Tag: professional

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 Anders Kristiansson

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

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

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

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

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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

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

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 Ruth Nelson

Posted onAuthorVolleyball Coaching Wizards

Developing Volleyball’s Future Generations

Ruth Nelson coached at the highest levels of the sport in the college, professional, and national team ranks. Recently, though, she has turned her attention to coaching kids at the very beginning of their journey and says she’d never go back.

Her resume includes:

  • Over 500 wins in 16 years of NCAA Division I coaching
  • US Women’s National Team assistant coach under Arie Selinger and Head Coach of the US Junior National team.
  • Coached in the US professional league Major League Volleyball
  • AVCA Hall of Fame inductee

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

– Being a new sponge in terms of your development
– Reasons for avoiding early specialization in young players
– Being a trainer vs. a coach
– Working with the new generation of athletes

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

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

Additionally, Ruth’s interview is featured in the first Volleyball Coaching Wizards book. You can also access it as part of 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 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: