Coach Your Brains Out

Thanks for listening and supporting the show!Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching VolleyballThe Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a ChampionBecome a Patron to support the show.

Karch Kiraly, a legendary volleyball player and innovative coach, shares his expertise on player development and ecological coaching approaches. He discusses the effectiveness of the 'Goldilocks' method in training, balancing extremes to discover optimal performance styles. Karch explores the unique techniques of national players, advocating for personal style over uniformity. He also emphasizes creative training environments, like outdoor setups, to enhance adaptability and teamwork, while highlighting the importance of empathy and understanding among teammates.

1:34  - Environmental constraints that Karch had when he was playing volleyball growing up.“Win and keep playing or lose and sit” system4:50 - How the lumpy and hilly sand at East Beach may have shaped the way Karch learned to play.6:26 - How natural obstacles can pose as challenges for athletes to overcome.8:44 - How fatigue played a factor in Karch’s tournaments and his development as a player.14:04 - How did Karch adapt to the many rule changes and even court size changes during the time he played?19:16 - Karch’s thoughts on traditional coaching, and if he wished he had coaches give explicit directions when he was first learning to play.23:40 - Comparing Karch’s current coaching style to the way he learned to play volleyball.27:05 - What Karch is doing to help his players become problem-solvers.Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching VolleyballThe Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a ChampionBecome a Patron to support the show.

3:04 - What Karch has been learning about and focusing on recently.5:55 - How has Karch implemented motivational interviewing while coaching the U.S. women's volleyball national team?If you have an abundance of knowledge and experience, like Karch does, when is the most effective time to share it?10:50 - How Karch’s experience practicing volleyball growing up was different from others’.17:30 - Karch’s thoughts on explicitly showing and teaching the “correct” technique.20:01 - How Karch experimented with different platforms/grips to find the one that felt the most natural.25:12 - Experimenting with different footwork depending on the side Karch approached on to attack.27:21 - Adapting how you play based on your body type.30:30 - Did Karch consciously choose which approach footwork to choose during the play?Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching VolleyballThe Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a ChampionBecome a Patron to support the show.

This discussion features Andy Bass, a baseball coach recognized for his insights on motor learning, and Casey Kreider, a volleyball coach with expertise in practical coaching applications. They delve into the nuances of internal cueing and its role in motor learning, emphasizing the importance of shifting focus from internal to external cues. The conversation highlights the effectiveness of randomized practice conditions and balancing focus to optimize athletic performance. Both coaches share valuable techniques for fostering instinctive actions and improving execution.

1:40 - Helping athletes learn how to handle pressure better (Chapter 15 of Rob’s book)3:18 - Approaching coaches who would rather have “perfect” practices by removing pressure and anxiety within the practices.4:50 - How and when would Rob implement pressure and anxiety?11:41 - Explaining the challenge point hypothesis (Chapter 14), and dealing with obstacles that come with implementing it into practice.12:31 - How can coaches adjust practice activities if they are too difficult/if there is too much failure (especially at the junior level).16:00 - Unique qualities about the volleyball community that have stuck out to Rob.19:18 - What kind of coaching instructions can end up making a player’s vision and serve receive skills worsen?22:21 - How setters and attackers can improve their peripheral vision to improve sets and score more points.25:30 - What inspired Rob to focus this year on interviewing more coaches for his podcast, and what has he learned from them so far?Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching VolleyballThe Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a ChampionBecome a Patron to support the show.

Movement optimization expert Rob Gray discusses topics such as improving athletes' gaze behavior, determining visual perception improvement without expensive equipment, replacing explicit instruction with more effective activities, and the use of overload in promoting change. The concept of attractors and creating new attractors/fluctuators is also explained.

John Mayer, Joe Trinsey, and Kirk Pitman discuss how they plan practice.

John Mayer, Joe Trinsey, and Kirk Pitman talk about how they plan practice.

1:22 - What Dan looks for when he is hiring staff members.4:20 - How does Dan manage the staff when there are multiple coaches that have similar strengths and weaknesses?6:21 - Tips Dan has for effectively communicating with staff members.10:13 - How has Dan delegated work among himself and his staff?19:51 - How does Dan set and implement standards for his team, and how does he communicate with players that don’t meet that criteria?24:33 - How Dan balanced stepping into a new role as a head coach with also becoming a part of a new school with a different culture. Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching VolleyballThe Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a ChampionBecome a Patron to support the show.