How I Cut Through the Noise as a Young Player
(And How You Can, Too)
When I was younger, I chased the perfect drill. I thought if I just found the right cue, the right coach, or the right technique, I'd level up.
But the truth?
I was collecting drills instead of developing skills.
And that difference is everything.
I didn’t need more information. I needed the best learning environment—one that challenged my decision-making, movement, and mindset all at once.
🏐 Motor learning research today (especially ecological dynamics) shows:
Real game reps > robotic drills
Perception-action coupling is key
Variability builds adaptability
Learning sticks when it’s messy, not perfect
The best learning doesn’t happen in clean, controlled drills.
It happens in chaos. In challenge. In context.
Not a new concept. But CRUCIAL for younger players and new coaches to understand as quickly as possible.
Now?
I design training that reflects the game.
I seek out challenges at the edge of my skills.
I help others get game-ready—not just drill-polished.
So if you’re overwhelmed by all the drills and voices on the internet:
🔑 Start with this:
Does this drill or game help me read, move, and make gamelike decisions?
Am I forced to solve gamelike challenges or problems?
If not, it's likely noise.
Cut through it.
Pro tip: oftentimes, it is the game itself that will give you the richest learning environment available to you.
Sprinkle in competition, intent, desire, dopamine (a powerful learning assistant), feedback, and the resilience required to get through and learn from all these experiences and you have a “secret” combo.
I recall the “road dog” summers playing and competing in beach volleyball as probably the purest form of this as I grew up for the development of my game and skills.
These summers were full of 10+ hours of volleyball, training, coaching, film, lifting a day. Eat. Sleep. Volley. We were ALL IN and lived like pros before we ever made any money.
Win a tournament and have enough money to buy more balls, food, and gas to travel to the next tournament…
More balls in the sack: more opportunities to respond. Countless amazing experiences, travels, and friends made along the way.
Check out my ebook for more about my story and all the best lessons I have learned over 10 years as an international pro. Or follow me: @codykessel as the journey continues!
Credit: I stand on the shoulders of giants who taught me facts not opinions and much more. Carl McGown, Marv Dunphy, John Kessel (didn’t really have a choice with that one 😄), and Gold Medal Squared clinics lit the path. They gave me signal in a world full of noise. Just to name a few.
I’m convinced that I would not have reached the levels I did with the limited time I had to get better if I had not learned, internalized, and utilized these lessons about motor learning in my training.