Applying Mindsets

             Like any sport, the best volleyball players have an aggressive mindset. Each player has a specific mindset about each aspect of any game. The point guard in basketball often is looking for other players cutting towards the basket, the goalie in soccer is trying to keep every ball they can out of their goal, and swimmers and track athletes strive to get ahead of those they're racing against. These are all mindsets that many coaches try to teach their athletes. Just like in those sports and many more, volleyball has many mindsets that are applied into the game.
             Libero's for a team are often chosen because they chase after balls that aren't always exactly theirs. Good defense players must be willing to go after every ball to keep it off their side of the court. "Defense is as much an attitude as it is a learned skill. Players should obviously achieve good position and skills, but they must also have an attitude that makes them eager to pursue balls that do not go directly to them," (Dunphy, Wilde 79). Volleyball Essentials explains that volleyball is part physical, but most of all, it is a mental sport. Good players will do anything to keep the ball from dropping on their side. During my practices, I observed that there was an obvious difference between players who wanted the ball and didn't. Those who didn't want the ball often made mistakes when they had to take it and in tournaments, they didn't get as much playing time. Like most players, I wanted playing time, so I adjusted my mindset to wanting every ball and played on in a new style.
             While I did tend to get more balls up than I previously had, the change in mindset could not simply happen overnight. The best players have that mindset constantly and I could not just create a whole new playing style for myself in one practice. That said, applying an aggressive mindset to defense did improve my experience for me. Going after every ball eventually led to me picking up balls that I had not been able to get previously.
             An aggressive mindset is not the only way of thinking that leads to success in all sports.
Volleyball Essentials advises to analyze and anticipate serves and all kinds of ball that the other team sends over. Anticipating is a common thing that coaches tell their players because it will increase your probability of reaching the ball. The left back position in volleyball is often the player that is the best defender. They are placed there because that is the most likely spot that the outside hitter, often the best hitter on the team, will hit to. Anticipating applies to defenders because if they are always anticipating, then they will be able to be in the spot where the ball could be hit. I had tried to try this technique and it worked really well. With some balls, I was beat because I anticipated the hitter wrong, but I was able to dig the hardest hits because I saw where the hitter's shoulders were facing. I highly recommend trying both of these in any sport because it will not only likely improve how you play the game, but it also will create a more enjoyable experience with higher competition.

A diagram that shows the left back position (surrounded by the purple lines) anticipating the ball. This can be done by seeing where your blockers are (two red circles closest to the green player) and where the hitter's shoulders are facing. 

           What mindset makes a sport more enjoyable, a highly competitive one or a mindset where you only want to mess around and make each other laugh?




Dunphy, Marv, and Wilde, Rod. Volleyball Essentials: Video-Text. Total Health Publications, 2014