Some observations on a season entering its third weekend as we ride our bus to God's Country (Iowa) and, in addition, to a chance to spend a weekend with volleyball, to see a couple of long-time friends. Volleyball, friends...only thing that would make it better is if Julie, the puppies, and family were there, too!
*I was feeling a bit depressed yesterday--lack of sleep and basic exhaustion, mental and physical. I have to watch for that--depression can take your mind and emotions in unhelpful directions. It skews your weltanschauung. (Yeah, that's right, I used 'weltanschauung' while discussing volleyball) So in the middle of all this, Laura (my assistant) comes up during a drill and says, "You know, you've been awesome this year with practices." Not what I expected, so I responded with the eloquent "Huh?" She then explained that she's liked some changes to drills, the warmups, etc.
A lot of the credit goes to John Kessel as well as Denise Sheldon for giving me the opportunity to do evaluations with USAV High Performance and then work with the Future Youth Selects in Vegas back in July. You see, every coach has doubts about things--teaching ability, recruiting, whatever. The time with HP confirmed some things to me in how I coach--and I've become more confident in those areas--and more sure that I'm right in my approach, too...something some of my players last year had me doubting unfortunately.
--You need to be specific, Jim. (That's my inner English teacher speaking...correctly, I might add.)
Since the first time I heard Kessel talk, about four years ago at the AVCA Coaches Convention, I realized that I'd been approaching coaching wrong. I KNEW I was wrong, knew what I was doing wasn't working optimally, but I didn't realize how to improve. That seminar gave me my 'A-ha!' moment. In Vegas, I got to see how those principles are applied at the highest skill levels (regardless of age). I knew, but didn't know, that this was practiced as well as preached.
*If it's good enough for national-level programs, I'm stealing it for my team. I did that with the dynamic warmups, the shoulder pre-hab to avoid injuries. It's been good. We haven't had any serious shoulder soreness, fewer injuries, and our trainer loved the dynamic warmup--thought I'd been studying up (I told her the truth though)
*The doubt I have about this current season remains--did I increase the schedule's toughness too much? We dropped two tournaments with weaker teams, replacing them with this weekend's tourney and then another two weeks from now...in those eight matches, it is possible we'll play SEVEN NJCAA Top-8 teams, and the eighth team has a win over a D-1 Top 15 team. When you play a schedule like that, you can lose quite a bit--and I hate losing. A lot.
But there's the catch--how much better are you by playing weaker teams? So I decided to follow the lead of teams like Illinois or Iowa State--we're going to schedule the equivalent of Long Beach or Stanford. Those matches will prepare us for the post-season. Could it keep us out of the national polls? Yup. I suspect if we make the polls, it won't be until October as the post-season nears.
*Are kids tough enough to deal with a ton of losses? We are 3-5 right now, but we've lost to a couple ranked D-1 schools, another D-1 who WILL be ranked (since they've started the year 10-0), a top 10 D-2 team, another who'll be ranked this next week. We beat D-2#14 in there with our wins, and one of those D-1 losses was actually and truly due to an official and not the teams involved. So we are playing well. But can young athletes handle that?
I think the answer is yes. Many players lose a ton of games during their club seasons--playing teams with accumulations of awesome talent. How is this different....other than a W/L record is officially kept? To me, it is the same thing. But I know there are examples of teams who lose out there that self-destruct, turn on each other or the coaching staff, and through that negativity/drama, destroy their chance at greatness--unable to look past the scoreboard for a match or two (in matches that are irrelevant--only region matches count for us for post-season standings and these have not been region matches)
*If the answer is no, and we DO have issues with the loss total, what then? The answer is--steady on course. I know we're on the right path, so I have to make sure we don't waiver and doubt. That'll be critical.
*I received a list of academic-honored schools in the mail this week. We aren't on it. But I was annoyed by the list, seeing some of the schools. Why annoyed? Because I know kids who have transferred to those schools from LLCC--and while they struggle for "C" grades at LLCC because LLCC really does push for academic excellence (really!), they then go to those other schools and pick up 4.0 GPAs taking/retaking the same classes, then those schools get honored for being so awesome academically, when really--the kids are getting a grade, but not an education.
When did that happen? It sounds crotchety, but it wasn't when I was in college--it's a phenomena of the past 20 years, I think (for things other than basketball/football), and it goes beyond sports. Tuition rates have gone up so much--I'd bet grade inflation has the same curve. Oh well.
*Do I hurt my team's chances of success by switching systems? By teaching players multiple positions? The educator in me says it is my responsibility to teach them the game, and that means all positions, all skills. Middles need to know how to pass, setters to hit, etc. Kids are forced to specialize way too early--so I have to provide the general fundamentals missed in jr high/high school. The problem is that the competitor in me wants to win, hates losing. How do I balance that without stressing myself out too much?
Well there you go...random bus musings from I-55. Four hours to game time. I don't know how the score will go--but I'm hoping we improve on last weekend--fix the errors, improve the good points. Small, steady steps forward...
Showing posts with label Lincoln Land. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lincoln Land. Show all posts
Friday, September 5, 2014
Friday, July 25, 2014
Always a bigger fish....(Grow the game)
So I'm in the middle of running tournaments at Lincoln Land. My players and I do a great job of running things smoothly--from concessions to getting band aids for players to officiating and line judging. I demand excellence and they have come through. Our tournaments are BAR NONE the best summer tournaments in the state, maybe the Midwest.
So today, when we were done, I got a chance to spend some time with the USAV High Performance materials since I'm heading to Las Vegas Monday to work with the Future Select athletes. (It's a nice link and generally correct stuff....)
My brain hurts from it--in a good way. I need to learn about 100 pages of material, from terms to drills to other procedures, and I realized today (on my third go-through of everything)--I'm clueless. I don't know this stuff to the point of mastering it or the point where I am comfortable running it. And you know what? That's a scary thing to me--especially as I enter my 25th year involved with volleyball.
25 years and to be sitting, studying material and get that moment of "My God, I'm totally lost and clueless"--it's a humbling feeling. Scary. Because I know rationally that I DO know a ton of volleyball (otherwise, why would they select me to do this in the first place). It's intimidating to see the work in this and the attention to detail--more than I can do for my program, though sadly the US national program has more resources available than I do at LLCC....
Things will be fine--it was only a moment of panic. I won't be in charge because I'm new to their system. They expect me to learn as we go--and they'll expect more next year if I am selected to assist again. So I WILL be fine.
But it got me thinking--there's always a bigger fish in the sea, someone who is better or knows more. Right now, the US is a volleyball powerhouse, a rival to Brazil at the very top of the sport. There's much further to fall than there is to rise. It would be easy for US volleyball to rest on its laurels and enjoy being a top dog. But that's not how it works.
The people on top of USA Volleyball's administration--they're looking for ways to improve themselves, the coaching, the philosophy, how they deal with athletes--everything. And they put just as much attention into the 10yr olds as they do the 18yr olds, the lower skilled players as well as the ones destined for international tournaments? Why? Why not focus on the top 10-12 in an age group? Because a rising tide lifts all boats, that's why.
They are constantly looking to improve the system, improve the coaching--a constant process that I now get to be part of. The US staff are looking for ways to continue winning, aware of the difficulties involved--but even at the top, those coaches STILL strive to improve themselves.
So I'll be fine--and I'll come back a better coach, and I'll help make those 32 kids better volleyball players, and I'll come home to LLCC and help my players and my club coaches and players grow within the game, and those 32 athletes will go home and do likewise--they'll share with their teammates, push them to get better, and bit by bit, inch by inch, the tide will rise and we'll improve volleyball across America!
So today, when we were done, I got a chance to spend some time with the USAV High Performance materials since I'm heading to Las Vegas Monday to work with the Future Select athletes. (It's a nice link and generally correct stuff....)
My brain hurts from it--in a good way. I need to learn about 100 pages of material, from terms to drills to other procedures, and I realized today (on my third go-through of everything)--I'm clueless. I don't know this stuff to the point of mastering it or the point where I am comfortable running it. And you know what? That's a scary thing to me--especially as I enter my 25th year involved with volleyball.
25 years and to be sitting, studying material and get that moment of "My God, I'm totally lost and clueless"--it's a humbling feeling. Scary. Because I know rationally that I DO know a ton of volleyball (otherwise, why would they select me to do this in the first place). It's intimidating to see the work in this and the attention to detail--more than I can do for my program, though sadly the US national program has more resources available than I do at LLCC....
Things will be fine--it was only a moment of panic. I won't be in charge because I'm new to their system. They expect me to learn as we go--and they'll expect more next year if I am selected to assist again. So I WILL be fine.
But it got me thinking--there's always a bigger fish in the sea, someone who is better or knows more. Right now, the US is a volleyball powerhouse, a rival to Brazil at the very top of the sport. There's much further to fall than there is to rise. It would be easy for US volleyball to rest on its laurels and enjoy being a top dog. But that's not how it works.
The people on top of USA Volleyball's administration--they're looking for ways to improve themselves, the coaching, the philosophy, how they deal with athletes--everything. And they put just as much attention into the 10yr olds as they do the 18yr olds, the lower skilled players as well as the ones destined for international tournaments? Why? Why not focus on the top 10-12 in an age group? Because a rising tide lifts all boats, that's why.
They are constantly looking to improve the system, improve the coaching--a constant process that I now get to be part of. The US staff are looking for ways to continue winning, aware of the difficulties involved--but even at the top, those coaches STILL strive to improve themselves.
So I'll be fine--and I'll come back a better coach, and I'll help make those 32 kids better volleyball players, and I'll come home to LLCC and help my players and my club coaches and players grow within the game, and those 32 athletes will go home and do likewise--they'll share with their teammates, push them to get better, and bit by bit, inch by inch, the tide will rise and we'll improve volleyball across America!
Sunday, July 20, 2014
20 years ago, this week...NOT a good day (but with a good ending)
Twenty years ago was my last season involved with Ohio State volleyball and working as a D-1 coach (though I didn't know that would be the case...) For OSU, that was a great season--led by a solid group of seniors, OSU won 35, won the Big Ten, and reached the Final Four....I still have my Final Four ring.
Now, to be clear--I love Jim Stone. He is a great mentor, a good friend, and has been since I started out there back in '92. This isn't about him--I remained loyal to the OSU program until he retired. I still root for the men's volleyball team because I feel Pete Hanson and Tim Embaugh are good people running a classy program--but that's the extent of my loyalty to that school.
You see, twenty years ago this week, the academic side of Ohio State tossed me out. If you're reading this, you probably know me. I'm not an idiot. I'm a decent writer and frankly, I'm a pretty damned good teacher--whether it is English, History, or even Psychology. No offense to anyone, but I've never met a better U.S. history teacher. I need to go a little further with this--in terms of writing, I've done some novels, some articles, and even presentations. I've written historical games.
This is NOT to go "Oh, wow, Jim, you are so wonderful...." I merely want to show some credentials.
Because it was this week that Allan Millett, Joan Cashin, and James Bartholomew, my PhD committee, unanimously failed me on my doctoral exams. The funny thing is--Millett, my advisor, told me that was going to happen in advance. Twice actually.
The second time was in December of 93. He said "If you don't quit working with the volleyball team, you won't pass your exams no matter what you do."
Professors have no rights on my free time. If I turn in 'A' quality work (my GPA was 3.85, so yes, I was turning in 'A' work), then if I want to spend my time from 2-5 calculating hitting percentages, serve-receive numbers, and entering freeballs into drills--that's my business, right? I wasn't skipping class or anything else.
Nope. I was naïve. Life doesn't work that way. I knew it from the first question I was asked. My fields were Tokugawa Japan, US Military, and Modern US History, so the first question I was asked--discuss the difference in opinion between Churchill and Atlee related to British efforts against Japan. Hmmmm...Tokugawa Japan is gone by the 1800s and Churchill/Atlee aren't American. Great....I didn't study the right things.
After the smoke cleared, I was told I knew little about history and that my writing was so deficient that I offered no hope of passing an advanced degree (never mind that I already held an M.A. in Composition/Writing)
When it was done, I called Stone. He said he wanted to have a beer to celebrate....but I'd told him if I was more than 60 minutes late, the news would be bad. It was 90 minutes. He was stunned that they did it. I think at the time he felt guilty--somehow partially responsible. He wasn't. It was absolutely my choice and because of my time in his program, I'd make the same choice again for what I learned on that court. Probably good he met me--in those hours, I learned to empathize with those stories of grad students going on shooting binges. I thought about it--I can't lie.
Hard to believe that was 20 years ago.
But it ended well. I realized that day that I need to teach--in a classroom or a gym. I don't want to be a bully picking on grad students because I was picked on myself when I was a student. History is NOT about memorizing little nuggets of trivia. It's about critical thinking, it's about applying the past to the present, about knowledge of other cultures and times. History can bring others to life if taught well.
Yes, it ended well. I moved back 'home' (because it wasn't quite home yet) to my wife pregnant with our first child and here, I had the chance to teach for a few colleges, coach at Satan's School for Girls and Boys and now Lincoln Land. I've helped 100+ young people succeed in college or found them scholarships--I've seen them grow into doctors, accountants, moms, dads, state troopers, combat medics, writers, artists. None of that would have been possible without Millett's ego driving me away.
That choice helped make me a better person--because it made me know how it felt to be incredibly bullied--I learned the difference between instructing and teaching.
Without their decision--I don't get 4+ novels published, start Jolly Roger Games, coach volleyball at a high level (or get to work with USA High Performance). No Jolly Roger--no trip to see the Scorpions in concert in Germany, no meeting guys like Alan Moon, Richard Launius, Jason Matthews.
Yeah, this is all a rant, disjointed. But seriously...life is not easy. It WILL suck from time to time. But it is how we deal with the adversity that determines who we are, who we become. I survived it.
And still got to teach history AND coach volleyball.
(Now if I could just remember all the seniors off that '94 team....Laura, Jenny, Carrie, Gabi...Tricia(?)....sigh, the memory fades a little down the road.
Now, to be clear--I love Jim Stone. He is a great mentor, a good friend, and has been since I started out there back in '92. This isn't about him--I remained loyal to the OSU program until he retired. I still root for the men's volleyball team because I feel Pete Hanson and Tim Embaugh are good people running a classy program--but that's the extent of my loyalty to that school.
You see, twenty years ago this week, the academic side of Ohio State tossed me out. If you're reading this, you probably know me. I'm not an idiot. I'm a decent writer and frankly, I'm a pretty damned good teacher--whether it is English, History, or even Psychology. No offense to anyone, but I've never met a better U.S. history teacher. I need to go a little further with this--in terms of writing, I've done some novels, some articles, and even presentations. I've written historical games.
This is NOT to go "Oh, wow, Jim, you are so wonderful...." I merely want to show some credentials.
Because it was this week that Allan Millett, Joan Cashin, and James Bartholomew, my PhD committee, unanimously failed me on my doctoral exams. The funny thing is--Millett, my advisor, told me that was going to happen in advance. Twice actually.
The second time was in December of 93. He said "If you don't quit working with the volleyball team, you won't pass your exams no matter what you do."
Professors have no rights on my free time. If I turn in 'A' quality work (my GPA was 3.85, so yes, I was turning in 'A' work), then if I want to spend my time from 2-5 calculating hitting percentages, serve-receive numbers, and entering freeballs into drills--that's my business, right? I wasn't skipping class or anything else.
Nope. I was naïve. Life doesn't work that way. I knew it from the first question I was asked. My fields were Tokugawa Japan, US Military, and Modern US History, so the first question I was asked--discuss the difference in opinion between Churchill and Atlee related to British efforts against Japan. Hmmmm...Tokugawa Japan is gone by the 1800s and Churchill/Atlee aren't American. Great....I didn't study the right things.
After the smoke cleared, I was told I knew little about history and that my writing was so deficient that I offered no hope of passing an advanced degree (never mind that I already held an M.A. in Composition/Writing)
When it was done, I called Stone. He said he wanted to have a beer to celebrate....but I'd told him if I was more than 60 minutes late, the news would be bad. It was 90 minutes. He was stunned that they did it. I think at the time he felt guilty--somehow partially responsible. He wasn't. It was absolutely my choice and because of my time in his program, I'd make the same choice again for what I learned on that court. Probably good he met me--in those hours, I learned to empathize with those stories of grad students going on shooting binges. I thought about it--I can't lie.
Hard to believe that was 20 years ago.
But it ended well. I realized that day that I need to teach--in a classroom or a gym. I don't want to be a bully picking on grad students because I was picked on myself when I was a student. History is NOT about memorizing little nuggets of trivia. It's about critical thinking, it's about applying the past to the present, about knowledge of other cultures and times. History can bring others to life if taught well.
Yes, it ended well. I moved back 'home' (because it wasn't quite home yet) to my wife pregnant with our first child and here, I had the chance to teach for a few colleges, coach at Satan's School for Girls and Boys and now Lincoln Land. I've helped 100+ young people succeed in college or found them scholarships--I've seen them grow into doctors, accountants, moms, dads, state troopers, combat medics, writers, artists. None of that would have been possible without Millett's ego driving me away.
That choice helped make me a better person--because it made me know how it felt to be incredibly bullied--I learned the difference between instructing and teaching.
Without their decision--I don't get 4+ novels published, start Jolly Roger Games, coach volleyball at a high level (or get to work with USA High Performance). No Jolly Roger--no trip to see the Scorpions in concert in Germany, no meeting guys like Alan Moon, Richard Launius, Jason Matthews.
Yeah, this is all a rant, disjointed. But seriously...life is not easy. It WILL suck from time to time. But it is how we deal with the adversity that determines who we are, who we become. I survived it.
And still got to teach history AND coach volleyball.
(Now if I could just remember all the seniors off that '94 team....Laura, Jenny, Carrie, Gabi...Tricia(?)....sigh, the memory fades a little down the road.
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