Reposted with Jim’s permission
Jim Stone Consulting – Three Ideas Newsletter 9.11.25
Hello, everyone! I am sorry for the lateness of this newsletter. I appreciate the many that are reaching out relative to my current medical challenges. On that note, about a month ago, I was walking four miles every morning at a pretty good clip. I would occasionally cross paths with an elderly lady, about 80, walking the same path using a walker. She was always pleasant and shared a energetic “good morning,” Now, as fate would have it, I walk at a pace similar to hers. Today, I shared some path time with her, and she gushed, “we have our own art gallery every morning.” I took a snapshot (above) of where we were on the path. I walk by this area all the time, but I was so focused on heart rate, steps and pace, that I never took the time to notice the beautiful painting every morning..
As coaches, it is easy to get so wrapped up in practice plans, scouting, etc., that we put on the back-burner how fortunate we are to do what we do. Coaches have the opportunity to positively impact the lives of our players both on and off the court. We assist them in accomplishing their goals, presenting them with challenges, and encouraging them to push beyond their comfort zone. What a privilege! Although you may have just endured a bad practice, or suffered an excruciating loss, take a moment to enjoy your own “art gallery” every day, and embrace how fortunate we all are to be involved in the lives of our players.
Thanks for reading! Suggestions are always welcome! Have a great week!
~Jim
Quote for the Week: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” ~Maya Angelou
Idea #1 – Using Timeouts – Statistically, timeouts do not impact momentum, nor do they impact the play following the timeout. I encourage coaches to use timeouts as teaching moments, nothing more, nothing less. Too often, coaches only call timeouts when things aren’t going well. So, much so, that when you do call one, players assume something is wrong. Don’t be afraid to call a timeout when you’re ahead. Reward your team is successfully executing an aspect of the game that you’ve worked on all week. When you do call a timeout, keep your agenda brief. One or two items of importance, let them get water, and plan how we’re going to score the next point. That’s it!
Idea #2 – Become Comfortable Passing While Moving Your Feet – Coaches emphasize getting behind the ball and being stopped when receiving a serve. That’s fine, but not always possible. I teach passing to deal with the toughest serves that players will face. This means that it will not always be possible to get behind every ball and be stopped. Consequently, players must gain comfort passing while moving, along with receiving serves with their platform outside their body. We dig deeper in this video. VIDEO Teach Passing With the Toughest Serve in Mind on Vimeo
Idea #3 – Incorporating the Hips and Shoulders When Blocking – Without question, at the higher levels of play, the attackers hit the ball very hard. To effectively block this type of attack, the blocker(s) need to incorporate the hips and shoulders when blocking. In this video, we examine the concept of “shaping the block.” VIDEO Shape the Block on Vimeo
Video of The Week – This is a quick video that you should show your players. We look at the footwork when going from serve-receive to attack, incorporating the shuffle step to get to your approach area. You can practice this by tossing balls into the zone 5, have your players shuffle to their take off point, then begin their approach. VIDEO
Archive Blog Post – Keeping non-starters engaged during matches can be a challenge. Here are some ideas that might be worth considering. READ MORE Keeping the Non-Starters Engaged – Jim Stone Consulting
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
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~Jim
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