Month: December 2015

Podcast Episode 10: Captain selection and responsibilities with Jenny McDowell

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The process of selecting a captain and the responsibilities they are assigned are the subject of this episode of the podcast. Audio from the interview of Jenny McDowell in which she shares her philosophy on the subject as the starting point. We then take the discussion into the areas of the importance of the captain role in European volleyball, characteristics of a good leader, development of the captain as a leader, and more.

Jenny McDowell is the head coach at Emory University, which plays in Division III of the NCAA. She has won over 600 wins in her coaching career. Her teams have made 19 straight trips to the NCAA tournament, with four appearances in the Final Four, and a national championships. Jenny has coached 40 All-American player selections and two National Players of the Year.

Feedback, questions, comments, etc. are always welcome!

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Anders Kristiansson

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Mentor to other Coaching Wizards

Anders Kristiansson is a legend in his native Sweden, and has done pretty well for himself in other places as well. He was mentioned by fellow Wizards Ismo Peltoarvo and Jefferson Williams at influential in their own development. He’s also often referred to on The Net Live show as host Kevin Barnett’s coach when he played in Belgium.

His resume includes:

  • 26 combined men’s and women’s championships in Sweden
  • 15 titles in Belgium and 3 more in Greece.
  • 4 CEV Champions League Final 4s, with two trips to the finals
  • Coached the Swedish National Team to silver at the 1989 European Championships, the nation’s best ever performance at a major international tournament.
  • Currently coaching in Japan

Here’s some of what Anders discusses in his interview:

– Improving volleyball for fans
– Understanding good technique
– Coaching in Japan
– Thinking about the psychological aspect of technical development
– Working on team cohesion
– Adapting to different cultures

Play this excerpt for a taste of the sort of insights and ideas you’ll get from the full interview:

Get access to Anders’ interview now for just a $4.99 contribution to the Volleyball Coaching Wizards project.

You can also get Anders’ interview as part of the following bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Axel Büring

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A Rare Club Lifer in the Professional Coaching Ranks

German Axel Büring has had a career of the sort you don’t often see anymore in professional sports. He spent more than 30 years coaching with just one club – the one in his home town where he started in volleyball as a player.

Her resume includes:

  • Started coaching at age 16
  • Coached over 20 years with USC Munster in Germany
  • Won 4 leagues, 5 cups, and a European Cup
  • Coached a world Top-20 ranked German beach team

Here’s some of what Axel discusses in his interview:

– Having a staff that is honest with you
– Changing training philosophy over the season
– Developing the team concept and team building
– Coaching in practice vs coaching in matches
– Working with both indoor and beach players

Play this excerpt for a taste of the sort of insights and ideas you’ll get from the full interview:

Get access to Axel’s interview now for just a $4.99 contribution to the Volleyball Coaching Wizards project.

You can also get Axel’s interview as part of the following bundles:

Podcast Episode 9: Practice plan development with Jan De Brandt

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In this episode of the podcast we take a look at the philosophy of developing a good training or practice plan. In his interview, Jan De Brandt expressed his view that coaches should always be looking for ways to reduce the amount of time in training through effective and efficient use of that time.

Jan De Brandt has coached professionally in Italy, Turkey, Spain, Azerbaijan, and Germany, as well has his native Belgium. He is currently the Women’s National Team Coach for Hungary, having also coached Belgium. Among his coaching accomplishments are winning the European Volleyball League, silver medal in the CEV Champions League, bronze in the CEV Cup, plus league and cup titles in Turkey. Jan started his career coaching men, but switched to women after a few years.

Feedback, questions, comments, etc. are always welcome!

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Marilyn McReavy-Nolen

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A Long-Term Perspective on Coaching

Marylin McReavy-Nolen’s history in the sport of volleyball goes back to the 1960s. She’s coached at a variety of levels, helped develop some of the bigger collegiate programs, and has had the opportunity to work with a number of other great coaches along the way.

Her resume includes:

  • Became the 3rd coach to reach 800 wins in NCAA Division I
  • Member of the inaugural AVCA Hall of Fame induction class in 2003.
  • Women’s Sports Foundation Hall of Fame
  • USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coaches Award winner

Here’s some of what Marilyn discusses in her interview:

– Making important coaching career decisions
– Changes in physical and technical training in volleyball
– The challenges for women in coaching
– The changing influences on the practice of coaching
– Expectations and playing time

Play this excerpt for a taste of the sort of insights and ideas you’ll get from the full interview:

Get access to Marilyn’s interview now for just a $4.99 contribution to the Volleyball Coaching Wizards project.

You can also get Marilyn’s interview as part of the following Bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Jim Stone

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Following Collegiate Success with National Team Work

After a distinguished career coaching in one of the strongest conferences in NCAA Division I volleyball, Jim Stone has turned his focus to working with the future of the USA national team program.

His resume includes:

  • Over 500 wins in 26 year coaching NCAA Division I volleyball, including 3 Big 10 titles and 15 trips to the NCAA tournament
  • Coached two AVCA Players of the Year and 19 All-Americans.
  • Regional and conference coach of the year on four occasions
  • Member of the US National Team coaching staff.

Here’s some of what Jim discusses in his interview:

– Making player assessments in tryout situations
– Putting together a coaching staff
– Managing players who have never failed before
– Developing as a coach
– Comparing the US and other systems

Play this excerpt for a taste of the sort of insights and ideas you’ll get from the full interview:

Get access to Jim’s interview now for just a $4.99 contribution to the Volleyball Coaching Wizards project.

You can also get Jim’s interview as part of the following bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Jan De Brandt

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Men’s Coach Makes the Move to the Women’s Game

Belgian Jan De Brandt is another Wizard who followed a career playing volleyball for club and country with a transition to into coaching. After several years coaching in the men’s game, he made the switch to coaching women and never looked back.

His resume includes:

  • Coach of the Hungarian Women’s National Team and the Belgian National Team
  • Has coached professionally in Belgium, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Azerbaijan, and Germany
  • Winner of the European Volleyball League
  • CEV Champions League Silver Medal
  • CEV Cup Bronze Medal
  • 2 league championships, 1 cup, and 1 Super Cup in Turkey

Here’s some of what Jan discusses in his interview:

– His philosophy of practice organization
– Coaching men vs. coaching women
– Making coaching more than just volleyball
– Coaching across cultures
– Managing the non-starters
– Building a coaching staff

Play this excerpt for a taste of the sort of insights and ideas you’ll get from the full interview:

Get access to Jan’s interview now for just a $4.99 contribution to the Volleyball Coaching Wizards project.

You can also get Jan’s interview as part of the following bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Jenny McDowell

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Lots More Yet to Come

American collegiate coach Jenny McDowell has already inscribed her name in the record books and looks far from done. Despite coaching at an academic rigorous institution, she has amassed and impressive track record of success.

Her resume includes:

  • Over 700 wins in NCAA Division III
  • 23 straight trips to the NCAA tournament, making the round of 16 on 19 occasions, with 6 trips to the Final Four and two national championships.
  • Has had nearly 50 All-American player selections
  • Coached two National Players of the Year

Here’s some of what Jenny discusses in her interview:

– Working in a demanding academic environment
– Selecting captains and responsibilities
– Keeping non-starters happy in a big squad
– Goal setting
– Structuring training through the season

Play this excerpt for a taste of the sort of insights and ideas you’ll get from the full interview:

Get access to Jenny’s interview now for just a $4.99 contribution to the Volleyball Coaching Wizards project.

You can also get Jenny’s interview as part of the following bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Redbad Strikwerda

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Taking a Different Perspective on Coaching

Dutch coach Redbad Strikwerda has had considerable success coaching in his native country and has had the opportunity to coach in top international competition. His philosophy on coaching is different in some ways than others, which makes anyone listening to him think seriously about their own position.

His resume includes:

  • 6 League, 6 Cup, and 6 Super Cup titles in the Netherlands
  • Dutch volleyball Coach of the Year
  • Has coached in the CEV Champions League, CEV Cup, and CEV Challenge Cup
  • Has coached in the European League and European Championships with the Dutch National Team

Here’s some of what Redbad discusses in his interview:

– Whether coaching in training is more or less important than match coaching
– His approach to technical training
– Structuring training over the course of the season
– Thinking in terms of long-term player development

Play this excerpt for a taste of the sort of insights and ideas you’ll get from the full interview:

Get access to Redbad’s interview now for just a $4.99 contribution to the Volleyball Coaching Wizards project.

Redbad’s interview is also available as part of the following bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Ismo Peltoarvo

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Continuing a Tradition in Swedish Volleyball

Ismo Peltoarvo is one of the most successful coaches in his native Sweden. He has followed in the footsteps of one of his coaching mentors and fellow Wizard, Anders Kristiansson. He is currently in charge of the country’s national training center.

His resume includes:

  • Over 20 domestic and international titles coaching in Sweden
  • Swedish Women’s National Team Head Coach
  • Swedish Junior Women’s National Team Head Coach
  • World School Championships Bronze Medals

Here’s some of what Ismo discusses in his interview:

– Avoiding culture or clique splits in the team
– Planning the annual training cycle
– Managing playing time
– The structure and psychology of Swedish volleyball
– Structuring training over the week

Play this excerpt for a taste of the sort of insights and ideas you’ll get from the full interview:

Get access to Ismo’s interview now for just a $4.99 contribution to the Volleyball Coaching Wizards project.

You can also get Ismo’s interview as part of the following bundles: