Tag: national team

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 Glenn Hoag

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Getting it done for Club and Country

Like Vital Heynen and fellow Canadians Stelio DeRocco and Garth Pischke, Glenn Hoag transitioned from a high level playing career into success as a coach.

His resume includes:

  • Coach of the Canadian Men’s National Team from 2006 to 2016, including leading the team to 5th at the 2016 Olympics
  • Winner of Canada’s first ever NORCECA Championship title in 2016.
  • Bronze Medal with Canada at the 2015 Pan-Am Games
  • Winner of the French League, French Cup, and the CEV Champions League with Paris Volley.
  • Winner of the Slovenian Championship, Cup and MEVZA in 2008 and 2010 with ACH Team
  • Winner of multiple Turkish Championships and a Cup with Arkas Sports Club
  • Also coached university volleyball in Canada, and was named CIS Coach of the Year in 1997

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

– On-going education and mentorship
– Developing a sense to how to play as a team
– Making the change from player to coach
– Working with players at different levels and from 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 Glenn’s interview now for just a $4.99 contribution to the Volleyball Coaching Wizards project.

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

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Garth Pischke

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Coaching as a Continuation of Playing

A lot of people have probably never heard of him, but Canadian Garth Pischke has become one of the winningest colleges coaches of all time during his 30+ year tenure leading the University of Manitoba men’s program. This is after being one of Canada’s best national team players.

His resume includes:

  • More victories in men’s college volleyball than even the legendary Al Scates (more than 1300)
  • 26 trips to the CIS National Championships, winning 9 golds, 9 silver, and 5 bronze medals
  • Head Coach of the Canadian National Men’s Volleyball Team from 1996-2000 and guided them from 21st in world rankings to 10th.
  • Selected to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Volleyball Hall of Fame.

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

– The structure of Canadian volleyball
– The importance of being honest
– Shifting from having a player’s mentality to a coach’s mentality
– Training philosophy
– The use of visualization
– Parenthood and coaching

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

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

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

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Arnie Ball

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Coaching to your personality

USA coach Arnie Ball spent over 30 years coaching at IPFW, primarily with the men’s team, though he also coached the women for several years, and prior to that coached boys and girls in high school. He is father of legendary US national team setter Lloy Ball.

His resume includes:

  • Nearly 800 combined NCAA match victories, more than 500 of which came on the men’s side.
  • Six trips to the men’s NCAA Final 4, including a runner-up finish
  • Three-time conference Coach of the Year and 2007 AVCA National Coach of the Year
  • AVCA Hall of Fame inductee
  • Worked for USA Volleyball in a variety of coaching roles.

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

– Being a demanding coach
– Coaching men vs. coaching women
– Developments in and the future of men’s NCAA volleyball
– Having a star player for a son
– Being professional as coaches

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

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

You can also find Arnie’s interview as part of the following bundles:

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:

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 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 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: