost resources are out there. I took the free Coursera course, "Learning How to Learn." Doug Lemov's book, "Teach Like a Champion," is great. Dr. Fergus Connolly's "Game Changer" is another wonderful resource. Artificial intelligence also is a teaching resource. 

10) Adopt a 'growth mindset'. Our mindset influences how we model excellence. There's no secret sauce. Explore different techniques, ask  questions, and track our progress by soliciting feedback. People can embrace, modify, or ignore our advice because they have something that works better for them. "Are we building a program or a statue?" 

Lagniappe. The message repeats, "great players are great athletes." 

Volleyball In-Season Lift

Total Body Lift

a) Hang Clean

b1) Back Squat (.85-9 m/s)
b2) BB Jumps
b3) Single Leg Bench Jumps
b4) Accel Split Squat Jumps

c) Push Jerk

d) Isometric Calf Raise

e) Paloff Press

3 resisted sprints @ 16-20% BW at any point throughout the workout… pic.twitter.com/3r1Wgh8w2H

— Keith Ferrara (@keithjferrara) October 21, 2024

A pair of MVB standouts, Sadie Jaggers and Leah Fowke, check in from Pitt. 

 

Accountable to the Whole Process

Hold yourself to the highest standards of performance in everything you do.

High academic performance matters.  

Best Study Methods pic.twitter.com/uUER4cvXlN

— Scholarship for PhD (@ScholarshipfPhd) February 9, 2025

Choose a few that work for you. For example: 

1) Feynman Technique - Name, explain, research, simplify

2) Pomodoro Technique - 25 minutes on, 5 minute break

3) Flashcards - self-testing

4) Chunking - learn components in smaller pieces

5) Storytelling - people remember stories. Consider the SUCCESs acronym - simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, story 

Lagniappe. Hit harder. 

 

A Reminder About Lagniappe and More

All opinions expressed in 'the blog' are solely my own. Don't blame anyone else. Do your due diligence in assessing the value and limitations within.

Many of the blog pieces finish with "lagniappe," something extra. Here's an AI (Claude.ai) discussion of lagniappe.

Lagniappe (pronounced "lan-yap") is a Louisiana French term that refers to a small gift or extra item given to a customer by a merchant at the time of purchase. It literally means "something added" or "a little something extra."

The concept originated in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and made its way into Louisiana culture through trade. Mark Twain notably discussed it in "Life on the Mississippi," describing it as a word "worth traveling to New Orleans to get."

In modern usage, lagniappe has expanded beyond its retail origins to describe any unexpected bonus or extra benefit. You might hear it used in contexts like "The beautiful sunset was a lagniappe after a perfect day at the beach" or in business settings where companies offer small perks to customers.

The practice reflects a philosophy of generosity and relationship-building in business - the idea that giving a little extra can create goodwill and strengthen customer loyalty. 

Lagniappe. Magnificent teaching video on attack. 

Simple But Not Easy Work for Legs and Posterior Chain

Work on your physicality with "simple but not easy" exercises that work legs and posterior chain. This helps reduce injuries. 

This site shares lots of great exercises that will help key muscle groups.   

View on Threads

Preparation

"The amount of respect you show something is in proportion to the preparation you put into it.
Preparation doesn't guarantee a result, but it does guarantee growth.
That's what we're all trying to do in life.
We're trying to grow-every step of the way." pic.twitter.com/uHpRDMZt9I

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) February 7, 2025

Preparation shows up in everything. Consider the cooking analogy mise en place. Before cooking, lay out all the cookware and the ingredients. 

Help at home. Take ownership of chores on a schedule. 

Boost academic performance. Feynman Technique. Learning techniques. MVB has a high performance learning culture. 

Practice. Be "stretched" out physically and mentally when practice begins.  

Physical training. Training is preparation - quickness, strength, vertical jump, conditioning. 

Offseason play.  

From Claude.ai 

Let me provide a comprehensive analysis of preparation for volleyball student-athletes that addresses both athletic and academic aspects.

Academic Preparation: Time management is crucial as volleyball players balance practices, matches, travel, and coursework. Successful student-athletes often use planners or digital calendars to block out dedicated study times around their athletic commitments. They may coordinate with professors early in the semester about potential travel conflicts and make arrangements for assignments and exams.

Creating study routines that work with their training schedule helps maintain academic consistency. This might mean studying between classes rather than late at night when fatigue from practice affects concentration. Many volleyball players also form study groups with teammates who share classes, allowing them to maximize their limited free time.

Athletic Preparation: Physical preparation involves several key components:

1. Sport-specific training: Regular practice of fundamental skills like serving, setting, blocking, and passing. This includes both individual drills and team-based exercises.
2. Strength and conditioning: Weight training focused on explosive power for jumping and quick movements, along with exercises to prevent common volleyball injuries, particularly to shoulders and knees.
3. Recovery management: Proper nutrition, hydration, and sleep are essential. Recovery needs to be actively planned, not just what happens between training sessions.

Mental Preparation: The mental aspect bridges both academic and athletic performance. This includes:

• Visualization techniques for both game situations and academic challenges
• Stress management strategies that work in both domains
• Goal-setting practices that align athletic and academic objectives
• Development of routines that promote focus and confidence

Recall the old John Wooden quote, "failing to prepare is preparing to fail." 

Lagniappe. Be a winner. 

"LOSERS assemble in little groups that complain about the coaches and the players in other little groups. But WINNERS assemble as a team."

Bill Parcells GOLD 🥇

Set the tone. Build trust. Demand accountability.

Together WINS.pic.twitter.com/rMl0hW4AMo

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) February 8, 2025

Where Not to Invest Your Time

“Wasting your time doubting whether you’re going to be successful is pointless.”

— Kobe Bryant pic.twitter.com/IGkeVSAoux

— Reads with Ravi (@readswithravi) February 6, 2025

Kobe Bryant on doubt (mild language)

Doubt is the psychological equivalent of eating thin soup with a fork. It gets you nowhere.

Coach Scott Celli will put you in a position to succeed, providing you invested in personal growth during the 'offseason'. With many of you playing a lot, there is no offseason. 

MVB graduates an All-State setter in Leah Fowke. And they'll have an excellent setter on day one of tryouts in August. 

MVB graduates the core of its back row defense (Maggie Turner, Gigi Albuja, Alex Homan). And they'll have players ready to step in and step up on day one of tryouts.

"Control what you can control." 

Play a lot. 

Develop athletic explosiveness.  

View on Threads

Be a positive leader, great teammate, better communicator, and excel at focus every day. 

Expand Our Horizons

“I enjoy teaching. I don’t get caught up too much in all the stats, all the records and that stuff. You can’t put in the hours that we do and not enjoy it,” Andy Reid

Great coaches know the true reward is found in the small, meaningful moments that transcend people. pic.twitter.com/TLQBftvXwg

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) February 6, 2025

Learn from great coaches and teachers in every domain. Seek personal mentoring and excellence exemplars. 

Be the kind of player that coaches enjoy coaching: 

1) High character

2) High motor (effort) 

3) Embracing the learning culture (eager for knowledge)

4) Coachable - work to carry out technique and tactics the MVB way

5) A good teammate. Put the team first. 

Work on leadership. Think about the qualities that you respect in your leaders. 

• Character and competence
• Positivity  
• Excellence in communication
• Organizational skills
• Teaching skills
• People skills 

AI answer: "Leaders create a vision and inspire their teams, while managers focus on setting goals and maintaining order within the organization. Both roles are essential, but they approach their responsibilities differently, with leaders emphasizing innovation and change, and managers prioritizing structure and efficiency."

Lagniappe. Study leaders.

Why You Play

Billy Donovan said, "Tonight you will play for the guy next to you, that's who you're playing for."

"It's bigger than yourself because of the guy next to you."

Billy Donovan on teamwork, legacy, and winning📢

(@GatorsFB)pic.twitter.com/SzGLLUyqbT

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) February 7, 2025

Billy Donovan won multiple National Championships at Florida. He talks about "the 95 percent," what you do when you don't have the ball. That impacts winning.

Ellen and I were leaving the local YMCA the other day and an MVB player was checking in. That means she is doing the 'unseen work' that coaches see on those first days in August. 

Nobody checks on you to see if you're putting in miles on the treadmill or the Stairmaster. Nobody counts the lunges, squats, planks, or 'high knee' exercises. Do it for yourself and the girls next to you. They are what you'll remember most decades from now. 

Community Service Project?

 I don't know what projects might apply for community service. Conversely, sometimes enterprising individuals enjoy DIY projects. You don't need to have table or circular saws. 

Could making a few hitting boards be a great community service project? 

Do you need specialized equipment? No. But it helps get more reps and "repetitions make reputations." 

Focus on Doing It Right

Shifting your focus from mistake-avoidance to mistake-recovery is the hallmark of competitive maturity. #DailyWisdom pic.twitter.com/7fLNgntS4a

— Ball is Psych (@BallisPsych) February 4, 2025

Every day coaches ask for more. Get used to it. Coach Scott Celli will ask you for more. Your teachers will ask for more. And you will ask your parents for more. They willingly give more. 

There's a saying, "If you don't have the time to do it RIGHT now, when will you have the time to do it RIGHT?" 

"Always do your best."

"Never cheat the drill." 

"Focus. Make the next play your best effort." 

"Find balance among work, school, and play."  

"Learn every day."

Lagniappe. Build skill. Build your body. Build your mind. If you're an attacker, focus on your block and attack. If you're a defender, make digging and passing your top priority. To become a 6-position player, work on everything. 

KEEP OFF SEASON DEVELOPMENT SIMPLE

Heading in to the off season soon, we’ll see a lot of players try to get better at everything and make their development more complex than it had to be.

So much of development can be solved by focusing on shooting and playing. Within the… pic.twitter.com/2J4po2rxRr

— Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) February 6, 2025

Work on Athletic Explosiveness

What belongs in your workouts? Choose among developing your own program, group training, or individual training (expensive).

Set goals.

Develop a program to improve strength, explosiveness, conditioning. Find exercises that you can do (you don't need any equipment for squats, lungs, planks, and high knees). Jumping rope is simple and effective. 

Do a baseline evaluation.

Implement and track the program. 

Reevaluate after adequate training (e.g. 6-8 weeks). 

View on Threads

The Best of the Best - Jack Clark

Study greatness. Cal Rugby's Jack Clark is still at the top of his game.

Consider taking the time to read this cross-post.

What are the top five takeaways?

• "You gotta get it right."
• Players get a PhD in TEAM 
• Every day is significant.
• Are we "going for it?" 
• Lessons from winning transfer to life

1) As a player what are your volleyball values? They should transfer to home and to school. 

2) Are your values consistent with your behavior? To be the most prepared player - that means more than skill acquisition, strength and conditioning. It includes proper nutrition, sleep, post-practice and post-game recovery, resilience training. 

Lagniappe. Consistency on defense. Consistency on offense. Win serve-receive. 

“More games are lost than are won.”

This can be applied to all sports.

3 things that impact winning.

1. Value the ball.
2. Focus on fundamentals (tackling).
3. Win the explosive plays or moments.

PJ Fleck GOLD 🥇

🎥 PaceNSpace2

pic.twitter.com/gKpYwD6NUG

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) February 4, 2025

Ankle Injury Prevention

Start with a training program overview: 

• Skill (technique)
• Strategy (tactics)
• Physicality (strength and conditioning)
• Psychology (resilience)

"Professionalism" includes becoming your own coach and developing all of the above on your terms.

Injury prevention has a variety of possible components. Here's a possibility.

View on Threads