Coach Your Brains Out COACHING THE 99% with John Kessel (2 of 2)
Aug 14, 2025
John Kessel, a renowned volleyball coach and educator, advocates for youth development and impactful coaching practices. He discusses the importance of mentorship and collaboration in sports, emphasizing knowledge sharing to enhance athlete growth. Kessel explores innovative techniques in volleyball training, promoting versatile skills and player enjoyment over rigid specialization. He also highlights successful practices in youth coaching from Japan and Thailand, focusing on creating fun environments to retain young athletes and foster their love for the game.
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River Versus Reservoir
- Sharing ideas multiplies knowledge: swap ideas and both parties gain more than with single items.
- John Kessel frames coaches as rivers who keep learning and flowing knowledge to grow the sport.
Share Secrets To Build The Pipeline
- Encourage coaches to share secrets and ideas openly to build deeper pipelines and long-term team success.
- Use friendships and cross-team learning after matches to adopt small ideas from others.
Hosting Lang Ping To Learn And Connect
- Kessel hosted Chinese gold medalist Lang Ping in his home after she beat the U.S. in 1984 and wanted to learn English and American volleyball.
- He used the experience to prove winning is temporary but friendships and cross-cultural exchange last.