The Volleyball By Design Podcast

How do coaches relay important information to players in the middle of a match? How do coaches effectively and strategically manage timeouts and in between sets? In this episode, we dive into strategies I wish I knew as an upcoming coach that would have saved me points in matches. In this episode we talk about: What to say during a timeout  Use of clipboard or iPad  Timeout Plans  3 minute plan  C...

Make sure you have a pen handy to take some notes. In this episode, I summarize the major takeaways from 3 days of attending coaching sessions with national team coaches. These subtle changes can actually take your team to another level. In this episode, we dive into: Training the setter  Defense  Out of System Balls  Serving  Training Attacking & Offense  Player Habits  Training the Middle  And a...

In this episode, I share 4 principles of passing that our former guest Dan Lewis broke down in a systematic and simple way. These 4 principles must be present when your athletes are passing. Dan Lewis is a technical guru and one of the greatest volleyball minds around the world and he is in charge of volleyball development in Canada. In this episode, we dive into: 4 Passing Principles  Float vs Sp...

In this episode, we have the privilege of having 3x national champion coach Jessy Satti on the podcast where he not only shares some insight into wining all those championships but he breaks down concepts and strategies that all coaches can get a ton of value from. In this episode, we dive into: 5 phases of blocking Trap Blocking 2 vs 3 step blocking Fire up blocking  60/40 Offensive Strategies  O...

In this episode, I share one key principal and drill that will significantly help your player development especially in the off season. In this episode we talk about: Adaptation Principle  Ball Control Drill  Passing Drill  Modification of drills  And a few more key concepts  Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy  Click here to register for my free workshop Reach out via Instagram @BrianSi...

In this episode, we are privileged to have coach Chris Wilkins come on the podcast and share how he's won 12 championships in a row. Winning 1 championship is hard. Winning 2 championships is even harder and winning 3 championships in a row is rare. Winning 12 championships in a row is unheard of. In this episode, we dive into: Training Regime and Schedules  Culture  Technical & Tactical Systems ...

In this episode, I share a ton of strategies on how to effectively coach younger athletes and the keys to their development. We start as early as 3 years old and you'll hear how we've gotten them to be excited about learning the fundamentals of our game and even have rallies. We dive into: Platform  Structure of session  Depth Perception  Serve Strength Training & Conditioning  Equipment  And much...

In this episode, we have the privilege of interviewing coach Tony Clarke who had an impressive run of 59 straight regular season wins. We dive into how he was able to manage this. We talk about:  Off season  Seasonal Planning  Training Camp Practices  Culture Competition Prep  And so much more  Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy  Click here to join my free workshop Reach out via Instagr...

In this episode, we dive into how to plan, structure, organize and run a successful volleyball tournament. You might be asking yourself, why do I need to know this as a coach? In this episode, I share why it's important for a coach to run a tournament and what it can do your team and club. In this episode we talk about: The importance of tournaments for your team and club  Fundraising  Structure ...

Have you ever been in a situation where the game is close, 23-22 or 21-23. What are some strategies you take to give your team a competitive advantage to win that set? In this episode, I share 7 strategies that can help you in late, close game situations. We talk about:  Mindset  Blocking Strategies  Tactical Advantages  How to communicate strategies with your players mid game  Mismatches  And a f...

Selecting a team captain is an important job. This player plays a vital role in your teams success and there are many factors coaches need to consider. In this episode we dive into: The responsibilities of a team captain  Qualities of a team captain  The intangibles of a team captain  Leadership Council  Rulebook  And a few more key concepts  Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy Click her...

Players getting frustrated and flustered during matches all the time. How can we, as coaches, minimize our players losing their confidence during games but rather embrace when things don't go right and get out of whatever situation they're in. In this episode we dive into: Top 3 reasons why players get frustrated  A plan you can have when this happens  Advice from a all star libero  Preparation  A...

In this episode, we dive into the Opposite position and give you an outline on everything you need to know. This position is important. We talk about:  How to pick your opposite Angle of Approach  Types of sets  Front court and backcourt  Timing  Block  Defense  And a few more concepts  Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy  Click here to register for my free workshop  Reach out via Instag...

In this episode, we dive into exploring the scoring system used by athletes unlimited and how we can implement it in our gym. Topics we cover are:  Assumptions of the scoring system  Individual Stats  How to score each player  MVP and Match points  Cumulative Scoring  And a few other key concepts  Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy  Click here to join my free workshop Reach out via Inst...

In this episode I have the privilege of interviewing National Champion Coach Kevin Ma as we dive into what went into achieving this amazing accomplishment. Some of the key things we talk about are: Pre-Season Serve & Pass 4/5 Training Blocks  Offensive System  Culture  Practice Schedule & Training  Match Preparation  Player Development  And a few other key items  Click here to join Digital Volleyb...

In this episode, I share top apps and tech to help enhance your volleyball team. These apps will help with player development and improve your efficiency as a coach. Some apps we talk about:  Character.ai  Chat GPT Volleyball Stat  iStatVball 2  Data Volley CoachBoard  Coaches Eye/ Bam Video Delay/ Dartfish Volleymetrics/Hudl/ Vidswap WhatsApp Or Telegram YouTube or Google Classroom Wireless Mic C...

In this episode we our privileged to have on former pro player and now Volleyball Strength and Jump Coach Reid Hall where he dives into 4 key areas of strength and jump training that all coaches should know for their players. In this episode we dive into: Strength Training Schedules  Strength Training (Bilateral & Unilateral)  Posterior Chain  Jump Technique  Increasing Power Output  Injury Preven...

In this episode, I share what a coaching audit is and how it can significantly help your overall program and coaching. Things that I cover is: 25+ ingredients of a coaches audit  What it means to run a program  Strategic elements that you may be missing out on And a few more strategies  Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy  Click here to register for my free workshop Reach out via Instagr...

In this episode, we have the priviledge of interviewing Author, Coach and professional sports consultant @JP Nerbun who, since 2017, has dedicated his life to sports culture within a team and organization. He has worked with professional coaches in various sports and has created a system for implementing in your program to sustain strong team culture. In this episode we dive into 5 stages of sport...

It's so frustrating losing points on scattered balls where there is complete chaos on the court. Well, there are actual strategies you can use with your team to help earn points on these situations. In this episode we talk about: Play around the net  Balls dug into the net  Dumps Assessing freeballs  Setter strategies  And a few more key concepts  Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy  Cli...

In this episode, we dive into transition. There are many facets to Transition Offense and we cover the main areas coaches need to be aware of. In this episode, we discuss:  4-6 different types of transition  Footwork  Setter decisions  Basic strategy for running an offense  Different routes for different players  And many more key concepts  Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy  Click here...

An important part of practice is your warm up. When I say warm up, I'm referring to after you do your dynamic stretching or whatever mobility and warm up routine you have for your team. What do you do before you get to the nitty gritty of practice? As coaches we want to make sure we gain our athletes attention and focus as well as have some fun before we dial into the more volleyball related purpo...

I know many coaches will encounter a game in your career where you're going up against a team that you know is better skilled, ranked higher, better players, etc. The important question is, how do you approach a game like that? In this episode, I share strategies and the mindset that I've found to be successful when put in this position. In this episode we talk about: Game Plan  Coaching the game ...

In this episode, I share some research about mental toughness for coaches as well as some strategies I use to try and be a more mentally tough coach. In this episode we talk about:  Define mental toughness for coaches  Characteristics of a mentally strong coach  Strategies to be a more mentally strong coach  And a few other key concepts  Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy  Click here to...

In this episode, I share some important strategies that coaches should be aware of when taking over a team. Even if you're not taking over a team, some of these strategies may help with your current team as well. Topics in this episode include:  Player Personnel Culture  Coaching  Identity  And a few more key concepts    Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy  Click here to join my free wor...