Heart of a Champion #3

Never ever give up! 

What Champions are made of

Champions aren't made on having fun everyday. They aren't made on emotions that are fleeting. They are made when you are sore. When you wake up and hurt. That moment when you wonder if this is worth it. Remember why you started and have faith in yourself.  That day your body was tired and your gym performance sucked yet you pushed through. That is the day you start becoming a champion. One day after all your work and push. After all the grinding and working you have done.... after all that, THEN you become a champion.

Thinking outside the box

Growing up on a farm I learned very quickly how to be innovative. We had 68 acres of fence and a small herd of cows that tried and tested every day to see if they could escape. They would always pick a rainy, cold, or blistering hot day to break the fence. Most times my Dad or Pop (my grandfather) weren’t around to put them back in the fence or fix the fence. Yes, it seemed like the cows always knew the worst time get out and took full advantage of it! My mom, sister, and I would have to round the herd up and fix the fence. Sometimes we didn’t have the tools to fix it properly (not that we didn’t have them… just had no idea where the tools were). Even without the right tools the fence had to be fixed and quickly. Innovation took over and that fence got fixed. Sometimes we had to just use a hammer and nails to pin the fence back up and sometimes we had to think outside the box to fix it. Sometimes this happens in volleyball. Maybe you don’t have the height that most people think you should have to be a middle or outside. That shouldn’t hold you back from being the best you can be hitter you can be. Think out of the box. Figure out a way to get in the air and hit the ball. Know your strengths and play to them. Just like the cows and the fence, the other teams and players will try to test your weaknesses. You have to be ready to fix the problem and score! Go out and be the best you can be. Be innovative and take control of your destiny.

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Tip Tuesday

#‎TipTuesday‬ Blocking! Did you know that for every inch you get up over the net you take 1 foot off the back line? As a blocker, you can help your back row defense by taking away feet off the line from the hitter. Timing is important and is key for blockers. Think about it, if you just get up 3 inches and are on time with the hitter, you can take away 3 feet from the hitter! The back row defensive players just got some big help from you. Even if the ball wasn't touched the angles changed. There was less floor to cover! Have you worked on your vertical today? If you play front row at all, blocking should be something you shouldn't take lightly. Help your team out. Trust me your DS and Libero will love you if you can get up. Make a difference at the net. Work Hard. Work Together.

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Play Hard. Play Together.

Coaching Notes:

   Play hard. Play together. A former player pointed out that I said that before every match. I never put that much thought into saying it every match. I just wanted my team to play hard and play together. Sometimes in coaching we have to keep it simple. Keeping it simple is hard. In pregame pep talks, there isn’t time to go on and on about all the details that each player needs to complete in order to win. That is what practice is for. In those last minutes it is your job as a coach to bring the whole team together to focus on what is most important. Short and simple words are always the best! The players are nervous and or focused on what they have to do. They don’t have time to be thinking about the meaning of the SAT vocabulary word you threw at them and how they were going to perform it. Give your players something they can quickly grasp. “Play hard. Play together” is simple and understandable for all. If you want to win games that is key to get done! That might not work for you as coach. That is okay. Find your words and your team will listen.

#MotivationMonday

‪#‎motivationmonday‬ Keep on keeping on! A simple concept but not always the easiest thing to do. When you hit the rocks in life and things seem hard... keep on keeping on! The mountain will move, just have to have some faith in yourself and remember why you started in the first place.... and keep on keeping on!
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Recruiting Myth #2

All recruiting coaches will tell you that film is very important. Some film is better than no film for sure what is the best type of film for college coaches?  Most prefer game film not highlights. Getting to see you play in a game shows more than just basic skills.

1. We all know that net heights are all subjective. Even with unbiased officials the heights change. You can look like a monster on the net if it is about 1 to 2 inches shorter. In a game however coaches know the net is equal and you aren't cheating.

2. When making a pass it shows that you can pass more than just a controlled free ball. Maybe you don't get hit at but it will at least show you can move to the ball.

3.  How you are as a teammate will show up. If you are a jerk... it will show up. If you refuse to come in with your team and seem rogue... it will show up. Just as showing the bad it will show the good too! If you are a great teammate the coach can see!

Those are just three reasons to show game film. You don't have to show the whole 45 minute match but 4-8 minutes worth is great. Show your skills off. You want to play for a school you must show them you playing!! Go start filming.  You can do this!

#TipTuesday

#‎TipTuesday‬ What is the difference between a teammate and a great teammate? It was a big match up as Duke took on rival Chapel Hill at home, and it was most likely Duke's last game of the season. Duke won in 4 but that is not the story of being a great teammate. The story happened before the game. It was senior night at Duke and they had five seniors. The first four seniors walked out to be recognized with their family and some close friends. The last senior however had no one to walk with her. Her fellow seniors left their people and went to her... crying the whole way. That is a act of compassion. Five seniors showed to everyone at the game what it meant to be a great teammate. What is the difference between teammate and great teammate? Caring. Showing that you care. Giving up a little extra to support each other. That is the difference. Be a great teammate. Care about your teammates.. it's not all about you after all.

#MotivationMonday

Staying focused on your goals may be the hardest part of being successful.  Why not quit? Why not give up and save yourself some frustration (probably some pain too)? If you quit now you won't waste anymore time or money. The truth is that is the easy way out. It is easy to quit and give up. You must remember why you set the goal in the first place. In volleyball your goal might be to play in college. Your reason might be because you love the game and it makes you happy. Those are great reason and good goal.  What happens when you have a bad game? Do you throw the goal away just because you "sucked it up" in one game? NO. You keep working. You work harder so that you don't make the same mistakes again. One other tip I'd like to share with you is keeping your goals in front of you. How can you know what you are working toward if you can't see it. Post your goals.. It is easy to do. Keep them in front of your eyes. Don't quit. Stay focused.

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Its a business

Club volleyball is a business. There is a bottom line and money is very important. Directors have to make choices that are best for each team and the club overall with each player and family. The choices made this season will affect the next season. Everyone in the club watches to see how things are handled from wrong shoes to removing a player for breaking code of conduct. It is a business... it's a small business and people do matter.

Coaches matter the most. They are the backbone of the whole club. I have said before and will again that in most people’s eyes, when the team wins they have the greatest players ever… And when the team loses the coach is the first one to blame. A coach has to look out for the whole team. Not just one or two players. The coach has the burden to make the decision that makes the whole team better. That glory and rush of winning is the best feeling in the world. The frustration and anger of losing is a pain that can't be described, only felt. Yes, club is a business, but let us all not forget that coaches have feelings too. They take winning personally and losing personally. If you have a coach that doesn't take the losses personally... then the business part kicks in and they should be fired.

Heart of a Champion

When I was in little my family went to Louisville KY to a conference. We toured ChurchHill Downs while there. I understood horse racing and had watched a few Kentucky Derbys on television. Not going to lie, it was pretty exciting to see the grounds. One thing that is embedded in my mind, besides the fact I left crayons in the car and they melted to the seat (sorry mom and dad), was learning about the horse Secretariat. Quick run down on Secretariat. He was a triple crown winner, he won roughly $1,316,808, and set track records for his speed (some are still standing). What a race horse we was! The horse was nicknamed "Big Red" and was known for having a large heart.  After his death, Dr. Thomas Swerczek of the University of Kentucky , performed a necropsy on the horse and found his heart was twice the size of a normal house's heart. To me Secretariat is the poster child of what it means to have a heart of a champion! Very few of us will have a genetic flaw that will make us superstars in athletics. We all can have the heart of a champion though. We can all work extra. We can all not give up and give our best. We can't physically change the size of our hearts but we can make it fuller. How? By being kinder, loving stronger, doing the right thing, setting goals and achieving them, going the extra mile, losing with grace and winning with pose, and mostly never giving up on the goals we have set! Be like Secretariat, have a heart of a champion!


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Go hard in the gym

In May of 2016, it will be ten years since I graduated high school (if that gives you an idea of my age). I work out two to three times a week with a trainer, and he kicks my tail every time. I have been a gym rat since I was 14 years old.  In the afternoon, volleyball players come in to work out with the same trainer. I watch them whine and complain during their workouts, question everything the trainer has them do, and look for ways to get out of doing what is asked. It's not just the players in this gym either. Working in a school last year, I saw male and female athletes for basketball, baseball, softball, track and field, and soccer attempt to workout (if I dare call it that). They do a few bench presses, some arm curls, and maybe a squat or two, most complaining away. I understand that not everything is fun or comfortable in the gym. Training your body to reach maximum performance is no joke, and can be challenging for sure! Is there really a need to complain the whole time? At least half of these kids would say they are wanting to play their sport in college, yet they won't work hard enough to transform their bodies to be the best they can be. I should not be going harder than younger athletes. Go hard in the gym! Give your best. Don't be outdone by older athletes. Stop complaining. You aren't going to die from doing hamstring curls at 30 pounds for 50 reps. Make the most out of each work out! Go hard or go home!   

Wasting money

Money doesn't grow on trees. Chances are, you're not a princess living off Daddy's money and getting whatever you want (including getting to play high priced club volleyball just for fun). If you are playing club volleyball, you want to get better at volleyball. Your parents have paid fees, dues, hotel costs, fuel costs, food costs, and much more for you to play. There are much more important things they could spend their money on than volleyball unless you are going to get the most out of it. Getting the most out of volleyball is simple. Work hard in practice. Practice is where it counts. Don't just go through the motions. Do what your coach tells you do to. If you have a good, smart coach, then he or she won't have you do anything that you can't do. The task may push you and make you think you can't make it; however, you will get better! Make the most out of your parents’ money, Show them you are taking care of their investment. Work hard in practice and that will show up in games! Work hard. Learn something new and work hard in practice. Be where your feet are. Enjoy what you are doing. http://carolinacrushvolle.wix.com/ccvc https://www.facebook.com/CarolinaCrushVolleyball

Tip Tuesday

‪#‎TipTuesday‬ 

     Stretching is key to staying healthy as an athlete. Stretch in the mornings, stretch before working out, stretch after you workout, and stretch before bed. You can't stretch enough! Not only does it help get rid of soreness but it helps with your flexibility which in turn helps get reduce injuries. One of the great things about stretching is you can do it anywhere and at just about anywhere. You can stretch watching TV, on your phone, and while doing home work. 

 Check out this article on stretching from the Mayo Clinic. Flexibility helps you jump higher, run faster, and have less injury. No matter what sport you play or maybe you don't play a sport... you should still stretch!

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"I can't hustle the whole time I'll never make it"

A coaching friend of mine had a player tell her, "I can't hustle the whole time I'll never make it." The player was beyond serious about this statement too. "What kind of thinking is this?" Was my first thought when my friend told me about this player and statement. I would have NEVER said this to a coach even though I may have thought it. I learned early on in sports that good coaches love to work on players weaknesses. The poor player basically just said to the coach... "Please run me so hard because I am out of shape and a little lazy". I am not sure the player realizes what she said but after a few practices she will.
  You get out of a practice what you put in and you play how you practice. The sooner young players understand these two concepts the better off they will be. If you won't hustle the whole practice, you won't hustle the whole game. It is pretty simple. The Bible calls it reaping what you sow. Sow a lazy practice than you reap a lazy game performance. As a coach, I wish this wasn't the case.
  My coaching friend added after the players comment, "Well, I know I am not getting 110% from her in practice."  This brings me to the last point I want to make with this. Giving 110% is more then being fast and quick the whole time. It is simply giving your best the whole time. If you want a better best then you must give the best you have. It won't be easy and you may have nothing left to give by the middle of practice but that is okay! The more you work the better you will get and the better your 110% gets!
Hustle the whole practice. It is good for you! Give your best!

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Myth 1 of College Recruitment. JUST SEND EMAILS!

I will be the first to tell you that God blessed me in my recruitment process because I had no clue what I was doing and my parents didn't either. We did however know enough to know we knew nothing. This helped because we did whatever was suggested to us. Sending emails was the ticket to get colleges to talk to you!
 Send Emails? Check!  I can do that! I did too! I sent emails to ever coach I could think of.
I remember sending an email to Duke University (Yes, Coach K's Blue Devils... the Harvard of the South... That Duke) because I was told send out emails to lots of colleges.  They were nice enough to shoot me down with kindness and not just laugh at me. You see my GPA for Duke was a joke, my height of at 5"9' (In my shoes) as a middle was way tooooooo small for a ACC Division I middle, and my ACT/SAT scores weren't getting me in at Duke. I had done no research at all about Duke Volleyball. I knew it was "Smart Kid School" and that they had good men's basketball. I knew nothing about their volleyball program or the school really.
 I did just what I was told to do. I sent emails. Many of you will be told the same thing. Send emails to colleges! Yes, you have to do this and you have to send well written emails to colleges BUT you must know who you are talking too. If you are serious about wanting to play in college you must pick out the schools that you can get into if you apply and that you fit in with level of play. Don't waste your time and the coaches time like I did with Duke.

#MotivationMonday

‪#‎MotivationMonday‬
    Get in the gym! Don't wait until New Years comes around. You won't start then either. You want to be thinner, thicker, stronger, leaner, faster, and overall a beast? THEN HIT THE GYM. Volleyball like all sports require a lot out of the body. Chances are you as a player are already out sized height wise and you can't control that. You can however control how fast you are and strong you are. Get a good workout partner... you know not your best friend... you know someone who pushes you and cares more about what they do in the gym then how they look in the gym! Get a good trainer too. I am sure your dad was a great weight lifer 15 years ago when he joined the Y. I bet he had biceps that were amazing... This doesn't make him a great trainer. You need a trainer that will get in your face and push you. Tears may happen. That is okay! Get the best trainer you can buy.
 Now go make the most out of your time in the gym. You get out whatever you put in! Workout hard! Stay Motivated!

Sets in the City: Why the name

If you don't already get it... then it maybe to late to explain. It's a terrible volleyball pun and spin off the show Sex in the City. Why that show? No, I doubt I talk about relationships like the show did... but like Carrie Bradshaw (main character) I will write about what I know. Volleyball. The sport is growing fast. Don't fall behind. Keep up in the city of volleyball. I am coach, player, club director, friend of the game, and mostly an athlete. I have been in this sport for 16 years. I know what I am talking about.