Monday, November 13, 2023

Don't Let One Cut Turn Into Death by Bleeding

I wrote this for volleyball but it applies to all sports. Don't let one play bleed into 'exsanguination' (death by hemorrhage). 

You have heard the expression, "death by a thousand cuts." It applies to volleyball and other sports.

A player commits a service error. Then, they misplay a ball and then again. One 'event' turns into a series of negative plays. A lead evaporates or a tie game turns into a critical deficit. 

And we all know is that volleyball is a game of momentum. An individual 'small mistake' becomes quicksand. It happens across all sports... the "snowball effect." 

It's not unique to one player or one team. But the best players have the capacity to move on, past the prior play. It's the "cornerback effect."

A young player with the New York Mets asked who the pitcher was on the other team. "That's Steve Carlton" (future Hall of Famer). Lenny Dykstra replied, "I'll hit him." 

Alan Stein elaborates. Watch this one minute clip. 

The four legs of the stool are: skill, strategy, physicality, and psychology. If one is broken, the stool tips.  

at