There’s value in watching a world-class player like Jiri Popelka break down volleyball. Excellence isn’t limited to one court or one discipline. The same habits that shape a great athlete echo across music, business, and life. Here are eleven ways to pursue excellence, drawn from Popelka’s approach and enhanced by lessons from other fields.
1. Study great teams and players
Excellence leaves fingerprints. Watch how elite athletes carry themselves, how they handle adversity, and how they celebrate success. The same applies in business—studying Amazon, Disney, or the San Antonio Spurs offers a blueprint for culture and performance.
2. Use video as a classroom
YouTube is a gold mine. Volleyball highlights, clinics, and tutorials offer insights you might not see elsewhere. A guitarist might slow down Clapton’s riffs; a point guard might replay “Professor Pick-and-Roll” Chris Paul’s choices. The domain differs, but the principle remains the same.
3. Take something from everyone
Every opponent and teammate teaches you something. Maybe it’s resilience, maybe it’s technique, maybe it’s poise. Borrow what works, discard what doesn’t. Bruce Lee said, “Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own.”
Abraham Lincoln said, “I learn from everyone; usually what not to do.”
4. Draw and write it down
There’s power in sketching a play or jotting a note. Writing forces clarity. Coaches fill whiteboards; musicians draft notation; doctors scribble case notes. Writing helps learning stick.
5. Learn from better, more experienced players
Humility accelerates growth. Playing with or against stronger athletes exposes gaps in your game—and shows what’s possible. In medicine, apprentices shadow experienced clinicians. In sport, raise the competition. “Iron sharpens iron.”
6. Read deeply in your field
Excellence isn’t only built on sweat—it’s also built on thought. Books and articles on volleyball strategy, psychology, and training add depth. A team that understands the history of the game plays with context. Leaders in every domain read widely; coaches and players should too.
7. Individual training matters
Team practices set the foundation, but greatness grows in the hours alone—extra reps, focused skill work, conditioning. Kobe Bryant’s “blackout workouts” built the base for his public brilliance. Volleyball players who spend time refining footwork and ball control away from the team elevate their ceiling.
8. Evaluate yourself honestly
Excellence requires reflection. After a match, ask: What did I do well? Where did I break down? How did I respond under stress? Journaling or video review makes improvement concrete. The same cycle drives progress in music rehearsals, surgical training, and corporate strategy.
These four questions from “The Leadership Moment” deserve attention:
- What went well?
- What went poorly?
- What can we do differently next time?
- What are the enduring lessons?
9. Study your opponents
Knowledge reduces surprise. Scouting hitters, tendencies, and rotations prepares you for what’s coming. Warren Buffett studies competitors before investing. A chess master learns an opponent’s favorite openings. Preparation narrows the margin for error.
10. Communicate—because you can’t win alone
Volleyball is a six-person game. Without constant talk, trust, and connection, cracks appear. Businesses collapse when departments become silos. Families falter when silence grows. Excellence demands collaboration and communication.
11. Stay motivated
Excellence is not a sprint but a marathon. Motivation wanes; find ways to rekindle it: a new drill, a fresh book, an inspiring mentor, or simply asking why you started. Great teams refresh their purpose every season; so do individuals.
Excellence doesn’t care whether you’re on a volleyball court, writing code, or running a company. The principles cross domains. Coach Popelka’s advice isn’t only for volleyball—it’s for anyone who wants to raise their game and compete at a higher level.