How to shake an Off Game

Karl · **How to shake an Off Game -** 12-04-2006, 10:00 AM

You know that feeling that you could come from a 'high' playing a great game the week before only to come and play lousy the week after. I mean the game last night was Ugly with a capital "U". The team's passing was horrible and hitting...ugh. I had a couple of missiles myself, I was just trying to shake the "off-game" and get my timing right. Everything felt slow and heavy, is there a quick fix for this, especially during a game? It's probably mostly mental but...ugh... that was frustrating!

EGOLDEN · 12-04-2006, 11:23 AM

Shaking an off game is one of the most important things you can master. I am constantly preaching that when a player has a bad game or when the make a couple of bad plays, the importance of letting it go cannot be stressed enough. The following are some simple rules I use to refresh my game when I have days like you mentioned.

1. Learn from your mistakes - we learn more by failing than by succeeding so make sure to take away something from every game you feel to be sub par.

2. Mental mistakes are worse than physical mistakes - A bad pass can sometimes be recovered, but forgetting to "cover the dump" leaves you defenseless.

3. Focus your concentration on the next play NOT the one that just happened. Energy is better spent foucsing on whats coming, not DWELLING on what just happened, move on. If you are not hitting the ball well, notice what was wrong, pay specific attention to your form. Between rallies envision yourself hitting well. Take dead aim and concentrate.

When I have a night like you mentioned, between Games I will practice hitting a ball against the wall to ensure I am not doing anything wacky with my arm or that I am making sure to snap my wrist when I hit. After that I will usually practice my approcach a few times without a ball. When I am off I always go "back to Basics".

The worst thing you can do is to overcompensate. Don't try to hit too hard or do too much by trying to make a spectacular play to make up for your perceived shortcomings. Play your game, and know that no one is perfect, we all have bad games.

NewEnglandRT · 12-04-2006, 11:50 PM

A team leader's perspective:

1. Get real fired up about the next positive play anyone makes, if it's you that makes it and you can share the enthousiasm without looking arrogant or condescending then do so. (for more watch the brazilian nat'l team) Keep getting fired up.

Some of my teams best games, we lost but everyone in the gym thought we were winning because of all the noise we were making!

2. Make a great defensive play, or at least try. Every great play in VB starts with a great pass. So go make one, or give a little extra and go to the tiles for a ball, or run that tipped or shanked ball down off the court.

3. Don't ever blame anyone but yourself for any bad play.

4. If you're the one having the lousey game and the other five (or six as it were) keep your damn mouth shut. There's nothing worse than an emotional anchor.

5. Remember volleyball is a rythm sport, just do something small to change your teams rythm.

kvb · 12-04-2006, 11:55 PM

if it's mental....urp!...crack one open and down it....

ooops, my bad, that's 2's

Outta Town · 12-05-2006, 02:20 AM

I will usually make changes either with the team(sometimes switching setters, or hitters) or by myself. As setter, I will tell my hitters to go deep lines instead of the power angle, or start rolling, or using placement shots. As a hitter, I will switch to hitting left handed or using severe cut shots. I actually screwed up 2 serves tonight and considered serving underhand after that. We lost 2 of 3 games to finish our season in 2nd place by one match. We did have good play, but not good enough. Still, we invited the other team to go with us to TGIFridays for a beer. Now I don't feel so bad.

Karl · 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewEnglandRT

A team leader's perspective:

1. Get real fired up about the next positive play anyone makes, if it's you that makes it and you can share the enthusiasm without looking arrogant or condescending then do so. (for more watch the Brazilian nat'l team) Keep getting fired up.

Some of my teams best games, we lost but everyone in the gym thought we were winning because of all the noise we were making!

2. Make a great defensive play, or at least try. Every great play in VB starts with a great pass. So go make one, or give a little extra and go to the tiles for a ball, or run that tipped or shanked ball down off the court.

3. Don't ever blame anyone but yourself for any bad play.

4. If you're the one having the lousy game and the other five (or six as it were) keep your damn mouth shut. There's nothing worse than an emotional anchor.

5. Remember volleyball is a rhythm sport, just do something small to change your teams rhythm.

I agree and I want thank everyone for their responses. A lot can be said for keeping ones mouth shut and just looking forward not back. One think I always see is when we are doing well the other team is visually self defeating. Its said how quickly people lose confidence.

Thanks Again,
Karl

coachmanzi · 12-07-2006, 03:17 PM

This is a pretty subjective topic. We've all had our bad nights, and such. There was one game that i was getting so frustrated, I subbed myself out. Is it also a matter of anger on the court?

The first VBLI tournament I was at in NY, I got so mad I shanked a ball that I ripped my shirt off. ugh, embarrassing.

But, everyone has off days. You know what your mistakes were, so, what's the point in learning from them? It happens, ç'est la vie. Just, have your bad game, and tomorrow is a new day.

JPMac · 12-07-2006, 04:31 PM

I have seen mental errors, and people getting down on themselves for those errors derail a team faster than any execution or physical errors. It's also one of the hardest tye of error to overcome, depending on you or your team.

If it's you making the error, acknowledge it (don't make excuses, don't blame somebody else) and learn from it. Make an effort to put that much more into the next few balls... by changing that mental position of being affected by the ball to one where you have an effect on it, you own it and you control it.

If it's others on your team making the mental errors then positivity about quality hits is where that motivational factor lies. Ultimately though, only you can decide on your own mental status, and it takes your other team mates to not allow themselves to fall into a rut, and drag the rest of the team down with them.

cheetah · 02-17-2007, 05:47 PM

awesome read about the mental game of volleyball= "Volleyball Cybernetics"

Volleyball Cybernetics - Full Review

Glenn · 02-20-2007, 09:58 AM

At A Tournament:
I put myself back into the "Zone". I know it sounds strange but I put on my iPod and simply start my pre-game play list.

Leagues:
This is much harder because the breaks are sometimes a lot shorter and we play three games back to back. However, the same rule applies -- somehow I get my mind thinking on something else, anything but the last game.