a setting project
I want to talk about this setting project I’ve been working on over the last few months. Working through this new project was not easy, it was full of challenges - I think that’s why I decided to share a blog on it - because I want it to be a reminder that even if something is challenging and seems daunting or impossible, that it’s so worth our energy to try and work through it. We learn a lot within the challenges, they teach us so much about our minds and the mental blocks we create within ourselves, as well as the depths of our true capabilities.
Here we go
When Dustin, a friend of mine and fellow USA team member for lots of years reached out to me and shared his vision with me, I was pumped. Basically he asked if I would be interested in writing seven blogs on the setting position, break it down, share what knowledge I have so that together we could help younger aspiring athletes…and then later these blogs could be turned into videos and made into a course that setters and coaches alike could purchase, learn from, and take with them forever. At first it sounded a little intimidating but knowing Dustin and his heart to give back, his desire to spread good messages, and help out where possible, I was ALL IN.
Three months later - here we are. So close to releasing the work we’ve done to the rest of you who are interested in learning and working through it. What an exciting time!
Thinking back on the last three months the biggest takeaway I’ve had is how it doesn’t matter how many hours or years or decades of time you’ve spent DOING something - trying to explain and help another human being learn and apply that something is an entirely different beast. Talk about writers block. I experienced that so often that I honestly started doubting whether I knew what I was writing about or not. haha
CRAZY
I’ve spent hundreds, lets be real, thousands of hours working on the physical parts of setting, and still, trying to break it down into seven written blogs felt almost impossible at times.
The process was challenging for me for sure, but I believed so much in what Dustin wanted to create that I HAD to get it done. There was no way I was going to turn back.
So (with the wise words Riley shared with me) I just started writing. Writing about my “aha” moments, about the keys I have used over and over again throughout the last 20 years, about coaches that have influenced me, about coaches I’ve struggled with, about player relationships…about all of it. And then I condensed it down and modified it and I made it into something I feel can be understood and used by athletes and coaches out there who are eager to learn and work hard within this sport and specifically this position.
The setting position is a tough one to break down. There are SO MANY intricate pieces to it. Pieces that matter and that need our attention. So as I worked through creating this I continued to ask myself what kinds of things would have helped me early on?
There’s a lot of stuff inside the course. A lot of information from myself as well as some tidbits from other setters in the world playing the game right now that I’ve watched and admired, and who are still having great success. I decided to include other setters and show the differences because I’m a firm believer that not all setters should do things the exact same way. Athletes are built differently, shaped differently. Setters are built differently, shaped differently. Hands are different. Different speeds. Strength differences. Height. The list goes on…
Asking all setters to do things the exact same way seems a bit ludicrous to me looking back on my career. But the reality is that there are some coaches and environments out there that believe this is necessary. That the position is meant to be worked a very specific way no matter what.
I interviewed different setters because I believe this message is SO IMPORTANT! To be a great setter you do not have to be exactly like someone else. Different things work for different setters, even at the highest of levels. This course shows that. It also shows how much I believe in mindful repetitions and in hard work and just TRYING. In asking for help and getting extra reps and admitting it when we feel we need extra work at something.
As I worked through each day and dove into the depths of my volleyball brain to find ways to share this information - it brought me such great joy to think that it could quite possibly help another young, ambitious, aspiring setter out there. Or a coach that maybe hasn’t played that much but loves their athletes and wants to help them improve.
All of this said and done, it made me realize that I have all of this knowledge and these years of experience within me for a reason - so if you have any questions or there’s a way I can help you - let me know. Don’t hesitate to reach out. And if you do end up experiencing the course, let me know how it goes for you.
Here’s to hard work, dedication and those mindful repetitions that literally never end. Here’s to the open ended possibility of ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.
with love,
Carli