Volleyball 6   Othman Bajunaid ENGL 10 WP#2 Jennifer Mayer 10/05/2021 Volleyball: The Mental Game Despite volleyball involving physical acts of hitting a ball, it involves use of the minds to pay well tactfully

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Volleyball 6

 

Othman Bajunaid

ENGL 10 WP#2

Jennifer Mayer

10/05/2021

Volleyball: The Mental Game

Despite volleyball involving physical acts of hitting a ball, it involves use of the minds to pay well tactfully. When a single player makes mistakes, adjustments need to be made promptly to ensure that it does not cost the team. Mistakes are common occurrences in a volleyball game, and at times they might frustrate players if attempts to correct the mistakes prove futile. Thus, it requires the whole team to cheer up and not cat blame when mistakes occur. The team players usually embrace supportive talks such as good trials to comfort players. There are many things that make the volleyball sport challenging including performance with agility, size of the players, general fitness for the game and ability to jump. Volleyball sport presents numerous chances for mistakes to happen and just simple mistakes can turn out negative results in a split of a second. Thus, making the necessary adjustments rather than dwelling on the mistakes made is paramount to ensuring that the players do not set themselves to repeat the same mistake. Mental skills are therefore important in ensuring that players execute successfully when under a challenge. This essay aims to reveal mental skills that can help volleyball players gain mental fitness.

Confidence

There are three confidence levels: overconfidence, under-confidence and optimal confidence. Overconfidence can make players blindly believe that they can perform better even without adequate preparations for a given game. Yes, the players might be adequately skilled, yet there are areas that require polishing through practice. For instance, if serving the ball directly gives the opponent a chance to score against the players, there needs to be improvement. But with the mentality of overconfidence, it might be taken lightly and make the players to play down to lesser volleyball competition.

Under confidence on the other note is attributed to mental problems of the facility to trust personal ability to perform. For instance, when a player has all through the game spiked the ball but it reaches a moment where s/he is blocked, the player might begin to undermine his/her ability to perform. Similarly, players with the mentality of avoiding to make mistakes have under confidence issue. Optimal confidence is required in a volleyball game and is revealed through the player taking a strong court presence and owing performance. Optimal confident players are willing to explore new tactics, undergo training and be part of the action.

Mental toughness

There are much distraction during the volleyball matches. For instance, crowdy noise made by spectators supporting the opponents tends to negatively affect the mind and might discourage players from performing even if they have the potential. It requires mental toughness not to yield to intimidations or fear from opponent reactions. Coupled with the intimidations from opponents is the high-stress situation like minor injuries. The players need to focus on things that are under their control to get the motivation to keep on playing. Mental toughness entails focusing attention to a vital aspect of the game and sustaining the focus all along with the contest. Some of the factors that contribute to mental toughness include overcoming adversity, alleviating the tension spots, managing stress and maintaining composure upon defeat or victory. Letting go of mistakes efficiently and controlling emotions are signs of mental toughness.

Effective communication

Communication is an important aspect during the volleyball matches. When it is lost, the mistakes can easily cost the game. Whenever individuals make mistakes during the matches, it is the high time for the players to encourage one another. Effective communication helps the team to work together without giving frustration the opportunity to demoralize the players. It also helps build internal motivation to improve and succeed at the matches. Through cheers even when a player makes mistakes, it is possible to maintain focus during volleyball matches and keep on the rhythm.

Imagery skills

Visualizing the player positions, certain play patterns and movements on the courts are significant in dealing with problems attributed with serving the ball to a particular target in the opponent courts. Imagery entails external and internal processes that when employed, they allow recreation of explicit experience in the brain for excellence performance. Imagery skills can be learned through instant replay of execution, feel and sight. The skills are vital especially in difficult situations as the mind with have an established roadmap on what to properly execute in such a scenario. Memorized skills become part of the player and the skills serves as consultants and coaches to guide them on what to do. When player gain knowledge on how to practice these imagery skills, their mental fitness is likely to improve and it is possible to gain better individual play and team cohesion.

Attention/ concentration skills

As mention earlier, volleyball game is faced with many external distractions which are meant to make the player lose focus, motivation and be reactive. It is vital for volleyball player to channel their attention to the game than to the distractions. Concentration comes in to facilitate selective direction of attention toward crucial factor while playing the matches. Efficient shifting of attention from individual movement away from the ball while at the same juncture noting the position of the team players on the court is valuable in becoming successful during competitions. Playing like a champion needs that the players recognize the ball direction, predict where there is a high potential that the game will go a with reference to the net, marking the boundary lines and identifying strategic movements within the court for outstanding performance. It is not expected that concentration and attention be perfect all through the competition, but maintaining it is possible and places the team at a higher chance of outperforming against the opponents.

Sport intelligence and competitiveness

Volleyball players need to see and perceive situation for them to successfully complete sport tasks. A lot happens on the volleyball court and it is the obligation of individual players to know the play pattern, control the game, read the play and read ball flight. Such intelligence helps the players maneuver efficiently to add competitive advantage against the opponents. Players with sport intelligence are able to contemplate instruction from coaches and execute game plans as required when on the field. When player have the right mindset towards the game the attain competitiveness; they normally enjoy the competition and thieve on. With determination to win the game, competitive players turn out to be always aware of the scores. Rather than strain to win the game they will play smart to win the game by saving energy for crucial points in the matches and shine over competitors without struggling.

Demonstrating independence and being team oriented

Every player should be proud to take decisions off and on the court and be accountable for the decisions. Demonstrating independence comes even during trainings where the players need to be reminded from time to times when training is scheduled. Even the coaches and team leaders have good time dealing with volleyball players already have established personal standards. Such mental aspects constitutes to team work and valuing the team. Every player has a role to play towards attaining the goal of the discourse community and should show commitments towards attaining those goals.

Conclusion

Volleyball as a discourse community entails more than the physical acts of serving the ball. It employs mental training which helps the players remain on top of the game. When the above mental skills are practiced in the court the players will definitely see consistent performance which will keep the team in the winner’s circle. Whenever frustration or distractions occur during the game it will be easy to adjust accordingly and cope with the challenges. Nothing is worth acknowledgement than seeing players work as a team to perform with composure even under pressure. Although maintaining the correct mindset in the game is not easy, it is possible and worth doing.