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Carest Thou Not? -The Institute for Creation Research

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:37:25 GMT

"And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?" (Mark 4:38)

There are times when we have great problems and God seems to ignore our prayers, and finally we begin to wonder if He cares about us at all. There is no need to wonder. God cares about the sparrow, and He surely cares about His own dear children. If there is not some clear reason why He fails to answer (such as sin in our lives), then perhaps it is simply (as in Job's case) a test of our faith.

When the disciples thought Jesus didn't care, He rebuked them thus: "Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" (Mark 4:40). Mary and Martha sent word that their brother Lazarus was deathly ill, but then Jesus "abode two days still in the same place where he was" (John 11:6). When the sisters complained about His delay, He replied: "Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" (John 11:40).

One day a woman of Canaan cried out to Him for mercy on her for her demon-possessed daughter, "but he answered her not a word." He seemed not to care, but she kept calling on Him and worshipping Him, until He finally said unto her: "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt" (Matthew 15:23, 28).

The disciples and the sisters of Lazarus and the Canaanite woman all wondered at His seeming lack of concern, but He did care. He finally calmed the storm, and raised Lazarus, and healed the daughter. His delay was in order to test and strengthen their faith.

Can He not also test us, "that the trial of your faith . . . though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7)?

Daily Devotion for 4/8/08 By Mike MacIntosh

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:18:44 GMT

Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, "What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?" And the Angel of the Lord said to him, "Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?"
Judges 13:17-18

Manoah didn’t know that he was speaking to the Angel of the Lord, so he asks for a name. It’s really no different than what you or I do when we introduce ourselves to others. A name is important; it gives us our identity. So, here we see that the Angel of the Lord gives His identity to Manoah and calls Himself, “Wonderful.” Now, He’s not saying here that He has a wonderful name, rather, He’s saying that His name is Wonderful. Does that sound familiar? Look at Isaiah 9:6:

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Jesus Himself is called Wonderful. And it is He who appeared to this young family who will have a son. And this is the same Jesus who died on the cross and rose from the grave for your sins. It is this same Jesus who wants a relationship with you—for eternity. It’s this same Jesus who, the Book of Isaiah tells us, has the title of “Mighty God,” “Counselor,” “Everlasting Father,” and “Prince of Peace.” It is Jesus the Messiah, the Redeemer, who is called Wonderful.

Are you struggling with anything today? Do you have worries or fears for your future? Are you concerned about your family, or for your finances, or for your son or daughter in college? Whatever you may be facing, Jesus—the Son of God, the creator of all things—is standing before you. His name is Counselor, so you know without a shadow of a doubt that He will listen to your fears and worries, and He will provide perfect direction. His name is Everlasting Father, so you know that He will always be there for you to care and protect you. His name is Wonderful, so you can be sure that He has wonderful things in store for you. If He can make a barren woman have a son, then He will make wonderful things happen in and through you as well.

First Time by Lifehouse

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 01:10:22 GMT

We're both looking for something
We've been afraid to find
It's easier to be broken
It's easier to hide

Looking at you, holding my breath
For once in my life I'm scared to death
I'm taking a chance letting you inside

I'm feeling alive all over again
As deep as the sky under my skin
Like being in love, she said, for the first time
Maybe I'm wrong, I'm feeling right
where I belong with you tonight
Like being in love to feel for the first time

The world that I see inside you
Waiting to come to life
Waking me up to dreaming
Reality in your eyes

Looking at you, holding my breath
For once in my life I'm scared to death
I'm taking a chance letting you inside

I'm feeling alive all over again
As deep as the sky under my skin
Like being in love, she said, for the first time
Maybe I'm wrong, I'm feeling right
where I belong with you tonight
Like being in love to feel for the first time

We're crashing
Into the unknown
We're lost in this
But it feels like home

I'm feeling alive all over again
As deep as the sky under my skin
Like being in love, she said, for the first time
Maybe I'm wrong, I'm feeling right
where I belong with you tonight
Like being in love to feel for the first time

Like being in love she said for the first time
Like being in love to feel for the first time

Daily Devotion by Mike MacIntosh

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:28:09 GMT

Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
Judges 6:11-12

What more do we need to know than that the Lord is with us? What great encouragement these words are to this man, Gideon, and for us today. You know the Bible says if God is for us, who in the world can be against us (Romans 8:31)? Jesus said in Matthew:

“And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b).

I find it interesting that the Angel of the Lord would be sitting under a terebinth tree (similar to an oak tree) relaxing, taking a breather, and just watching Gideon. He’s watching Gideon thresh wheat in the wine press. Now you don’t thresh wheat in something like this, but the Midianites controlled the land of the Israelites. You see, whenever the time came for the crops to be harvested, the Midian armies came and wiped out everything, keeping the people of Israel in poverty. So Gideon would hide himself in the wine press area to thresh his wheat so that the enemies wouldn’t find him. It had to be a very stressful time for Gideon; I’m sure he was afraid for his life. If he got caught doing this, more than likely he’d be killed.

So, think about this: if the God of the universe—the One who watches over everybody and everything, the God who has promised to listen to every single one of your prayers and respond to them—can take the time to sit and relax under the terebinth tree, you can also can relax from your worries in life just a bit. Jesus said not to worry about things because the Heavenly Father will take care of your needs (Matthew 6:25).

So, even in the stress-filled and painful times, take time to “sit under the oak tree” with God and soak in His goodness; reflect back on how good God has been to you amidst the headaches, stresses, and pains you’ve endured. He’s there with you and He is on your side. No matter what you’re facing today, please keep these two promises near to your heart. God is with you and He is for you!

Daily Devotion by Mike MacIntosh

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 01:38:14 GMT

Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.” Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.
Judges 2:20-23

God will use negative things in our lives to test us, to let us see what we’re made of. It’s interesting that the Angel of the Lord brought to Joshua a message of encouragement:

“Be strong, be of great courage” (Joshua 1:6; 1:9)
“Do not fear; I am with you to deliver you says the Lord.” (Joshua 1:9)

But with this new generation here in the Book of Judges, the Angel of the Lord brought a message of punishment. What a parallel. One generation gets encouragement for their obedience to God, and the other discouragement due to their lack of trust in His word. For one battle the people of Israel checked in with God, but then they lost every other battle after that. And that’s what happens when we’re in the flesh; we give up and say, “I can’t do this so I’ll just sort of give in here and there, and I’ll somehow get by.” Friends, you can’t compromise. God does not hesitate to remove His blessings if our suffering will motivate us to return back to Him.

So if you know people that are suffering or are in pain, you may want to pray for them in a new light. God loves them so much and He will do whatever it will take to bring them to Himself. When we’re not in right relationship with Jesus Christ, it’s open season for the devil. Every time we walk according to God’s Word, the blessings of heaven pour out, and every time we grow closer to the world the enemy’s curse devours us. Remember to never neglect God’s Word. Be a man or a woman today who, like Joshua, stands up for righteousness. May the Holy Spirit release you today that there would be no compromise, and that your desire would be for a pure heart.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

So Close by Jon McLaughlin

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:28:40 GMT

You're in my arms
And all the world is gone
The music playing on
For only two
So close togehter

And when I'm with you
So close to feeling alive

A life goes by
Romantic dreams must die
So I bid mine goodbye
And never knew
So close was waiting
Waiting here with you
And now, forever, I know
All that I want is to hold you
So close

So close to reaching
That famous happy end
Almost believing
This one's not pretend
Now you're beside me
And look how far we've come
So far
We are
So close...

Oh, how could I face the faceless days
If I should lose you now?

We're so close to reaching
That famous happy end
Almost believing
This one's not pretend
Let's go on dreaming
Though we know we are
So close
So close, and still
So far...

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 21:25:38 GMT

True Love- By Phil Wickham

Come close listen to the story
about a love more faithful than the morning
The Father gave his only Son just to save us

The earth was shaking in the dark
All creation felt the Fathers broken heart
tears were filling heavens eyes
The day that true love died, the day that true love died
When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn’t move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, The day that true love died

Search your hearts you know you can’t deny it
Lose your life just so you can find it
The Father gave his only son just to save us

Jesus is alive
He rose again

Monday, October 15, 2007

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:04:58 GMT

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
1 Corinthians 2:9

Have you ever been in pain? God wants to heal your hurts by imparting love and joy – two tremendous powers that come from God. Both of these powers are a profound presence, reaching into the deepest, darkest area of your soul to turn on the healing lamp of God. Joy flows from the well of love.

When we feel God’s tender touch, we experience God’s love toward us and for us. That brings joy unspeakable. God’s love can easily heal us today because it was faithful yesterday and has already made provision for tomorrow.

God has prepared something for you that is literally out of this world. There is nothing that can keep you from it – unless it is you yourself. This love and joy is tremendous, and it’s yours for the receiving:

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39).

By mixing joy and love into our daily recipe for living, there isn’t much in the area of hurt, pain, and suffering that can linger too long. The fact is, the joy of God heals.

I know this may sound too simplistic, too easy. Most of us, in our more cynical moments, have questioned the sincerity of those who tell others to “have a nice day.” One lady was overheard saying to someone who told her to have a nice day, “I have other plans.”

What are your plans? Are you ready to take your hurts to God and allow Him to heal you? I urge you to take charge of your life today and begin the process that God has so clearly and carefully presented. He will do all that is necessary if you are simply ready and willing. God will make you able. He loves you so much. He has been in love with you for years. He’s seen your smiles and He’s seen your tears. Give Jesus a chance. Let God heal your hurts. He’s ready to do it! His love has the wonderful power to cleanse you today.

Sand Volleyball Tips

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 20:48:44 GMT

Serve:

Serve from the middle to deep middle. It confuses their receive calls. If you hear one player call, I'll take middle, shift over slightly toward his side and then serve middle. It puts him at a poorer angle for serve reception since he is in fact now receiving the middle serve from a line position and has to play to a ball that's moving away from him.

Serve deep always-mostly middle. Not only does this cause some slight delay due to communication, but also it's the longest approach to the net. Every extra step counts in a long match in the hot sun.

Achieve depth by serving higher over the net-at least 5-10 feet. This eliminates net errors and allows for a more relaxed swing and thus more deception.

After serving deep and high, serve a drop serve to the nearest part of the court of the same high trajectory. Even as it crosses the net, this serve tends to look the same as the deep one. As long as you make sure you clear the net and don't go for the one foot line, (3-4 feet ought to be good enough) it should produce, if not an outright error then a free ball.

Against the wind, serve high and deep floaters and let it fall straight down on the back line. A vertically falling ball is very difficult to pass to the net.

With the wind, serve very carefully. Use a snappy wrist action at the last second to add a deceptive velocity to an already faster than expected serve.

Learn and use a variety of serves.

The float is the most effective and requires the least athletic ability to master. It requires great ability to hit a jump serve ace but a diving, swooping floater is achievable by anyone and is almost impossible to pass well.

Receiving serve:

Facing a conventional position server, (each server serves from his corner consistently) the cross-court receiver always takes the middle because he is at a better angle. The ball is moving toward him and he can pass straight back along the path of the serve (the easiest pass) if the serve is tough. The line receiver has to move to a serve that is moving away from him and then pass the ball from his side-not the optimal passing position.

Facing a server that moves around, always communicate to your partner who will take middle, especially if the serve comes from dead center. Take care however, not to let the serving team know this, in case they've read this book (see tip 1)

Cross-court receiver be aware of the deep diagonal serve. It can be hit the hardest because that is longest line on the court.

Passing straight to the net is the best tactic since this is the simplest, shortest route to the net. Simple because there is always only one spot that fits this description no matter where you are passing from. A short, direct approach also allows the maximum number of angles of attack, saves energy and is the fastest developing.

The single most important factor in the success of an attack given technical execution is vision. Straight ahead attacks allow you to keep the defense, your pass, the setter and the set all in front of you and in plain easy view.

A lower pass allows better vision since you can better keep all-important information in view without moving your head up. It also allows the setter to do the same without the pressure of handling a high pass.

On sky balls; this serve is traveling very fast, so take extra care to absorb the speed. If not, then the pass is higher and if the setter doesn't correct, the whole attack rhythm is off and the serve has achieved its purpose.

Always stay deep (last 5 feet) for serve receive. Good drop serves are rarer than good deep serves and are in any case easier to pass coming from a deep position than a deep serve is backing up from a shallow position. Besides after passing a drop serve perfectly you are at the net, and after passing a deep serve well you are still 30 feet from the net.

Against strong driving jump serves, stay way deep: they have little tendency to drop short because of their pace. Force him to hit in front of you and you'll draw net errors or at the very least a reduction in pace.

Receive floaters below your waist and between your knees. The break, if it occurs will occur in the last 3 feet of flight.

If you like to attack from the outside, favor the middle and let the server serve to your outside. Vice versa if you like to attack from the middle.

Setting:

Move 1/2 way to the passer and 1/2 way to the net upon contact. Float there for a split second at contact. This the place that allows you to get good position on the most types of shanks as well as still allowing you to get to a perfect pass in good position.

Do not get caught up in the broken rhythm of a scramble play or bad pass. Maintain and correct the flow in order to get rhythm back into the attack.

The key to setting is time. Each hitter has a unique timing and any deviation will detract from the attack. The setter adjusts for the pass in various ways so as to maintain the timing of the attack.

If extra time is needed, say for the attacker to recover from a difficult pass or to travel a long way to the approach point: do not buy time with a higher set as is commonly done. This throws off the rhythm of the attacker. Buy time by setting the same set but from a lower position. You can do this by getting lower or by bump setting. The timing of the set then remains unchanged and that makes for a better attack.

If the attacker has to travel a long way to the approach point, buy time by setting a little back off the net. This keeps him from netting and maintains the rhythm of the attack.

Always try to take a peak at the blocker before you set. If the blocker is slow to come up or too fast or too tight to the net, don't hesitate to dump the set over especially if the server serves from way back and is late coming back in the court. This keeps the defense honest and is one more thing for them to think about.

If there is no blocker, set right on, otherwise set 3-4 feet back and look for the back row hole.

The easiest set to hit, one that has the most options is one that is vertically dropping (no horizontal vector). For each place on the court, there is only one place in the sky where the set can peak if a vertical drop is to be achieved. Good setters find this place instinctively.

The further from the perfect setting spot the pass is, the higher the set has to be to achieve a vertical drop and the more factors come into play.

Play calling:

As soon as the set leaves your hands, look to the defense. This means that you have to have your setting skills at the point where you can do that. If you have to concentrate so hard just to handle the set, best you work on your setting first before you look for the call.

Look to the back row and not the blocker. If there is one man back that means there's a blocker. Call the open spot in the back row. Let the hitter deal with the block. If you cue off the front man, you can get faked easily, and in any case the hitter sees the block much better than you.

If the digger tries to respond to your calls you can use various tactics to counter. If the digger stays neutral and reads your call; you can call softer or use a simple code (is there such a thing under pressure?); you can wait longer; you can read the "lean" of the digger. I prefer to use misinformation. Have the attack go to one spot no matter what the call is- (deep angle is almost always undefended). After awhile, go back to your regular calls. Few diggers have the stamina to keep up with a good call making setter.

Needless to say, the correct call if you see 4 legs in the backcourt is NO ONE.

When in a fiddle, go deep middle. It is the weakest point in the defensive formation and can be hit with the hardest hit. The back line has the greatest amount of open sand.

Observe who comes over to cover the deep middle. That tells you where the opening is for your next shot that you really need.

General Strategy:

Establish your swing rhythm early; you'll need it late in the game.

Always remember: Big holes get smaller and small holes get bigger. By this I mean that obvious holes are apt to be soon covered or are in fact defensive traps and small holes are soon to be vacated.

A small fake of any kind is most effective and should be incorporated into every attack as a matter of course. The human mind has to process the information and then clear the board so to speak before it can process new information. This causes it to freeze momentarily and is unavoidable. The only way to avoid being "stuck" by a fake is to not look-very difficult to do.

Always stay calm and relaxed.

Have a totally dependable bread and butter shot and keep it sharp by practice. You can build a game around that shot or the threat of that shot.

But always be working on new shots or techniques. Use them gradually in small games and test them in bug games when you are fully confident.

Enjoy yourself. That way you always win no matter what the score is.

Remember it is better to play well and lose than to play poorly and win. Improvement is what this is all about and laying poorly never helps your future game.

The most important thing you can get is information. Learn your opponents early and use the information late in the game when they have no time to adjust.

Defense:

Warm up your overhand, one-handed ups.

Practice your off-hand pick-ups; they're everyone's weakness.

Contact ups as low to the ground as possible. You have the greatest range of motion in your arms and shoulders there. And you buy the most time.

You want to gain time and make them lose time.

Shanks, whether one or two handed are almost always due to tension in the shoulders or neck. Relax by dropping the shoulders and exhaling.

Contact passes below the waist, or as low as you can.

Contact hits as high as you can.

Hard approach usually means hard hit

Soft approach always means soft hit.

To make controlled ups on the move, don't let your hands carry the speed of your body. Always remember, "Fast feet slow hands”, especially on a diving situation.

Defend all three touches not just the last one.

Walk a step or two toward the net at the set, then plant and back up if the set is good. This will result in you picking all oversets, as you should. To do this you must be in shape, remember, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all"

Train yourself to explode forward as soon as you see a tape shot.

Balls off the net. Near the top, they'll drop straight down.

Balls near the bottom, they hold up for a half second (sometimes longer)

Most players have 2 shot combinations i.e. an A and B option. For example, a common combo is short/long up the line. Another one is cut /deep angle.

The way to defend these combos is to read what they are by letting him beat you a few times. During this time read his eyes and see if he looks and when he looks if he does. After that make your real defensive play, after he has finished looking. For example, come up when he looks and back up when he looks for his set.

In a shot situation, where the combo is a short or long dink player almost always dink short where they look and long where they don't. Much more touch is required to dink short without looking than long and most players don't have that kind of touch. Defend these situations with a coordinated short/long defensive move with both guys.

Against a player who can only shoot-play exactly in the middle of his two shots (on your side) and give him the last 2 feet on either side. In other words let him have the 2 perfect shots if he can make it-you run down all the rest. If he is hitting the perfect shots, first try to run them down-this may make him try harder and miss. If he is experienced and doesn't let you bother him then you must try and throw some defensive fakes on him. If he has good vision and deception, you'll need to double-team him.

The basic team defenses are the clockwise rotation and the counterclockwise rotation and variations.

The clockwise rotation is just what it sounds like; on an attack from the right -the line digger backs up into a deep line/deep middle position and the angle digger moves up to dig angle and continues to cover short balls in short line. The counter-rotation is the opposite- the lineman moves up to cover dink and then continue to cover angle while the angle digger moves over to cover deep middle and deep line. You can figure it out for the left side attacks.

Co-ed defense. If your opponents attack your woman or feed her all the freeballs you must use her as bait in a defensive trap. The principle of trapping is the offering of an apparent opening to draw an attack, then covering it. Use a rotation scheme-send her in early to cover dink to draw the shot over her head which you cover. The B option, of course is to fake the rotation and then stay home.

When in a fiddle, defend deep middle with the cross-court man. Smack dab in the middle. Most experienced attackers will go there in a scramble.

When you have discovered information about your opponents, use it judiciously and do not squander your advantage foolishly. Use it for important points or the endgame and try never to let on that you have their number.

Early in the game, let dinkers score side outs in front off you. In much the same way as giving gimme putts in golf early and then asking for the 1 footer late in the round, you want the dinker have no rhythm late in the game when you force him to swing by covering those formerly gimme dinks.

Observe the hitters during warm-up. Hitters who hit tight sets down should be easy to block even by a small blocker since their ball passes close to the tape. Allow them to get into a tight set rhythm them then pressure the setter by blocking. When he sets back off the net, pull off and dig. In any case, you have now forced the hitter to hit off the net, something he didn't practice and probably doesn't like as much.

Hitters who hit deep and hard are the toughest to block unless you are tall. They are also much harder to dig than hitters who hit down. The weakness of this type of attack is its lack of angle. Hit hardest of all it has the narrowest angle of attack and can be best defended by both diggers digging in deep and low.

Hide behind the blocker when you start out on a set defensive play. Move to your position at the point when the other setter makes his call, or when the hitter takes his eyes off the court to look for the set.

Lefties favor pulling across their bodies. They can hit this very hard and very sharply, much more than righties for some reason. It is one of the many unique characteristics of lefties, these spiraling spinning moves. Righties tend to be straight ahead types mostly.

Blocking:

The best time for a block is when the pass is close to the net, the set will likely be tight.

On the other hand, sets from deep in the court often come over. Be ready.

Always turn in the direction the ball passes you after a block and be ready. That's where the ball is being dug from.

Try to block with your hands on the beach; forearms tend to be liabilities against smart toolers.

Sense the moment of contact and stiffen your fingers, hand, arms and shoulders into one solid unit to "close" the block. This is also the moment to sweep to a different position if you decide to. Personally, I recommend always sweeping unless it is a straight channel block (to your waiting digger).

Lay your hands softly and back if you sense the ball to be above you and the swing to be downward. This is a soft block and is more like a dig contact.

Keep your arms vertical if the contact point is even with your hands. Just penetrate with your hands only; arm penetration will lose you height.

There are 5 calls on blocks-Angle, line, ball, fake, no block.

Line and angle blocks are obvious. The most common mistake is not going enough, not enough line or not enough angles. Be really obvious, go strong on the move.

If blocking line, block full line and give the complete angle channel. You want him the hit angle to your digger. Signal is usually 1 finger.

Angle blocking is the same. Give big line-big enough to tempt the hitter to hit there, right to your digger. Signal is usually 2 fingers.

Ball or opportunity block is a read block and a read dig. Signal is usually fist.

When the ball is tight-the block ALWAYS goes to the ball. Otherwise there'll be some horrendous hits straight down beside the block.

A good time for a read block is on a pass back off the net, the set will be headed for you and away from the hitter.

Fake block is a straight fake, no matter what the set is. Sometimes the gamble backfires and the set is right on. But if you read the tendencies right, you get easy free balls. Signal is usually 3 fingers.

Fake blocks tell you how a hitter reacts to the possibility of being blocked.

Make the overset/block/fake block/retreat move one continuous motion.

No block is signal is usually open hand.

Always retreat to the side of your blocking assignment if you abort the block. Your digger is leaning to his side already and you mess him up if you don't continue to cover your assigned side.

On fake blocks, always return to your original side for the same reason.

Against good hitters, never reveal your true block until the last split second.

When blocking line, line up on angle and sweep to the line as the hitter swings. Vice versa the other way. Be sure to coordinate this with your digger.

Attack near the post against tall blockers, it’s easier to tool them there.

Tool off tall blockers forearms or pinkies.

Never serve big hitters short.

The taller the player the harder it is for them to handle balls close their bodies. They reach well but don't fold up as well.

Concentrate on side outs in a tough game or at the end of a close game. If you side out, you'll never lose.

Never give up strings of points. Try your hardest to side out after losing a point and even harder after losing two.

Hit your cut shots with a full swing contacting the side of the ball at the 2 o'clock position.

Swing loose and with confidence, tension slows the arm speed and causes errors and lack of power. As Bruce Lee counseled, imagine your arm to be a tentacle attached to your navel.

The harder you hit the easier it is. Not enough topspin is the most common cause of long hitting errors.

Attack from the back row with confidence. All you have to do is hit hard and clear the net, the extra room and the topspin makes it almost impossible to miss.

Always remember, you're not hitting the court but the ball. Look at the ball not the court, and you will eliminate mishits and misses.

Read your court position by the posts.

Dinks with topspin are more difficult to pick-up especially since the defender will most likely be stretched or going with one hand. And the ball will be diving down and spin off the hand.

Take a few seconds to empty your mind before each serve or receive. This eliminates silly thoughtless giveaways.

Always start the game swinging at sets. This gets your rhythm going and you can always dink later since that does not require as much rhythm and in any case works better off power.

A poor pass is more easily recovered from than a poor set. Given a poorer passer or poorer setters to pick on, choose the setter. Disregard the hitting abilities unless both players receive and set equally well.

Always pressure the weaker setter on a team. You can do this without actually increasing the risk of your attack (serving tougher etc) with psychological pressure. A strong defense with a good block always bears on the mind of a shaky setter since he knows that anything less than a perfect set is blocked or dug. The pressure to set even better is often enough to spiritually break him. This is sometimes combined with the pressure from his own hitter if the team is inexperienced.

Signs of a weak setter are subtle when you get beyond the basic techniques of accuracy and so on. The most obvious is the inability to call the offensive signals. This means that he can't see the defense-a great weakness, lethal against any decent team.

The greater the vision, the greater the setter, given the mastery of basic skills such as accuracy. The best setters can see not only the back row, he can see the blocker. Take a peak quickly just before the ball reaches you and you'd be surprised just how much you can see of the blocker. As you gain experience, you will be able to interpret what you see.

In general, pressure the vision of a team whether in the setter or attacker. It is the weakest link in almost all teams.

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:03:46 GMT

Hi everyone! I want to ask for prayer for Haley and me over the next two weeks. We will be traveling to Orlando, Florida tomorrow to visit our Aunt Sharon. We will be helping her move from her mansion to a mere townhouse. She will be going on a business trip later on this week, so that means we will be house-sitting and pet-sitting. Please pray for us as we travel. Also, please pray for safety while we are down there. I will miss all of you immensely! Feel free to call or leave comments while I am gone. I’ll be praying for each of you. God bless