Thoughts from Show Me, 2024

Resilience - get back up when things don't go your way.

That's the definition. I took a little bit of freedom with focusing it in a little bit. But that is basically what the word means. There are a lot of other perspectives out there on what this word means, but if they don't include the "getting back up" part, then they are just wrong.

My two favorite ways to explain resilience (and I got both of these from Brett Ledbetter and his book "What Drives Winning?") are "a bouncy ball" and "chewing gum".

A bouncy ball does exactly what it's name makes you think it does. It rebounds off the ground, wall, ceiling or window. It's doesn't stick to anything. The harder you throw it, the more or higher it bounces. You want the bouncy ball to bounce, because otherwise it is just laying there doing nothing and who would ever want to play with a bouncy ball that doesn't bounce. But here's the kicker; you have to throw it at the wall, to get it to come back. You have to apply pressure and force for the thing to bounce back. Without the force and without the pressure, it's not going to be able to bounce back. So, unless you are thrown against the wall; unless there are forces working against you, you don't have the ability to have or show resilience. Resilience is a good thing. But, in order to have the good thing, you must have run into a hard thing. With a bouncy ball, that's happening quite literally.

Chewing gum is another great example. You chew it up. With every bite the gum gets mashed more and more. But the crazy thing about gum is that it doesn't disappear the more you chew it. It sticks around even after hours of constant smashing and popping. Chewing gum is resilient. It doesn't let the all the turmoil affect it and cause it to dissolve. It continuously fights back regardless of the pressure it's put under.

Resilience as an idea, it seems, is lacking these days.

There seems to be fewer and fewer athletes that can show resilience or even have it as a strength!

50% swings when you don't want to make a mistake.

"Just serve it in!"

Taking fewer risks in out of system swings.

Libero's not taking balls outside of their lane.

Volleyball is a game of mistakes. You will make mistakes. It's just part of it. Be willing to take risks. Yes, you will make mistakes and sometimes fail if you take risks. But what's the other option? The path plowed in front of you? You'll reach your goal, sure. But with no mountains to climb, no rivers to cross and no thick brush to cut your way through, you won't have grown when you get to the other side!

I used to always tell my athletes this:

"It's not about the mistake. It's what you do after the mistake that matters most."

You hit the ball out. You aren't the first athlete to do that and you won't be the last. You want to make sure you hit that ball in the next time you have an opportunity for match point? You have to get back out there and keep trying to make it happen. Train. Grow. Improve. Be better, so that the next time you can make it happen. But you have to get back up in order for there to be a next time. You have to have failed and got knocked down first.

You have to be resilient. How can you show your resilience to college coaches?