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Growing the Game Together Blog
John Kessel oversees grassroots development and disabled volleyball at USA Volleyball. Watch here for his blog on growing our sport.
Latest The Evolution of the Butterfly Drill
Been thinking about one of the drills that most volleyball coaches and players, with a little bit of experience, known around the world – “Butterfly” More to the point I… Read More
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IMPACT and Clinic Thoughts
Having just done three IMPACT Webinars and a clinic for the Columbia Empire Region, including watching Saturday nite's 6A Oregon State Championships Showdown between Jesuit and West Linn...some core thoughts come to mind with what I am sharing, and want to pass along to all.
My Top 3… Read More
Capitalization Rates, Birthdates and …
One of the first things that came out of our USOC conference for me was to hear from Dr. K Anders Ericsson that Malcom Gladwell was coming out with a new book. Sure enough, I went online and ordered Outliers, due out in a week. It will go along side his other GREAT reads titled – Tipping… Read More
Passion, Burnout and Teaching
I just watched a very powerful ESPN Outside the Lines story on a very special athlete, Elena Della Donne. I strongly urge all Junior Olympic volleyball directors and coaches to watch it, as well as read the story. It has three important threads woven together – burn… Read More
HP Clinic Lessons Shared
So we are in the fourth day of this year's USA Volleyball High Performance Coaches' Clinic and CAP I,II, III sessions here at the Olympic Training Center. Hugh McCutcheon, Tom Hogan and Peter Vint headline a group of our sport's most passionate people in presenting ideas to teach the sport… Read More
The Leave a Ball Behind Program Impact
Today I packed up some volleyballs to send to the deserving programs of the Special Olympics in Jamaica and to coach Wiyaka Chasing Hawk, who is making volleyball happen for kids on the reservation at the Cheyenne River Project in Eagle Butte, S.D.
These donated balls came from the USA… Read More
A Coaching Challenge and Reality
Just back from Milwaukee where over 60 coaches shared two full days of a CAP course. I got up at 3 am to catch a 6 am NW flight there and spent a very interesting part of Friday with the Badger Region Board of Directors and Junior Leaders, sharing ideas on growing the game…
Jenny… Read More
More Street Volleyball Please
Hanging out at this year's NCAA Volleyball Championships in chilly Omaha, Neb., one cannot help but be warmed by the wonderful hospitality of the Cornhusker Nation and Great Plains members. Wednesday night, thanks to Sue Mailhot, commissioner of this region &ndash - which leads all 40 RVAs in… Read More
Growing the Game in Oklahoma
Today's must read is by none other than Malcom Gladwell again - an excellent new article in the New Yorker on effective teaching and "predicting" success that you can access it here on their… Read More
USOC Seminar on Development, Enhance …
Starting tomorrow, a USOC Seminar I have been looking forward to for months, is finally happening. Take a look at this schedule! For those who have taken IMPACT, the names Schmidt and Ericsson have been seen for over 20 years throughout the motor skill section of the manual. The title… Read More
Turning Five Medals in to More Participants
How We Make Decisions
Most of you reading my work over the years understand the importance I place on improving the most important skill in our sport – reading. As in reading the opponent, anticipating, judging what is going on etc. Stu Sherman took me back over 20 years ago to when his brother Craig, on his way… Read More
How to Make Coaches Great
One of the sites I frequent often is posting new videos this week, as the TED conference for 2009 is happening right now. Yesterday I was talking with Andy Pai from our Coaching Education Program department, and realized he did not know of this website, which I share at every CAP, IMPACT ,… Read More
The Art of Strategy
One of the things that I find fascinating is the "volleyball canyon" regarding the mental game. To read about more of these gaps between what the game itself contains, and what coaches train in practice,
To Sit or Stand During Matches?
The Tragedy of the Commons
National Conversations on Good Coaching
Almost a year ago, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA ), a Stanford University-based non-profit organization dedicated to transforming youth sports and USAV Affiliated Organization, joined with USA Volleyball and seven other of the nation's top youth sports groups -… Read More
The Talent Code – Deep Practice, Ign …
Sorry for the long break in postings - with two kids in teen sports (volleyball and lacrosse) both in state playoffs and finals almost upon us (and proms, who can forget THAT cultural right of passage...) and getting ready for the important USA Volleyball annual meetings, time to free range think… Read More
The Loser's Club
The Loser's Club and Playing Blind
One of the things about YouTube is the way contests I would never have had the chance to "see" are now things I can enjoy and learn from. The clip below by a blind piano contestant, who just made the top 12 of this year's Van Cliburn, share today… Read More
Olympism and the New White House Off …
The White House yesterday announced the forming of the Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sports office. I sent out news of this last night to some friends and leaders with the correct phrasing in my opinion of the new formation of the Youth, Paralympic and Olympic Sports office. More than a few… Read More
Tennis Anyone?
Warming up on the beach with your partner has two very powerful messages that indoor players and coaches need to listen to so that more kids find success earlier in the challenges of our sport.
First is the tradition/culture of Dig/Pass-set-hit to warm up with.… Read More
Father's Day and Volleyball
My father was my role model in countless ways, and I have done my best raising my kids as a single dad to follow in his World War II veteran footsteps. Fly Fishing, backpacking, skiing, and more, my kids have also done. It may also come as no surprise that both my kids love to play… Read More
Volleyball and Fly Fishing
I got a new Orvis Helios 3wt recently. Made from the same carbon fiber they use on the Apache helicopters, it is feather light at 1.75 ounces total, and strong as heck, for casting into the afternoon winds along my favorite little streams. The science of technology amazes me, yet in our sport it… Read More
Beachroots Volleyball in Vanuatu
I have come back to where my grandfather, father and a guy named James Michener once travelled and worked. My grandfather John Fitzgerald, based out of the Tahiti, fighting to eradicate the dreaded Elephantiasis disease from all the thousands of islands, for the World Health… Read More
More Volleyball From Vanuatu
Espiritu Santo...Wrecks to Rainforest -- Vanuatu, Discover untouched seclusion and beauty...that is what Carte de Luganville - the map of this town says.... To see and do here? World class diving, SS President Coolidge, Million Dollar Point, pristine coral reefs...game fishing....adventure… Read More
Landslide
What do Tori Amos, Smashing Pumpkins, Dixie Chicks, The Dance, and Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac all have in common? Whether acapella, acoustic guitar, solo piano, or more - each have sung the powerful song "Landslide" in a beautiful way, and those songs I have been playing over and over on my… Read More
Back to My Iowa Grassroots
Reflections on Open Gym
My son Cody is a senior at the oldest high school here in Colorado Springs. We decided together to start a volleyball club at his school this year, to help grow the boy's high school club program. He is also captaining the varsity lacrosse team again this spring, as an attackman, and by my… Read More
Tryouts and Our Deepest Fear
Tryouts can bring out our deep fears, as the talent pyramid begins its inexorable narrowing. From six elementary schools teams, to a couple or so junior high 7th grade teams. From the those junior highs to the one high school program, an onward into the college level. No athlete… Read More
A Long Month of Champions
This is may be the best volleyball "month" in the year -- from late October in Wyoming to mid-December this year in Florida-- as some 49 states host district, regional and then final State High School Championships, while the NCAA and NAIA see their over 1,500… Read More
May We Please Leave a Court Up?
Over 20 years ago I was working with the University of Colorado program, working with several club teams to merge them into a single varsity program. In this process, I reached one of my top 10 goals in volleyball, that of having a single volleyball court always up for any level of play to… Read More
No More Drills, Feedback or Technical Training...
OK coach, hopefully this title has made you click through to this blog to see what the heck I could be thinking here. Please take the time to read and chew on what I am asking you to consider. I will take them in order as each need their own points of consideration.
No More… Read More
The Power of Story & Serving
This is a special weekend for me, as I am working with the best, Carl McGown, as part of his staff at the first Gold Medal Squared Coaching Clinic here at Arizona State University. If you get a chance to attend one of their multi-day sessions - you will come away a better coach, and since the… Read More
The Score Takes Care of Itself
I have been watching my son play up this weekend against the teams in Men's A division here in Colorado. As I marvel at how well 17 and 18 year olds fare against the older, far more experienced men, one key thing comes to mind that we all need to do better. - To play one point at a time. If… Read More
Your Practice Objectives Should not be a Secret
One of the things about being here at the Olympic Training Center is the chance to watch so many other teachers of elite sport and athletes do their thing. As I watch other coaches teach, one thing stands out to me, in that they all are very good at communicating, storytelling, and player… Read More
To Build Up or Tear Down - Lessons i …
Before dawn last Monday morning I was on my laptop, connected to USA Volleyball's office with Office Communicator, when I saw I was getting a call from an unknown number and area code. I answered, and found myself talking to Byron Shewman, head of our Starlings USA program. He had been in Haiti… Read More
Specificity & Simplicity
To grow the game, and importantly your skills as a teacher/coach of sport, it is best to seek the effective practices of those who have gone before, and those smarter than you, so that you can stand on their shoulders and see even farther. With the advent of the Internet, there is a lot of chaff… Read More
The Cumulative Effect
I have been watching the Winter Olympics as much as my travel and work schedule allows, and have been struck by some of concepts I would like to share. How much everything matters and how important it is to hustle to the very end, and how nations support their national teams and programs.
… Read MoreStuff Happens
Flying back from a great clinic in the "Hittin Mitten" I did with Hugh McCutcheon and Gary Sato. Signed all sorts of USAV Logo banners for the kids in our clinic - "Citius, Altius, Fortius," as these are all USAV Jr. Olympic Volleyball players -- hopefuls to be future Olympians....and they… Read More
Establishing a Culture of Play
One of the more important principles to focus on in youth sports, especially volleyball, is to create an environment which encourages play. The value of play, from "street soccer" as best seen in Brazil but really found worldwide, to "pond hockey" in Canada and "driveway or playground hoops" or… Read More
LTAD, Michael Jackson and the CAVB
Symbolically I start this blog as I am flying over Olympia, Greece, one of my… Read More
Developing Amazing Leaders Too
Some of you who have taken an IMPACT course from… Read More
Three Word Coaching Philosophies
The Player Who Knows WHY Beats the P …
Last week I found myself with my kids, headed over Wolf Creek Pass, the ski area still patchworked with deep snow, as my son drives over the Continental Divide - and I get to work on the laptop. We are returning from several days working the Native American Volleyball Academy, run by the… Read More
100 Years of Volleyball Research Secret
This week finds me in Edmond, Oklahoma, somewhere on Tornado Alley (noted in part by the bright green “Severe Weather Shelter” signs in the gyms we are working, for the 2010 World Sitting Volleyball Championships. We have made it through days of set up, and an inspiring opening… Read More
IMPACTing Learning
Growing Through Our 3rd Season of Webinars
You know, USA Volleyball (USAV) has maintained a web presence since the mid-90's, starting with the help of Tom Jack at www.volleyball.org and progressing through our current partnership with Read More
USAV Youth & Mini Volleyball
USAV Youth & Mini Volleyball
One of the things we find at USA Volleyball is that given the size of our nation and the number of things we do in our sport (Paralympic, Olympic, Beach, Youth, Seniors, Coaching, Officiating, Diversity Inclusion – like boys, Starlings USA and… Read More
Never be a Child’s Last Coach
Last week at the LTAD Conference in Canada, I found it most intriguing that of the many ideas I shared, the one that resonated the strongest was the title of this blog. After my keynote speech, just about every following speaker noted it in some fashion, tying it into their own… Read More
Put Your Money Where Your _________ Is!
Most people are familiar with the saying in the title of this blog, and would fill in the blank usually with the word "mouth". I'd like to commend two of our USAV Region Commissioners for filling in the blank also with the word "commitment".
Both Joe Williams, Commissioner of Delta… Read More
What Am I Thankful For?!
What Am I Thankful For?
At this time of year, this is a reflective question we all ask ourselves. Beyond the always appropriate, traditional and truthful “Family, Friends and Good Health”, lies one more thought for me.
What got me thinking about what… Read More
Wishing You all a Happy Holiday Season!
Breaking BEACH CAP NEWS! Misty is in!
Breaking BEACH CAP NEWS!
USA Volleyball Coaching Education and Beach Departments are thrilled to announce that back to back Olympic Gold Medal Beach athlete Misty May-Treanor will be attending the USA Volleyball Beach CAP Level I course in Kansas City at the AVCA Convention!
… Read MoreCoaches Came Out of the Woodwork.....
Coaches came out of the woodwork.....appeared in droves (herds?!) ...filled the classrooms and gyms with capacity crowds at last weekend's four, yes FOUR, Coaching Accreditation Program courses around the country.
CAP Level I coaches enjoyed sessions presented by CAP Cadre members Cecile… Read More
Thoughts on Warming Up - Practice & Pre-Match
I am a month into coaching my 14 team, I call them the Fourteeners, after our 52 highest 14,000 foot plus mountain peaks we have here in Colorado, including the snow shrouded one right out the USA Volleyball office window known as Pikes Peak. I figured I would simply share what I wrote my team,… Read More
...I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore....
NEW CAP Course Dates just Posted!
- Jan 7-9 in Leesburg, FL - CAP I & II and IMPACT with IMPACT Instructor Training on the 7th.
- Jan 9 in San Diego, CA - Special Starlings Program Hybrid…
Read More
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Ohana & Play
Happy New Year everyone….I am thinking about the chance to give young players a love of the game is perhaps the most important job of any coach along the path of each athlete’s development. This fostering of passion for volleyball is made easy by the very nature of this game,… Read More
Comments: 0Top Ten Serving Secrets
So I spent the last four nights in Hartford, Connecticut. Snowfall of a greater amount in the storm than any other time in recorded history. Temperatures lower than any time in the last six years. So the aptly named Winterfest Tournament took place on over 20 courts in the Convention… Read More
Comments: 0Reading & the HP Clinic Redux
The last few days of the High Performance Clinic here at the Olympic Training Center brought back memories of a joke Craig Sherman, former Univ of Missouri head coach, pulled on me in the late 1970s at a USA National Development Camp. As head coach, I had spoken at… Read More
Comments: 0Tuesday Tips for the Coaches of Chaos
Greetings. In meetings with our Region Services staff, I have been expressing my desire to help the teachers of sport in separating the wheat from the chaff. There is so much information out there, that great reads, videos and ideas get lost. So this weekly blog is simply done to help… Read More
Comments: 0Tuesday Tips for the Coaches of Chaos - 3.22.11
Fooled by Randomness
Readers of this blog may tire of how often I keep reminding us that by choosing sport as a way to develop leadership and character, that we must not forget that the outcome is out of our control, no matter how hard we work. We are now in “March… Read More
Comments: 0Promoting Volleyball
Promoting volleyball is a duty of every coach and player. Luckily, we have a great lifetime sport to share with others.
There are lots of material on the USAV website, including the handout on "Why USAV is the Right Choice," and the "Volleyball Basics Guide." Articles like "How to Stage a… Read More
Comments: 6Tuesday Tips for the Coaches of Chaos - 4.26.11
It’s an eclectic Tuesday here, maybe reflecting the week we have in store for us which has included coaching at a qualifier, attending the USOC National Governing Body Best Practices Seminar on Governance, assisting the NORCECA Board of Administration and Executive… Read More
Comments: 0A Change of Seasons
So dear team, our club season has come to an end, including my time to be in practice and competition guiding your development and training. It is time for you to coach yourself, figuring things out implicitly, with a little bit of guided discovery from a crafty mentor as a partner… Read More
Comments: 8Tuesday Tips for the Coaches of Chaos 5.3.11
Jimi and Melissa
So I am sitting in the U.S. Olympic Training Center Aquatics 006 room in Colorado Springs, and there is a huge picture of Jimi Flowers and Melissa Stockwell at the Beijing Olympic Natatorium during the 2008 Paralympics. The loss of Jimi to a mountain… Read More
Comments: 0Summer Volleyball Options
So with Regionals done for every USAV player, congrats are in order to those advancing on to Nationals, or on to USAV High Performance programming. This blog is for the rest of you who wonder what is best to do this summer....and for those programs which may be playing indoors in a June… Read More
Comments: 6Tuesday Tips for the Coaches of Chaos 5.10.11
Coaching Behaviour: Last night I did a final IMPACT webinar, and at some point we talk about the “TV Test” aka the “Grandma Test” or the “YouTube” test – as in, would you want your action to be seen on TV, YouTube or have your grandmother hear… Read More
Comments: 0Bionic Warriors and Heroes
This week begins one of the more special annual events held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, the Wounded Warrior Games. No time for Tuesday Tips for the Coaches of Chaos, sorry. This event is just mega-important to the volleyball family. That said, this Thursday is a… Read More
Comments: 1What Can a Player Control?
This week my son Cody is playing in his first ever college matches for Princeton. He has been touching base lately about his concerns about playing at this next level, which will be played against California teams like UCSD (who Princeton has not defeated in over 11 years) Long Beach and… Read More
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