SJ Volleyball Team Guidelines

Team Guidelines

TEAM PHILOSOPHY

The team can only achieve its full potential when the collective whole becomes greater than the sum of its individual parts. Volleyball is a team sport. The participants in the volleyball program at St. John's are expected to consider the team's needs and the team's goals ahead of individual needs and goals. From Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success: "TEAM SPIRIT: An eagerness to sacrifice personal interests or glory for the welfare of all. 'The team comes first.' "

People acting together as a group can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could ever hope to bring about.
--Franklin D. Roosevelt

SPORTSMANSHIP

As part of a Christian community at Saint John's, we feel that we are held to a challenging standard. An atmosphere of true sportsmanship will be exhibited for all practices, bus trips and competitions. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Unacceptable behavior is, but not limited to:

Taunting of opponents
Responding to any unsportsmanlike behavior of opponents
Distracting opponents during the serve or play
Questioning an official's call. (This is for the floor captain and coach only.)
Any derogatory comments about the opponent or their school.
Swearing
Hazing of teammates

One man practicing good sportsmanship is far better than fifty others preaching it.
--Knute Rockne

EXPECTATIONS

The members of the volleyball program will:

Arrive at practices, trips and games on time
Show respect towards the facilities, opponents, teammates, coaches, and officials
Sit with your team during the JV or Varsity match
Behave appropriately on the bus
Participate in the huddles during timeouts, pregame, and postgame discussions
Support your team from the sidelines

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
--Theodore Roosevelt

PRACTICES

It is our goal to run practices efficiently for maximum development. With that goal in mind, program participants will:

Not talk or bounce balls while a coach is speaking
Hustle immediately to the coach when called
Give eye contact to the coach during instruction
Exhibit "relentless pursuit" for every ball in every drill or game (Never give up on the ball.)
Participate in gathering balls and maintenance of net system

It is not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts; it's what you put into the practice.
--Eric Lindros

SUCCESS AND FAILURE

Success is often defined in: Did I win? This is the wrong question. The real question is: Did I make my best effort? That's what really matters. The rest of it just gets in the way. Everyone has the will to win. The real issue is: Who has the will to prepare to win? Winning games will be a welcome byproduct of doing many other things right.

Success: Being prepared to give your maximum effort and accepting and learning from your mistakes.

Failure: Not being able to give maximum effort or blaming others for your mistakes.

If a man does his best, what else is there?
--General George S. Patton

You cannot find a player who ever played for UCLA that can tell you that he ever heard me mention winning a basketball game. I told them: "When the game is over, I want your head up, and I know of only one way for your head to be up. That's for you to know that you did your best. No one can do more."
--John Wooden

PLAYING TIME

Playing time is not a right or guaranteed on either the JV or Varsity team. The coaches' objectives are to field a team that can work together and get them working together as a unit. Using these criteria, it is impossible to play more than 8 or 9 players at any given time. As a member of this team, you were chosen because it was our opinion that you would be able to contribute to the program's success. Your participation in this success may only be in a backrow role or your contribution may be one or two years away. We're looking for attendance at practices, punctuality, performance during practice, and overall 'team first' attitude. If you would like a review of your role on the team, just ask the coach before or after practice. It is not acceptable to:

Make comments about lack of playing time
Ask about playing time during a competition
Hang your head on the bench because you're not playing

(It's usually a good idea to wait to discuss issues like this. Let the emotions die down and never tackle something like this right after a competition.)

Much can be accomplished by teamwork when no one is concerned about who gets credit.
--John Wooden

ATTENDANCE

All practices and matches are mandatory. If you will not be able to participate for any reason, please give two days notice. The exception is for illness, which must be called in to Coach Morel's cell at: 978-618-0686

Be there or be square.
--Anonymous