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This week's skill is critical for every coach: finding a practice planning process that works for you to ensure the most optimal practice for your team. Every coach plans practice differently, but what is most important is discovering a consistent process that brings about really great practices. Without proper planning practices invariably falter or lack the necessary organization to be as effective as they could be. In this episode we go into the process that Davis uses to plan his practices and what listeners can take from how he sets up highly impactful practices.

In our scenario segment, we discuss a skill that is underutilized: using evaluations to help yourself and program get better. Often coaches shy away from evaluations because they can be uncomfortable and can expose aspects of our coaching that are not operating at a high level. This is equally why evaluations are important. They can point out our "blind spots" and help us to realize our greater potential. On this episode, Tod discusses how he uses evaluations and how others can learn from their players, other coaches, and parents to help make everyone better.

We always share one great resource each week, and this week it is a great resource from Cassidy Lichtman, a highly successful player for Stanford University, an Athletes Unlimited athlete, and a motivational speaker. Her website, P/ath Sports, is a great source of all types of videos related to the "soft skills" of being an elite performer. Topics include building confidence, identity and empowerment, and becoming a great teammate and much more. The videos on the site are not all from volleyball players, in fact, they are mostly from well-known athletes and coaches from outside of volleyball. The videos are powerful and can really help athletes to reach their full potential.

Skill of the week: How to utilize a process and routine for creating practice plans that are efficient and effective

Scenario of the week: Using coaching evaluations to make everyone better and more effective

The Art of Coaching Volleyball Videos discussed on The VolleyPod This Week focused on AOC founders' ideas about practice planning:

John Dunning discusses how to divide up coach and player roles during practice for the most impact possible: ⁠https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/roles-during-practice/

Russ Rose teaches coaches how to be better at designing practices in the following video: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/practice-planning-and-design-with-russ-rose/

Terry Liskevych goes into how to use 10 segments of practice for efficient practice planning: https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/planning-effective-practices-ten-segments-planning/

The Resource of the Week, P/ath Sports by Cassidy Lichtman, can be found here: ⁠https://www.pathsports.org/