After an initial flurry of activity and attention, the Volleyball Coaching Wizards project has settled down into a calmer state of affairs. Partly that’s because I’ve been in heavy crunch mode with my PhD thesis development and my partner Mark has been involved in the German championships. While my own work continues for at least a little longer, Mark is now done for the season (though he’s now on the job market). That means he can actually start doing some stuff! 🙂

We have a lengthy list of coaches who are prospective Wizards thanks to research and recommendations. I’ve begun reaching out to a number of them with invitations to take part and the response has been very positive. The guys at The Art said “No” at first (though John Dunning individually said “yes”), presumably because they thought of Wizards as being a competitor to their own stuff. I don’t see it that way. If anything, I see it as potentially supportive, and told them so. They said they’d reconsider.

The list of those who have committed is at about 25 now. Most of them are AVCA Hall of Famers. So far the international/professional contingent is limited, but now that Mark is freed up I expect that to grown rapidly in the days and weeks to come. I personally will also be turning more attention to the high school and Juniors area, which are also under represented at this stage.

I expect us to start doing interviews in a matter of a couple of weeks. We just need to iron out a couple of things. Announcements will be forthcoming, so keep an eye out for updates on the Volleyball Coaching Wizards blog, the Facebook page, or on Twitter.

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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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