Sleep is not a vice. We should all remember that. We hear stories about high-achievers who only sleep 5 hours a night, and it leads us to view sleep deprivation as a badge of honor – and maybe to feel guilty if we get a full 8 hours or, God forbid, 9. The underlying message: sleepers are slackers. In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth. [...]
When it comes to practice, it’s not enough just to have a pulse and show up at the gym.You’re probably thinking, “Duh, Karch, I knew that.” But I say it to emphasize the point that there’s a big difference between just clocking in and clocking out, and engaging in purposeful practice. In the book “Outliers: The Story of Success,” author Malcolm Gladwell writes about factors that lead to high-level [...]
The end of the fall semester is here, and the spring semester of high school will be just as busy. With 5-8 hours of classes Monday-Friday, a few hours of homework each night, and studying for tests each week, it seems that school takes up most of your time. With volleyball, that schedule becomes even crazier. Sometimes, it can seem impossible to stay on top of it [...]
1. Get in the Holiday Spirit! Leave your scoreboard at home and bring your holiday cheer. This is a fun, team-bonding event with many teams gathering for the first time. Enjoy the costumes, volleyball, and getting to know your teammates, families and coach. Take lots of photos and be sure to tag us @socalvbc via GIPHY 2. Bring your "entry fee" Players and spectators entry fee [...]
You aren't what you are.At first glance, that might not make sense, but I’m here to tell you that it’s a true statement. And it’s a good way of jumping into our topic: growth mindset versus fixed mindset.In the USA gym, we’re all about cultivating a can-do attitude. This means that we fully believe that players and coaches are not just born with certain abilities that will dictate [...]
Young players ask me frequently what they can do to better their chances of success on the volleyball court.To be completely honest, I used to struggle when answering this question. I mean, come on! How am I supposed to assess someone without having prior knowledge of who they are, their genetic makeup, speed, versatility, personality, strengths, weaknesses and level of play? All of these characteristics play a significant [...]
One of the ways that athletes work through stressful situations is through self-talk. Self-talk is pervasive in all areas of life, not just in athletics. We mutter under our breath that the cabbie just cut us off. We psych ourselves up to ask out the cute guy/girl in math class. We curse ourselves for missing a serve at match point. ―Stupid, stupid, stupid!‖ You can hear yourself, [...]
This top 10 list is written for all those players in our global volleyball family seeking to grow and become the best player they can possibly be. It’s my checklist of things to focus on, as they are things you CAN control, rather than wasting time, energy or focus on things that are out of your control – like the outcome or the conduct of your opponents, [...]
Teams with big dreams of sport success are often quick to set large goals. However, these goals sometimes fall well outside the bounds of being SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. This could lead to more frustration than progress, or even end up harming others. You can help your team avoid goal abandonment by being on the lookout for these four common pitfalls with setting [...]
I really want to make the team! I mean, I really, really want to make the team. I want to prove to the coach that I'm good enough. Heck, I think I'm good enough! When I think about tryouts, I get so excited but that excitement quickly turns into nervousness and those nasty "what if's." Like, "what if I don't?" "What if I get cut again?" "What if Billy/Sally makes the team and I [...]
