Tag: club

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Gerry Ford

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Volleyball Saved His Life

Gerry Ford is the head coach of the Northern Ireland men’s national volleyball team. He grew up during the Troubles in that country. Volleyball brought together people from both sides of the political and religious divide and gave them a whole different perspective on each other.

His resume includes:

  • Coach of the Northern Ireland Men’s National Team
  • Head Coach at Queens University Belfast
  • Coach of the Year

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

– Making the player to coach transition
– The challenges of being a small sport in your country
– Working with limited resources
– Non-volleyball influence of coaches
– Working when you’re the underdog

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

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

You can also find Gerry’s interview in the following bundles:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Ryan Mitchell

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Relentless Pursuit of Excellence

USA coach Ryan Mitchell embrace a philosophy of constantly striving to be better, to move from good to great.

His resume includes:

  • 5 straight Texas high school championships between 2008 and 2012
  • 6 Coach of the Year selections in Texas
  • 2012 NFHS National High School Coach of the Year and AVCA National Coach of the Year finalist
  • Over 400 victories and an 87% win rate in 10 seasons as a head coach
  • Consistently sees his juniors teams, no matter the age, earn Nationals qualifications.

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

– Being a continuous learner
– Developing players as leaders from an early age
– Season training progressions
– Try-out philosophies
– Team-building

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

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

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

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:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Mike Lingenfelter

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Finding Your Coaching Niche

USA club coach Mike Lingenfelter spent a number of years in the college coaching ranks as both an assistant and head coach following his own playing career. He has really found a home coaching younger developing players at the Juniors level, though. He’s spent over 15 years at the highly respected Munciana program – the oldest volleyball club in the US. There he feels he can have the greatest impact as a trainer and player developer.

His resume includes:

  • Four national championships, four national runner-ups, and three third place finishes with his Juniors teams
  • Three Indiana state high school championships.
  • Indiana state high school Coach of the Year on three occasions.
  • Regular coaching clinic presenter

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

– Evolving as a coach
– Having a culture
– Structuring and managing team tryouts
– Developing team culture and cohesion
– Managing the demands of a long season
– Having a player-first mentality

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

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

Mike’s interview can also be found in the following bundles:

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:

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 Redbad Strikwerda

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

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:

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Craig Faill

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

Building a Successful Program in a Small Country

Craig Faill is one of the most respected coaches in Scottish volleyball. Having worked at a national team level in a country where volleyball is not a major sport, he knows what it’s like to try to maximize the resources available. He’s been able to do that and build a successful program.

His resume includes:

  • Head Coach Scottish Women’s National Team
  • Head Coach Men’s Junior National Team, Assistant to Men’s National Team
  • Nearly 30 years coaching
  • Multiple national titles coaching at the club level

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

– Working in an environment with low support
– Developing a program over time
– Club vs. country conflicts
– Different approaches in coaching female vs. male players
– Being reflective as a coach
– Technical vs game oriented training focus

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

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

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