Coach Your Brains Out, by Gold Medal Squared

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**Coach Your Brains Out, by Gold Medal Squared**

Coach Your Brains Out, by Gold Medal Squared has been releasing weekly podcasts going on five years now! Founded by professional beach volleyball players John Mayer and Billy Allen, the primary goal is practical, useful education that will help you become a better coach. Our podcasts are released every Thursday afternoon, so set your notifications accordingly!

Latest Episodes:

COACHING with John Mayer (Part 3 of 3) Dec 01, 2022

Show notes

1:24 - Has John observed a large variety in techniques of the same skills? And in what skills?
6:22 - How does the usage of an economical model affect the way John scouts athletes?
8:03 - In game, which stats are the most important to keep track of?
10:44 - Using stats to shift the focus and guide players to look at the success on their side of the net.
11:50 - What should you say in time outs or between sets to a player who is noticeably struggling to perform?
15:05 - With a new player in the program who is used to frequent explicit feedback, how do you explain to them the differences in the program, and why this coaching style is implemented?
18:17 - John’s book recommendations!

Books

Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching Volleyball

The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion

Support the show by becoming a Patron

COACHING with John Mayer (Part 2 of 3) Nov 24, 2022

Show notes

1:17 - How to address challenge point theory in practices with different players and teams of varying skill levels?
3:43 - Explaining synchronistic and antagonistic skills as well as how their relationship is relevant in practice.
5:39 - How do synchronistic and antagonistic factors guide John in training and challenging his players?
9:08 - Diving into some hypothetical scenarios, and how John would use ecological dynamics to address issues that arise.
15:14 - Especially with hand-setting in Beach Volleyball where many can be successful with so many different kinds of forms, how can you know as a coach when to suggest to your players that they should try a more traditional approach?
17:33 - Moving onto culture, does John often have team culture meetings with his players before the season and during, and what is discussed?
18:36 - What about meetings discussing general and overarching program themes/culture?
22:17 - Does John keep track of the values of individual players?
24:14 - John’s personal values.
25:19 - Coaching a team that has an unrealistic chance to win a championship, what expectations would John have? What would success look like for that team?
28:10 - Regarding tactics and strategies (e.g. set location and height), how much is decided by the “LMU system” and how much does John leave for his players to decide for themselves?
30:34 - Setting up a defensive system for Beach Volleyball (more fluid/flexible) vs. in Indoor Volleyball (set bases/areas).
Books

Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching Volleyball

The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion

Support the show by becoming a Patron

COACHING with John Mayer (Part 1 of 3) Nov 17, 2022

Show notes

1:36 - Switching up the roles: dedicating this podcast to asking John questions.
2:45 - How does John gather his coaching principles and ideas?
- Partially through co-hosting these podcast episodes!
4:00 - How John tries to transfer ideas/techniques that are explained in the context of other sports to volleyball.
6:15 - If John founded a youth volleyball club, what would be the major ideas that he would go over with the coaches he employed?
10:28 - How would John design practices as the “problem provider."
12:46 - What does John clue in on to determine which challenges are relevant, and which are less important to work on?
14:29 - John’s process for practice design.
16:05 - When creating practice plans, does John like to go back to previous ones for inspiration, or does he prefer starting fresh?
17:29 - Explaining the difference between performance and learning.
19:08 - How can coaches foster an effective learning environment?
20:59 - When it comes time for competition and games, how does John’s role change as a coach?
25:47 - Explaining challenge point theory.

Books

Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching Volleyball

The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion

Support the show by becoming a Patron

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES - with Dr. Matt Jones Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

1:16 - What has inspired Matt to talk about the topic of mental health services?
3:23 - In the late early 2000s how often were mental health services being used in sports departments?
5:51 - Why can it be problematic when different specialists with different career names are all categorized under the same umbrella of sports psychology?
7:23 - Can anyone with a degree ranging from a high school degree to a PhD become an MPC (mental performance consultant)?
10:57 - If a college program could only afford the services of one professional, which one would be the most helpful in NCAA athletics?
13:37 - What events have indicated to Matt that there is a mental health epidemic?
15:38 - Would researchers consider social media relationships to be a part of “connectedness”?
17:12 - What effect has the increase in mental health coaches had on teams that have access to their services?
18:31 - What are the most effective ways and settings to implement mental health coaches?
21:38 - What is the most difficult but important psychological need for coaches to satisfy, and why?
22:54 - What is the zeitgeist of sports psychology in America, and if we are moving in the right direction, what could be still improved?
24:04 - Even if many know that sports psychology and mental health are so important, why are they still stigmatized?
25:03 - Fun Fact: learn about the impact the Indiana Jones trilogy had on Matt’s pursuit of his doctorate.
Learn more about Matt's work at:https://www.extramileinstitute.com/

Books

Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching Volleyball

The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion

Become a Patron to support the show.

SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY with Dr. Matt Jones Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

1:27 - Introducing the Extra Mile Institute, and how Matt is involved with the program.
- Learn more at the website here:https://www.extramileinstitute.com/
3:40 - How many universities do Matt and the Extra Mile Institute team work with and what are their plans in terms of expansion?
4:26 - Introducing today’s topic: self-determination theory.
6:39 - Why does extrinsic motivation not meet the same kind of demands that intrinsic motivation does?
10:39 - In what environments can “competence” be best developed within athletes?
12:06 - Explaining the difference between competence and confidence.
12:56 - Which would be more important to prioritize in development: confidence or competence?
13:42 - Is self-driven development equally effective as feedback from coaches?
15:59 - How can competence be effectively developed in players with little motivation?
19:02- Why is the concept of connection/relatedness important in finding motivation?
21:22 - When writing, does Billy find that connections are relevant to his motivation, or is he purely being fueled by intrinsic motivation?
23:16 - Do people work better when connected rather than just working as purely business partners?
24:31 - How does Matt foster the development of connection between players on teams that he works with?
26:15 - Describing an environment where the connection between the three components of self-determination theory are the greatest.
32:08 - Explaining the frequency that coaches should implement these activities/exercises.
33:02 - Has Matt observed coaches implementing self-determination theory into the development of mental skills?

Books

Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching Volleyball

The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion

Become a Patron to support the show.

PLAYER IMPROVEMENT PLANS with JP Nerbun Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching Volleyball

The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion

Become a Patron to support the show.

Book Club CYBO Chapter 5 - PRACTICE Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

-Practice Planning

-Deliberate Practice

-Warm Ups

-Competitive Games

-Scripting vs Improvising

-Reflection

Books

Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching Volleyball

The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion

Become a Patron to support the show.

THE CULTURE SYSTEM with JP Nerbun Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

1:35 - What are some of the goals J.P. had in mind when writing his most recent book The Culture System?
- Learn more about it here: https://www.tocculture.com/myculturesystem
5:28 - Clarifying the roles of a coach vs. the roles of a mentor in an athlete’s life.
6:50 - What are some of the differences between “goals” and “visions” that J.P. also explores in The Culture System?
8:57 - An example of a coach who implements a vision statement, and how they do so.
10:50 - What are some of the problems that arise when coaches focus solely on the process and not on the results/goal?
12:28 - How can coaches ensure that the goals and visions they created with the team are making measurable effects?
15:25 - Are the principles that J.P. mentioned the most valuable when implemented during times of adversity?
19:30 - How often does J.P. find that it is valuable to go back to the original mission statement and tweak parts of it?
21:50 - How J.P. changed his coaching based on feedback from the parent of an athlete on his team (also included in his book).
25:07 - How and why has the basketball coaching scene shifted from more passive coaching and sitting down to being more active and standing up?
27:51 - How active are coaches at the junior and club volleyball level?
- Does this also change with the age of the coach?

Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching Volleyball

The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion

Become a Patron to support the show.

COACH DEVELOPMENT with Jamie Taylor Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

1:19 - Moving into the topic of Coach Development, what are values that Jamie emphasizes when developing coaches?
2:47 - Are there common traits that coaches have, or does Jamie treat each coach on a case by case basis?
5:07 - When Jamie observes coaches develop, what are some of the most common mishaps or mistakes that occur?
10:46 - Should coaches who are interested in improving their coaching read strictly research based books?
12:01 - What are the main skills or values coaches should focus on improving to become more effective?
14:13 - When trying to implement reflection into a coaching routine, what is the most effective schedule to make the most out of the exercises?
15:29 - Some of the questions that Jamie has found to be the most effective to reflect on.
17:50 - How would Jamie structure reflection exercises?
19:40 - What are some common themes that occur during reflection?
21:15 - What are qualities that separate good coaches from the elite coaches?
22:36 - Explaining the term “pracademic”.
23:50 - Should coaches also have an academic background in their field?
26:59 - Exploring the informational processing aspect of motor learning.
37:33 - Introducing shared mentor models.
43:08 - Are there specific scenarios when developing a player that Jamie would focus on an ecological dynamic or constraints led approach vs. an informational processing approach?
45:01 - Explaining the effects of differential learning.
47:15 - Why Jamie is not entirely sold on prescriptive coaching methods.

Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching Volleyball

The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion

Become a Patron to support the show.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY with Jamie Taylor Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

1:24: How Jamie ended up working with coaches through his journey as a health and human performance professor.
2:17 - Given that Jamie is currently balancing teaching and “coaching” coaches, would he like to eventually transition into a role where he would just focus on working with coaches?
3:20 - High-performance sports has a history of applying ideas like growth mindset and grit (that are used in the context of another field of study like education). Why does Jamie think this is problematic?
- You can read this article online here: https://www.readcube.com/articles/10.3389/fspor.2022.823488
8:19 - Have Jamie found an effective way to apply growth mindset concepts (like the implicit theory) to sports?
10:09 - What are common ways that Jamie has observed coaches apply growth mindset concepts to their coaching?
11:54 - How does Jamie define the concept of psychological safety?
13:47 - Where has most of the research regarding psychological safety been done?
14:11 - Jamie’s thoughts on common ways that psychological safety has been applied in the sports world.
22:10 - How does the concept of “safetyism” differ from psychological safety?
23:18 - Has Jamie observed coaches mistakenly apply safetyism when attempting to implement psychological safety?
25:06 - Could the implementation of psychological safety make a difference in the worldwide struggle with mental health in athletes?
26:45 - Can high levels of psychological safety negatively impact motivation and effort levels?
28:11 - Explaining the concept of “driven benevolence”.
29:02 - What are the most worthwhile components of psychological safety to apply to high performance athletics?

Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching Volleyball

The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion

Become a Patron to support the show.

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