It’s Not Where You Are, It’s Who You Are- John Kessel, USA Volleyball Director of Education 

The sub-title of this is “It’s not how tall you are, it’s how tall you play…” as skill and timing will beat height anytime.  Some of it is a bit volleyball specific, but the majority of the thoughts are about being a true athlete, no matter what the sport.

Reflections on what you need to do, to be the best you can be. I want to share some of my thoughts with you, as I believe they will help you succeed on the court in preparation towards your personal best. The fire I carry within is to help you shorten the time gap in the development of your personal philosophy. The ideas below come from decades of helping players be excellent, The motto of the Olympics, CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS. - guides our efforts as staff and players. Swifter, Higher, Stronger. So to win, we must push ourselves, giving all we can for as long as we can, and extending ourselves. Remember this about your pursuit of personal excellence - If it is meant to be, it is up to me... 

I should also tell you that while there have been many people, experiences and books that have guided me, the most practical one simply is John Wooden. There is a new book out called The Ultimate Guide to Life, Leadership, Friendship and Love, by Neville Johnson. ISBN 0-9673920-0-4. Get it, for it is all about the ideas of John Wooden and his pyramid of success, that can help every person, athlete or not, become the best they can be. I also have learned great things from Marv Dunphy and Doug Beal, both USA Olympic Gold Medal coaches. As Marv once said, "It is not where you are, it is who YOU are; it is not how big you are it is how good or how great YOU are." 

THERE IS ONLY ONE CHAMPION - This is our holy grail, and every team in our championship division is seeking that same trophy. Now, we must define what winning is. In this team sport of volleyball, one person cannot win the game by his or herself. It is a team sport, so the winning is out of just one player's control. So, winning is always, ALWAYS going to be defined as doing all you can to be the best you can be. John Wooden's classic Pyramid of Success has at its peak, the statement. "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming." If you do this...the winning on the court will be more likely. Should you play your best, and lose in the point column, what more can you ask of yourself? Nothing...for you won. ..to quote George Moriarity, "Giving all, it seems to me, is not so far from victory." 

TEACH OTHERS TO TEACH YOURSELF - If you coach, you will be a better player. This is true at any age level, so seek out and create time to coach others less skilled and/or experienced than you are. In Japan, the after school elementary school practices I worked with were 45 minutes of games and practice for the 7-10 year olds, who were coached by the 10-12 year olds under the watchful eye of the adult head coach, then 45 more minutes where the head coach trained these 10-12 year olds once they were done coaching. 

COMPETE WITH YOURSELF - Demand more from yourself than from your teammate. This is the sign of a serious and true competitor. This is how you will become the best you can be. To excel, focus on yourself first. No matter how small or unimportant it may seem, look for ways to be better when you leave training than when you walked in, whether it be the weight room, training room, physical testing, or the court. By competing as hard as you personally can, you will also help those around you be better. Gold Medalist Dan Jansen said " I do not try to be better than anyone else, I try to be better than myself."