Focus on the Right Things

Make each day your masterpiece. You have control over that. - John Wooden

I recently came across this blog post by John Forman. In it is the notion that the goal of defense is to score points. This is a shift in focus from the expected idea that defense is about preventing the opponent from scoring points. I think the distinction is important.

In Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success, legendary basketball coach John Wooden says that when he taught rebounding, he told his players to get in between your man and the ball, and to go and get it. The traditional way to teach rebounding is to get between your man and the ball and "box them out". The traditional method is about preventing your opponent from doing what they want. It is about being an obstacle. It is passive. The goal is that your opponent doesn't get the ball. Coach Wooden's method is active. You are actively trying to get the ball. Getting the rebound is the goal. Rather than being an obstacle to your opponent, you are competing with them for the same goal.

The conventional wisdom for defense is much like that for rebounding in basketball. You are an obstacle to your opponent, not a competitor. It is passive. You are reacting to what your opponent is doing rather than actively trying to score a point. Your goal is for your opponent to not score a point. If you manage to get the dig only to give the ball back on a free ball, was that successful defense, or was it just delaying your opponent's success? Sure you might get a dig, but the end result of the rally might be the same as if you didn't get the dig.

If we make our goal to score points, we should be actively trying to score on the block. We should be actively trying to dig to a spot on the court where the setter can put our hitters in the best place to score. We are thinking about transitioning from our base defensive position to a place where we are available to make a hitting approach. One of the "little things" I see great players do is to transition from passing the serve, attempting a block, or digging to a hitting approach. Great middles make a hitting approach even when they are almost definitely not going to be set.

The John Forman blog post specifically mentions libero and back row outside hitter positioning on the court when talking about the goal of scoring points on defense. Libero/outside hitter position may be a personnel decision more than a defensive focus decision if our outsides don't hit in the back row. If this is the case, still keep the defensive focus in mind. Train your players (and yourself) to think about scoring points rather than preventing scoring.

Whatever the circumstances, the basic thought processes should be kept in mind. Focus on active goals rather than passive ones. A dig isn't a point your opponent didn't score, it is an opportunity for your team to score. Talk about digs in this context. Track digs in this way and track how much your team scores per dig. Kills per dig would be a more useful piece of information than just total digs per match. Digs per match is almost meaningless without that context. Look to other areas of the game and practice with this same active vs passive approach. Set active goals and talk about doing rather than preventing. Talk about what you have control over and what you can actively do, and make that the focus for improvement. That would be a masterpiece.