I mentioned a couple weeks ago on social media that I’d committed to attending this year’s USA Volleyball High Performance coaching clinic next month at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The clinic fee is extremely reasonable when you consider it comes with room and board. The big expense for me is the travel from England. Ouch!

Actually, it was the prospects of developing news contacts that ended up being the bigger factor in my decision to commit to the cost. The educational side of things is important, of course, but right now I’m in the middle of trying to get myself back into full-time coaching, as I’ve been documenting in my job hunt log. Contacts could come in quite handy in that respect. In fact, one of the head coaches whose assistant position I’ve put in for is a clinic presenter (though I would imagine she’ll have finished the search by then).

Anyway, the other day I got the schedule for the event, which covers an evening and two full days. It looks like this:

Thursday (Feb 5th)

18:00-18:40Welcome and Opening Remarks 
18:40-19:40Flashback to FourteenWomen’s and Men’s national team staffs, Women’s Junior and Girls’ youth national team staffs
19:45-21:30Welcome Social 

Friday (Feb 6th)

8:00-9:10What Does it mean to Play Well? BlockingJulio Velasco
9:15-10:15First Things First: The Competitive Power of Serve ReceiveLaurent Tille
10:15-10:40Small group topic discussions 
10:45-12:15Game OnSteve Shenbaum
13:15-14:15Promoting More Process: Bingo with the National TeamKarch Kiraly
14:15-15:15Getting the Most Out of Your Practice: Practice Planning and Motor LearningJamie Morrisson
15:20-15:40Small group topic discussions 
15:55-16:40Mindfulness and PerformanceMark Aoyagi
16:45-17:40Same Continent, Different Coaches: Playing for Team USA Over the DecadesStacy Sykora, Tracy (Stalls) Insalaco, Christa Dietzen, Kayla Barnworth

Saturday (Feb 7th)

8:00-9:05Structure and Spirit in DefenseLaurent Tille
9:10-10:10High Performance Championship Team and Technique TrainingRod Wilde and Shelton Collier
10:10-10:30Small group topic discussions 
10:45-11:30A Legacy of Success – Program Development Across CulturesJulio Velasco
11:35-12:20Volleyball Decision Making: Combining the Art and the ScienceJoe Trinsey, Nate Ngo, Jesse Tupac
12:25-13:10Collegiate National Team TrainingBill Neville
14:15-15:15Scouting to Win: Developing Strategies in Match PreparationJim Stone, Tom Hogan, Lindsey Devine, Brook Coulter, Erin Virtue
15:15-16:15What Does it Mean to Play Well? OffenseJulio Velasco
16:15-16:35Small group topic discussions 
16:45-17:25The French Touch: Practice Organization the French WayLaurent Tille
17:25-18:10Empowering Your StaffKarch Kiraly, Doug Beal, Jim Stone, Tom Hogan
19:30-23:30Attendee Social 

Pretty intense, eh?

Along with the official socials and the small group discussions, there are the shared meals and Friday night to spend time with fellow attendees. Should be an interesting couple of days.

Naturally, I will provide a full report. 🙂

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John Forman
John Forman

John is currently the Talent Strategy Manager (oversees the national teams) and Indoor Performance Director for Volleyball England, as well as Global Director for Volleyball for Nation Academy. His volleyball coaching experience includes all three NCAA divisions, plus Junior College, in the US; university and club teams in the UK; professional coaching in Sweden; and both coaching and club management at the Juniors level. He's also been a visiting coach at national team, professional club, and juniors programs in several countries. Learn more on his bio page.

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