JVBG #9: Embrace Difficulties

In this episode I'm gonna talk about the rules that might be a bit confusing for those who are just starting to watch or play volleyball, so it might be helpful for U11 and U12 parents and players.

Today I am going to tell you a story of how the parents saved the lives of their childredn from a mall shooting without having a single clue.

In this episode we talk about the structural changes that happen in the brain when we learn, and how we coaches can use progressions to help our athletes enhance learning by making practice more effective.

In this episode we talk about the reasons we should be patient with the development of tall young athletes. It has much more science behind it than you expect. I hope you enjoy the show!

Continuing to share what I’ve been learning reading the book Make it Stick: the science of successful learning, by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III and Mark A. McDaniel, today I emphasize part of the chapter Get Beyond Learning Styles. In this article, I copy and paraphrase part of the chapter: the softball example was changed for volleyball (for obvious reasons) so that it goes better with the theme of my blog. The most important part, though, is that the way you see (or don’t see) yourself and your abilities in determined situations might change your future decisions things related to similar situations.

Make difficulties part of your learning routine. Learn better by embracing difficulties. This episode is based on the chapter Embrace Difficulties found in the book Make it Stick: the science of successful learning, by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III and Mark A. McDaniel (2014).

How do the labels and expectations we have affect the development of our athletes? Are you sure?

How do the types of practice influence the way one learns? What does change in the brain then, and how does that affect the athletic performance in sports?

How would we apply the widely known educational conpept of learning progressions in volleyball? How would it influence the position specialization and how would it contribute for the development, over many years, of great specialized players who have a great generalist background?

In your sport, what are the best techniques? What is the best method to teach/coach? What to teach/coach first? What is the best way to succeed?