Three Ideas Newsletter – 10/7/25
Hello, everyone! Steve Martin has long been one of my favorite comedians and actors. The range of characters he’s portrayed throughout his career is truly remarkable. In his autobiography, Born Standing Up, Martin shares his journey to success—a path marked by failures, missteps, and rejections. He embodies the idea of “working your way to the top.” This short video perfectly captures his philosophy: “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” This would certainly apply to younger players who are trying to be recruited.
On a different note, I watched Nebraska pummel Penn State last Friday. What I like about Nebraska, aside from their obvious talent, is that they will force opponents to get better. I don’t envision Nebraska getting worse, so if you have ambitions of competing with them, teams will need to up their game. Specifically, blocking and defensive tactics will need to be employed to counter the “pipe” attack from zone 6, in addition to defending against the slide attack. Additionally, there will need to be serving tactics that might impact both of these attacks. You want to implement systems and teach individual skills designed to beat the best teams. I hope to write a blog post in the upcoming days to demonstrate what is needed to compete with this very excellent team.
~Jim
Quote for the Week: “Most men would rather die than think, in fact, many do. ~Bertrand Russell
Idea #1 – Spend Time With Middles on Receiving Short Serves
It’s a popular serving tactic—serve short to the outside or pipe hitter and force them to juggle both passing and attacking. Often, short serves will compromise the attacker’s approach. But here’s the thing: middle hitters can help a ton in these situations. The problem is, most middles are taught from a young age to stay out of the passing pattern. When a short serve drops in their area, they usually back away instead of stepping in. Try flipping that script. Depending on your rotation, have your middles work on receiving short serves around the 3-meter line. Let them get comfortable passing with both forearms and hands. Not only does this keep them involved in the offense, it frees your primary outside attacker to take a full approach and swing with power.
Idea #2 – The Stat That Matters: What Happens After a Mistake
Mistakes happen—it’s part of every match. We all say “next play” or “forget it,” but how do we actually get players to do that? One metric I like to track statistically is the play that follows an error. If a player shanks a pass, what does the next contact look like? I try not to dwell on the mistake itself; everyone already knows it happened. Instead, I emphasize the importance of bouncing back on the next contact. Coach this mindset every day in practice, and it’ll show up in games. It’s rarely the one mistake that hurts you—it’s the two or three consecutive mistakes that will cost you the set. If I detect a positive trend in quality contacts after an error, I don’t hesitate to bring it to everyone’s attention.
Idea #3 – If Players Learn Visually, Why Is Most Feedback Verbal?
We all tend to give feedback verbally because it’s quick and easy. But how many times have you heard a player say, “I’m a visual learner”? Maybe they are, who knows? I haven’t found a study indicating there is a superior form of feedback. So mix it up. Try using video, statistical graphics, or demonstrations of a top player’s moves, or even have players write things down. Think of feedback like throwing Post-Its at a wall—you never know which one will stick. The goal is to give players feedback in a way that actually works for them (it’s not always verbal).
Video of the Week – Options for a Semi-System Middle Attack: I use the term in-system on a good pass where the setter can set any front-row attack. The opposite is out-of-system, where the setter is limited to one outside attacker. Lastly, the term semi-system for a ball pass to the 3-meter line. In this video, we explore options for keeping your middle hitter engaged in the offense through a semi-system pass. VIDEO
Archive Blog Post – “Embracing Doubt to Be A Better Coach” – Coaches make a million decisions daily. The coach must exhibit confidence in the decisions they make. I’ve found that I’m way more confident in the decision-making process if I’ve done the work required, both on and off the court, which validates my decision. Having doubt isn’t a problem; staying in doubt is a problem. Take the time to challenge your beliefs by doing research and seeking out differing perspectives. READ MORE
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
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~Jim
