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:

CHALLENGE POINT - Motor Learning for Coaches Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

1:37 - How have Andy and the Pirates held up so far, especially through the hottest part of the summer.
3:12 - After accepting and validating the struggles that athletes and coaches voice during the toughest parts of the season, what are the next steps?
4:20 - Checking in with Kasey - how has the beginning of the season gone for him so far?
5:55 - Traditionally the beginning of the volleyball season consists of “double days”, but what does Kasey do instead?
9:24 - Introducing the topic of this episode: “challenge point”
13:09 - Is there an appropriate level of the ability to complete certain skills at which athletes can be considered successful ?
16:15 - How can emotional responses be used to gauge the challenge point?
17:56 - When addressing teams based sports, should coaches consider the entire team’s challenge point focus, or each individual’s?
20:41 - Comparatively, how is the previous idea applied in baseball?
21:37 - Should coaches be pushing athletes slightly out of their comfort zone and at the edge of their challenge point?
22:46 - At what times should coaches push athletes to the edge of their challenge point vs. below it, and why?
25:49 - What are the downsides of constantly pushing players to the edge of their challenge point?
28:05 - Using a volleyball example, with limited resources and the challenge point constraint, how can coaches make their players reach the highest level of play at the sweet spot of their zone?
33:23 - In a similar, but baseball oriented scenario, how can coaches achieve that same effect as described in the previous example?

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

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YOUTH COACHING with John Kessel - Part 2 Sep 15, 2022

Show notes

Topics:

Teaching rotations

Coaching mixed skill levels

Balance winning and development

Teaching technique

Handling "unmotivated" players

Punishments and consequences

Playing time

Parent Issues

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

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YOUTH COACHING with John Kessel - Part 1 Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

Topics:

What are kids looking for in sports?

Teach the most fun skill first

Scaling the game for kids

Foundational skills

Planning practice

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

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MINDFULNESS with Tom Black and Shane Day Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

1:26 - How can coaches use mindfulness to alleviate the pressure and stress that athletes struggle with?
2:43 - Circumstantial effects of mindfulness exercises (different feedback/reception).
3:45 - Describing mindfulness practices that Shane has found to be helpful and effective.
4:58 - Why is it so important to acknowledge mindfulness and how we respond to certain emotions, especially those that are caused by failure.
7:25 - When Billy is writing, is he aware of his thoughts when he wants to write what he wants vs. his thoughts when he is being conscious about what readers might think.
8:20 - Billy’s thoughts and feelings when he fully focuses on writing.
8:59 - Can Billy feel a physiological difference between the two states, or when he changes between them?
10:45 - Similarly to writing, how does Billy manage those two states when he is playing?
- Being conscious of the crowd vs. returning to just his play.
13:50 - Was Tom’s approach of learning about the already existing team culture rather than changing it effective in the long term?
15:08 - How has Covid changed the way that Shane trains athletes and approaches team culture?
- 16:41 - Tom’s thoughts on the same idea.
17:32 - Why Shane thought it was worth investing into working on mindfulness.
21:40 - Describing the retreats Shane takes athletes on.
22:11 - Since the last interview, how has Tom worked on addressing vulnerability as a coach.
23:00 - What the actual essence of mindfulness is.

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

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WHAT’S CHANGED? with Tom Black and Shane Day - Part 2 Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

1:44 - How would the key ideas of coaching fit in with a constraints led/ecological approach?
3:31 - Explaining Frans Bosch’s idea of “attractors” in as a guide for achieving specific skills in athletes.
7:11 - If athletes are too knowledgeable of the checkpoints involved towards a key, does that take away from the variability that allows for greater stabilization?
10:37 - Why does Shane allow his players to fail?
13:39 - What qualities does Tom dislike in athletes, and does failure fit into that?
15:46 - How does Tom approach scenarios where his players are engaged, but aren’t successful in creating momentum in game?
17:34 - Do weak performances in practice correlate lead to successful competition in real games?
- Failures in practice as a sign of learning
24:05 - Over the last couple years, have Tom and Shane started to implement differential learning in their coaching models?
29:05 - Explaining deliberate practice vs. changing the focus of practices.

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WHAT’S CHANGED? with Tom Black and Shane Day Aug 18, 2022

Show notes

1:48 - What has changed for Shane since the last CYBO episode he was interviewed in?
2:34 - How did Shane adjust to coaching different positions?
3:59 - Has Shane’s experience within the last few years coaching different positions allowed him to gain a perspective of football that benefits his capability as a coach?
4:43 - What has changed for Tom in the last few years since he was last interviewed for CYBO?
5:21 - What have Shane and Tom been chatting about over the last few years?
6:54 - What do their discussions look like?
8:51 - What kind of tactics does Shane employ to make meetings run smoother?
10:48 - Since the last episode, how have Shane and Tom further explored the topic of dynamic systems?
13:09 - Why does Shane put an emphasis on the psychological side of motor learning?
18:47 - How have Shane and Tom’s practices and interactions with athletes changed over the last few years given the pandemic and other factors?
24:06 - Has the balance of process and result become established well in the volleyball world over the last five years?
25:26 - What has Tom changed in the University of Georgia volleyball program that has had an effect understanding what failure means?
26:32 - Dissecting the motor learning components of the changes Tom has made.

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

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LEADERSHIP with Sean Murray Aug 11, 2022

Show notes

1:22 - What kind of traits define the most effective leaders?
4:54 - What kind of traits are more “myth” than actually useful for great leaders?
7:02 - How do leaders successfully build trust from their coaching staff and their teammates?
8:55 - Given Sean’s belief in having a solid vision for a team, how can leaders clarify their thoughts or plans for the future?
10:57 - How can leaders adapt to different situations while still staying true to their original vision?
13:58 - Can decision making be trained or taught?
17:20 - How to ignore influences that may blur your ability to make your own or the best possible decisions?
19:42 - What leadership qualities made Chris Marlowe stand out as the captain of the 1984 men’s volleyball Olympic team?
- Amazon link to the book that Sean and John mention: https://www.amazon.com/Captain-Class-New-Theory-Leadership/dp/0812987071/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1660193975&sr=8-1
28:00 - How was Karch Kiraly able to maintain the same leadership qualities as Chris while balancing being the star of the team?
28:36 - Were there signs that Karch would be successful as both a leader as a player and also as a coach?

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IF GOLD IS OUR DESTINY with Sean Murray Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

1:26 - A little bit about Sean’s background and how it connects to the story of his recently published book.
- Find his book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/If-Gold-Our-Destiny-Mavericks/dp/1538154854
6:28 - Describing Sean’s father’s profession and how it differs from modern day sports psychology.
9:09 - Explaining the backstory of the “Outward Bound experience” as mentioned in Sean’s book.
16:19 - Sean’s tips for coaches looking to replicate a similar experience and create a stronger team bond.
17:58 - Despite not being friends, how was the men's volleyball team of the 1984 Olympics able to come together and win the gold medal?
20:21 - Separating talent and commitment, and why that distinction was important despite the public’s opinions on the organization of the team.
23:36 - How do the qualities of Doug’s quote “We weren’t afraid to look foolish” tie into the important skills needed for leadership.
27:40 - Besides the two person serve receive format that Sean described, what were other examples of experimentation and exploration that the 1984 team tried out?
31:28 - Alongside the players, how did the coaching staff overcome their differences despite struggling to find common ground?
34:08 - How were practices structured close to the start of the 1984 Olympics?

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

The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion

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ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT with Dr. Joe Baker Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

1:39 - Outlining the benefits and drawbacks of specialization and generalization in sports.
4:28 - To prevent the physical and mental “burn out” of a dedicated athlete, is it beneficial to try spending time playing a similar sport to their main one? (e.g. volleyball and tennis, basketball and soccer).
6:05 - Even at the college level is there a benefit to practicing a “donor” sport in the offseason?
8:43 - While certain physical skills and movements would not be transferable to the main sport from the donor sport, are qualities like mentality and other non-cognitive skills easily transferable?
11:06 - Even with the variety of gameplay within sports, would solely playing one sport still be considered specialization?
12:52 - How would Joe implement specialization/generalization in a youth club organization?
14:43 - Introducing the German system of “Ballschool” and why Joe thinks highly of it.
15:37 - How effective is the ballschool system?
16:45 - Why Joe thinks that enjoyment, autonomy and intrinsic motivation are the key components of skill acquisition?
17:25 - How can coaches inspire qualities like intrinsic motivation?
21:10 - Should autonomy be more emphasized in youth athletes or in elite athletes?
22:28 - How should autonomy be implemented in an ideal practice setting?
23:29 - What should enjoyment look like in elite athletes?
25:27 - What should coaches do to raise “enjoyment” in youth sports.
27:14 - Key motor learning principles that coaches should implement in their own styles and practices.
28:35 - Are there drawbacks to taking an ecological approach to sports?
30:36 - Where to reach out to Joe.
- Twitter : @bakerjyorku
Joe’s book: The Tyranny of Talent.

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

The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion

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WHY ARE WE SO BAD AT TALENT IDENTIFICATION? with Dr. Joe Baker Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

1:17 - Introducing Joe and explaining how he started becoming heavily invested in the fields of skill acquisition, talent identification, and athlete development.
3:22 - Why do coaches and scouts as a whole struggle with talent identification?
4:47 - Why is it important for coaches to recognize and acknowledge that because humans lack the ability to map out long term decisions, identifying successful athletes will also be difficult?
6:42 - Do most coaches think that either they or others are skilled at talent identification?
8:13 - Consequences of making mistakes or poor decisions when picking and choosing which athletes are projected to be successful.
11:16 - Are successful athletes successful solely because of inherent qualities like height and body type, or also because they might have been “chosen” to receive development and training at an early point?
13:28 - Examples of “soft skills” like aggressiveness or other mentalities that coaches should look out for.
16:00 - Given that the ability to identify soft skills is linked to improving talent identification, what can coaches do to improve that ability?
19:56 - Should a quality like technique also be highly valued, or do coaches often overvalue what they believe is the “ideal” technique when scouting athletes?
21:55 - What Joe has found to be the most common “blind spots” of coaches.
24:20 - Where in the world has Joe identified an effective talent identification system, and what are some of its core aspects that makes it so successful?
26:16 - Given the limitations of being able to fully watch or analyze potential players when scouting, how should coaches go about effectively picking the most talented athletes?
29:02 - When interviewing or talking to a player, how can coaches identify if the player has the soft skills they desire?

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.