Being the Role Model.

Playing university sports can sometimes be a difficult venture.  As athletes they are constantly on display.  Imagine for a moment every Friday and Saturday everything you do that week is judge on one outcome.  Then put that evaluation on TV, radio and in the paper. It can be a challenging.

We also ask our athletes to be role models for young up and coming volleyball players.  After our matches the athletes will always take time to mingle with the young girls that come to our match.  It is a great reminder of the situation they are in.  Often we get so involved with living our daily lives that we forget how much of a hero they have become to the younger girls in Manitoba.

When we have our U15 club tournament in March I remind the first year athletes to be nice, one or two of these players will be their teammates when they are in their fifth year.  The interaction they have with them can have an affect later.

This past weekend we had split with Thomson Rivers University out of Kamloops.  They are a team we traditionally beat.  But a good recruiting year and a change in coaching staff have the Wolf Pack upsetting teams all first semester.  We won in 3 on Friday and felt good about our chance on Saturday.  But found ourselves chasing all the time.  The last couple of weeks we have found ways to overcome this and push to a 5 set victory.  But this Saturday we just couldn’t. We lost in straight sets.  As you can imagine we were very upset as a group. This was not what we had planned.

We had some teams come to watch our Saturday match.  During the match one of the young girls found out one of her Grandparents had passed away and had to leave.  Her teammates had bought shirts.  They came down after the match and explained to one of the players what had happened.  The team then brought the shirt over and had all the players signed it for the girl.  The Bobcats were extremely disappointed in our play that night, but still took time to engage with the young group. They went out of their way to make sure the player felt ok.

 I didn’t know this had gone on.  When our coaching group finally arrived in the team room the signing of the shirt was finished.  We finished our debriefing and then left as usual.  It wasn’t until I received a thank you email from the coach that I discovered what the team did.

This is the kind of role models we always hope our teams will be.  After all volleyball can seem all encompassing when our season is on, but it is such a small part of whom we really are.  I can say today I am really proud to be a Bobcat.  It is easy to be a good person when your happy and winning it takes real character to put someone else first after a difficult loss.

Power of positivity.

If you find spelling or grammar errors, they are of my own doing. I am writing this at home after finishing a good book. Called the Energy Bus. 

We are now six matches into our season.  We presently sit 5 and 1. We are also ranked 3rd in Canada.  You would think from looking at this that everything is going fine.

We have gone to 5 in every match so far this year. We have shown strong resilience during this steak.  We are finding a different ways to win each time.  The first come from behind victory was against U of C. We were down 2 sets to 0 when we decided to make a change. We subbed two players in.  Both Nikala Majewski and Courtney Roberts entered the match and brought a lot of energy which helped bring the match back. This was both their first times playing in Brandon and in front of our crowd.

The next day we were up 2 sets to 1 and let the fourth slide away. Our focus became about the outcome instead of the moment.  We talk about staying in the moment all the time but the score can be a big distraction. This is something we need to get better at.

I found myself getting frustrated with the lack of success we were having.  At one point I sat down and my body language was really demonstrating my frustration.  My Assistant Coach Teagan Hunter snapped me out of this.  She made a couple of suggestion of moves we should make and helped bring me back into the present. We and I recovered our focus and won in the fifth. One would think this would be a strong lesson for me, but it took a couple more days before I truly got it.
On Monday we were all tired. Our level of practice was starting to deteriorate. I found myself starting to yell and discipline to try to get the level back up. But realistically the effort didn’t fall. We were just really fatigued. We jumped a lot on Monday as we identified blocking as one of our major issues to work on.
Tuesdays practice was even worse.  It was as if a zombie apocalypse had taken over our team.  I again ended practice with a bit of a scolding.  Two of our leadership team and a fifth were sitting around and stretching after practice.  I decided to address this issue with them.  After I said my piece about leading by example they spoke.  I was getting really negative.  They understood that they need to be held to a standard, but when they also like to know when they are playing well.

This struck a nerve with me.  I pride myself for being positive. I try to celebrate when things go well.  I needed to find a way to get back to that.
Wednesday morning I read an article about an NCAA Football team and their Energy Bus.  I found out they were bases a philosophy on a book the group read. I immediately bought the book to read.  It was exactly what I needed.
 Two quotes right near the front hit home for me.
1. "We are Winners not Whiners".  We were 3 and 1. The team was extremely tired but no one was complaining but me. I was disappointed at our level. But when I talked with our leadership team I remembered all the extra going on for them.  We talked on Thursday about our goals again. Discussed our steps in how we were going to achieving them. We left for Edmonton on a very positive note.
2.  "Positive energy positive people create positive results". It is easy to sit back and find everything that is going wrong but our mindset is something we can control. We can choose to look at each challenge as a way to move us closer to our goal.  Each time a team finds and exploits our weakness it gives us a chance to look at this part of our game and move forward.
We have a strong positive vibe within our team. You can really feel our confidence grow with each new challenge we overcome together. It is up to me the Driver of this Bus to keep the positivity going.  That doesn't mean just throw out blank “way to go” statements.  It means teaching athletes to accept challenges. To communicate making sure they understand why things are happening.  As a coaching group we encourage our team to problem solve. We ask them to find solutions to problems that the opposition throws at us.  We want them to take risks. WE need to encourage risks.
I recommend the book to all coaches.  There are so many more things that we take for granted that it reminded me of.

All around athletes

We had a decent preseason. We were 7 wins and 3 losses in our two tournaments. The preseason is used by our team to evaluate players and to train  for different situations.  One situation we weren't actually ready for happened.  The question was  what do you do when you run out of setters?  In our last 3 matches we lost a setter to injury. Already lost one to academics and have a transfer not eligible.

When Mary (setter) went down.  We went immediately to our libs (Donata) to finish the match.  Donates did a decent job but we missed her stabilizing presence on passing and defence. Then we decided to try plan B. This is a 6-2 using the left sides as setters.

When I get the opportunity to present at coaching clinics I always recommend the 6-2 but using the leftsides as setters. They would play in back right when setting but hit leftside when in the front row.

I remembered that Nikki was a setter in her high school in grade 12. She had a sore shoulder so the coach used her in a setting situation.  That kept her playing.  Vaovai the other left side was setting in a spilt court drill earlier in the week and did OK. We talked to both of them and they agreed to try it.

 The first set both Nikki and Vai tried was a 51 or a quick middle. They said it was one thing they always wanted to try.  We lost the first match in 3 but was close the first 2 sets.  23-25 and 22-25. The third or passing broke down and the two setters had to run all over the court.

The next match against U of W we played with more confidence and understood the system We ended up winning. We played Gill at libero ams used Donata in a swing sub situation.

We want all around players.  We want them to be skilled enough that they would be confident to try this.  That is why early in  our week of practice we will use two courts.We will need the attackers to act as setters or out side players to block in the middle.  This allows us to train a specific part of the game and makes everyone to be a little more refined in their over all skill.

6-2 leftsides or 6-2 middles. Give it a try.

Bobcats 14/15

I fell off the face of the virtual world once again. I reconnected with blogging during the Pan Am Cup, but since it finished I have struggled to get back to the blog. I will try to be better at blogging through this year. I enjoy the different experiences each year brings and to be able to share it with people makes it even more enjoyable.

WHO WE ARE,

Our team is back in full swing and working hard at all aspects of being a BU Bobcats.  We have 16 players on this years team. This is the largest number we have had. 16 players make for strong competitive games in practice. This number also allows us to break down the games its different parts on two courts.

THE PLAYERS

We have 2 setters, Mary Thomson and transfer Hope Schneider. Mary and Hope have played together since they were 14, they are very comfortable around each other. They have a strong relationship which allows them to feel that they are a big part in each other's success.

 This year we have 5 middles. This is a big change from last year's only 3 middles, you never get a break mentality. This is the most we have had in Meaghan Robertson's five years. Jodie Baker our 3rd year middle came back to camp ready to claim a starting spot. She really committed to fitness over the summer and has returned in much better shape. This is making her faster and higher than she was last year. This really showed in our first exhibition matches in Edmonton. Jodie was our most efficient attacker.  This year we added a 2nd year transfer from South Dakota State, Courtney Roberts. Courtney is a local Brandon athlete, she will be pushing for playing time and has a very positive attitude.  Courtney's first CIS action was against perennial powerhouse UBC. Courtney held her own and gained some valuable confidence from that. We added two freshman from Winnipeg. Sara Barker is. 6'2" athlete with a lot of potential. She is working hard and asking lots of questions. We also added Kayla Solomon, she is also from Winnipeg. Kayla is our first music student ever. On our recent road trip to Edmonton we told everyone to bring homework, Kayla brought her trumpet. 

We have 6 outsides this year. This is our most experienced group as we only added one player to this group. Nikki Majewski, Winnipeg, is a very dynamic athlete. She was selected as Manitoba Volleyballs player of the year. She has been a great teammate and is enjoying everything about school. When we talk about classes, Nikki is so excited about everyone of them. Her passion is contagious.  Regan Dahl has also had a strong preseason. She is in her second year and returned is great shape. With a small injury to Vaovai early in training camp Regan was able to play some big minutes in the Edmonton tournament. Regan and Nikki both showed that they are ready to play at this level.

We returned all of our outsides from last year's team. These three were a big reason why we were able to be ranked 2 in Canada for 9 weeks. All three of them, Tori Dakin, Shanlee McLennan and Vaovai Aiono all returned hungry to improve on last year. It is fun to watch them train and compete with and against each other. 

We also have 3 Liberos or defensive specialists.  Donata Huebert is back for her third year. She is coming off a highly decorated year as she was selected Libero of the Year for CIS as well as First Team All - Canadian. We have asked Donata to help mentor our younger athletes. Donata's experience and work ethic is one we hope they all mimic. We have a first year libs, Jamie Campbell. Jamie is another local athlete coming from Kevin Neufeld's volleyball factory. Jamie is incredibly hard working and has a passion for the game.  We also have 3rd year specialist Gillian Leech. Gilly is our utility player, she will play left side if we need her. She is also quite confident in being a serving-defensive substitute as well as the Libero. Gilly  has been a tremendous teammate and a positive example to the first year players.  In Edmonton, Gilly played all those and was successful in all. Margy Lafaele our other NZ girl  is assisting this year as a practice player.

The start has been fun, but September is always the honeymoon phase. It will be important to remember this excitement as the season progresses...

Pan Am Cup Wrap up.

Yes I just fell off the face of the earth. I had a hard time trying to put into words the last couple of days of the Pan Am Cup.  We finished sixth place out of eleven teams. This is a respectable finish but everyone is leaving with a sense that we could have been much higher.

We played some very good volleyball through the tournament. There was definitely more good than bad. The way it ended left a bit of a sour taste with most of us. We came out pretty flat against Puerto Rico in the 1/4 final.  It wasn't for lack of willow effort, we just couldn't find our game. This group of athletes are extremely proud and take losing hard. After the match we waited for Lupo and Britt to finish their press conference. Then Britt asked if the team could meet on their own. They held a no coaches meeting to talk about preparedness and playing through adversity.

Lupo decided we would watch the match together back at hotels hat night, which meant a late night for everyone involved. Plus an early morning for practice. We did have a day off so there was time for naps.

 I likedthey way we watched video. Instead of focussing on errors Lupo contrasted our best match against our worst. We watched the first set against Cuba! Then watched the first set against PR.  There was close to the same amount of errors made in both sets, but we could really notice the difference in body language and adrenaline.  We seemed to just look more confident during the Cuba match.

With just dropping in for 5 weeks with the team I really feel that I don't have the right to judge or comment and tried really hard to stay out of the conversation. Some of these players have invested 7 to 10 years with the program. I can only go off my own mind. I feel that sometimes as athletes and coaches we forget who we are.  We remember who we were. When a pressure situation occurs I sometimes suddenly feel like the hockey guy from Killam who is just starting out. Rather than the guy who has won coaching awards. I second guess decisions and then are late reacting to it. I think the players do the same sometimes. They might think I am the middle hitter who was converted to left side instead of the pro and allstar. Focussing on the wrong things instead of building confidence we break down our own. Affirmations are so important we sometimes forget.  If we can find away to maintain our confidence we will be fine.

We ended up watching 5 sets, the 3 Cuban and the first two of PR. The message was definitely retrieved.  I think this was way more beneficial than Lupo coming in and breaking things,calling out people and truly venting.  The only person that feels a little better is the coach.  But using it as a teaching moment is, smarter in the long run.

Another interesting discussion brought out was use of subs and also being a starter.  8 matches in 9 days is tough mentally and physically. Everyone we brought off the bench played well and made a difference immediately.

Overall, this tournament was to give some players experience and to evaluate them in different roles. I think the information Lupo was looking for was confirmed.  I leave with a ton of respect to the commitment and passion that these athletes and coaches have for the game. I am an extremely proud Canadian. I hope I was able to help in the development process and to make Lupo's job a little easier.  I enjoyed working with Joey, Maren, Byron and Adam. They all are committed and are a lot of fun. 

I hope I get an opportunity to do this again.  I am extremely energized to get our Bobcats going again and begin our run.

Two for One

Again no time to proof this posting please forgive spelling and grammar. This is just free thought as we watch Germany beat up Portugal.

We had such a fast turn around from our Mexico match to the Dominican Republic match I didn't have time to update. Therefore I am writing about both matches in this blog.

The Mexico team, we have played a couple times at the world qualifier and had some idea about them. Everyone who plays sports knows how hard it is to beat a host country in their gym.  

We started Kelci French at setting, Lisa Barclay at right side, Britt Page and Kyla Richey at left side. In the middle we started Marissa Field and Becky Pavan. Becky played well in her last start, plus she was great in the final of the qualifier against Mexico.

We wanted to try and use our height and strength against them. The match started out exactly as we planned. We sided out first ball, then had three stuff block by Marissa to show the Mexicans our plan. The difference between this match and the matches in Canada was the Mexican fans started to get involved.

We continued to play well but the Mexican players were digging everything. At the beginning Lupo talked about patience and to expect some long rallies. It is hard to not try to over swing in this situation. It felt like we were in charge of the set, but every time I checked the score it was tied.  We were having some trouble scoring on the left side.  But Lisa was scoring well on the right side and on the pipe. Normally after 20 we have been really crisp, but today we seemed to be second guessing our selves. This led to a 25-27 first set loss.

I believe we were surprised by the level of compete the Mexicans brought and it caught us off guard. The second set we started the same way we finished, second guessing ourselves . This set started off bad, we fell down 8-4 at the first technical. Lupo decided to make a change. He subbed Marie-Pierre for Kyla. MP made an instant impact. She brought a ton of energy and really started to hit the ball well. We had evened the match at 18.  We traded points for the rest of the set. Mexico was up 24-23 and Lisa made a huge kill to even it up. MP went back and hit a tough spin serve we were able to transition a dig to go up 25-24. Unfortunately her set point serve hit the tape and stayed on our side. Match tied at 25. The Mexican then served tough and played strong block defence and won 25-27. 

The crowd here was incredible every time any of our Canadian players were serving there was a ton of noise, whistling screaming clapping. Every missed served that we made the fans took credit and rewarded themselves with an even louder cheer. When they have a chance to win the set the whole building is up chanting. I believe they are saying "one more" but I am just guessing.

Set 3 we started Lucy in place of Becky and left MP in.  We dominated this set all the way through. Finally playing and imposing our strength ans size on them. Lisa was unstoppable, one attack she hit over the setter was straight down. It actually silence the crowd for a couple of seconds. We won this set 25-15.

The fourth was much of the same everything went great. The Mexican coach flooded his bench at 12 to rest his players for the fifth. We won 25-14.

The fifth set is a sprint and teams need to stay focused and play each ball. It is hard not to scoreboard watch but it can be the biggest distractor in this situation. We battled hard but came up short. It was a real shock, especially after the way we played them in Canada A month before. 15-9 

Lisa had 21 points in the effort Britt and MP had 14 each. Up next the Dominican. MP was awarded the Canadian hat in. Strong speech from Dani Smith.

After the Mexican match we arrived back at the hotel at midnight. The team ate and went to bed. We went to Lupo's room to begin video. By 2 am we had the scout sheet ready for the next morning. We will meet again at 9am. to go over the rest and create the video to show the team

We are scheduled to play the Dominican at 4pm. This meant no training before and video at 11.  This is going to be the fifth match in 5 days. Players need to know its going to hurt and be tough so be prepared mentally. This explains why for two weeks the athletes were really fatigued in practice. Lupo and Scott were trying to teach them that they can still perform in this situation.

The Dominican are ranked 8th in the world. They have 3 world class spin servers. Our game plan was sound it played to our strengths and exploited their weaknesses. The struggle would be the mental capacity to maintain the systems.

We started with the line up we did against the Cubans. Kelci setting, Lisa at right, Kyla, Britt at left, Lucy and Marissa in middle. The two Libero system.  The two libs system has been working really well for us. Janine is tremendous on defence and can focus on different assignments and constantly remind the rest of their responsibility. Tesca has been passing really well and along with Britt and Kyla have really controlled the matches.

The Dominicans jumped out to a quick lead on their serving. It took us half the first set to catch up to their speed but once we did we settled in.  We were able to show a passing position trying to force a secondary serve. Then on their toss we would adjust towards this position. This slowed their serving down a bit.

We weren't playing reall crisp actually felt like we were playing in sand. Our block defence was working so the Dominicans started tipping.

We were just a second late to reacting to this.  We ended up losing 25-22.  

The second set did not go well for us. It is really hard not to let mistakes in one part of your game creep into others. An example struggling to score, so during the rally your still problem solving the attack and then miss a dig. Then this piles on to the attack you can get lost in your head. This is why I really respect Britt Page. I feel that she has figured out how to focus on the necessary skill on hand. Bouncing back and forth between left side and right side can't be easy. She kept battling the whole set digging and passing. At 19-12 Lupo pulled her to rest for the third.

Let's give Marie Sophie a chance to spark us.  We also subbed Dani in for Kelci. Dani has a tremendous amount of fight in her and plays with passion. We lost the set 25 -14.

The third set we started MP and Kyla with Britt at right side. We also started Dani. The thought was we would go with more of a ball control line up. Hopefully Britt could give us some back row presence. Dani was decided to create energy and to hopefully create some fight.  You cannot question this teams work ethic, but again it was like playing in sand.  We kept he the match close. One four point run in the middle of the set cost us. Dominican won 25-22. I think we should realize how close we are to this team. I believe it is time for this group to quit trying to play with the Dominicans and time to play better than them. We have the talent to do this. Britt page led us with 14 points and Marissa had 8. MP passed the Canadian hat to Tesca. She has led our passing group well. The two libs system really highlites her strength on serve reception.

Day off tomorrow the Puerto Rico in quart finals.

Game Day Cuba

All photos are off Norceca Website. www.norceca.org

One of the biggest things I noticed here is how hard these players hit and serve the ball. We have now players on the A team that are starting to catch up in velocity. I think the testing we do with the radar gun and the team commitment to fitness has definitely helped.  Cuba is team that serves tough spin and attack with pace.

Our day was scheduled basically the same as yesterday. In practice we started with the butterfly to get moving then Adam ran them through warmup. Our serve and pass section we had Joey Martins up on a box hitting tight spins at the passers. Working on defending the serve mostly. In this practice Kelsey French figured out her spin serve which was going to be important.

When we returned we watched video. In the video we went over each player and wha attacking tendencies they have. Of course at this level most players have many shots but we want to block and defend their more powerful  shot.  We also went over each rotation explaining our serving tactics as well as their setters tendencies. Who is the primary responsibility for each blocker. Most of the time it is our normal systems. Against Cuba they have a right side who gets a lot of back row balls so we had to adjust for her.  The fact she is 14 is incredible.

A side note here; this is a great argument for playing players at developmental levels rather than chronological. The. Challenge this athlete is getting is incredible. Do we often hold players back in our club so they can play at their age?

We also showed how other team scored against them. Cuba plays a very traditional slide defence, attack from left side the block cross, player in back right covers tips, back middle goes to line, back left digs off block and front left tries to get to the 3 meter line.  Our main goal was to establish the A ball or middle quick, then run shoots to the outside who then attacked seam. This should score in the middle back hole.  If we had to tip we would tip deeper pot.

We then went over how the Cubans serve. Most tough spin servers have a tendency and we wanted to adjust based on that tendency.  We also track this during the match. We would need to pass well to keep them honest in blocking.

Game time.

At the start of the match we chose serve and the Cubans chose sides. We had to pack up all the clothing and switch. A little gamesmanship off the start. We started with the same line up as Peru. Kelci French setting, Marissa Field and Lucy Charuk in middle, Kyla Richey and Britt Page left side, Lisa Barclay Rightside and the two Liberos.

 We started the match well with two big stuff block in a row. Showing the Cubans we were here to play. Kelci did a good job of establishing the quick middle. Lucy hit some balls before the Cuban blocker even got off the floor.  But it was A true back and forth match. Late in the match we doubled subbed again. Dani Smith and Marie Sophie came in the match. Dani first ball set Lucy for a big score.

Then Dani made a huge dig off Vargas from Cuba, Janie our libs made a great set to Marie Sophie at right side. MSN tip it deep pot and scored. We just took off after that. Marie Sophie scored another big out of system ball and we were in control of the set. We won 26 to 24

The second set the Cubans came out aggressively but we held fast. Kyla Richey and Lisa Barclay were big time players for us in this set. The Cuban served ver aggressive and we were out of system but our outsides found away to score. Lisa hit one cut shot that was about 1 meter off the net cross court. Kyla hit a couple of big shots off hands in tough situations forcing the ball out the sideline or out our end line. We doubled subbed earlier in the set and had the same effect again. It made the Cubans change their serving just a bit. As the match progressed the Cuban team got safer with their serves and we were back in system. Won the second set 25- 23.

The third set was really all Canada. It was Britt Pages turn to take control of the match with some big back row pipes and some large line kills.

Our confidence was growing as the set progressed and the Cubans started to make more errors. Our 3 passers had got in a groove and we were in system constantly. Both Kelci and Dani had lots of options. Our middles seemed to score often. We won the set on a Cuban missed serve. 25-21

The team celebrated the victory and were excited. Then the headed to the weight room to work out. It was scheduled for after the match. They know if they want to maintain their fitness this was important. After the work out Becky Pavan passed the Canada Hat to Dani Smith as impact player of the match.

Trinidad Match 3 Pan Am Cup

We started the day with a training session in the practice gyms. It was mostly ball control and serve and pass. Just an opportunity to get moving and a good feeling before the match. After practice Lupo met with the setters to go over some situation from the night before. He asked a lot of questions to guide them to the answer he was looking for. I was really impressed with the honest answers from the setters. You can tell there is a strong connection between Lupo and his athletes.

The rest of the afternoon was again used for treatment and a quick nap.

We started the match with Kelci French at setter, Lisa Barclay at right side, Becky Pavan and Marissa Field in the middle, Kyla Richey and Britt Page at left side. We used the two Libero system again. This was a little in doubt in the morning as Tesca wasn't feeling well, but was way better by game time. The first set were found our stride on offence. It felt like we were scoring at will, but when ever I checked the score Trindad was close. We were able to find some rhythm in blocking late in the set and create some spread in score then cruised to a 25-23 win. Trinidad chipped away but set never felt in jeopardy.

The second set we started out where we left off jumping out to a big lead. Our block and defence transition created a lot of points in this set. The Lisa Barclay started to dominate the match. Britt,Kyla and Tesca are passing really well allowing many options freeing Lisa up. We knew everything was falling into place when Marie Sophie scored on a free ball deep to 5. Lupo noticed the Libero was started to cheat in as most of our free balls were going 1 or 2. Marie fried a ball deep 5 and caught their lib flat footed.We won that set 25-14

The third set Lupo started Dani as setter. Dani has a great connection with the middles and we wanted to establish that again at the first technical time out we were up 8-4. Lupo decides to rest Kyla and replaced her with MP. Mp played so well last night in relief of Britt we expected the same. We were playing really well then we lost our sense of urgency and relaxed. Trinidad battled back to tie the match up at 23. We then found our discipline again and used our block defence to win 26-24.  It is good we can win those kind of matches but need to stay more disciplined in the middle of the match. But we have been really good after 20.

Lisa Barclay led the team with 15 points. Next was Becky Pavin with 10 and Marissa Field with 9. Becky also received the Canada Hat for impact player of the match. Janie said she won it for her attitude on and off the court as well as her fine play as both a right side and middle. I will try to get a photo of the hat on the next winner.

Up next is Cuba and their 6'3" 14 year old player.

Peru...Pan Am Cup day 3

I want to apologize up front for spelling and grammar, this blog are is basically being written in one draft on the bus.

Today was a pretty good day. Started out with breakfast, then Adam Toffan, our strength and conditioning coach, worked the team through a activation session.  They found a grassy spot and did some body weight and tubing excercises. 

After the session the team met for video and watched Peru from last years Pan Am Cup. We focused on two of there top players showing some tendencies. The reality is we will have to adjust during the match as we learn information about each player.  The basic serving scheme was pressure then location. If we serve too easy they will side out well. We need our serve to create an out of system opportunity.

We had a couple hours before lunch then heading to the gym. Once we arrived at the gym we warmed up in the practice facility. Teams only get 22 mins on the competition court for hitting and anthems.

We started Kelci French setting, Kyla Richey and Britt Page at left side, Lisa Barclay at Rightside, Lucy Charuk and Marissa Field in mids.  Tesca Andrews-Wasylik as libs. The first set went fairly well for us. Peru came out serving short,our middles did a great job passing and being available for an attack. The first set we scored a lot in first tempo. We won the first set 25-18  

The second set error flu hit us.  We started making errors all over the place. One person would make an error then another person would make an error. It felt contagious.   In the first technical timeout Lupo noticed Britt Page was looking tired, he asked her how she felt.  Her answer was I feel really tired but I am good to go. A great honest answer and also a good example of wanting to fight through it. Britt had been sick for the first two days and finally ate more than soup at lunch. Considering that and the altitude of Mexico City she should feel exhausted. Lupo subbed Marie Pierre Methot into the match for Britt. Marie did a great job passing ans blocking as soon as she got in. 

At one point we were down by 7. A double sub really changed momentum of the match. Dani Smith setting and Becky Pavan at Right side.  (Marie Sophie Nadeau is at the hotel with the flu. Couldn't make it out of her room without being sick.)

Becky matched up really well with one of Peru's top attackers. A couple of slow downs and one monster block with Lucy  made Peru  go to another attacker and we were able to dig her then score transition points.

Kelci and Lisa came back in and finished what that group started. As we came back to win 26 -24. A great lesson to know this group is never out of it, plus was a good example of being in the moment and not allowing the score to dictate mental state.

The third set started off much of the same as second. We missed a lot of serves and hit some shots out of bounds or into the net. Peru continued to serve short to our left side bUt now they also served some deep to one. Trying to put us on a bit of a yo yo situation but our passers held fast.  We dug a little to big of a whole, we battled back again on the arm of Kyla Ritchie and MP. The Peru team started releasing out to left side any time our middles went behind setter,trying to put more pressure on the two players. Our middles were effective in front late in the set but we came up just short. Losing 23-25. 

The players ran the break in between the two sets encouraging each other to bring more of a push in the fourth.  Kelci started out again running our middles. We jumped out to commanding lead at the first technical time out.  The middles had scored enough that Peru had to honour them again and that opened the three outsides again.  Another effective double sub and another huge stuff block just to show everyone our depth. We then cruise to a 25-20 victory. 

Marissa Field had a huge day with 22 points and she passed 7 balls for a 3.3 average. Kyla Ritchie had 14 points and passed a 2.9, Lucy Charuk had 13 pts. 

At the end of the match Bryon Bahniuk introduced the impact player of the game hat. Most NHL hockey teams have the same tradition, our Winnipeg Jets have a fighter pilot helmet. Our first recipient was Janie Gumond for her defence and poise on the court.  The remaining time Joey and Byron will select the winner but the previous winner has to present it to the next winner. I think this is a great team building idea.

After the match the team stayed and watch 1 set of Trinidad and Dominican play before heading home for supper. The coaches stayed with Shane Smith (ours scout) for the remaining of match and 1 set of the Cuba vs Mexico match.

Pan Am CUP Day 2

Today was our first chance to see and practice in the venue. Again transportation is a problem. We planned on the 45 minutes that it took yesterday,but because of construction it took a little over an hour.  

Practice started this time with 1 v1 tennis with 2 balls. Just a continuous drill switching sides. Good chance to get moving also to see sight lines and learn the court. After Adam again did dynamic warmup with. Foot speed and core.  

This practice involved a lot of serve reception and setting. As mentioned in an earlier blog depth perception varies in each gym so this is important to do tons of reps and from both sides of the court. I get the feeling the team is very focused and confident. I really like the feedback and communication they give each other.  At the end of practice Lupo gives 10 minutes to work on what ever they want. The athletes discuss with each other and head out in groups. One group of spin servers work with libs, a few attackers work with setters. The two groups fall into rhythm alternating each time so they can get the most out of their ten minutes.  The rest change and get ready for weights

In order to maintain power and strength over a 10 day tournament they need to continue their strength and conditioning. The girls worked hard for the 45 minutes. Adam worked and help modify the workout for each player.   After the workout waiting happened again.

 Lupo, Byron (athletic therapist) and Maren had to go back for the preliminary inquiry. In this meeting they show passports and jerseys to make sure they fit code.  Since the three of them had to take our bus back we had arranged to travel back with Team Mexico on their bus. This meant waiting an hour after we finished weights. The group found a spot in the sun and relaxed.  The bus ride back to hotel took 75 minutes because of construction, making our lunch quite late.

Tomorrow we were scheduled for an 8am practice. With the time between travel it wouldn't allow for much rest before our 3pm Match with Peru. Lupo decided that we would be better off sleeping in and doing an activity with Adam. Just too tight of timelines and the Peru match will be a fun one.

We then had a team meeting at 5:30pm. In this meeting Lupo laid out our roles. He explained to each player what their strength were and what we expected of them. A great example of this is Captain Britt Page.  In the World Qualifier Britt was asked to be a passing right side player , this tournament she is switched to left side. She accepts what ever comes her way. This is a great lead by example captain. We are going with the two Libero system again. Tesca Andrew-Wasylik will be in on serve reception and Janie Guimond will be in on our defence. This will be the first time I am part of the two Libero system will be interesting to watch.

Lupo went through roles in coming off the bench, what to expect and mindset to have. It was very clear that this will be about the team and living in the moment. Playing what is happening now. If your not starting and are subbed in expect to play for awhile. It might be one point, it might be a remainder of set or it could be rest of tournament. We can't waste energy worrying about the coaches thoughts. Lupo also reminded everyone that the team also consist of the athletes back training in Winnipeg. They are very important to our overall success. He explained to the team each role that the coaches will fulfil and how it will affect them. Joey Martins From Niagra will be working with middles and keeping track of opponents trends and shots. I will be working with passers and outsides as well as making sure the substitution paddles are ready to go for the team. He explained how timeouts will work. Basically Lupo talks and coaches stay out of the way.  If he takes the setters then we can give some feedback if necessary.  Basically using the do no harm theory and don't try to over coach.  There was a study done in Canada involving hockey, they found that poor coaching decision affected the outcome of the match more than good decisions. Don't make change just for the sake of change.

At 8pm Lupo, Maren and Bryon had a technical meeting. This meeting they go over all the rules and protocols and answer any remaining questions. This meeting finished around 10 pm. We then had every teams roster and we proceeded to I put it into our data volley program. It also gave us a chance to compare who was new on each team.

Tomorrow will be a fun day to be a part of.

PanAm Cup Day 1 Resiliency

Our day started at 5:30am in Toronto. We arrived the night before at 12:30 am from Winnipeg. Had a few hours of sleep and we were back on the road.  The Brandon Wheatkings Hockey team coaches believe 1 hour sleep in a bed is better than 2 hours of sleep on a bus or plane. Even though the team might have got 5 hours of sleep it would still be more beneficial than just staying up, or sleeping in an airport.

I am always impressed with the resiliency of these athletes. They just roll with the punches. By the time we got through security and to our gate it was 8:15am. 2 hours and fifteen minutes from when our hotel shuttle left. We were constantly waiting in line. We Waited to check in, waited through security and waited in line for Tim Hortons or Starbucks. 

The athletes use this wait time very productively. Some use it to get some last second contact with family and friends. A couple of athletes used this time for treatment. One was hook up to a battery pack and was stimulating her back muscles. Others use it to catch up on reading. One athlete has online classes she is doing as we travel. 

 Once we boarded the plane we had a 4.5 hr flight to Mexico City. I slept for most of the way. I had the luck of sitting beside Lucy Charuk and got to know her better. She has a tremendous sense of humour and laughs lots. Most of the athletes got some shut eye as well, but they also took turns heading to the back of the plane to do some stretching. Trying to minimize the effect of the flight. 

On arrival in Mexico City we waited once again to clear customs and grab our luggage. Some of the girls were stopped by passers by and asked to pose for pictures. We were then shuttled to our hotel. Once we arrived, we were told we didn't have enough rooms and the ones we did have weren't ready. The team just found couches and chairs and made themselves as comfortable as possible. Flex for success seems to be the model. Be as flexible as you can and worry about what you can control. They could do nothing about the rooms so they tried to make the best of a situation. Maren Hansen our team leader showed great patience as she had to deal with the front desk and try to get what we requested. Her role is to handle all the outside administration allowing Lupo and the rest of the team a chance to focus on the matches themselves.

We had a chance to practice in the warm up gym. The trip there was an adventure, what was advertised as a 30 minute trip turned into an hour. We actually had to drive around the facility twice until the organizers could clear enough room for the bus.

The practice after a long trip isn't very intense. Adam worked the team through a longer than normal dynamic warm up. This warmup included some core and foot speed training. We then played 3's 2 ball tennis. This is a Queen of the Court style drill. 3v3 two balls served at once,one to each side. One contact per side which ever ball ends first determines winner. Lupo thinks this is a fun active drill, but also acquaints the team to the court. 

We then did a quick dig and set style drill. 3 players in back court coach hit ball at one of them. They then dig it high to middle a player sets it to a coach hitting out of the front row wing positions. The coach hits the set ball back at a defender. The player who dug the ball must be the next setter.  After the set they are replaced by one coming off the court. Next was a hitting warmup and then a little 5 v 5 drill. 

Over all it was a good day, the team showed incredible resiliency and patience. It will only get better from here.

National Team Week 2

We are fast approaching our end of week 2.  Lupo and Scott have split the groups up. A group preparing for Pan Am Cup, and a group preparing for World Grand Prix.   We now have some A players training with the B team.  This is an interesting summer as there are lots of playing opportunities for the team.

Lupo has been very conscious of making sure all the players are going to be fully prepared for this summer. After the World Championship Qualifier, Lupo let Shanice Marcelle, Dana Cranston and Jaime Thibault have an extended break. Those three returned quickly from their pro teams for the qualifier. A rest was well earned and appreciated.

Playing in the Pan Am Cup, World Grande Prix and the World Championships is quite different then what a lot of these athletes are used to. Most of them come from situations where you train all week, controlling energy levels so you can be your best for 2 or 3 matches max on a weekend.  In contrast to 7 matches in 11 days, or travelling from Peru to Belgium and back to Argentina in 3 weeks.  The big difference is fatigue. The athletes have to learn how to generate their own energy, play when they are tired. Find away to stay fresh. 

The trick is to try to mimic this in practice and still have the athletes healthy and fresh for the actual competition. The ability to have a ice bath on the road is difficult. There is a study out of Australia using net ball teams and the use of cold showers as therapy. The premiss of an ice bath is that the blood flow slows down to the extremities and protects the core. When the athlete leaves the icebath blood flow returns and helps clear our waste. The study in Australia suggests and cold shower on the core of the body will achieve the same thing. The benefit is more when the body is still warmed up from playing. It could possibly help with volleyball who are playing many matches over a short term.

 Every athlete here is extremely competitive and want to contribute when they get a chance. There is a fine line between learning and performing in the matches. Every 6 vs 6 drill has had stats taken. This goes back to the point of trusting our eyes or the stats.  Lupo will be announcing the travelling 12 later this week. This also adds more stress to the week.

Also this week the University of Central Floirida is up here training and playing matches against the B team and scrimmaging with the A girls.  It is a chance for the B girls to wear the Maple Leaf in a competition for the first time.  It is a feeling they will never forget.  A fun side note to this competition is that Central Florida is playing NCAA rules and the B Team is playing FIVB rules.  This is definitely a contrast in styles. I am pretty sure this is the first time a Libero has served in an official match in this gym.  

National Team

I have accepted a short position with our National A team.  I have an incredible opportunity to work with Lupo and the team for three weeks then head to the PanAm Cup in Mexico City. I am hoping to blog more often trying to keep a journal of this experience. 

The team is coming off qualifying for the world championships in Italy. There is a super positive vibe with the group.  

Our first responsibility is to help select a B group of athletes to help train with the A squad. We had 47 athletes tryout for 8 spots. This was going to be a difficult selection process as a lot of athletes were close in levels. There were 8 NCAA athletes, 5 CCAA athletes, and 34 CIS athletes. In this group there were 9 Liberios, 17 outsides, 8 setters, 13 middles.  This includes 4 A team players who had commitments before the world qualifiers. 

The first session is always testing. http://bit.ly/L0jxtD. Here is a link for Volleyball Canada testing protocol. They also added some basic fitness levels that athletes can use as test for themselves. The first test was taken from the Canadian Military. The athletes are required to do 30 military push-ups in 2 minutes. The second test was taken from Bobsled and skeleton national team.  There is a tremendous amount of crossover between sprinting and jump training.  The athletes were asked to complete 200 skipping double unders in 5 minutes. This test always shows quick improvement as there is technique that improves fast.  The last test was 75 second side planks. If the hip dipped twice they were eliminated.

The rest of the sessions were game like.  Either a type of wash or just straight games. Lupo wanted us to stat everything. I once heard the expression you can't trust your eyes. I once saw a rabbit been pulled out of a hat, not sure how it got into a hat.  The stats help show what really happens.  I know I personally see players that jump high and hit a hard ball. That sticks in my mind, when you see the whole story sometimes we're surprised.

The first meeting we had as a coaching group, we were asked to select our top 10 athletes regardless of position. After we submitted our list then we were then given the stats to compare with. That was an eye opener for a lot of us.  After we got a group of maybes Lupo and Scott designed drills that focused on the outside attackers hitting against a trouble block.  We wanted to isolate this group and get a feel of what each brings.  Over the years of working with the national team one of the main topics that comes up is that we needed to hit the ball harder. That is one of the reasons VC started to implement the radar gun on attacking.  I found the athletes who hit the ball harder on the gun also had more success in the out of system drill.

In the end Lupo and Scott take our suggestions look at their needs and select the group. It is a really positive experience and hearing the groups discussion is always great professional development. 

Why we should encourage outside interests.

During our individual year end meetings we  always discuss life balance with our team.  We asked about the outside interest they have. We ask about friends they have met that aren’t involved in the university athletics.

I recently read an article out of Australia  by Nathan Price, Nadine Morrison and Sharyn Arnold titled Life out of the Limelight. Understanding the Non-sporting Pursuits of Elite Athletes. It made me think about how we train and teach life balance.  There is a perception that the athletes have to be totally committed and passionate to have success in their sport.  In this article they suggested the opposite.

I personally think during their sporting careers most athletes see themselves in relationship to the success they have on the court.  If I am successful on the court, then I am a success as a person. They have an extremely high sense of identity from sport. At BU we are trying really had to have the athletes understand that being an athlete is just one of the roles that they play in their lives.  The characteristics that they demonstrate in training and playing can help describe them but are not all of who they are.   Cresswell and Eklund’s (2006) study has shown that players not engaged in something meaningful outside sport were less likely to experience instances of positive accomplishment and self-esteem from sources other than sport; which they argued can attribute to player burnout. Price and his colleagues from the paper I read found the vast majority (90%) also stated that these activities helped to lengthen their sporting career.  In the study they found that the athletes felt they gained a better sense of team work and patience as they had to interact with different personality types than those typically found in sport.

If a player or a coach only has friends within the team when things don’t go well they feel very lost. By having other interests outside sport this can help them focus on other success when things aren’t going well within the sport. It will often help transition into a different life when the sporting ends.  Many athletes after they finish their 5 years of eligibility are lost for awhile as they try to figure out how to fill their time. We try real hard to help the athletes with this transition. This year we actually had some of our athletes goal set meeting people in their class that aren’t involved in BU athletics.  Not just someone to borrow notes off of, but to truely invest some time into them and learn about their lives.  In our year end meetings they have found that having this new group of friends has allowed them a break from the intensity of being around the team.  The athletes on our team truly like each other and have fun together.  They believe in the same things and have the same experiences so it is easy to want to hang around each other, but it is nice to get away and talk about other things.

This semester two of our athletes decided to take a pottery course.  This was a real challenge for them, as they are typically very deft with their hands. In the pottery class they had to spend many extra hours struggling to get the project completed.  But when it was finished it seemed they were proud that they accomplished it.

It is my hope that when the athletes finish at BU they leave feeling fulfilled whether they set new records or just played a role. We hope that they find lifelong friends, are in love with sport and are constant learners.

Why Year Plan?

While I am currently waiting for our playoff opponent's video to download I am getting pressured to write another post.

This past weekend I was in Calgary for our last league matches.  I had the opportunity to go and watch an Alberta Volleyball Association Premier Event.  It was an U-17 and U-18 combined event.  During this time I was able to talk with a few coaches and discuss scheduling and planning.

For me the year plan is a crucial part of the planning process.  It helps guide you through your season, it helps us as coaches develop a well rounded volleyball player. If you take the NCCP coaching classes they teach you in detail how to year plan very well.  In this blog I am not going to do this I will be very generic and talk more about planning for tournaments within the year.

I like to look at the end of the season and work my way back to the beginning. When are the National Championships? When do we have to be performing at our best and have our roles in place to be successful? What style of systems are we going to need to be successful at this level? What level of skill is necessary for us? What is the team culture will we need to be successful?

Once I have answered those questions with myself and our coaching staff we will look at the overall schedule.  We will plot in our tournaments and practices.  Then we will decide at what level we want to see our team play at each tournament. Not necessarily wins and losses but more consistency in systems and skills and showing some understanding of the game. (Side note: Kevin Neufeld a successful high school and club coach here in Brandon will often run mock tournaments with his team.  Rather than enter a tournament he will practice and play intrasquad matches matching a tournament schedule.  An example of the day would be; play/practice for an hour, 15 minute break, play for another hour, two hour break, play for an hour, hour off, play for an hour.  He will invite the parents to come for the final match to cheer the team on. This is so all 12 of his players are getting contacts rather than six at a time.  He can focus everyone on the same task at hand).

I was talking with a parent  on Saturday and it was the team’s first tournament and her daughter had yet to get into a match.  Even though this was the team’s third match. The parent was not upset her daughter was U-17 playing on a U-18 team, she expected it.  I was shocked; the first tournament of the year in my mind is used to play everyone.  To make sure all the players understand the basic systems.  I recommend to our club coaches that they choose a different system each a day and really focus on this.  The feedback the athletes receive then is relevant to the game but specifically to a system. An example would be block and defense responsibilities, the feedback we give during the match and during the timeouts are all related to positioning on a certain set, spacing between athletes and cues they should be looking for. 

Often in the first couple of tournaments there are so many things coaches can comment on that they will try to fix everything and the players get overloaded with information.  I also recommend to our club coaches to hand out who’s going to start which matches ahead of time the first tournament.  That forces our coaches to play the different players.  I know when we are in pre-season I get competitive and want to win, but because I have laid out who plays a head of time I am forced to stick with the plan.  I believe in the long run this helps.  

I had a chance to talk with a group of coaches later to discuss what I saw.  There are a lot of pressures on the coaches to succeed. Many provinces have gone to points systems and use the points to then power pool the remaining tournaments.  If teams don't get into tier 1 after the first tournament they might not make it back into that tier for 2 more tournaments.  Also with club volleyball and recruiting of athletes being so competitive that they are scared they will lose their top athletes to other clubs the following year if they end up in division 2 even for 1 tournament. 

These are all valid reasons I understand. I believe/hope if the philosophy is laid out in the parent meeting and explained properly to the team everyone will buy in to this. I also still think it doesn't have to be a totally different line up each set, maybe one or two players can come on the floor.  You still can sub and put players into different situations. That will make them successful.  No athlete wants to be directly responsible for a loss. A discussion about why coaches substitute is also important with athletes and parents.  Not always is a sub because someone is playing bad.  

As the season progresses coaches then start to develop roles within the team. It is important for athletes to know that they will have an opportunity to contribute, whether it as a serving sub, a blocking sub, or even an energy player.  The way our National Championships are set up it is really hard to have one group of athletes play every match and still be able to perform at the end.  A team is going to need to use everyone at some point. If this is planned for from the start it is easier to make it happen.

Feel Bad First Theory.

First, I need to discuss our weekend.  It was another first for the program.  We went into the UBC T-Birds War Memorial Gymnasium and finally won.  They haven’t lost there since 2010 season.  This win was a total team effort and was a great snapshot of how the team is developing this season.

We lost the first set as they came out firing on all cylinders.  We fell down 7-1 but manage to fight back to tie at 18 before the T-Birds kicked in another gear to win.  The second set we started to find our range with our serving game and put pressure on them.  Winning the second set was a great feeling on the bench.  Our 3^rd set has been difficult for us all season.  Something happens between the break. Friday was no different.  We made every kind of error we could. At 16-6 technical timeout we subbed in some of our younger players, hoping they would battle and try to get some energy back in to our group.  Down 21-10 things changed.  Our rising star rookie Regan Dahl got a stuff block. Everyone was really excited for Regan it was her first in her CIS Career.  She has been primarily used as a serving defensive sub this year. 

Then Shanlee Mclennan went back to the serving line and put  pressure on them.  She served 9 serves in a row and got us tied up at 22. The team was rolling and you could see the stress on the T-Birds.  This doesn’t happen to them very often.  It was as if they relaxed just a bit when the subs went in.  Not expecting them to battle as hard as we did. We won that set 25-23.  It was an amazing comeback that showed the resiliency of this group of athletes.

The fourth set we fell down again, but this time we had lots of confidence in our serving and defensive game. We double subbed to try and get our middles open more and they took off.  Lexi and Meaghan were blocking everything.  With the final point coming on a Meaghan Robertson stuff block to win 26-24.

Saturday was a different match.  I believe we came to play a volleyball game and UBC came to prove a point.   A point they did prove.  They controlled every aspect of this match.  We struggled from the serving line and never gave our self a chance to gain any momentum.  The match was filled with long rallies and good volleyball. We would win one of these long rallies and then go back and serve the ball into the net. Totally crashing all the effort we put in to the point before.

There was some shining lights in this match though.  Rookie Vaovai Aiono was .348 efficiency at leftside. This was the best she has played and to do it against the top team was awesome.  Lexi Loewen in the middle also scored over .350.  We know if we can get the rest of the team on the same page we do have a fighting chance against them the next time we play.

With our the amount of travel we have done in the last couple of weeks, it always allows me time to read.  One of my favourite blogs is the Talent Code by Daniel Coyle.  This week he discusses the “Feel Bad First Approach” of the Green Berets.  Here is a sample but the whole article can be read here. http://thetalentcode.com

Teams spend weeks training for a mission (most of which happen at night). On the day of the mission they follow a two-part routine.

First, they spend the entire morning going over every possible mistake or disaster that could happen during the mission. Every possible screw-up is mercilessly examined, and linked to an appropriate response: if the helicopter crash-lands, we’ll do X. If we are dropped off at the wrong spot, we’ll do Y. If we are outnumbered, we’ll do Z.

After some hours of doing this, the team takes a break and has lunch together. They socialize, relax, and maybe take a nap.

Then they spend the afternoon in phase two, talking about everything going exactly right. They review each move, visualizing each step, and vividly imagine it going 100 percent perfectly.

You might call this Balanced-Positive Approach: equally split between negative and positive, and ending on the positive. Notice the complete wall of separation between the two phases. They don’t toggle back and forth between positive and negative. The two phases are kept as separate as night and day: first comes all negative, then all positive.

I find that most coaches I talk too are engaged in this approach, we are always looking for plan B,C,D,E.  Most matches I start out hoping we will win one set.  If we win one set then we can win 2.  If you win 2 then 3 only seems natural. But when I address the team it is from a position of confidence.  We spend a lot of time making sure the team is prepared so that they feel this confidence and when things do go wrong they have the confidence to try something different to solve the problem.

After covering all the possible things that can go wrong we are then prepared as a coaching staff to make adjustments that will bring confidence to our group.  So we go from bad to great. Just like we did in the 3^rd set last Friday.