Month: February 2016

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Bill Neville

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Looking back and looking forward

Bill Neville is one of the most respected coaches in US volleyball coaching circles, and probably beyond as well. His long experience in the game provides him a perspective on the sport and on coaching that few can match.

His resume includes:

  • Olympic coach for both the Canadian and US national teams, including for the 1984 gold medal winning USA.
  • Over 15 years coaching NCAA Division I women’s teams.
  • USA Volleyball Technical Director
  • USA Volleyball National Commissioner of Coaching Education
  • Developer of the Coaches Accreditation Program (CAP)
  • Author of Coaching Volleyball Successfully

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

– His favorite memory for the 1984 US Olympic team
– The qualities of a great setter
– Key factors in good coaching education
– Being an innovative coach
– How the game has developed and where it might be headed

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

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

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

Podcast Episode 14: Talking to the team after the match with Tom Turco

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Pre- and post-match team talks have long been the subject of interest and attention, both by those involved in them (players and coaches) and those observing from outside. In this episode our conversation focuses on post-match talks, especially following a loss. It begin with the thoughts of Wizard Tom Turco.

Tom Turco has won 17 state high school championships in Massachusetts, where he has coached for over 30 years. His teams won a record 110 straight matches between 2003 and 2007. Tom was selected as the AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2008 and the NHSCA National Volleyball Coach of the Year in 2012.

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

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Bob Schneck

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Life decisions and coaching

USA coach Bob Schneck spent his entire 35 year college coaching career at the University of Rhode Island. In the early days he had the unfortunate situation of having to face Penn State in conference each year, resulting in him accumulating a lot of second place finishes. Along the way, though, he did manage to get little URI into the national rankings.

His resume includes:

  • Over 600 NCAA Division I victories
  • Coached 32 All-Conference performers, 6 conference Freshmen of the Year, and 2 conference Players of the Year.
  • NCAA District I Coach of the Year twice
  • Long-time member of the USA Volleyball CAP cadre
  • Outstanding high school coaching record before moving to college.

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

– The off-court demands of college coaching
– Work/life balance
– Assistant coach development
– Program building
– Recruiting foreign players

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

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

Bob’s interview can also be found as part of the following bundles:

Podcast Episode 13: Breaking the game in to parts, with Mike Lingenfelter

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In volleyball, as in life, it is often beneficial to break things down in to smaller, more manageable chunks. Mike Lingenfelter talked about this in his Wizards interview, sharing his “High 5” concept of providing his team with five progressive objectives for each set. That idea is the focus of this episode of the podcast.

Mike Lingenfelter is the co-director of the Munciana Juniors volleyball club and coach of its 18s Samurai team. After his own playing career, he started his coaching at the college level, but eventually found his niche in the juniors age group where his teams have won four national championships, were national runner-ups an additional four times, and earned three third place finishes. His high school teams won three Indiana state championships and he was selected Indiana state high school Coach of the Year three times. Mike is a regular coaching presenter and clinician.

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

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Tom Turco

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Coaching the mental at least as much as the physical

USA high school coach is a legend in New England volleyball circles. A major part of his success he attributes to the mental, off-court training he has been doing with each of his teams going back 20 years. It seems to be working pretty well!

His resume includes:

  • 18 Massachusetts state high school championships
  • 110 match winning streak from 2003 to 2007.
  • 2008 AVCA National Coach of the Year.
  • 2012 NHSCA National Volleyball Coach of the Year

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

– Tryouts and making cuts
– Focusing on the mental part of the game
– Staff management
– Working with your administration
– Creating a culture

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

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

Additionally, Tom’s interview is featured in the first Volleyball Coaching Wizards book. His interview can also be found in the following bundles: