VOLLEYBALLOGY UNcensored

It’s all rather exhausting and has evolved into a bit of a crazy ‘game’ over the past decade; and one that parents, players, and even coaches seemingly HAVE to play in order to get their young athletes into post-secondary college and university programs.  But, is it the best way for coaches to find the REAL talent among the high school and club volleyball ranks, or are they only seeing the videos and carefully selected highlights of the players and parents who are just better at marketing (or have deep-enough pockets to hire the best marketers)?  Listen in as Zuby & Erik go deep on the fairness and thoroughness of the recruitment process today, and get into whether it’s still a game worth playing, and if it’s actually detrimental for players, parents, and coaches in its modern - & almost too convenient - form. ------------------ We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

We tend to coach the way we were coached or accept it when we see coaches instructing the way we’ve seen them on tv or while we were growing up, but is coaching today different than it was ‘back in the day’ - or should it involve yelling at all?  More to the point, is there a difference between coaching & yelling & can great coaches be ‘yellers?’  Listen in as the guys share a few laughs and draw upon their pro playing & coaching experience to discuss the somewhat controversial topic of ‘coaching vs yelling’ and whether or not yelling (or even screaming) has its time & place in the instructional arena of youth sports today. ------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting⁠⁠ www.volleyballogy.org⁠⁠ - or⁠⁠ donate what you can today⁠⁠ to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

We’ve all likely experienced some form of physical punishment (running laps, touching lines, push-ups, etc.) at a practice - as a parent spectator, an athlete, or even as a coach who’s organizing the team consequence.  Much like parenting, the debate has raged in sport over whether or not these kinds of punishments are actually effective in having young people learn lessons or perform better…or are they simply teaching children to be more afraid and nervous?  Is there a time and place for these kinds of consequences for teams and players or are they merely tactics designed to intimidate and bolster a coach’s image? Listen in as the guys discuss the various ways and settings in which physical fitness has been used as a form of punishment and whether or not it serves a purpose while attempting to develop young athletes and mold a certain mindset.

Episode 57 - The Decline of High School Volleyball What in the world is happening to high school volleyball?  Of course, most high schools will struggle to court a team as good as one of the local club squads, but it seems that high school volleyball TODAY has really dropped off even when compared to high school programs from 10-20 years ago.  So, what are the reasons why school volleyball is so far behind the club game and - more importantly - why does it seem worse than ever before?  Listen in as the guys share a few laughs and discuss the obvious and not-so-obvious reasons behind the decline of high school volleyball. -------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching! #volleyball #beachvolleyball #volleyballlife #volleyballplayer #volleyballmom #volleyballdad #volleyballogy #volleyballworld #volleyballpodcast #volleyballogyuncensored #volleyballcoach #volleyballworld #bestvolleyballpodcast, #highschoolvolleyball

Episode 56 - Afraid To Talk To/About Your Volleyball Coach? Fear of retribution.  That’s why so many parents & players are afraid to - even politely - voice concerns with coaches who hold all the power.  While a lot of coaches would say that kids should learn to advocate for themselves (and this is absolutely true) - it’s also true that there is an imbalance of power and so many coaches use this power to punish those who question their decisions.  Of course, the BEST and most knowledgeable coaches have an open atmosphere around their teams because they know the WHYS behind their philosophies extremely well, but many less knowledgeable and more insecure coaches hide behind the ‘self-advocacy’ line in order to keep communication lines closed and punish the parents or players who challenge their ‘authority.’  Listen in as the guys talk about this all-to-common ‘power play’ problem and how parents, coaches, and players can actually work together to ensure that no one feels threatened or disrespected - and that THE GAME & ALL PARTICIPANTS are the beneficiaries in the end. ---------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching! #volleyball #beachvolleyball #volleyballlife #volleyballplayer #volleyballmom #volleyballdad #volleyballogy #volleyballworld #volleyballpodcast #volleyballogyuncensored #volleyballcoach #volleyballworld #bestvolleyballpodcast

The problem with complaints is that we instantly get our ‘backs up’ when we hear them - but what if the complainers have a valid point that we’re simply not seeing?  Or - what if they have a superficial understanding of the game and ‘don’t know what they don’t know?’  In other words, how do we know when complaints are valid and coming from qualified sources or if they’re frivolous and rooted in insecurities or something entirely different from the subject being discussed?  Also, what happens when coaches abandon personal philosophies or previously stated standards by placating or listening to the ‘squeaky wheels?’  Listen in as Zuby & Erik discuss the complex nature of complaints and how coaches, players & parents can better assess and handle them when they arise - because they will.  As always, they’ll share a few laughs and discuss the perils of when coaches listen to and ACT based on the complaints of the uninformed. ------------------ We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

We’ve all been there as parents, players, and even coaches:  the whistle blows and everyone stands in a cloud of confusion and partial outrage…looking from the ref, to the players, to other coaches, and back to the ref again.  What the heck was THAT and why did the whistle blow?  Of course, a number of courtside voices offer answers and explanations - bolstered by an air of confidence and assertiveness - but, as we all know, those answers tend to be false and are sometimes even horribly inaccurate.  So, rather than looking around for guessed answers and continue to exist in this seemingly never-ending cloud of confusion, why not sit back, relax & watch or listen to the Volleyballogy guys as they share a few laughs and finally clear the air around these volleyball rules you GOTTA know! ---------------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching! #volleyball #beachvolleyball #volleyballlife #volleyballplayer #volleyballmom #volleyballdad #volleyballogy #volleyballworld #volleyballpodcast #volleyballogyuncensored #volleyballcoach #volleyballworld #bestvolleyballpodcast

We all want it but it seems so gosh darn elusive!  But what if cultivating positive team culture is actually much easier than we think and what if it's something that all parents, coaches, and players can actually build together, using an almost formulaic or step by step approach?  No matter what your role in the volleyball world, you’ll want to listen in as the guys celebrate their ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY (of Volleybalogy UNcensored) and discuss how coaches, parents, and players can not only create positive team culture - but just as importantly - not KILL it with some common and unintentional mistakes. ---------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

In gyms around the world, parents - and even coaches - often struggle to watch their children & athletes play the game.  We get it…it’s tough to see your kids in pressure situations and tougher to see them struggle, or even fail in key moments.  Some parents have resorted to leaving the sidelines or deciding not to attend their kids’ games or tourneys.  But what message are we sending our kids about sports when we ‘live & die’ with every point and each rally or when we tell them that we can’t even bear to watch them play?  It’s easy to say that parents & coaches need to ‘gain perspective,’ but how can adults simply flick that switch and start helping their children enjoy the game more as a result?  Listen in as the guys discuss the growing problem of impatience among parents & coaches, why it’s on the rise, and how to best manage and combat the issue for the benefit of our young athletes in the long run. ----------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

It’s that time of year; when gyms are filling up and battles are being (or have been) fought for the precious few spots on school & club volleyball teams around the country - and around the world.  Inevitably, 12-18 players will be celebrating and selected while countless other athletes (and their families) will be told that they simply didn’t make the cut.  It’s one of the hardest things in sport to accept and - with increasingly problematic trends like guaranteed pre-signings and political games - it might not even feel fair or be justified.  But can being cut - unfairly or not - actually be a good thing for young athletes in the big picture?  And does being rejected by one team or coach mean that your child has to give up the game, or are there other opportunities that parents might be missing for their heartbroken young volleyballers?  Listen in as the guys chat about some ways to cope with being cut & offer some perspective and comfort in a time where players, parents, and even coaches need it most.  ------------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

Whether it’s youth volleyball or even at the highest levels of the game, players have always had to deal with ‘politics’ in one form or another and there’s no denying the reality that it absolutely sucks. But what are the obvious & not so obvious forms that politics can take on & what can parents, players, & coaches to do better cope or frame this inevitability?  Can politics ever be a good thing for a player or family to experience?  Listen in as Zuby & Erik talk about the dreaded ‘P’ word, have a few laughs, & help listeners of all ages navigate & deal with the crappy hand that can sometimes be dealt. --------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

A lot of what we talk about on this show can be boiled down to one key problem:  too many parents & coaches are simply confusing youth sports with the pro sports they watch on tv.  The deterioration of youth sports has actually coincided with the growth of our pro sports culture because the more we watch and idolize the coaches and athletes who play sports for a LIVING, the more we apply those ideals and expectations to our youth athletes who should be seeking to gain life skills and an entirely different set of values and qualities.  In other words, while the adults are lured further and further down the path of ‘win at all costs’ the kids are having less and less fun and often end up quitting the game or focusing on the wrong things themselves.  Listen in as the guys discuss - what may be - the most pressing issue in youth sports today and explain why the ‘less competitive’ approach may lead to more wins and on-court success in the long run, anyway…and when it matters most. ------------------ We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

Over the past few years now, parents, players, and even coaches have been growing more & more frustrated by the governing bodies of volleyball, as well as the politics in their club, or the lack of fairness on their team.  The bottom line is that - while we have more players in youth programs than ever before - the rate of athletes quitting the sport at a young age is also through the roof.  The question many people have, however - or the common misconception - is that once a child leaves the club or ‘rep’ world, ‘are they finished as a volleyball player?’ Listen in as the pros at Volleyballogy discuss other options for youth players and families fed up with the club system but still in love with the SPORT - because players can develop just as much (and perhaps more freely and with less pressure) in non-club settings, too! ------------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

Young players are always being told to COMPETE more, to be more aggressive on the court, and - well - to just stop tolerating losing or having the ball hit the floor so often.  But can a coach, parent, or even the player themselves actually work to raise the level of ‘COMPETE’ or drive a player will feel?  IS it something hardwired into the athlete (i.e. genetic) or is it something that can be learned through training, coaching, and repetition?  Listen in as the guys discuss the qualities of a truly competitive player (i.e. how ‘competing’ actually looks on the court) and how coaches and parents can best facilitate or foster its growth in young athletes. ------------------ We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

Tryouts can be a stressful time for players, parents, and even coaches - but the irony about stress is that it often impedes everyone’s ability to perform well at the very thing they’re trying to conquer.  In this extremely practical episode, the guys draw on their own experiences at the club, post-secondary, and pro levels to help young players, parents, and coaches navigate hectic tryout windows and provide helpful tips and insights for players to maintain a better perspective and - of course - STANDOUT in a sea of volleyball prospects.  As usual, the guys share a few laughs and some thought-provoking & philosophical ideas for the volleyball community to enjoy and ponder. --------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

Parents, players, and coaches have all heard it and maybe even believe it.  “BE LOUDER if you want to win.”  “You’re too quiet!”  Or, even, “If you don’t make more noise out there, you won’t be starting - or playing.”  But is playing LOUDER really what makes an athlete better or are we simply using the wrong word when trying to encourage more ‘AGGRESSIVE’ or ‘CONFIDENT’ play from our young athletes?  In other words, is being loud really a key ingredient to volleyball success, or is it merely a byproduct of excellence for some players and teams?  Listen in to laugh and learn as the former pros from Volleyballogy explore the source of the ‘loudness theory’ and whether it’s a useful tool, or just a myth perpetuated by coaches and players who aren’t properly prepared. ----------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

When stepping back and looking at the game, there’s some very noticeable differences between how we coach - & even parent - boys & girls.  While there may be justifiable & pedagogically rational reasons for some of these differences, there are also some glaring & less understandable dissimilarities which can only be rooted in one thing: sexism.  In this episode, the guys tackle this tricky issue head-on (as usual) and explore why sexism is becoming more prevalent today than in the past and how these obvious or subtle problems are pushing more & more young females to quit the sport they once loved. ----------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

Pick up your copy of Hugh McCutcheon’s Championship Behaviors: A Model for Competitive Excellence RIGHT HERE - it really is a must read for every player, coach, & parent! In this episode we are pleased and proud to have Olympic gold & silver medalist, Hugh McCutcheon join us for an important discussion about the state of youth coaching & youth volleyball, in general.   Hugh is among the giants of the volleyball world, both as a player and as a coach.  Inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2018, this native of New Zealand (and former nation team player there) had previously served as the head coach of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Men’s Volleyball Gold Medalist squad from the United States and later served in the same role for the London 2012 WOMEN’S Olympic silver medal winning team - also from the United States.   In 2022 - and largely due to his children’s experiences in youth sports - Hugh has stepped away from his most recent head coaching position at the University of Minnesota in order to take on a new challenge and newly created role at the university dedicated to mentor and help train coaches of ALL sports about the nature of true ‘Championship Behaviors’ - the title of Hugh’s 2022 released book that provides ‘A Model for Competitive Excellence in Sports.’   Please enjoy this episode and the wisdom of Hugh McCutcheon - and no matter where you're listening or watching - please subscribe to our YouTube channel so we can continue to bring you the brightest minds and the biggest names from the world of volleyball. We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

If you haven’t seen or joined the ‘Volleyball Moms’ group on Facebook, it’s quickly becoming THE place for volleyball parents (including dads) to find answers to basic questions and seek advice on more complicated issues from parents & coaches who may have experienced something similar.  In this special episode of Volleyballogy UNcensored, Zuby answers some recent questions posted to the group in an effort to help other parents who may be experiencing the same (all too common) problems and concerns.  We hope you enjoy this abbreviated episode and - as usual - gain some practical takeaways and maybe even some philosophical shifts. Topics include: crazy & unfair club fees; pigeon-holed players; dirty club tryout tricks; high school & club coaching conflicts of interest; how to pick the right club team; recruitment profiles; home practice & training advice; and what to do if your child isn’t going to be on the ‘top’ team because if early re-signings. --------------- We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching!

We hear them everywhere; the questions about our future and our goals.  ‘What’s your life plan?’ - or - ‘where do you see yourself in 5 years?’  While it’s true that BIG goals are always good to keep tucked away in the back of our minds, has there been a shift in how we view these goals and ourselves in relation to them since the advent of social media?  Listen in as the guys discuss the merits of big goals for young volleyball players (and coaches) today and whether or not they might be hurting more than helping. We hope you enjoy this podcast & all the FREE content created by the former pro players, coaches - and current volleyball parents - at VOLLEYBALLOGY.  Help support our mission to provide FREE & ACCESSIBLE high-quality content for players, coaches, & families (of varied socioeconomic backgrounds all over the world) by visiting www.volleyballogy.org - or donate what you can today to help us fund future projects.  Thanks for listening/watching! #volleyball #beachvolleyball #volleyballlife #volleyballplayer #volleyballmom #volleyballdad #volleyballogy #volleyballworld #volleyballpodcast #volleyballogyuncensored #volleyballcoach #volleyballworld #bestvolleyballpodcast