Power League

Why does Venetian Bay want to play in the power league? Why do we have to drive all the way to Orlando for 1 day? What is the big deal? “To be the best, you have to beat the best.” You will find throughout the season that I love quotes and this is one of my favorites. I am a firm believer that a team must face stiff competition for them to improve. Any team can go out and be undefeated if they play less talent. It may make you feel good, but it is a false sense of security because you really don’t know how good you are as a team. In power league, all teams are excellent and there are no easy wins. For Venetian Bay to play in power league, we will find out our weaknesses immediately and be able to go to work the next couple of weeks to try and fix them. It would be simple to just play some local tournaments and be the best in the area but we want to be the best in the state and in some teams, compete at the National level. That is why this is such an excellent opportunity. So many people judge performance on win/loss record. I think we need to change our mindset and judge teams on the progression from this weekend to the last tournament. Good Luck teams!!

Let the Games Begin

This weekend will mark the beginning of the 2009 season. Excitement fills the air as our Venetian Bay players reach for new heights. Throughout the season I will be sending out news clips, articles, pictures, etc about sportsmanship, competitiveness, team chemistry, being coachable, and things like working hard throughout the season. As we go into Power League this weekend, we want to look into the area of developing the “it factor”. You hear coaches say, “She has “it”. I have found myself talking to newspaper reporters about the “it” factor. Yes, some athletes are naturally skilled but not all have it. Why? Because I think “it” needs to be developed on a daily basis to be good at whatever sport or profession that you choose. I found an excellent article on being competitive by Tim Engles and I actually filled in some words with Venetian Bay to make it hit home a little more for our athletes.

Developing Competitive Toughness

In the next few weeks, all Venetian Bay players will be facing the competitive challenges of scrimmages and the Power League tournament. We all talk about being mentally tough in competition, but what does mental toughness really mean and what does it entail?

Mental toughness is about managing your thoughts, emotions and focus of attention. Here’s what Maggie Sherrill and MacKenzie Marlowe learned about mental toughness in the pre-season. They call it “Sally Eats Noodles.”

Before the point starts, See. Visualize yourself “doing my job.” For passers, this means seeing themselves tracking the serve and passing to the appropriate target using “Hit, Mine, Pass.” If the passer is also a hitter, she sees herself handling the pass, and then moving outside, calling to the setter and swinging to kill on the set.

For the server, it means going through her serving routine: taking a cleansing breath, visualizing her serve, and breathing in and out as she tosses and serves. For blockers, it’s seeing themselves moving to the set and stuffing the hitter. For the libero, it’s digging and controlling the opponent’s hit.

Then it’s time to Execute. Notice the rhythm and depth of your breathing as you prepare for the ball to come into play. It’s impossible to breathe diaphragmatically (abdominal breathing) and feel anxious at the same time, so use belly breathing to keep your mind confident, quiet and ready. Expect and “want the ball” to come to you. As the ball comes into play, call out “Hit, Mine, Pass” to focus with relaxed eyes on the ball and respond to what it’s doing.

When the point ends, Notice and correct. Now’s it’s time to use visualization again to notice what you did, reinforcing the things you did well and correct any errors. For correcting, first take a cleansing breath and then pick just one thing to correct. Visualize yourself making the correct move and seeing the good result. Then it’s time to get ready for the next point.

Use Sally Eats Noodles during the competitive drills in your practices. Notice how well you’re using Sally Eats Noodles. Make it a habit. You’ll be rewarded by your mental toughness and good play at the seeding tournament and through out the season. By Tim Engles