The Volleyball By Design Podcast

This episode is taken from my annual coaches clinic called DVA Live where Jesse Elser presented to our group of coaches and delivered such valuable insight that had the coaches wanting more. In this episode he dives into:

• Creative volleyball 
• Expectations & Culture 
• Successful Drills 
• Season structure & practice structure 
• Roadmaps 
• Systems 
• And so much more 

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In this episode, we are privileged to have Amy Angelos on who has been an assistant on some top programs in the US including the university of Michigan. We talk all about analyzing video for match prep as well as player development. We dive into: 

• Tendencies 
• Rotation 
• 20-20 rule 
• Serving strategy 
• Charts 
• When to pause video 
• And a few other key concepts 

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In this episode we're going to talk about the hugely popular game called 9-Man that is generally played over the summer. And we are privileged to have a veteran 9-Man coach Hank Ma who shares some amazing insights. We dive into:

• Some brief history on 9-Man 
• The rules of 9-Man 
• How 9-Man volleyball can be applied to indoor 6v6
• Strategies and Tactics that can be taken and used in 6v6
• How to train certain skills
• And a few other concepts 

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In this episode, we dive into different strategies you can use on both offense and defense when dealing with free balls. As the game evolves, countries are getting more creative in handling free balls and putting their teams in a better position to score. We dive into: 

• Free Ball Transition 
• Free ball Placement 
• Attacking on 1 and 2
• Different attacking options for freeballing 
• And a few other main concepts 

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Fundraising is such an important part of your program and I know many coaches are hesitant because they either don't know how to fundraise or don't think it's worth the time. In this episode we dive into:

• The importance of fundraising and how it can lead to more success for your team 
• Tournaments 
• Camps 
• Strategies on the best fundraising ideas 
• And many more concepts 

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In this episode, I share my top 10 team drills I like to do in our gym. These drills are used by some of the best in the world and although some of them are mine, many of them are taken from some of the best volleyball coaches. In this episode we dive into: 

• Drills that cover all 6 skills of our game 
• Discuss the fallacy of drills 
• Scoring systems 
• Multi-skill variations 
• And a few other key concepts 

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In this episode, I break down covering from the ground up and teach you how to train your team to be great at this skill. We dive into: 

• 3 Important factors of covering 
• Tactical Covering 
• Auto-Coverage 
• A Coverage Drill 
• Common Mistakes 
• Eye Sequence 
• Strategies 
• And a few more concepts 

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In this episode, we dive into how and what you should be looking at when watching film of your team. This can be a long process and if you're not sure what to look for, it can be extremely frustrating. In this episode we talk about: 

• Differentiating match prep and film review 
• Analysis for young players vs experience players 
• Analyzing player positioning 
• Mechanics and Technique 
• 6 Volleyball Skills 
• Rotation 
• Offense & Defense 
• Coaching and Game Breakdown 

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After being at VNL and in our national team gym, I've gotten a chance to connect with some of the top players in the world from many different countries. I asked them what was it about their favourite coaches that made them great. In this episode we dive into: 

• Top characteristics of the best coaches 
• Things players did not like from coaches 
• And a few more key concepts 

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I had the opportunity to attend the 2024 International Coaching Symposium in Ottawa where I got a chance to listen to top coaches from around the world. In this episode, I share the big takeaways from the weekend that I think coaches will find valuable. We dive into: 

• Intentional Practices 
• Mental skills training 
• Blocking - some great cues 
• 6 on 6 with intention 
• Drills 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode we have the privilege of having Coach Mark Lebedew on who is a wealth of knowledge in our game. With a ton of championships under his belt and as a national team and professional coach, he beings a great perspective to the game. He also provides a ton of fantastic resources for coaches at www.marklebedew.com

In this episode we dive into:

• Off Season 
• 8 Week Training Program 
• Practice Planning
• Match Prep
• Drills 
• And a few more great topics 

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In this episode, I teach about a tool that I've been using this year which is also used by pro and national team coaches. It's a more intentional and focus developmental model so you can maximize athlete development. We dive into:

• What an athlete matrix is
• How to create one 
• The benefit to player development 
• The phases of the 6 skills 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode, we talk about the power of video delay and how easy it is to implement in your training. Video delay has significantly helped improve player development and enhanced skill based drills. In this episode, we dive into:

• How to set up video delay in your gym 
• The cost of everything involved in setting up video delay 
• How to effectively use video delay 
• A more effective and efficient passing drill 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode we dive into not only the benefit of using the split step to improve blocking, defense & passing but we talk about the keys and steps to using the split step. We talk about:

• Change in height 
• The difference between the standard way and using the split step
• Moment of weightlessness 
• When to use the split step 
• And a few more key points 

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In this episode I share my experience with the pancake, why it's so important to train it and how they're teaching it in the national team gym. In this episode we dive into:

• How to teach the pancake 
• Why it's so important 
• The number #1 defense against Tips 
• Drills to practice it 
• Embracing the pancake and knowing why and when to use it 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode, we have the privilege of having US National Team and Head Coach of Loyola University John Hawks who dives into some great insight on coaching. We talk about:

• Practicing with intention 
• 7 different systems 
• Practice Planning 
• Taking over a program 
• Culture 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode, we are privileged to have back on the podcast 2 time national champion Brock Davidiuk with his most recent national championship coming this year. In this episode we dive into:

• Off Season 
• Training Camp 
• Strength & Conditioning 
• Culture 
• Match prep 
• Club Volleyball 
• And a few more key concepts 

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We are privileged to have on the podcast, Micah Ma'a who walks us through the principles of setting and how to train the position. We dive into:

• 3 principles of setting 
• Hand placement 
• Decision making 
• Training the setter position 
• Match Prep 
• Experimenting 
• And a few other key concepts 

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In this episode, we dive into how to effectively run off season training sessions. We talk about 2 situations where you know the team that's coming back or if you're doing more of an open gym style training. We dive into:

• Player Assessment 
• Reps 
• Tracking Performance 
• Video 
• Gym Atmosphere 
• Structure 
• And a few more important details 

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In this episode, I'm privileged to have Texas Longhorns associate head coach David Hunt on in which we dive into what went into their program that helped win back to back national championships. We talk about:

• Difference between mens and Womens volleyball 
• Off season training 
• Training Camp 
• Practice environment 
• Match Prep 
• Culture 
• And a few more key concepts 

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This episode was inspired by a conversation I had with a coach who talked about a team running like a machine. In this episode, I dive into how structure, discipline and intention leads to a successful program as well as wins. We dive into:

• Pro Practices 
• College Practices 
• Club/High School Practices 
• Players intention in practice 
• Coaches structure and intention in practice
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode, I'm privileged to have a player from my team join us who created his own stats system to help tell a better story of the match to help him improve more efficiently. In this episode we dive into:

• 5 different volleyball stats 
• How stats can tell a different story 
• +/- of a player 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode, I share my biggest takeaways as a college coach that hopefully you can implement in your program to make it stronger. In this episode we talk about:

• Players 
• Admin 
• Coaching Staff 
• Yourself as a coach 
• And a few more key concepts 

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Decision making is a vital part of being a setter and there is a lot that goes into this skill. In this episode, I dive into 20 strategies you can use to help your train your setter with their decision making. We discuss:

• 20 different strategies 
• Off court and on court 
• Understanding player personnel 
• Film 
• And so much more key concepts 

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In this episode, I'm joined by my two top assistant coaches on staff where we discuss and reflect on our past season. We dive into: 

• What went well this season
• What didn't go well
• What we learnt from this season 
• What we're going to change next season 
• And a few other key concepts 

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In this episode, we are privileged to have an extremely technical coach who understands the game at a high level - Coach Mark Hopper. We dive into the technical aspects of single blocking and how to maximize your opportunity to block the ball by looking at certain cues. We discuss: 

• 1st and 2nd read of individual blocking 
• Step by step process to individual blocking 
• Drills to help improve blocking 
• Practice - structure and mindset 
• Offensive scoring with a block 
• And a few more key concepts 

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This is part 2 to an episode I did back in May 2022. Structuring your rotation can give you a tactical advantage and it's important to know how to do this with the personnel you have on your team to maximize your team's strengths. In this episode we dive into:

• Common rotation mistakes 
• Where to put your best LS attacker and Middle 
• Tactical advantages to player placement with rotation 
• And a few other key ideas 

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In this episode, I break down a common question I receive from coaches. How do you balance strength training in your season with practice? In this episode we dive into:

• Benefits of strength training for volleyball 
• Before or after practice? 
• Club, High School and College 
• Vertical Jump Training 
• The Posterior Chain 
• And a few more key concepts 

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What can we do as coaches to create additional wins for your players besides winning the match itself. In this episode, I share some creative strategies as well as encourage you to implement incentives for your players to celebrate post game. In this episode, we talk about:

• 3 Incentives for your team 
• The rationale and benefit to your team using this framework 
• Serving, impact, and a few more key concepts 

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On this episode, we have national and pro player Daenan Gyimah who discusses a variety of great insights for coaches. We dive into:

• Best quality in coaches 
• Practices 
• Middle position (Offense and Defense) 
• Match Preparation 
• Culture 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode, I share 4 drills and go over the philosophy of using multi-skill drills in your practice. Working with a lot of European coaches, I share with you their experience and how multi-skill games have significantly helped with their player development. In this episode we dive into:

• 4 Multi-Skill games 
• How to incorporate this concept into your gym 
• What skills should you focus on
• And a few other key concepts 

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Storytelling can play a significant factor in impacting your players and not having this in your program is reducing the impact you could have. Some players game improves just by being moved by a story. You never know how this can impact a player and the more stories you share, the better your chances of more players being motivated to be better. In this episode we dive into: 

• The importance of storytelling 
• Some important facts of story telling 
• Strategies on telling stories 
• How to effectively impact your players 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode, we dive into selecting the right players for your team. We all know it just takes 1 person to ruin the chemistry, morale and overall experience of your team so we want to make sure we do everything in our power to assess players on multiple different levels. In this episode we talk about:

• Team Identity and Culture 
• Roles 
• 4 Corner Development Model 
• Interviews 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode, I share my big takeaways from the annual AVCA coaches convention. So if you didn't get to attend, there may be some great nuggets in this episode. I also share my takeaways from the national championship game. In this episode we dive into: 

• Drills
• Net play 
• Out of System
• 6 on 6 
• Passing 
• National Championship breakdown 
• And a few more key concepts 

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When I was a young coach I never had a guide to know what I should be doing in order to set my program up for success. I didn't even know the difference between coaching a team and running a program. This episode teaches 1st and 2nd year coaches the ingredients to a successful program and a step by step blueprint on steps they should take in order to put the foundation in for a winning program. In this episode we dive into:

• Seasonal Planning 
• Program Planning
• Yearly Training Plan 
• Ingredients to a Successful program 
• Creating Experiences 
• Vision and Mindset 
• And a few other key concepts 

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In this episode, we dive into the vault of a previous episode I recorded back in 2020 to help coaches with preparing for tournaments. There are simple strategies you can use to set your team up for success during a tournament. In this episode we dive into:

• How to improve mental performance 
• How to maximize match prep at tournaments 
• What can players do prior and during tournaments to prepare 
• Some tactical things you can do to help your team 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode we talked about arguably the most important position in volleyball. This position is responsible for all 6 of the major volleyball skills. In this episode we dove into: 

• How to select your Leftside 
• Key features of the Leftside 
• Leftside Passing 
• Leftside Attacking 
• Leftside Blocking 
• Leftside Transition 
• Leftside Defense 
• Leftside Setting 
• Leftside Serving 
• Thinking about the game 
• And a few more key concepts 

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Feedback is important and understanding how to deliver feedback can affect the development of your athletes. In this episode we dive into different types of feedback and strategies to delivering effective feedback. We talk about:

• The 2 different types of feedback 
• Principles of Feedback 
• Practice vs Game 
• Video 
• Common mistakes coaches make 
• And a few other key concepts 

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The deciding set is always exciting and there is a lot of pressure on your athletes to perform. There are strategies that coaches can use to come out on top in these pressure sets. In this episode we dive into: 

• Strategizing for the 5th set 
• Mindset 
• Lineups 
• Matchups 
• Timeouts 
• And a few other key items 

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Doubt is something that unfortunately is far too common with coaches and I want you to understand it's normal and you're not alone. In this episode, I break down and share strategies that coaches can use anytime this thought comes to your head. What can you do to ensure you're doing everything in your power for your team. We dive into: 

• What can you do to help your team improve 
• Film
• Status Quo 
• Trauma 
• Habits 
• And a few other key ideas 

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In this episode, I dive into strategies that you can implement when coaching a smaller team in terms of height. We dive into:

• Blocking Technique 
• Serve and Pass 
• Middle Strategies 
• Offensive Mindset & Strategies 
• Speed 
• And a few other key concepts 

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In this episode I share some strategies you can use for post game analysis so you can strategically focus on what you need to do to help your team get better. We discuss: 

• Top 4 stats 
• 20-80 rule for serving 
• Film 
• Play by Play for runs 
• Software 
• Body language 
• Important moments in games 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode, I share a lot of insights from discussions I had with college coaches at a tournament I hosted. In addition, diving into how to think about your match-ups and breaking down an important skill of attacking with a block. In this episode, we dive into:

• Deciding lineups for pre-season play 
• Development vs Winning 
• How to set up your match ups while thinking about all 6 rotations 
• Strategies on attacking successfully against a block 
• Drills you can use to train these skills 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode, I dive into strategies that you can train your athletes to do depending on common situations that happen when the other team has the ball. We dive into:

• The 3 weakest offensive rotations 
• Always double blocking in various situations 
• Identifying the other teams weaknesses and being intentional about blocking
• Common middle attacks 
• The role of the libero when trying to maximize front court blocking 
• And a few other key concepts 

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In this episode I walk you through training the setter from the ground up. We talk about: 

• Footwork 
• Initial Stance 
• Training the hands 
• Reading 
• Systems 
• Decision making 
• Location 
• Out of system 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In past episodes, we've spent a lot of time talking about serve receive strategies and have had some amazing speakers talk about this topic. In today's episode, I share the top serve receive mistakes I've found in gyms so you can address them early and help your players improve their passing. The main topics covered are:

• Common mistakes with hand passing 
• Common mistakes with platform passing 
• Communication 
• And a few more key ideas 

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Reach out via Instagram @BrianSingh_CoachB

After being around a handful of national champions from the pro level to collegiate level, I've composed a long list of habits and the mindset of many champions who are coaches. This episode is meant to share similarities of all these amazing coaches to help you shape your coaching mindset and elevate your game. In this episode we talk about:

• 10x and not 2x'ing your growth 
• Training like a championship coach 
• Ingredients to their programs 
• Identifying your unique ability 
• Building the appropriate systems 
• And so much more 

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In this episode, I walk you through things you should think about when determining which formation is the right one for your team. We dive into

• Difference between the 3
• Strengths and Weaknesses 
• Factors you need to consider when choosing a formation that's best for your team 

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I've talked about the power of video software in previous episodes, but I've never talked about how you can use it in practice to develop players faster and more efficiently. In this episode we talk about:

• Developing every player on your roster 
• How to easily access and organize film based on player 
• Different types of softwares you can use 
• And a few more key concepts 

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In this episode, we are privileged to have Pro coach and former US technical coordinator on the podcast in which he shared some vital information for coaches to pay attention to in practice. And he dives into how to train it so you can maximize your teams ability to score. In this episode we talk about:

• Assessing your team 
• Understanding level of play 
• 3 Important metrics and how to train them 
• Offense before defense 
• Training Regime 
• And a few more key concepts 

Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy 

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Reach out via Instagram @BrianSingh_CoachB