Attitude

Team USA in Amsterdam, November 2025

As a coach, one of the most important lessons you can learn, and then hopefully teach your players/clients, is that attitude is 80% of the battle. 

It sounds almost obvious, I guess, yet people still tend to underestimate it. 

I see it all the time, from my least motivated private clients to my most competitive players. The way they approach the work that needs to be done in order to get them from point A to point B, and the story they tell themselves about their own abilities - makes all the difference. Just as important is their attitude towards the people who can help them achieve their goals. Because, you know what they say - it's all about the people. 

In late 2023, the USA Catchball Association announced a project that I dreamed about starting and developing for a while. It was the first official national catchball team in the world, and it wasn't too long before it started taking shape. As head coach of Team USA, it was my job to decide on the desired attributes players needed to possess, in order to qualify for this team, and to eventually make the selection for the initial roster. Many assumed it would simply be about the best spikers. You know, the ones who score most of the points for their teams.

That's always an easy one, right?

The truth is that apart from the most basic requirement to find quality players across the US (no matter their height or exact skillset), my most important requirement was a simple one - I wanted to invite players who really wanted to become part of this project.

After all, it was experimental, we didn't have a lot to offer to these players in return for their efforts, and most teams probably didn't love the idea of having their top players going off to train with another team. It needed players who were hungry for more, even if they were already having a lot of fun and winning a lot of games with their regular teams.

It also needed players who believed they deserved to be a part of an elite group, without thinking anyone owed them this part. It required some bravery, being open-minded enough to buy into someone else's vision, and a very real sense of professionalism around the game - even though they are not professional athletes.

Or simply put - it needed having the right attitude, towards this project and in general.

And that, for me, meant a lot more than any physical trait or so-called superstar qualities. 

Fast forward a couple of years, and this team actually made it to the first-ever Catchball World Cup, which took place in Amsterdam last month. 

And let me tell you - a lot of things went wrong on the way. But its initial goal, to represent the women who play this game in America on the international stage, was met. 

Over the course of these two years, we dealt with lack of funding and support, lack of proper training opportunities, last minute injuries, individuals who tried to sabotage the project, and many more challenges that could have easily left it dead in the water long before it reached its first competition. 

Thankfully, we didn't let that happen. And of course, it was those same players I knew from day one I'd pick no matter what, who helped me keep pushing. Those same ones who also took on leadership roles, made sure that their teammates were doing well and communicated with everyone, including me of course, demanded nothing in return, and eventually came up with the biggest plays on the court - in crunch time.  

The ones with the right attitude. 

And the ones who joined at the last minute to replace those injured players? At this point you can probably guess what set them apart from other talented players who ended up missing out on a unique experience...

Because, at the end of the day, it's true what they say: talent will only get you so far. 

Combine it with the right attitude - and the sky's the limit.