Developing a "next ball" mentality; A battle in the brain

"I just feel so frustrated with my serve. I'm so inconsistent!"
"I feel like my coach doesn't like me, that's why I'm sitting on the bench all the time."
"Whenever my high school coach watches me, I feel so nervous I can't function!"
"I feel like my love for volleyball has been sucked right out of me."

Sounds familiar? We all have those moments (athletes and coaches alike!) where we are feeling a certain way, and blaming those feelings on our circumstances.
Luckily, as our 17s coach Kori Cooper has been known to say, our feelings are the one thing we have ultimate control over. No one can decide what we choose to feel about a situation.

A popular saying in our awesome sport is, "Volleyball is 90% mental... and the other 90% physical." Although that is said with some humor to it, really, it's true. Because volleyball, like life, is a game of mistakes. Whichever team can recover the quickest from its mistakes wins.

So, how do you recover from your mistakes?

This is where things get a little tricky. There is a line to be walked between focusing on the next ball that's coming, and learning enough from the past mistake to not repeat it. How can you, in a practical way, analyze what went wrong the first time and then safely move on?

1) A different kind of "feeling"...
How did your body feel when you made that mistake? Now before you go accusing us of contradicting ourselves, we're not talking about how it felt emotionally. How did it feel physically? Did you notice where your body was positioned, what point of the ball you contacted, where your eyes were directed... these are all things that can affect your accuracy during play. The more aware we become of our bodies and what we are actually doing at the point of a mistake the more likely we are to not repeat that same mistake. So first thing's first, figure out how it felt when you made the error.

2) Let it roll off...
Clinging to a mistake that happened during the last play, or multiple plays ago, is similar to tying 20 pound weights to your ankles. Go ahead, go tie some weights to your ankles and see if you can play ball that way. It's definitely difficult, if not altogether impossible. When a mistake happens, take ownership of it, and then move on. If your mind is lingering on the last play, how will you be able to focus on the play at hand? We all know where a lack of focus leads. How many of you have heard your coach, at some point in your career, scream from the bench, "Girls, it's time to get focused! Let's go!"

3) A forward thinker...
If you've taken your mistake in step 1 and analyzed it, this is the point where you determine what can change to make it better the next time. Missed your serve because you felt yourself cross your body? Focus on swinging straight through the next time you get to the service line. Get aced because you didn't use the angles of your platform properly and watch the ball in? Focus on the next time you'll pass that ball keeping your eyes glued to it and take control, using your proper body mechanics. Same can be said for every other area of play as well. If you can not only realize what you did WRONG, but figure out what you can do RIGHT that will make the play better next time, you'll be headed full force toward a win.

Everyone knows that female athletes are emotional players most of the time, which can be of tremendous benefit. However, sometimes the emotions can also get in the way, particularly when it comes to having a "next ball" mentality. If you can be real with yourself after making a mistake, no matter at what point in the game or how loudly the coach is ripping you from the sidelines, your chances of being successful the second time around increase substantially. So remember, what was your body doing that had a negative impact on the results, take ownership of the mistake and then let it roll off, and wrap it up with determining how you are going to make it better the next go 'round.

Cheers!
- Amarillo Juniors

 

Our website is ramping up! Check out our featured "Team of the Week" each week in our Brag Tags section. www.amarillojuniors.com

Let's connect! Find us on Facebook... www.facebook.com/amarillojuniors 

See live tournament results and other club news by following us on Twitter!... www.twitter.com/amarillojuniors @amarillojuniors

Winning the battle; Raising champions in athletics

Parents of athletes ask yourselves, "Overall, what do I hope for my daughter to gain from her club volleyball experience?"
Team coaches ask yourselves, "Overall, what do I hope my athletes will learn from me during this season?"
Players, ask yourselves, "Ultimately, what do I hope to walk away with at the end of my volleyball career?"

Making your high school team... a college scholarship... coming away with irreplaceable life skills and experiences?

These questions are important to ask so that we stay focused and on-task with our expectations and requirements. It's important that we are moving forward toward our ultimate goals.

As a club we came off of an extremely successful weekend of play last week. Eight of our 11 teams playing ended up top 5, and 9 of the 11 made it to the gold brackets of their divisions, 2 took home the gold championship, 2 got second in gold, 3 got third in gold, 1 won the silver championship...
That was one mighty successful tournament weekend!
However, coming off that weekend our club was faced with multiple situations in which a parent or player was unhappy about playing time.
Ohhh, playing time.
Such a difficult topic, but an important one to address all the same.
Our club philosophy is heavily focused on training. It does not guarantee "equal" playing time in any age group, and once at the level of 14s time on the court is not guaranteed at all.

But when we say we're training-focused, what do we mean?

"We view the training process to be the most important aspect and we do guarantee that your daughter will be trained correctly in every skill set," said Amarillo Juniors Club Director and 15 Royal Coach Stephanie Bankhead. "One of my favorite things about volleyball is I feel it is the ultimate team sport, as it is the smallest playing area with the greatest amount of people playing together in any sport.

I want to encourage all of the parents in our club to see the big picture of what playing volleyball can teach our children about life."

What is our club goal? To help our athletes learn how to win the battles they are faced with on and off the court.

"Amarillo Juniors. We create champions in athletics."

It is no secret that we are living in an "era of entitlement." You can ask any employer, and it is getting worse by the year. There are many steps we, as a volleyball club, take to battle this era and develop athletes that are hard working, flexible and well-rounded.
Success only comes after a battle. So how do we train our athletes and our daughters to win the battle?

1. Nothing is freely given and all opportunities have to be earned.

How often have you received a job opportunity having done no work toward achieving that position? Have you received a raise or promotion at work without working hard for it and proving that you are capable? Do you get an "A" in school for sitting at your desk and putting forth no effort? Absolutely not. This concept can go even further into these young women's lives as they venture on through marriage and raising a family. Do you have a healthy, happy marriage and family life if you don't work at it, day in and day out? Everything in life takes work, and most everything in life is a battle.
On the volleyball court, these young women have to compete for their positions. They have to put forth the effort in the areas of their attitude, readiness to adjust, teamwork, and skills. This is a great training tool and practice realm for them to see that opportunities are earned, not freely given.

2. How to overcome adversity.
Adversity can present itself in a multitude of forms, but it is an ever-present companion throughout our lives. Some experience more than others, but we all are faced with it. Like this blog points out, on the court, adversity can come from your opponent. In our sport, it can also come from player to player relationships, coach frustrations, parent upsets, and more. The athletes have an opportunity to learn how to a) not be afraid of adversity when it presents itself b) make necessary adjustments to overcome the adversity c) rely on the team structure and dynamic to conquer the adverse situation. Through facing adversity we gain strength. Are you allowing your children to face adversity or sheltering them from it? 
"I'm the parent of two adult children and remember how difficult it was on me as their mom when they had problems in their lives. I wanted to just snap my fingers and make things better for them. However, in my season of now being a grandparent, I realize that allowing our kids to work through adversity while they are young and still in the nest, so to speak, enables them to handle the BIG adversity the world will throw their way as adults," director Stephanie Bankhead said.

3. The "we" is greater than the "me."
Team sports are about the best platform we can think of to teach our children how to work, function, and be successful as a unit. Regardless of positions, each player has a role to fulfill on the team. When each player stands up and fulfills her role, the team dynamic is strengthened and goals are reached.
This concept, like the others we've discussed, so easily fits in to the big picture of life. We will continually make sacrifices in our lives for our "teams"... be it our family "team," or our workplace "team." Teaching our athletes that the unit is greater and stronger than the individual creates cohesion. A team who has one another's backs and stays focused on working together may lose a battle or two, but they will definitely win the war.

In life we very seldom have gain without pain, and we've all heard the famous saying, "Life's not fair." Regardless of its cliche' nature, it is true.

"The world is not 'fair' nor is it 'equal' and we need to teach our children that they will need to work hard in life, things don't always go our way, we are right to put others' needs ahead of our own and that everything usually all works out well in the long run if we just keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep our faith," Bankhead says. 

We are so grateful to have the opportunity to help guide our athletes to success on the court through our cohesive skill training programs. We are even more grateful to have the opportunity to help guide our athletes to successes in their lives through our ventures on the court throughout the seasons.

How do you win your battles? Have you overcome a particular battle that you'd like to share?
Email your story to info@amarillojrs.com for the chance to be featured on our blog!

Congrats to all of our teams last weekend and good luck this weekend!
- Amarillo Juniors

Let's connect! 

www.amarillojuniors.com 

 

www.facebook.com/amarilljuniors

 

www.twitter.com/amarillojuniors @amarillojuniors