was our first match. We were playing in the pouring rain, and the energy was un- like anything I’ve ever experienced.
Mallon: How do you balance the off- court distractions with the pressure to win and compete? Gibb: I’ve worked with a sports psy- chologist for about seven years. His name is Peter Haberl; he’s provided to us by the USOC (United States Olympic Commit- tee). I’ve done meditation stuff where you actually practice focus. It’s hard work. A distraction or bad thought will come into your brain and then you need to bring your focus back on something. There are techniques that I’ve worked on that have helped me out a lot in that. An example would be in a pressure moment, and a thought is, ‘Oh, if I screw this up, if I make an error on this play, we’re go- ing to lose.’ The way I’ve been taught to take this is – that’s a natural and normal thought, so don’t say, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t have that thought.’ That’s not the way you change it. You say, ‘That’s a normal thought. I realize that’s not a thought I want in my brain.’ So what I do is I push it out and bring my focus back to the ball, so I read Mikasa or Wilson on it. And then another thought will come up in your brain and say, ‘If you screw this up, you’re losing this much money,’ or ‘you’re losing the title.’ So you push that out and bring your focus back. It’s a constant battle.
(Jake is alerted to the fact that his Maui bowl has arrived and been sitting on the table in front of him for several minutes.) Gibb: Oh, I didn’t even realize this was
here. That’s how focused I was. What are you going to play at SC? Mallon: Probably libero/outside. I’m a ball- control kid. Gibb: How tall are you? Mallon: 6-2. I’m an outside for club and at Costa (Mira Costa High). Gibb: Is 6-2 too small these days? Mallon: Yeah, people are always calling me too short or too skinny to be an outside, but I’ve embraced it. I’ve kind of used it as, ‘Hey, I’ll show you wrong.’ I kind of like the chal- lenge of being too short as an outside.
Gibb: Do you like beach or indoor more? Mallon: It’s always tough, but I’m a beach kid. I’ve been on a training team for the U19s for three years now. There are so many dif- ferent nuances on the beach. I consider it a tougher sport, and that’s why I like it, because there’s so much I can learn and so much to tackle – and there are only two people. And you need to be such a well-rounded player and have such a high IQ for volleyball. That’s
When I first went out on tour in 2005, I remember thinking I was the big guy on tour. I would hit over everybody and was one of the biggest blockers, and now I can’t hit over anybody. There’s some monsters out there, and you have to adjust or you die. I’ve completely had to adjust my game, and it’s fun, it’s a challenge, but yeah they’re getting bigger and bigger. But the defender is still the same. You need to be quick and you need to have ball control. A good game blocking for me is I get two blocks, a good defensive game is to get six digs. The defender will never die on the beach. A good defender will always thrive.
PHYSICAL STYLE: Jake Gibb, right, has been battling fellow Olympian Phil Dalhausser above the net for 10 years.
why I like it a little better than indoor. There are so many different things you can learn and so much you can improve upon; it never ends with the knowledge you can keep learning. I think Jose Loiola (Brazil Olympian and coach for the U19 beach program) has enough volleyball knowledge for a couple people, yet he’s still learning every day. One of the best athletes in the world is still learning every day, and helping pass it on to us. Gibb: What I love about the beach versus indoor is that you can’t hide your weaknesses. Whatever it is, it’ll be exploited. If you’re a bad setter, they’re going to serve your partner every ball. If you can’t side out, they’re going to serve you every ball. If you can’t pass, that’s going to be exploited. Whereas indoor, you can kind of hide it. If you’re just a great hitter, then you can be one of the best in the world at that, but you might not be able to pass. It’s a different dynamic (on the beach) in that you have to know every single skill set. And that’s a cool thing we have that’s special to our sport. Mallon: And the fact that I’m a little shorter, I like being able to play beach, too, because I don’t have to be the 7-footer. I can be the short- er player and still be able to produce points. Gibb: Well, 6-2 is the size of Todd Rogers, the size of Brink (Julius Brink of Germany), who won the gold medal. 6-2 is right there. Now you just need your 7-foot blocker, and you’ll be good. That’s where the game’s going, they keep getting bigger and bigger.
Gibb: Did you go to U19s? Mallon: I did. We finished ninth. Gibb: Cool to go play and put USA on your chest? Mallon: Yeah, exactly. I had no idea what to expect. I’ve played in club tourna- ments and CIF finals, but never to the extent of being on center court with the crowd and people hollering in your ear. And the cool thing about it is, I’ll be able to go back again next year. Gibb: It sounds a little cheesy, but putting “USA” on your chest, it was the coolest thing I’ve ever done. Before I’d done that, I’d played AVP, I’d won an open, I thought that was everything. And then just doing that, putting that on your chest and go- ing and representing your country, it’s unlike anything else. It’s awesome. Mallon: It was really cool for me, too. I’d never had, like, fans before, or ever expe- rienced anything like that. After we lost to Germany, we were sitting there wiping off the sand, and in comes a pack of 30 kids asking for our autograph. And I made a bunch of friends over there, too. It was cool because we all shared a common bond, because we all worked so hard to get to that point, and then when the tournament was over it was cool to be able to connect.
Gibb: So are you stoked to go to SC? Mallon: I’m really excited. I’ve always been an SC fan. Gibb: I would say this about your college (experience). You have a unique time in your life where you can treat volleyball almost as a profession. You can put all your energy into getting better at volleyball. Which is so cool. Your studies are certainly number one, no doubt. But, you can put everything into it, and you might not ever have that chance again. It’s such a unique time in your life where you get to put all your energy – lifting, working out, drills – into getting better at this awe- some sport. I think it’s awesome. I’d say just take advantage of it.
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