SMASH 17's

SMASH 17's after strong practice, Dec. 19

Pressure Performance

Pressure is complex, and interesting. It makes some players nervous - which often leads to making sloppy mistakes and generally under-performing. For others, pressure increases their concentration. They focus their efforts and as a result, perform to the best of their abilities. So what separates those who flourish from those who wilt under pressure?

Research suggests that how you perceive a situation can impact on how you think, feel and perform during it. If it is your interpretation that matters, how you react to pressure is YOUR choice.

A player can interpret a situation as either a ‘challenge’ or a ‘threat’. Those who react well under pressure are said to be in ‘the challenge state’ whereas those who don’t are in ‘the threat state’. The challenge state is associated with an increase in adrenaline, whereas the threat state is associated with an increase in the stress hormone, cortisol.

Which state you are in has significant consequences, as they have been found to influence how much effort you put in, your concentration levels and finally, how well you perform under pressure.

How do you get yourself into a challenge state before a big event? Research suggests that the best ways to do this include believing you have the skills and resources to meet the situation, feeling in control of the event, surrounding yourself with supportive people and reminding yourself of previous experiences in the past that have gone well. This results in people throwing themselves in the task at hand and making clear and decisive decisions.

Conversely, people in the threat state tend to feel quite isolated, focus on what they stand to lose if things goes wrong, are overwhelmed by nerves, tend to worry about looking bad and believe their goals are unobtainable. As a result, they make muddled and confused decisions and even disengage and withdraw from the situation.

Game Video

Read at least 5 of these SHORT VB articles

These by one of top volleyball minds EVER: plus, the coach of USA women

Competition Schedule

Date	Tournament	Location
1/14-1/16	Winterfest 2 16s, 17s, 18s	Hartford
2/3-2/5	NERVA Open Qualifier	Springfield
2/18-2/20	Capitol Hill Classic	Washington, DC
3/3-3/5	Boston Volleyball Festival	Boston
3/12	NERVA 1	TBA
3/26	NERVA 2	TBA
3/31-4/2	Big South	Atlanta
4/9	NERVA 3	TBA
4/14-4/16	Northeast Qualifier (16s, 17s)	Philadelphia
4/23	NERVA 4	TBA
5/7	NERVA Championships	TBA

Recent SMASH 17's News

SMASH @ USAV HP Championships

By SMASH 08/07/2017, 10:45am EDT

Busy summer for SMASH athletes in national pipeline!

SMASH Volleyball Club had a big presence at the USAV High Performance Championships in Fort Lauderdale, FL, contributing 11 of the 33 players selected to the three NERVA Regional HP teams.

Competing in the Women's International Junior division, the New England Girls Junior team featured Jess Jubb and Haley O'Brien from SMASH 18s.

In the Boys International division, the New England Boys Youth team featured Danny Ho and Cobi Moore from SMASH Boys Volleyball.

In the Girls International Youth division, the New England Girls Youth team recorded the best-ever NERVA HP result, posting a 6-2 match record en route to a 7th place finish. The team featured athletes from four different SMASH travel teams: Ella Kim, Miska Legatova, and Emma Smallcomb from SMASH 18s, Claire Bialek from SMASH 18s Titans, Amanda Gilbert from SMASH 17s, plus Gabby Goddard and Ashley Wang from SMASH 16s.

SMASH also had athletes taking part in USAV national pipeline programs this summer:

Playing for the USA Junior A1 Red team, Athena Ardila from SMASH 18s finished 4th in the Women's International Junior division with a 7-2 match record at the Fort Lauderdale HP Championships.

Chelsea Simmons from SMASH 16s participated in the USA HP National A2 Invitational in Colorado Springs, CO.

Maegan Hladick from SMASH 16s Kai participated in the USA HP National A3 Training Program in New Orleans, LA.