Dan Mickle on Tryouts and Missed Opportunities

Dan Mickle, head women’s coach at York College (DIII) and lead coach of the USA Volleyball ParaBeach program joins us to talk about tryouts. Dan’s experience in performance psychology and mental skills training gives him a unique perspective. We talk about some of the challenges of tryouts at college, high school and club levels. What opportunities are we missing when we cut an athlete? How might we help them with ongoing roles in the support of the sport? How can better communication make the process better for all? See if you can find something to help with your program.</p> <br /></p>

01:02:16

Craig Friedrichsen uses some torque-y ideas with his U10's team

Coach Craig Friedrichsen joins us for a second visit. Last time we talked about competition with and among our least experienced players. Craig shares a revelation from his recent work helping his U10 players hit the ball harder. We also cover some of his learning from other podcasts and videos and his recent addition of journaling for his team. Maybe we will spark some new thinking for you. Have a listen.</p> <br /></p>

01:04:09

Beach in the City with Beth Van Fleet

Beth Van Fleet joins us this week. Beth is the head coach of the Georgia State University “Sandy Panthers” who completed a successful 2023 campaign with their second consecutive NCAA National Championship appearance. She currently serves as the Chair of the AVCA All-America Committee and as the beach representative on the AVCA Board of Directors. Beth is an accomplished beach and indoor player, having earned Bronze and Silver medals on the NORCECA Beach Volleyball circuit. </p> <br /></p> We talk about coaching and building a beach program, some of the mental aspects of the game and how to help our athletes develop as people and competitors.</p> <br />Come join us for a great conversation.</p>

01:17:36

Connor Swigart on Ecological Dynamics in the Gym

Today, we are talking with Connor Swigart. Connor talks with us about his motivations to start coaching. His Liberty Hurricanes High School Girls are a high performing program in Eastern Pennsylvania. Connor talks ecological dynamics and his curiosity about learning more about this approach to coaching. We talk about expanding range, error amplification and how we might play with constraints and how to help players improve their ability to score.</p> <br /></p>

01:03:43

Lauren Haight on Volleyball IQ Camps, Building Trust and Coach Behavior

In this episode, Lauren Haight joins us to talk high school and club volleyball in lovely Michigan and beyond. The conversation covered developing a volleyball IQ camp for kids, how we might build trust with players and parents, how coaches behave and more. Have a listen.</p>

00:57:15

Jay Hosack talks hosting the Men's Nationals and other topics

In this conversation, Jay Hosack of George Mason joins us shortly after hosting the NCAA Men’s Championships. BJ has worked with Jay in USAV CAP programs and knows he’s an expert at getting his players to achieve their best. We’ll talk about that and other topics, so have a listen. </p>

01:01:06

BJ and Steve - High School Volleyball program musings in April 2023

We’ve been away from the podcast for a while and I’m catching up with converting our live streams to podcasts. This episode features BJ and me talking about high school programs. BJ had accepted a new head coaching and I was at the beginning of our boys’ playoffs here in Arizona. We talk about our programs, goals, sportsmanship and more. </p>

01:03:12

A Whole New League - Cecile Reynaud on the Pro Volleyball Federation, a life of coaching and the future of volleyball in the US

This week we catch up with Dr. Cecile Reynaud. Cecile has had quite a coaching journey. Starting right out of college, she led the Florida State Seminoles for 26 seasons notching 635 victories in that time. Cecile has been heavily involved in coaching education with USA Volleyball and has influenced many coaches around the world. But we’ve buried the lead here. Cecile has recently come out of retirement. As Vice President of Volleyball Operations, she is helping launch the Pro Volleyball Federation here in the USA. We talk about that, some of her volleyball journey and the future of volleyball. Settle in for a fun hour!</p>

01:05:27

A Second Dose of Pepperdine - Rod Wilde's Volleyball Journey - Fort Dodge to NCAA Champ/Coach and beyond

Rod Wilde of <a href="http://Wilde4Volleyball.com">Wilde4Volleyball.com</a> joins us from Madison, Wisconsin this week. After our episode with Tom Sorensen, Rod and BJ connected for our second Pepperdine guest in a row. Rod has a long history in the sport. He was a member of the Waves’ NCAA Championship team and 8 years later won the title again as coach of the Waves. He was the first rookie coach to win an NCAA title after taking over from legend Marv Dunphy. We’ll talk with Rod about those times and other stories, including working with paralympic athletes. Enjoy the conversation!</p>

01:04:19

From Wisconsin to Pepperdine to National Team to Coaching - A chat with Tom Sorensen

This week we talk with former Olympian and current club coach Tom Sorensen. BJ and Tom share their Wisconsin roots and talk about Tom’s experiences, from high school to Pepperdine to the National team. We discuss coaching lessons from Marv Dunphy, John Wooden and Tom himself. You’ll be taping an X on your floor this week after listening to this one. Join us for a fun conversation.</p>

00:56:45