Category: Wizard Interviews

Interviews of Volleyball Coaching Wizards completed thus far.

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Tom Tait

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

Father of the Penn State Volleyball Programs

In the 1970s Tom Tait, a professor of kineseology, took charge of both the men’s and women’s teams at Penn State. They were club programs at the time, but he eventually saw both elevated to full varsity status. After handing off the women’s team to Russ Rose, Tom carried on for several more years with the men before shifting is focus to coaching education.

His resume includes:

  • 6 NCAA tournament appearances, including a runner-up finish
  • 1986 Volleyball Monthly National Coach of the Year
  • 5 times Eastern Collegiate Coach of the Year
  • EIVA Coach Emeritus
  • Member of the inaugural AVCA Hall of Fame induction class

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

– Learning from successful coaches
– The history and development of Penn State Volleyball
– Training attackers to hit with power
– The importance of understanding athlete movement

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.

Tom’s interview is also featured in the following bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Mark Lebedew

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

From the Professional Coaching Trenches

Australian Mark Lebedew currently coaches in Poland after a successful five years in Germany leading the Berlin Recycling Volleys club to new heights. He is also the author of the At Home on the Court blog.

His resume includes:

  • Coaching Australia in World Championships, Olympic Qualifications, Volleyball Nations League, and Asian Championships
  • Winning the German championship 3 times in a row
  • A CEV Champions League bronze medal
  • Experience coaching in Italy, Poland, Germany, and Belgium
  • Teaching around the world as an FIVB Coaching instructor

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

– His philosophy on training
– How he prepares a team for a match
– The life of a professional volleyball coach
– How he uses video and statistics
– His philosophy on goal setting
– Advice for developing coaches

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

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

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Sue Gozansky

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

One of the World’s Most Respected Coaching Educators

Coaches around the world know Sue Gozansky from her tireless efforts in coaching education and development. She is also author of well respected coaching books. All of this is built on a long, successful career coaching US collegiate volleyball and in a variety of international capacities.

Her resume includes:

  • Nearly 700 wins in 39 seasons coaching at UC Riverside.
  • 3 National Championships and a record 20 straight trips to the NCAA tournament.
  • Author of Championship Volleyball Techniques and Drills and Volleyball Coach’s Survival Guide
  • International coaching instructor for the FIVB and for USA Volleyball
  • AVCA Hall of Fame inductee

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

– Developing the team concept and team-building
– Coaching career progression and growth
– Learning and sharing coaching knowledge
– Managing relationships with player
– Training planning and implementation

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

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

Sue’s interview is also featured in the following bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Jefferson Williams

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

Among the Winningest Coaches You’ll Find Anywhere

Transplant Jefferson Williams has amassed a ridiculous amount of silverware while coaching in his adopted country, England. He has also been involved in the English and Team GB programs in a number of different roles over the years, and is considered a mentor to many of the younger generation of U.K. coaches. All this while holding down a day job! His career has overlapped with those of fellow Wizards Ismo Peltoarvo, Stelio DeRocco, and Stephen Pierce.

His resume includes:

  • Won 20 men’s national championships and 15 cup titles in England
  • Won 12 English women’s national championships and 11 cups.
  • Coached the English National Team 1987-2003
  • Additional professional coaching experience in Sweden

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

– The challenges of being a player/coach
– Cultural differences
– Coaching in a place where volleyball is a minor sport
– Coaching education and development
– Working with male and female players

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

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

Additionally, Jeff’s interview is featured in the first Volleyball Coaching Wizards book.

His interview is also featured in the following bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Mick Haley

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

Making Winning Championships a Habit

After enormous success at the Junior College level, Mick Haley became the first coach of a non-West Coast university to win an NCAA Division I National Championship when he did it at Texas. After coaching in the Olympics, he once more led a college team to the top while running the USC program.

His resume includes:

  • 2000 Olympics coach for the USA Women’s National Team
  • NCAA Division I National Championships with two different universities.
  • 6 Junior College National Championships
  • Well over 1000 career victories
  • Member of multiple coaching halls of fame.

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

– Coach development and education
– Working with male vs female players
– When things aren’t as good as you’re used to
– Creating a volleyball powerhouse at Texas
– The influence of the international game on US coaching

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

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

Mick’s interview is also available as part of these bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Carl McGown

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

Changing How Coaches Think About Training

When it comes to influence on volleyball coaching, few can match Carl McGown. His advocacy of training specificity, among other concepts, through his work with the USA National Team program and Gold Medal Squared has changed the thinking and training methods of many coaches all over the world.

His resume includes:

  • 4 decades of USA National Team coaching
  • 2 NCAA Men’s National Championships.
  • Swiss professional league and cup titles
  • AVCA Hall of Fame

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

– Specificity and long-term athletic development
– The difference in performance between the US men and women
– Initial vs. final ability

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

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

Additionally, Carl’s interview is featured in the first Volleyball Coaching Wizards book. It’s also part of these interview bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Simon Loftus

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

Coach of Scotland’s First Ever International Trophy Winners

Simon Loftus started his coaching at the youth level in his native Scotland, but soon was on to bigger things. He developed the Leeds Metropolitan University program which dominated U.K. university volleyball for several years. He then went on to lead the Scottish men to their first ever trophy in international competition. After spending time coaching in the US, he returned to England.

His resume includes:

  • Coach of the England Men’s National Team
  • 2012 Novatel Cup winner as Scottish National Team head coach
  • 6 U.K. university championships (BUCS) and 5 Volleyball England Student Cup titles
  • NCAA tournament appearance while coaching in the US
  • Also coached professionally in Sweden

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

– Developing a coaching style
– Working with male vs. female athletes
– Comparing the US and European systems
– Coaching against lower caliber opposition

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

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

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

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Paulo Cunha

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

High Level Coaching While Teaching During the Day

Paulo Cunha of Portugal may have coached professionally and at the national team level, but through it all his day job was as a teacher. So he knows how to balance the demands of the two careers. Not only does he have a track record of success as a coach, but he has also directed coaching education at the national level.

His resume includes:

  • Winner of 8 league titles, 7 cups, and 6 Super Cups in Portugal
  • First Portuguese coach to lead a team to a European cup final four.
  • 3 times Portuguese Association of Volleyball Coaches Coach of the Year
  • Coached the Portuguese Junior National team

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

– Teaching and coaching at the same time
– Making career decisions
– Managing a team with players of different status levels (pros vs. non-pros)
– Coaching the genders
– Cultural differences in coaching and players

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

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

You can also get Paulo’s interview as part of these bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Stelio DeRocco

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

Pro and National Team Player to Pro and National Team Coach

Similar to Vital Heynen, Canadian Stelio DeRocco became a coach following a career playing volleyball professionally in Italy and for Canada (fellow Wizard Jefferson Williams was a Junior National teammate). He has gone on to have a career at both the club and international coaching levels and has as a coach mentor.

His resume includes:

  • Coached the Australian National Team during the 2000 Olympic cycle.
  • Coached the Canadian National Team from 2001 to 2006, which includes coaching in the 2003 World Cup
  • Won 2 Euro Cups with Montichiari (Italy)
  • Won 2 leagues and 3 cups with Constanta (Romania)
  • Won 4 cup titles coaching in Dubai

Here’s some of what Stelio share discusses in his interview:

– Transitioning from player to coach
– The importance of being consistent as a coach
– Developing a team philosophy and approach
– Training focus over the course of a season

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

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

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

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Giovanni Guidetti

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

Italian Eloquence

Italian Giovanni Guidetti, who currently coaches professionally in Turkey and internationally for the Netherlands, has probably made most of his reputation since leaving his native country. He’s done so at both the club and international level. Though English is obviously not his first language, he speaks quite eloquently on the subject of coaching.

His resume includes:

  • 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League Silver Medal as Head Coach of the Turkish Women’s National Team
  • 2016 Olympic Semifinalist as Head Coach of the Dutch Women’s National Team
  • Former Head Coach for both Germany and Bulgaria.
  • Mulitple CEV Champions League gold medals and FIVB Club World Championships coaching at the professional club level.
  • Twice named Coach of the Year in his native Italy

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

– The need for a coach to be true to themselves
– Being a teacher and a competitor
– Training philosophy
– Developing the concept of team

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

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

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

Additionally, Giovanni’s interview is featured in the first Volleyball Coaching Wizards book.