Today’s podcast is a long one. Loren Anderson joins us to talk about motor learning, the Contraints-Led Approach to Coaching and some of the science behind how we can coach. Science evolves as we experiment and learn, so if you’re curious, you might enjoy our close to 2 hours with Loren.

Our intended guest, Dr. Oana Coman had some technical challenges, so BJ and I talk about how we use our day jobs to inform our coaching. We also talk about tools we use and how we challenge our thinking about coaching on a continuing basis. We talk about figuring out “what matters” for our situations and maybe yours as well. Have a listen…

Our guest and co-host were both a bit under the weather. So we slogged through and had a good discussion about how to help our high school players overcome some of the challenges they face with passing and other skills.

This week we talk with Pete Wung, Ph.D. about volleyball coaches who have other pursuits in their life and apply all they have learned to the craft and science of coaching. You’ll need to be a little patient because the technical crew (me) made a few errors at the beginning of the conversation. But it’s all good and we hope you’ll learn as much as we did.

Coach Ray Vance joins us. Ray talks about his evolution from PE class to volleyball coach. His range from club to secondary to all college levels gives him great perspective on the game. What are some ways to use statistics and performance data to help players improve? Which ones matter for your team? How to grow the game at the grassroots level? We cover that and more.

Heidi Anderson, PE Expert and Esteemed Volleyball Coach joins us to share her perspectives on teaching the sport. We talk about coaching duties including the admin tasks and how you might deal with them. We notice how prepared or unprepared athletes are for tryouts. And then there is the third rail topic of blocked and random practice. Check it out.

David Cordes joined us in November of 2021 to talk about a number of topics. We were pretty new at this and took a little while to get things sorted out…and you’ll hear some of that. Most of the conversation focused on the role volleyball can play in the life of our young athletes. They come to the team as individuals and we help them become good teammates while respecting their individuality. David is a wonderful guy, so listen to his perspective.

BJ and I have had camps over the past couple of weeks. We had some interesting challenges and thought we would compare notes on what we learned and maybe what we’d change.

Coach Craig Friedrichsen joins BJ and me to talk about competition with and among our least experienced players. Craig is coaching a 10’s team this year and we cover a broad range of coaching ideas to help young players grow and have fun. We share ideas and stories of things that work and some that don’t. Maybe we will spark some new thinking for you. Have a listen.

Mark and BJ spend some time helping me out with ideas for how to set up a camp for 6-12 grades. There are lots of unknowns (staffing, number of kids, court availability). So, we’ll be looking to be flexible and agile. We also discuss developing programs at small schools. Have a listen to three coaches sharing ideas.

Sara Lippitt of Dig and Swing Podcast and CAP III certified coach, joins us to talk about youth volleyball. We talk about “tough” coaches, coaching younger players versus high school players. What are ways we can help them have fun and stay with the sport? How do we fight the biases of how you were coached? What do we do if players and parents expect what we consider “toxic” coaching? Check it out.

Coach Mike Murphy of Prentice High School in Northern Wisconsin joins us to talk about small town programs. We talk about his volleyball history, how he developed his coaching skills and his path to developing a fun and successful program with high levels of player and coach trust. Take a listen…

Sue Gozansky, author of the Volleyball Coach’s Survival Guide and USAV Cadre Member joins us to talk about learning as coaches in our coaching journey. Sue talks about her coaching history, her latest coaching work, being an assistant after being a head coach for 40 years or so and other fun topics. Check it out!

Neal Emminger of Intensity Volleyball Club (IVC) in Atlanta joins us. Neal will share his experiences in club, high school and college ball. We will discuss getting started and growing the Beach game and delve into coaching and parenting college level volleyball athletes.

We are on our own this week. We talk about coaches, over-coaching and some of our blind spots, How might you teach exercises like speedball more effectively. What about summer camps and how to conduct them? In the last half, we challenge the “there is no I in team” mindset. Is is always team before the individual? Or maybe we should focus on bringing mentally and physically healthy players into the team? We’ll explore that a bit. It’s a challenging discussion, so stop by and check it out.

Carmelo Dela Fuente joins us to talk about the basics of Data Volley. We'll also talk through some thinking about statistics and how to use them to help your players grow. This one has some demonstrations online, so if you are interested, you may want to have a look at the YouTube livestream recording later on.

Mark Kirlin joins us. Mark brings a wealth of high school and club coaching experience to this session. We will talk about what valuable lessons we have learned as coaches and what we would have told our younger selves about coaching. We hope it helps you. So, join us

Loren Anderson joins us today to talk about his experience at the Paralympic Sitting Team Training Center. The shift in perspective will change how you think about learning. Take a listen. It will change how you help your players learn the game.

This week BJ and I are on our own. We talk about ways to grow the sport and share some ideas on getting more kids into playing. Maybe our conversation will spark some ideas for you. So, come join the conversation.

Dan Mickle rejoins us to discuss performance psychology and how to help good players become great players. Dan also discusses his work in paralympic beach and college indoor coaching.

In this episode, Ray Lewis joins us. Ray has a unique volleyball journey in progress. Ray’s experiences include an NAIA Championship, winning the SIAC Conference Championship in his first year and starting two D1 Mens’ programs. He is one busy coach. So join us to learn more.

Daryl Adams joins us to talk about his coaching journey and working in diverse and economically challenged communities. Culture differences that coaches might miss can make a big difference when working to build trust with athletes and other coaches. 

In this episode, we explore reasons that coaches use punishment and consequences in their coaching. We are joined by Heidi Anderson, John Kessel, David Cordes and Loren Anderson, who share their thoughts, experiences and learnings.

As we begin uploading our back catalog, Dave McGee, Head Coach of the Hollins University Women’s Program joins us. Dave and BJ share some reflections on Carl McGowan, charting, learning from mistakes, coaching philosophies, strategy and more. Dave shares some really useful ideas about eye work and focus and how to improve his team’s performance.

David Roper, Head Coach at Colleton Prep Academy in South Carolina joins us to discuss ideas for newer coaches working with existing teams. We cover coaching with Covid, ideas for warmups, scouting and more.