In episode 18, Chuck and Brian caught up with TNT Coach Randy Syracuse. Randy recently joined TNT to continue his volleyball journey with our club, and we couldn't be happier that he's now with us.

Randy's journey includes expereince as both a professional player and a NCAA Division 1 coach. He also has a long track record of recruiting and training talented academic and athletic students. Randy has achieved multiple championships and medals as a player in various countries along the way, and he has quite a bit of experience in club volleyball, too.

On this episode, Randy talks about his life in volleyball, sharing knowledge gained from some of those experiences. He talks about ways in which he plans to help TNT to move forward as a club, from coaching his 17 Platinum team this coming season as well as helping girls get recruited.

Timeline:

0:51 Meet Coach Randy

2:25 How Randy Got His Start in Volleyball

9:22 When He Knew He'd Be Able to Compete as a Player at a High Level

13:07 Randy's Overseas Playing Experiences

19:19 Comparing Volleyball in Europe to the United States

24:37 When/How He Decided to Get Into Coaching

26:29 Favorite Coaching Memories Over the Years

34:51 The Value of Club for Players Wanting to Maximize Their Potential

40:58 How Coach Randy Came to TNT and the Appeal of TNT

48:30 Randy's Goals for the 2024-2025 17 Platinum Team and Coaching with Former Players

53:07 How Randy Envisions His Role at TNT

55:06 Randy's Advice to Players Who Want to Play at the Next Level

57:48 Volleyball Moms' Question for Randy About Playing Club Overseas

64:44 Volleyball Mom's Question #2 for Randy About Development of Younger Players

66:30 Wrap-Up

In Episode 17, Chuck and Brian got together a few days after the recent tryouts for the remaining 15-18U teams to discuss TNT's approach to the tryout process. Tryouts are stressful for Players, Parents and Coaches alike. This episode takes listeners behind the scenes of the process that takes place from the time the tryout is completed until the teams are fomed.

In segment one, Chuck and Brian talk about the steps that are taken by the club before, during and after a tryout. We learn how TNT schedules and conducts their tryouts, and how no positions are offered before the tryout. How are players rated? How do coaches evaluate players? How are team rosters built? What if players want to compare offers? Can players 'Move Up'? Why does it take so long? All of these questions are discussed during Segment 2. The segment ends with discussion on the dilemma of not having enough spots for all who wish to play, and ways TNT tries to find homes for as many players as possible.

Segment two answers specific questions sent by TNT parents and players immediately after tryouts were conducted. What does loyalty mean to a club? Why do players get moved to lower teams? Chuck and Brian go though some data that explains why some positions (OH, DSL) become more competitive as players get older. We answer the common question about why a player didn't make a team and where she "fell short". A recommendation made for those looking for in-depth feedback about a player's performance and what they need to improve in order to make a team. The segment concludes with advice for families about what to do if an offer is not received. As always, we finish by answering some great Volleyball Moms questions about tryouts.

Timeline:

2:11 TNT's approach to the process to conducting the tryout itself

9:11 The decision on how many teams to fill prior to TNT conducting a callback session

10:30 The process of extending offers

12:00 Challenges the club faces in extending offers, having to wait for responses, and having to start the process all over again for each offer that's not accepted

14:56 Clubs who do not allow for wait time, extend offers right after tryouts expecting immediate response, and how some even fill teams before tryouts

18:09 The current reality of more players trying out than we can extend offers to at TNT

20:24 How the club determines the number of teams to offer at each age group

24:21 The importance of loyalty to the club and the role it plays in the process of filling teams at TNT

26:27 Addressing concerns brought up about players who are no longer on the same level of team as in past years --- or recevied no offer at all

28:42 How the game changes as the players get older and its impact on tryouts with some postiions that become even more competitive as a result

32:20 Discussion about why the evaluation of a player at tryouts is not one that will give the in-depth feedback about a player's performance that some parents desire if an offer is not received

34:16 Explaining why private lessons are the route to go for in-depth feedback about player performance if tryouts don't go a players' way

36:10 What families should and should not do after tryouts if an offer is not received

38:45 Reasons for the decision to forego the 15-18U callbacks at TNT after tryouts were held

40:32 The unpredicable nature of the older age groups (17 and 18U) when it comes to tryouts from year to year

45:08 Volleyball Moms question #1 - a parent venting about a player who didn't receive an offer

48:11 Volleyball Mom's question #2 - is an in-house league just a money grab?

50:00 Wrap-up

In Episode 16, TNT is pleased and honored to be able to present a volleyball dicussion with legendary Penn State Coach Russ Rose from a recent chat with TNT Director of Operations Leon Kasperski. The chat occurred in advance of Coach Rose's 11/10/24 visit to TNT to conduct both coach and player clinics.

This special episode features numerous clips taken from that chat, each one followed by a discussion between Chuck and Brian about the topics just mentioned.

In segment one, Russ shares his thoughts about club philosophy, skill acquisition at the younger age groups, and overall player development. Leon and Russ also talk about putting teams together for success as well as Russ's approach to communicating with the players and parents.

Segment two includes additional talk about club culture along with player expectations, selection, and development. Russ shares his thoughts on roster formation for winning teams. The discussion then focuses on reasons for TNT's growth and the club's approach to the coming season. Leon and Russ talk about TNT's goal of trying to develop players, while also providing a great experience. Finally, the group discusses the value of learning life lessons while participing in youth sports.

In segment three, Russ gives his thoughts on volleyball statistics that corellate to winning. Russ gives advice on the approach that clubs such as TNT should be taking to continue to build and be successful against some of the nation's premier programs. The segment ends with the Russ' thoughts on the importance of having players that are willing to work in order to be successful. The episode ends with a brief update on upcoming events at TNT.

Timeline:

2:43 Clip 1 (Club Philosophy, Skill Acquisition, and Overall Player Development)

16:23 Clip 2 (How to Put Successful Teams Together, Russ's Approach to Communicating with Players and Parents)

25:47 Clip 3 (More on Successful Club Culture, Player Expectations, Selection, and Development along with Roster Formation for Winning Teams)

45:35 Clip 4 (Reasons for TNT's growth, our approach to the coming season while trying to balance player development with the best experience, and the life lessons that experiences in sports can provide)

61:27 Clip 5 (Problems Clubs Can Experience, Stats that Corellate Most to Winning, How to Be Most Successful Against Top Competition, Players Working Hard vs. Players Hardly Working)

78:14 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Events at TNT

In Episode 15, Chuck invites Brian and TNT 15U Platinum Head Coach Rob Reifsteck and 15U National Head Coach LJ Brothers to his home to discuss volleyball from their perspectives as younger male coaches. They discuss their beginnings in volleyball, how they got started coaching teenage girls. We hear their thoughts about the upcoming club season and goals for their 15U teams. They discuss the differences in coaching boys vs. girls, and how they go about translating knowledge they gained as players to the next generation of players now that they are coaches themselves. We also discuss the challenges that young coaches face from social media to interacting with parents that may have children older than the coaches themselves.

In segment one, we are introduced to Rob and LJ, hear about their careers as school teachers and their family influence that led them to coaching. They tell us about their background in the sport, and talk about some of their coaching experiences with various age groups. We finish the segment discussing their friendly rivalry as they evaluate players to form their club teams.

For segment two, Rob and LJ give their thoughts on differences in the boys' vs. girls' game with regard to technique. The talk about challenges they have faced as younger coaches, and how more experienced coaches have helped them along their coaching journey. This segment also includes discussion among the group about guidelines for appropriate communication from a club perspective, especially younger male coaches. We hear about how Rob and LJ interact with their players and parents, and how they, as younger coaches, go about translating knowledge they gained as players to those they now coach.

Segment three features some questions from our friends at Volleyball Moms for the group to respond to and ends with an updated on current TNT happenings, inlcuiding the ongoing tryout process, status of Bunker 2.0, and other programs TNT has planned including the upcoming Russ Rose clinic in November for players and coaches.

Timeline:

0:30 Meet Rob and LJ

6:43 How Rob, LJ and Brian found their way to TNT

15:24 How to coah 15U players versus High School players

27:15 Difference between coaching boys and girls techniques

30:44 Challenges of being a young coach when dealing with parents and players

37:37 Biggest need from club to support young coaches

41:30 Safeguards when communicating with players and social media pitfalls to avoid

51:00 Volleyball Moms questions of the episode

In Episode 14, Chuck and Brian met up with TNT 14U National Coach Sam Moyerman to discuss the value of statistics in volleyball and suggestions for proper use of them within the concept of a team.

Given that there are many different opinions about stats, Sam presents a lot of valuable information about which are most important and how they should be valued by coaches, players, and parents. The need to balance the coach's “eye-test” with what statistics say was an interesting aspect of the discussion, too.

In segment one, we meet Sam, hear some about his coaching background, and he shares his thoughts about the benefits of stats as part of his coaching, those which relate most to each position, and team stats he feels are most important.

For segment two, the guys continue the discussion of the importance of using stats to help make decisions, plan practices, instruct players, and the value of them for parents, too.

Segment three features discussion about the stats that are correlated to winning vs. losing, including some potential surprises, tools available for recording and analyzing stats, and the episode ends with some stat-related questions from our friends at volleyball moms before a brief wrap-up.

Timeline:

1:17 Meet Coach Sam

4:00 Sam’s coaching philosophy, reflections on some past coaching experiences, and discussion of goals for 14 National for the coming season

10:00 Benefits of using stats … what to focus on stats-wise as a coach, using the stats as well as the eye-test to make informed judgements, and those most important to a team and for each individual position

18:30 The role of stats in determining a team’s approach to serving

22:22 Using statistical data to help plan more effective practices

26:13 Sharing stats with players and how to use them to help explain coaching decisions and set goals for player and team improvement

30:25 Benefits for parents being aware of the objective nature of statistics and understanding them so that they can support their player off the court and engage in positive discussions about player performance vs. negative ones

35:48 Stats that are the most important in terms of college recruiting

39:38 Thoughts on coaches who are reluctant to use statistics as part of their process, relying solely on the eye-test instead and the dangers of doing so

43:20 How the importance of some stats changes at various age levels

47:30 How stats are perhaps underutilized in certain situations

50:00 Significant numbers and thresholds that correlate to winning in relation to certain stats

53:35 Stats that surprisingly do not have as much correlation to winning as one might think

61:00 Tools that are available for those interested in collecting and using stats

67:00 Stat-related questions from Volleyball Moms

75:47 Wrap-Up

In Episode 13, Chuck and Brian welcome 12U Coach Jamal Corbin to the podcast to discuss the expectations of players at that age group along with some of his experiences over the years coaching both girls’ and boys’ volleyball.

Also debuting in this episode is Chuck’s first public singing performance (not really, but that sounds good).

For parents and players new to the club, wondering what the expectations are for players at that level, this episode is one we hope you find helpful.

In segment 1, we meet Jamal, hear about his coaching background, and his overall approach to coaching 12U.

Segment 2 features discussion of fair expectations to have of younger players, how to approach assigning positions with younger players, practice plans for that age level, and being aggressive especially with serving.

In Segment 3, the discussion shifts to the differences between coaching boys and girls. Also featured in this segment are some pertinent questions from our friends at Volleyball Moms.

Timeline:

1:45 Meet Coach Jamal.

2:55 Jamal’s coaching philosophy and the importance of using mistakes to promote growth.

4:20 Coach Jamal’s approach to 12U and appropriate challenges for players at that age.

7:33 Winning at that age level vs. playing the right way to benefit players in the long run.

12:57 The emotional nature of volleyball, how that can especially impact younger players, andthe importance of coaches remaining on an even keel.

14:53 Coaching your own child and a discussion of the delicate balance involved in handling the role of being a parent coach.

26:00 The skills that 12U players need to master. What does a coach look for at that level?

31:00 Positions and the value of having players be versatile to be better prepared moving forward.

35:26 Differences between practice structure for a 12U team vs. one for older players.

37:45 How aggressive should players be, especially with their serves, at that age level?

43:12 Differences in approach to coaching boys and girls, how to deliver criticism, and the importance of getting to know your players above all else.

52:30 The importance of younger volleyball players simply watching themselves and other volleyball players play.

59:00 Volleyball Moms questions of the day.

61:10 TNT upcoming events and wrap-up.

In Episode 12 Brian and Chuck welcome Emily Neff to talk about the importance of strength training for young female athletes. Emily is the founder of Relentless Athletics, a company that specializes in training girls and helping them succeed while also helping them prevent injuries. If you are the parent or coach of a young female athlete, you don't want to miss this episode!

Visit them at Relentless Athletics (relentlessathleticsllc.com)

In Segment 1, we meet Emily and learn the science behind why young girls are far more prone to injury. We learn about steps that parents and coaches can take to reduce the chances of getting hurt. We learn how over-training impacts girls and strategies to take to reduce injuries in multi-sport athletes. Finally, we talk about strategies to train while in season versus out of season.

In Segment 2, Emily walks through the volleyball ages from 12U to 18U and explains differenet goals when training girls at each age. When should you start training? When should you try to increase vertical? How do volleyball players train differently from other sports?

2:06 Meet Emily Neff

4:34 How do girls train differently from boys?

5:38 The baby giraffe syndrome and the science behind training girls

7:45 Should we train girls for speed and agility?

9:15 Volleyball Moms question of the episode. Hurt during tryouts...bad timing?

11:00 Strategies for Multi-Sport athletes.

13:30 Over-Training and what we can do to prevent injury.

16:00 Why so many ACL injuries in girls?

22:00 When to start strength training for young girls

22:30 Training strategies for in-season versus off-season

26:40 Strategies for age groups from 12U through 18U

38:42 Do volleyball players train defferently from other sports?

40:50 Volleyball Moms Question 2 - How to increase vertical.

50:00 Parent responsibilities to prevent injuries.

51:45 What's new at TNT.

In Episode 11, Brian and Chuck talk about the following topics:

1) The value of managing your own facility and how it helps build a club.

2) Aftermath of High School Tryouts and whether "Politics" play a part in decisions.

In Segment 1, we share our experience of how valuable controling a practice facility is for the growth of a club. We discuss how to start the process of finding a space and the issues TNT faced when trying to convert a warehouse into a volleyball gym.

In Segment 2, we answer the questions "Now What?" once the lease is signed. What things need to be considered to make a warehouse into a volleyball practice facility.

In Segment 3, we discuss the aftermath of the high school tryout season. How do politics play a role in school tryouts? Why do National level club players get cut from their school team in their junior year? Are coaches out to get me?

As always, we finish the episode by answering a question from Volleyball Moms facebook page.

Issues and benefits of finding a failicty - 0:30

What to consider after signing a lease - 20:57

Bunker 2.0 Announcement! - 33:20

Aftermath of High School tryouts - 39.31

Impact on Mental Health when getting cut - 44:45

Do private lessons help you make a team? - 51:00

Should playing on a National Team ensure making your HS team? - 52:00

Tony Pettit advice on making a team - 53:30

VBM question of the week - How loud should parents be at a HS match? Just ask SuperFan Marie! - 57:00