The VolleyNerd Podcast

Kha Tran not only helps others to keep themselves playing harder and longer through joint health, he also has used the ideas he describes on this podcast to go from having painful, sore knees, to full, pain-free confidence. Many of the ideas Kha recommends on this pod are only now developing larger support in the volleyball community, but they should be in every “VolleyNerd’s” knowledge base. Check out this fascinating talk with Coach and Trainer Kha Tran from Athletic Truth Group and @painfreevolleyball !

Everyone that plays, coaches, or even watches volleyball knows the excitement of watching a stellar defensive team dig tons of balls. In this episode, TVNP Host Davis Ransom examines ideas about how to get your teams to play with relentless defensive intensity. There is so much to think about in this talk, that any VolleyNerd will hear it and leave with something to take action with in their gym.

Michael Bonner has been all around the game of volleyball. He has been a highly successful coach, club director, referee, and more. Through his experience with some of the most successful clubs in Southern California, Coach Bonner has built up an incredible toolbox of information. He joins The VolleyNerd Podcast to discuss how having a wide range of experiences has helped take his coaching to the next level.

Serving is so, so crucial to success in volleyball. Analyzing, in detail, your own approach as a volleyball coach to serving, can really help you and your athletes. From fundamentals and tactics, to mindset and game management, this talk by TVNP host Davis Ransom discusses his manner of approaching serving with his teams and athletes, in hopes of stimulating conversation with others about what they believe about these cool, important questions.

This super practical episode gives coaches games, drills, and ways of thinking about how to train toughness that will make any team better! Many coaches hope for tougher players, and harp on their players to become tougher, and that may work well for some athletes, but highly successful youth coach Luis Cuatok offers a different way of helping our athletes to grow both mentally and physically tougher, and it involves no yelling and screaming or failure shaming. In fact, with these methods the athletes actually like getting tougher!

Loren Anderson from Rise Volleyball Academy takes a different approach to club volleyball. In this episode we explore why volleyball should be viewed as a lifetime game, why adults sometimes need to allow children to learn lessons through experience (even when they know better), and why modeling and influence may be the best teachers for creating lifelong learners.

Loren Anderson is the Owner of Rise Volleyball Academy in Idaho and they do things differently out there! They pride themselves on evoking Joy through volleyball! This enlightening discussion makes me think about why we do things the way we do. Loren discusses the rationale and practical aspects of how Rise Volleyball Academy is so extremely successful in their unique way.

Dynamic, up and coming beach athlete Skylar del Sol talks with The VolleyNerd Podcast about “The Grind” of working your way up the ladder into the elite ranks of beach doubles volleyball. He drops some really cool Inside information about the challenges and joys of being a pro beach volleyball player while still “adulting”. He also shares some really great ideas for players who are trying to make their way to the top rung of beach volleyball, including how to use video, take care of your body, and how to make the best of the conditions and a lot more. Skylar shares how The Grind is tough, but it is also tremendously memorable and rewarding.

Many coaches simply hope that their team’s culture will be championship level. Other coaches are more intentional about creating the culture that is necessary for their team’s goals. In this talk with one of the countries top youth club coaches, Luis Cuatok, we take a look at how to create a really powerful, high-level culture! Based on insights from Jeff Janssen, with actionable steps, this pod is a must for anyone who is interested in team building and the complex nature of group dynamics!

Great talk with Coach Alex Haapamaki from Sweden! He explains how a mentor can help athletes transfer skills from practice to the game and how to help athletes develop their own inner coach. Also we discuss why science is a great starting point, but not an end point when it comes to training in your particular environment. Such interesting views from a coach who is getting it done his own way!

Coach Hawke has a unique viewpoint on how to motivate players that includes essentially no physical punishment whatsoever. On this episode we talk about how coaches can get more out of our players by taking more of a collaborative approach and by taking a few steps back to really determine what motivates us. This one’s a very thought provoking episode that will be sure to make any coach think about how we approach discipline, inspiration, and interpersonal dynamics.

Mental training is so key for high-performing athletes and even younger athletes to make the most out of their sport! Highly successful Coach Ariel Haas has had The ability to put into practice some of the most affective mental training techniques with his teams with a lot of improvement and growth shown from his athletes. In this show he goes through how you can start and thrive with mental training.