Tag: university

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Al Scates

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A Legend Among Legends

When it comes to institutions in the sport, few can match the 50 years Al Scates led the UCLA men’s volleyball program. Over that time he not only did he win a ton, a number of his former players went on to become successful coaches in their own right.

His resume includes:

  • Over 1200 career victories
  • 19 NCAA Championships
  • 5 Coach of the Year awards
  • AVCA Hall of Fame inductee
  • International Volleyball Hall of Fame inductee

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

– Lots of volleyball history!
– Game training vs blocked
– The legend of the blue curtain
– What’s most important elements for competitive success

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

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

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

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:

John Dunning on defining team culture

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At the Art of Coaching Volleyball clinic in Fort Worth, TX (held at TCU), John got a chance to sit down with John Dunning, Terry Liskevych, and Russ Rose for a set of interviews. They were not full Wizards style interviews – which generally go 1:30-2:00 hours in length – but they addressed some similar themes. We’ll be releasing clips from those interviews on our YouTube channel over time – five of them this week.

Here’s the first, featuring John Dunning talking about developing and enforcing team culture.

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Dave Shoji

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A Coaching Institution

Dave Shoji is Hawaii volleyball. For more than 40 years he’s been at the helm of a college program which is always at or near the top of the annual attendance figures rankings, with thousands of people coming out to watch his teams play. How many of us would love to coach in front of crowds like that?

His resume includes:

  • More NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball wins than anyone (approaching 1200)
  • Four national championships and over 30 trips to the NCAA tournament
  • 12-time conference, 10-time region, and twice national Coach of the Year
  • AVCA Hall of Fame inductee and named on of the all-time great coaches by USA Volleyball in 2002

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

– Staying in one position for so long
– The pressure of coaching where there is a lot of fan support
– Dealing with problem personalities in the team
– Remembering that coaching is about the players, not about the coach

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

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

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

Volleyball Coaching Wizard John Corbelli

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Assistants Get Credit as Well

John Corbelli is the first interview of someone who has primarily been an assistant coach through is career, notably being a part of a spouse coaching duo. He is well respected as one of the best trainers around.

His resume includes:

  • More than 20 years as assistant coach to his wife at Texas A&M (nearly 500 wins, and almost 20 trips to the NCAA tournament – 2 Final Fours, 30 All-American selections)
  • Three years as an NCAA Division I head coach in his own right.
  • Assistant to Arie Selinger for the USA Women’s National Team during the 1984 Olympics

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

– The qualities of a good assistant coach
– The culture of Hawaiian volleyball
– Coaching with and against your spouse
– Incorporating structured and game-like training approaches

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

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

John’s interview is also available in 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 Terry Pettit

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A Legendary Program Developer

Terry Pettit is a legend in US coaching circles not just for his success at the University of Nebraska where he built a powerhouse, but also for his work since then in helping coaches develop and grow. Among other things, he is known as perhaps the only poet-coach in volleyball, and his writings present a unique view on coaching and leadership.

His resume includes:

  • Nearly 700 NCAA Division I victories
  • Winner of over 20 conferences championships, six trips to the Final 4, two runners-up finishes, and a national championship.
  • 3-time AVCA National Coach of the Year and 9-time conference Coach of the Year
  • 2004 USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coaches Award winner
  • AVCA Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Author of Talent and the Secret Life of Teams; The Journey to Extraordinary Coaching; and A Fresh Season – Insights Into Coaching, Leadership and Volleyball

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

– Recruiting philosophy
– Developing volleyball in Nebraska
– Situational coaching
– Developing problem-solving situations rather than telling
– Exercising both the cooperative and competitive sides
– 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 Terry’s interview now for just a $4.99 contribution to the Volleyball Coaching Wizards project.

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

Volleyball Coaching Wizard Teri Clemens

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A coaching career cut short

USA coach Teri Clemens only had 14 seasons coaching at NCAA Division III Washington University before health reasons forced her retirement after achieving an .873 win percentage (#1 among retired coaches in all the NCAA). Teri’s energy and enthusiasm are obvious in her interview.

Her resume includes:

  • Seven NCAA Division III National Championships, including six in a row
  • Over 500 NCAA career victories
  • 3-Time AVCA Division III National Coach of the Year
  • AVCA Hall of Fame inductee
  • Winner of 3 straight Missouri state high school championships before moving to the college ranks.
  • Author of Get With It Girls! Life is Competition.

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

– Creating a competitive environment
– Developing strong servers
– Season training progressions
– What she looked for in the recruiting process
– Team-building
– The differences in why men and women play sports
– Goal setting

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

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

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

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: