One of the great things about volleyball is that it can be a place where you focus, be in the moment, and let go of all those distractions.

I want you to be able to practice with intensity and leave the outside world, well, outside. I want you to even have the focus that you can practice what you’re not good at and be strong enough mentally that you see the bigger picture that practicing what you’re not good at is the fastest way to get better.

This is challenging, since it doesn’t feel good to make mistakes. If you’re working on your jump serve, starting out as a hitter, or trying to improve your serve receive, you’re going to make mistakes. Lots of them. It can feel like you’re playing worse, which in turn makes you frustrated and play poorly. Your teammates must be upset with you, right? And your coach’s opinion of you is getting worse with all the miss hits, service errors, and poor passes, right?

There are lots of reasons to play it safe, to only practice what you’re good at, not make mistakes, and try to look as good as possible at practice. The problem is, you won’t improve as quickly if you do.

You know how unsatisfying it is to have a lukewarm practice that doesn’t take much effort and feels like you didn’t learn anything. And you know that great feeling after a difficult practice and how good it feels to go all out and leave it all on the court. I want every practice you have to give you that great feeling.

Here’s what I want you to do before practice. Whether you arrive by car or from the classroom, I want you to pause before you go into the gym. Before you enter the gym, whether it’s going through the gym doors or crossing the first line on the gym floor, I want you to pause. You might find that this is easier if you’re not so close to the gym where your teammates are greeting you. I don’t want you to look like you’re blowing them off!

When you pause, look into the distance, take a breath in and exhale the breath out and just drift for a moment like when you’re day dreaming.

Then I want you to remember why you like playing volleyball, what the last great play you made felt like, and what your commitment is to getting better. I want you to decide, in that moment, what kind of practice you are going to have. Like a decision. You are deciding how it’s going to be.

As an adult, you realize how much impact you have on the outcome of things. At work, as a parent, or in your relationships. I want you to start realizing now, that you have a huge effect on how your practices are going to be.

These few moments before you enter the gym are a time for you to remember your passion for the sport, your commitment to getting better, your determination to see how good you can get if you work tirelessly. To really have determination present for you. To create it and generate it before you walk in.

When you’ve done this, change your gait. Walk in with more determination, more intension, more energy, more enthusiasm. Decide that this practice is going to be the best practice you’ve ever had. And have it happen.

Courtesy of Steve Davis - Volleyball coach, USA