From The First Chair Podcast

In this episode, Frank & Thierry welcome MVC 17U girls Head Coach John Spack to discuss the impact of his very successful summer program, Broaden Your Horizon. 

 

(0:50) - John's bio

 

(1:06) - What is senior club volleyball?

 

(2:05) - Why did John start coaching volleyball?

 

(4:08) - Why does coach Spack work primarily with girls?

 

(5:15) - Having worked with Frank, does John have a related funny coaching story?

 

(7:10) - Why is coach Spack still very passionate about the game after all these years?

 

(8:35) - What lessons would John like to share with his younger self?

 

(11:07) - How does coach Spack keep learning and developing as a coach?

 

(12:10) - What can be learned from watching the NCAA female game?

 

(15:40) - What is John's coaching philosophy?

 

(17:45) - How did the Broaden Your Horizon program begin?

 

(20:50) - How has BYH evolved through the years?

 

(23:30) - Why do the athletes find the program so beneficial?

 

(25:20) - How much time does coach Spack spend preparing the details of every session?

 

(28:30) - How are the athletes assessed?

 

(30:00) - Where does BYH fall within the blocked to random continuum?

 

(34:50) - How can an athlete combine BYH, physical preparation? Is beach volleyball somewhere in there?

 

 (40:00) - What can a club coach learn from a program like BYH?

 

(44:20) - How can more alumni give back to the game by getting involved on the coaching side?

In this episode, Frank & Thierry welcome Team Canada Medical Coordinator and Athletic Therapist Melissa Healy to discuss the role of an athletic therapist, common injuries, prevention strategies and more. 

 

(1:23) - Which teams from the national men's program was Melissa overseeing this past summer?

 

(3:10) - What were some of the major challenges Melissa had to deal with this past summer?

 

(4:31) - Is dealing with injured athletes a challenge or a stressful situation?

 

(5:45) - What are some differences between summer programs and the National Excellence Program in regards to athletic therapy?

 

(7:55) - Did Melissa play volleyball growing up?

 

(8:50) - How did Melissa's passion for athletic therapy develop?

 

(12:25) - What are some of the main differences between physiotherapy and athletic therapy?

 

(14:15) - How do an athletic therapist and a physiotherapist collaborate with national team athletes?

 

(16:00) - What are some of Melissa's guiding principles when it comes to treating a condition?

 

(18:20) - How does Melissa deal with some of the national team athletes that have practically no off-season?

 

(23:20) - What are some common injuries that an athletic therapist must deal with?

 

(25:45) - What are some of Dan Lewis' tips in terms of prevention and maintenance to extend an athlete's career?

 

(28:20) - How long should a pre-practice routine be for a club athlete?

 

(33:22) - Should it be integrated within the practice time with younger teams or if time before or after practice is limited?

 

(34:00) - Any other general prevention tips?

 

(36:30) - What are some ways to accelerate the rehabilitation process or to work around some injuries?

 

(44:00) - Should an athlete that is dealing with a chronic injury still be involved with a summer program or should healing the injury properly with rest and rehabilitation be the priority?

 

 (47:15) - How should a coach handle an injury situation during a critical match?

 

(50:10) - What are a few exercises or stretches that athletes should do in regards to the shoulder?

 

(53:00) - What are a few exercises or stretches that athletes should do in regards to the knee?

 

(54:05) - What are a few exercises or stretches that athletes should do in regards to the ankle?

 

(56:10) - Is having an athlete lead the pre-practice protocol a good strategy?

 

(57:15) - Any final general tips for coaches to consider?

In this guestless episode, Frank & Thierry discuss their various summer engagements and what they learned through these enriching experiences.

 

(1:14) - Have you listened to most of our episodes released this summer with stellar guests?

Episode 37 with Kerry MacDonald

Episodes 38 and 41 with Ian Eibbitt

Episode 39 with James Sneddon

Episode 42 with Shayne White

Episode 43 with Matt Schnarr

 

(2:30) - What did Frank do this summer in terms of coaching?

 

(6:31) - What did Thierry do this summer in terms of coaching?

 

(10:08) - Why should all coaches participate in a summer program?

 

(11:37) - What are Thierry's main takeaways from the summer?

 

(12:20) - Why is planning so important?

 

(16:40) - Is physical preparation the biggest limiting factor with summer programs?

 

(20:40) - Why is connecting with coaches and athletes so critical?

 

(24:50) - What is the impact of open communication?

 

(26:48) - Is there a gap with serving and defending with our male provincial athletes and what can be done about it?

 

(35:15) - What are Frank's main takeaways from the summer?

 

(35:45) - What is Frank's favourite book of the summer?

CYBO Book

 

(38:09) - How the Team Ontario values can impact athletes and coaches? 

 

(39:09) - Is recovery equally important for coaches?

 

(41:40) - Why being a mentor is so conducive to being a learner?

 

(45:25) - Why is changing so difficult?

 

(48:08) - How can one individual impact a big system like the OVA summer programs?

 

(50:38) - What are a few things coach St-Denis will particularly focus on in the coming club and school season?

 

(53:08) - What are a few things coach Lavigne will particularly focus on in the coming club and school season?

Dans cet épisode sans invité, François et Thierry élaborent au sujet de leurs engagements estivaux et partagent quelques apprentissages pertinents.

 

(1:25) - Avez-vous écouté les épisodes publiés au courant de l'été avec des invités remarquables?

Épisode 34 avec Vincent Pichette (épisode en anglais)

Épisode 40 avec Éric Daniel 

Épisode 37 with Kerry MacDonald

Épisodes 38 and 41 with Ian Eibbitt

Épisode 39 with James Sneddon

Épisode 42 with Shayne White

Épisode 43 with Matt Schnarr

 

(3:30) - Quelle est la structure des programmes estivaux de volleyball en Ontario?

 

(5:58) - Quels ont été les projets dans lesquels Frank s'est investi au courant de l'été?

 

(8:04) - Quels ont été les projets dans lesquels Thierry s'est investi au courant de l'été?

 

(10:00) - Pourquoi tous les entraîneurs devraient s'investir dans un programme estival?

 

(11:37) - Quels ont été les principaux apprentissages pour Thierry en participant à ces projets?

 

(12:30) - Pourquoi la planification est si importante?

 

(15:50) - La préparation physique est-elle le principal facteur limitant des programmes estivaux?

 

(20:21) - Pourquoi un lien affectif avec les entraîneurs et les athlètes est-il si important?

 

(24:28) - Quel est l'impact d'une communication ouverte entre les entraîneurs?

 

(26:12) - Y a-t-il un manque au niveau du service et de la défensive avec les athlètes masculins provinciaux et que peut-on faire à ce sujet?

 

(34:15) - Quels ont été les principaux apprentissages pour Frank en participant à ces projets?

 

(34:35) - Quelle a été la lecture préférée de l'été à Frank?

CYBO Book

 

(35:50) - Comment les valeurs d'Équipe Ontario peuvent avoir un impact significatif sur les athlètes et les entraîneurs?

 

(37:25) - Est-ce que la récupération est tout aussi importante pour les entraîneurs?

 

(39:35) - Pourquoi être un mentor est-il si propice à l'apprentissage?

 

(43:37) - Pourquoi est-il si difficile de changer?

 

(45:35) - Comment est-ce qu'un seul individu peut influer sur un grand système tels les programmes estivaux de l'OVA?

 

(48:06) - Pour quels éléments particuliers est-ce que Frank accordera une attention particulière lors de la prochaine saison de volleyball scolaire et civil?

 

(51:36) - Pour quels éléments particuliers est-ce que Thierry accordera une attention particulière lors de la prochaine saison de volleyball scolaire et civil?

In this episode, Thierry welcomes Mohawk College women's Head Coach and Team Ontario Black women's Head Coach Matt Schnarr to discuss the value his involvement with the provincial program, multi-sport athletes, college recruitment and more. 

 

(1:00) - How is Team Ontario Black doing so far with its summer training?

 

(1:55) - What is a typical training day for Team Ontario Black?

 

(3:42) - What are the main teaching points for coach Schnarr with this 10 day training camp?

 

(5:52) - What is Matt working on personally as a coach this summer with the provincial team?

 

(9:50) - Why is coach Schnarr always trying to recruit multi-sports athletes?

 

(11:17) - How did Matt successfully play 2 collegiate sports?

 

(13:03) - Why did coach Schnarr become an assistant coach so quickly after his collegiate career?

 

(14:09) - How did Matt become a head coach in his second year of coaching?

 

(15:55) - How did coach Schnarr manage athletes that were ex-teammates and really good friends?

 

(16:39) - What were some early lessons as a coach?

 

(18:30) - To what does coach Schnarr attribute his teams' success through the first decade at Mohawk?

 

(20:20) - Why did Matt coach college and club and act as technical director?

 

(21:33) - As a young technical director, how did coach Schnarr interact with older coaches that had more experience than him?

 

(23:40) - How did getting involved with the regional and provincial programs impact his coaching approach?

 

(25:12) - How did Matt come to coach both the men's and women's team at Mohawk?

 

(27:05) - Why did coach Schnarr switch to the women's team full time after that double year?

 

(30:10) - Is there a difference between coaching a male athlete versus a female athlete?

 

(34:48) - How difficult is recruiting at the collegiate level?

 

(39:35) - Is the collegiate level often a gateway to the USports or NCAA level?

 

(40:44) - What does coach Schnarr believe about the collegiate reality between the OCAA and RSEQ?

 

(42:06) - From a tactical standpoint, how different is it to coach at the collegiate level?

 

(45:36) - How did Matt develop his coaching philosophy?

 

(47:51) - What is the next challenge for coach Schnarr?

In this episode, Frank & Thierry welcome Waterloo Warriors Men's Head Coach and Junior National Team Assistant Coach Shayne White to discuss high performance coaching, data driven planning, athlete profiling and more. 

 

(1:00) - How is training going with the Junior National Team that is preparing for the U21 World Championships?

 

(1:44) - What is Shayne working on personally to become a better coach?

 

(3:34) - What did coach White learn from coach Joao Bravo, given his extensive volleyball background?

VNL Symposium 2019: Joao Bravo - Defence and Reception: Training Cue Reading and Technical Skills

 

(5:25) - Is trying to execute simply but very efficiently the present trend in volleyball?

 

(7:20) - Did Shayne value sound fundamentals as an athlete too?

 

(8:40) - Did footwork skills transfer well from soccer to volleyball?

 

(10:00) - Should the indoor club season start later?

 

(14:30) - How did Shayne start his coaching career?

 

(17:15) - When did coach White come to the Ontario Volleyball scene?

 

(18:53) - What were some of the first lessons learned at the university level as a coach?

 

(21:49) - Does coach White have a scientific or mathematical degree that pushed him to use an analytical approach to make decisions?

 

(22:40) - What are some lessons learned from assisting Chris Lawson for seven years?

Episode 27 with Chris Lawson

 

(26:00) - Why did Shayne take on a indoor development role with the OVA?

 

(27:44) - How did his work with the OVA change his coaching style?

 

(29:55) - As a former Canada Games Head Coach, what advice do coach White have for the next candidate?

 

(34:17) - How did Shayne's seasonal planning evolve over the years?

 

(36:50) - What are some specific examples of shifting focus from winning first to athlete development first?

 

(41:20) - How can a 14U coach incorporate load management in his or her planning?

 

(44:50) - How does coach White individualize his planning to provide maximal help to each athlete?

 

(49:10) - How can a club coach profile his or her athletes to maximize development and long term success?

 

(55:58) - What are the statistics that are particularly important for Shayne? How are they tracked and how are they utilized?

 

(61:55) - How does coach White design drills initiated by a poor passes?

 

(63:50) - What is different for the athletes when they are training to defend versus a 1 pass or a 2 pass?

 

(66:00) - How is cue reading trained particularly with middles in regard to defending against a perfect pass?

 

(68:15) - When and how are post-game stats shared with the athletes?

 

(70:40) - Are any stats shared with the athletes during a match?

In this episode, Frank & Thierry welcome back McMaster University men's Assistant Coach and Youth National Team Assistant Coach Ian Eibbitt to discuss leadership. 

 

(0:48) - Check out previous episode with Ian Eibbitt on team culture

 

(1:57) - How did being a captain and a platoon chief helped Ian define his definition of leadership?

 

(4:36) - What kind of leadership did coach Eibbitt foster as a platoon chief?

 

(5:55) - What is a broad definition of leadership and what does a good leader do?

 

(10:02) - Many good resources are available online to help with the definition of leadership

Simon Sinek TED talks of leadership (part 1, part 2)

Simon Sinek presentation on why leaders eat last

The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle

The Captain's Class by Sam Walker

 

(11:15) - What were some of the first lessons on leadership that Ian learned through his firefighter experiences?

 

(14:22) - How can a coach or an athlete develop core values that are conducive to being a good leader?

 

(17:32) - Why is the dominant leader approach less prevalent in present times?

 

(20:48) - What are other ways coaches can develop their leadership skills?

 

(22:20) - How can leadership be developed with athletes?

 

(30:50) - How do you identify your leaders within your team or organization?

 

(33:50) - When should leaders be identified?

 

(36:35) - How does a leadership council function?

 

(38:15) - What are some potential obstacles a leadership council approach could produce?

 

(44:48) - How are the responsibilities divided among a leadership council?

 

(47:33) - What are coach Eibbitt's thoughts about choosing a captain through a team vote?

 

(48:38) - How should the court captain be chosen and how does it relate to leadership?

 

(51:16) - How would coach Eibbitt deal with an athlete complaint about a team leader?

 

(52:35) - Who should lead the on-court communication during matches?

Dans cet épisode, Frank et Thierry accueillent Éric Daniel, ex-entraîneur de l'équipe nationale française et entraîneur du Pôle Espoir de Languedoc-Roussillon à Montpellier pour discuter du développement technique du jeune volleyeur.

 

(0:33) - Épisode 29 avec Jocelyn Trillon

 

(1:50) - Bio d'Éric Daniel

 

(2:20) - Quel est le meilleur souvenir d'Éric en tant que joueur?

 

(4:54) - Pourquoi est-ce que M. Daniel a muté sa carrière de joueur en entraîneur à un si jeune âge?

 

(6:56) - Est-ce qu'Éric préfère entraîner des jeunes volleyeurs en développement ou des athlètes professionnels?

 

(8:22) - Comment est-ce que M. Daniel a ajusté son approche en fonction du niveau des athlètes?

 

(9:05) - Comment est-il possible de motiver un athlète qui ne maximise pas ses efforts et sa performance?

 

(13:43) - Quelles sont les priorités techniques du développement de l'athlète français?

 

(20:05) - Pourquoi est-ce que le volley français mise davantage sur le «sideout» et la relance?

 

(23:43) - Comment est-ce qu'Éric développe un attaquant polyvalent?

 

(27:35) - Comment est-ce que les jeunes athlètes français développent une force de frappe si impressionnante?

 

(31:27) - Comment est-ce que l'aspect psychologique de l'attaque en puissance est développé?

 

(34:10) - Quels sont la fréquence et le volume d'entraînement musculaire d'un athlète du Pôle Espoir?

 

(37:32) - Qu'est-ce que le concept de leçon mis en pratique régulièrement par l'entraîneur Daniel?

 

(39:55) - Comment est-ce que le service est développé en France?

 

(45:24) - Quel est l'âge idéal pour spécialiser un athlète à une seule position?

In this episode, Frank & Thierry welcome Volleyball Canada's Director for Athlete and Coach Pathways James Sneddon to discuss coaching certification, Smashball, Safe Sport, a club recognition program and Women's National Excellence Program. 

 

(1:05) - James' bio

 

(1:20) - What pushed James to pursue volleyball at a very young age?

 

(2:45) - What position did James play?

 

(3:25) - How did James' education background help him progress in his volleyball endeavours?

 

(4:01) - At what stage in his playing career did coach Sneddon know he was eventually going to coach?

 

(5:20) - What are some lessons that coaching at Capilano College taught James?

 

(7:40) - What does his role at Volleyball Canada as a Manager of Sport Development entail?

 

(9:00) - Why was the change in the coaching certification pathway such a big undertaking?

 

(12:50) - How can the online information on coaching certification be more intuitive and perhaps only be on one website?

https://coach.volleyball.ca/

 

(16:45) - What is Smashball and how has it grown quickly?

 

(22:00) - How is Volleyball Canada trying to make Smashball more accessible to schools and clubs?

 

(24:10) - Could there eventually be some Smashball competitions?

 

(25:05) - Is volleyball growing in Canada presently?

 

(26:03) - What is Volleyball Canada developing presently in regards to Safe Sport?

 

(30:30) - How can a badge system perhaps stimulate a higher quality club program delivery?

 

(32:33) - Why will the badge recognition system be more successful than the accreditation process?

 

(34:44) - When will this club approval model likely be put in place?

 

(35:45) - What aspects do clubs tend to be good and not so good at when it comes to being accredited or recognized?

 

(38:45) - What is the Women's National Excellence Program that will be inaugurated in 2020?

 

(42:18) - How will the athletes selected for this program be identified?

 

(44:20) - Would it be possible to have a professional league in Canada or North America?

In this episode, Frank & Thierry welcome McMaster University men's Assistant Coach and Youth National Team Assistant Coach Ian Eibbitt to discuss culture and Team Ontario values. 

 

(0:40) - Why will coach Eibbitt be on the podcast for two episodes?

 

(1:40) - What are some of Ian's takeaways from the International Coaching Symposium after two days?

 

(2:46) - What were Ian's playing days like as an athlete?

 

(5:00) - How did Ian's professional career impact his ability to interact with individuals within a group?

 

(6:20) - What are some life altering moments that Ian witnessed over his 30 year career?

 

(8:16) - When did coach Eibbitt begin his coaching career?

 

(10:59) - How did the Madawaska Camp gig originally start?

 

(14:08) - What is the culture like at Madawaska?

 

(15:35) - Why is culture so important for coach Eibbitt?

 

(16:50) - How do you set up team culture and facilitate it with your athletes?

 

(21:55) - Why is creating and maintaining a team culture so difficult?

 

(25:28) - How do you identify core values and key observable behaviours to establish culture?

 

(32:33) - What could 12U vs 18U coaches do with team culture and how should they establish it?

 

(35:10) - What are other big hurdles in regards to team culture and what can be done to overcome them?

 

(37:30) - How can more buy in be created in a club or school setting where team selection is often not as selective?

 

(46:51) - How did the Team Ontario values opportunity come to be?

 

(51:52) - What are Team Ontario core values?

 

(58:10) - Are there any resources that coach Eibbitt recommends for coaches in regards to culture?

Gary Curneen (Twitter & Instagram @garycurneen)