Bring that Energy!

As with most things, you get out what you put in, and playing volleyball is no different. So, if you want to play at a high level and feel like you can do more, make great plays, and, ultimately, win more, bring that energy!

Every time you step on the court, be willing to have high energy and compete at the level that is required to win. Just by focusing on having great energy, you have already given yourself a much better opportunity to play your best.

Having great energy will lead to staying mentally engaged and believing that you can play your best. Showing up with low energy will do just the opposite. If you step on the court with the mindset of being tired or not really feeling like giving your best effort, you will play poorly, and your game will continue to go downhill.

How to Generate Energy Even When You Don't Feel Like It

It is easy to bring energy and passion on the days when you are feeling good, but even on the days that you are feeling sore, tired, mentally frustrated, etc., you still need to hold yourself accountable and bring that energy! So here are some ways that you can use to help you bring energy even when you don't feel like it.

Focus on Thankfulness

One way that really helps me lock in and give good energy even when I am not feeling my best is being thankful.

So many people in the world would love to be active and move around on a volleyball court but have some kind of physical condition. So just take a second and think about how grateful you are to have the opportunity to move around, even if you are tired. Or, if you have ever experienced an injury that sidelined you from playing for an extended period of time, think about how much you would've loved to play during that time and choose to be thankful that you can play now.

Do it for Your Teammates

Whether you play indoor volleyball with multiple teammates or beach volleyball with only a single partner, they deserve your best every time you step on the court. So, if you are struggling to get motivated, think about them and how important it is for you to give your best effort for your teammate standing next to you. Have a mindset of being a part of something bigger than yourself, and then push yourself to bring energy for your teammates.

Take a Minute to Reset

Just because you are currently in a frustrated or low-energy mindset doesn't mean you can't quickly turn it around. So, if you are feeling like your energy is low, take a second to catch your breath, and as you do, consciously tell yourself that you are going to be positive and have higher energy from here on out. You may have to keep telling yourself this as you go, but you need to make a conscious decision that you are going to completely change your mindset and be the most high-energy person on the court.

How to Bring that Energy!

There are a number of ways that you can bring energy on the court, but here are a few of my favorite ways.

Communication: Be the loudest and best communicator on the court. On every play, you should be communicating and talking it out with your teammates. After the play, whether it was a good play or bad, you should also be communicating. If it is a good play, plenty of celebration. If it is a poor play, have plenty of encouragement to do better on the next play.

Body Language: Your body language can oftentimes speak louder than your actual words. This means that you need to have great body language as you play. That means plenty of clapping, high fives, smiling, etc. It also means not rolling your eyes, throwing your arms up in frustration, or pouting.

Strategy and Positive Self Talk: Not only do you want to be communicating to bring energy, but you also want to have purpose with your communication. So, as you are playing, be talking about strategy and how you will win the game or match. The more you can communicate about strategy and how you will win, the more it will feed your energy and your teammate's energy.

Conclusion

As a volleyball player, it is just so much MORE fun to play games that have a lot of energy and are exciting. While some of the games you play will naturally have that element, most of the time, you need to be the one generating that energy so that you can play your best.

So use this article to better understand the importance of always bringing energy when you play, and then use these different strategies to ensure that you are doing your best at BRINGING THAT ENERGY!