Coach Your Brains Out, by Gold Medal Squared artwork

Coach Your Brains Out, by Gold Medal Squared

288 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 months ago - ★★★★★ - 104 ratings

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!

Sports billy allen mastery learner lab athlete mindset coach your brains out john mayer sports coching coaching beach volleyball coaching volleyball
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Episodes

MOVEMENT ANALYSIS with Martijn Nijhoff (1 of 2)

August 31, 2023 15:00 - 35 minutes - 32.5 MB

Watch Video of the Episode 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.

CHAMPION TEAMMATE with John O'Sullivan (2 of 2)

August 24, 2023 15:00 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MB

Get John's book: Champion Teammate  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.

CHAMPION TEAMMATE with John O'Sullivan (1 of 2)

August 17, 2023 15:00 - 29 minutes - 27 MB

Get John's book: Champion Teammate  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.

LEARNING ARCHETYPES - Motor Learning For Coaches

August 10, 2023 15:00 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MB

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.

DEVELOPING EXCELLENCE with Miles Partain (2 of 2)

August 03, 2023 15:00 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MB

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.

DEVELOPING EXCELLENCE with Miles Partain (1 of 2)

July 27, 2023 15:00 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MB

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.

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS - Women's Beach - with Dain Blanton (2 of 2)

July 20, 2023 15:00 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MB

-Preparing for a title match -Post season reflection -Managing a championship staff -Winning gold in Sydney and the pressure of expectations 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.

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS - Women's Beach - with Dain Blanton (1 of 2)

July 13, 2023 15:00 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MB

-Championship Behaviors -Challenges faced -Team strengths and weaknesses -A typical USC practice 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.

OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING - Motor Learning For Coaches

July 06, 2023 15:00 - 35 minutes - 32.6 MB

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 6 - Competition

June 29, 2023 15:00 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MB

Competing in practice What it means to be a competitor Trash Talk What you can control Challenge vs Threat Training and Trusting Mindsets   Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching Volleyball The Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a Champion Contact us for bulk orders: [email protected]  Become a Patron to support the show.

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS - Women's Indoor - with Erik Sullivan (2 of 2)

June 22, 2023 15:00 - 30 minutes - 28 MB

-What a Texas practice looks like -What to do when practice falls short of the team's standards -How they prepared for the national title match -Communication between staff and their roles 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.

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS - Women's Indoor - with Erik Sullivan (1 of 2)

June 15, 2023 15:00 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MB

-Coaching beach -Beach vs Indoor specialization -The culture at Texas -What made them successful Thanks for listening and supporting the show! 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.

REPRESENTATIVE STRENGTH TRAINING FOR VOLLEYBALL with Javi Miller Extrada (2 of 2)

June 08, 2023 15:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MB

-Training through an ecological lens -Volleyball training: how to jump higher, hit harder, move better -Traditional weight room workouts vs sport context specific  -Program timing and frequency -The most important qualities of a strength coach   Thanks for listening and supporting the show! 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.

REPRESENTATIVE STRENGTH TRAINING FOR VOLLEYBALL with Javi Miller Extrada (1 of 2)

June 01, 2023 15:00 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MB

-Training agility by adding noise -Representative training and developing "real" agility -What is skill? - 4 categories of noise: environment, athlete, tactical, and equipment -The importance of decision making in training   Thanks for listening and supporting the show! 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.

APPLYING MENTAL SKILLS with Dan Fisher and Bernie Holliday (2 of 2)

May 25, 2023 15:00 - 36 minutes - 33 MB

-Applying mental skills in practice and competition -What has led to Pitt's success -Mental case studies:  Lack of motivation Perfectionists Resist making changes Nervous before competition Aren't acting like themselves Thanks for listening and supporting the show! 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.

APPLYING MENTAL SKILLS with Dan Fisher and Bernie Holliday (1 of 2)

May 18, 2023 15:00 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MB

-How Bernie's work has changed the program and culture -Team and individual values -Applying mental skills in practice and competition   Thanks for listening and supporting the show! 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.

ACTION CAPACITY - Motor Learning for Coaches

May 11, 2023 15:00 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MB

0:44 - What Kasey has been working with in the off season with his players. 6:17 - Introducing Rob and how he has worked with the UMBC staff and team. 7:58 - Describing “action capacity”, and how it can fit into the context of sports. 14:19 - What are the best ways/exercises to achieve action capacity in the category of jumping? 18:46 - Andy’s thoughts on implementing action capacity values when training. 21:34 - How Kasey and Rob have implemented action capacity with athletes they hav...

MOTOR LEARNING with Carl McGown (2016 Rebroadcast)

May 04, 2023 16:00 - 54 minutes - 50 MB

Thanks for listening and supporting the show! 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.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT with Karch Kiraly (3 of 3)

April 27, 2023 14:36 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MB

1:15 - Karch’s thoughts on using an ecological approach at the professional/national team level. 3:44 - Players’ response to the “Goldilocks” style of exaggerating the two extremes to find the middle ground that works for them. 5:29 - At the national team level, has Karch found that there are variabilities in play style? 9:34 - Has Karch ever thought to experiment with using environmental constraints that naturally come with playing outdoor volleyball in practice for the national team? ...

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT with Karch Kiraly (2 of 3)

April 20, 2023 15:00 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MB

1:34  - Environmental constraints that Karch had when he was playing volleyball growing up. “Win and keep playing or lose and sit” system 4:50 - How the lumpy and hilly sand at East Beach may have shaped the way Karch learned to play. 6:26 - How natural obstacles can pose as challenges for athletes to overcome. 8:44 - How fatigue played a factor in Karch’s tournaments and his development as a player. 14:04 - How did Karch adapt to the many rule changes and even court size changes durin...

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT with Karch Kiraly (1 of 3)

April 13, 2023 14:44 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MB

3:04 - What Karch has been learning about and focusing on recently. 5:55 - How has Karch implemented motivational interviewing while coaching the U.S. women's volleyball national team? If you have an abundance of knowledge and experience, like Karch does, when is the most effective time to share it? 10:50 - How Karch’s experience practicing volleyball growing up was different from others’. 17:30 - Karch’s thoughts on explicitly showing and teaching the “correct” technique. 20:01 - How ...

INTERNAL CUEING - Motor Learning for Coaches

April 06, 2023 15:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MB

1:26 - Checking in with Andy, has spring training already started for baseball? 2:26 - Introducing the topic for today’s episode: internal cueing. 8:54 - Kasey’s thoughts on internal cueing. 14:43 - Concerns in the long term with having athletes shift from an internal to external focus. 18:03 - Should internal focus be something that can still be discussed within the coaching scene? 18:56 - Where does internal cueing fit into practice design? 27:38 - Would it be effective to practice ...

LEARNING TO OPTIMIZE MOVEMENT with Rob Gray (2 of 2)

March 30, 2023 19:36 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MB

1:40 - Helping athletes learn how to handle pressure better (Chapter 15 of Rob’s book) 3:18 - Approaching coaches who would rather have “perfect” practices by removing pressure and anxiety within the practices. 4:50 - How and when would Rob implement pressure and anxiety? 11:41 - Explaining the challenge point hypothesis (Chapter 14), and dealing with obstacles that come with implementing it into practice. 12:31 - How can coaches adjust practice activities if they are too difficult/if t...

LEARNING TO OPTIMIZE MOVEMENT with Rob Gray (1 of 2)

March 23, 2023 15:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MB

Access Rob’s online content here, and also where to buy his new book Learning to Optimize Movement https://perceptionaction.com/ 2:25 - How Rob is able to connect with such a wide variety of organizations and individuals. 3:47 - Has the ecological approach somehow made an impact on Rob’s day to day life? 4:42 - Diving into Rob’s new book, explaining the difference between a college and professional infielder with regards to gaze behavior (chapter 3). 5:39 - How can coaches help players...

PRACTICE PLANNING (2 of 2)

March 16, 2023 15:00 - 38 minutes - 35.7 MB

John Mayer, Joe Trinsey, and Kirk Pitman discuss how they plan practice.

PRACTICE PLANNING (1 of 2)

March 09, 2023 15:00 - 35 minutes - 32.7 MB

John Mayer, Joe Trinsey, and Kirk Pitman talk about how they plan practice.

MANAGING STAFF with Dan Fitzgerald (2 of 2)

March 02, 2023 15:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MB

1:22 - What Dan looks for when he is hiring staff members. 4:20 - How does Dan manage the staff when there are multiple coaches that have similar strengths and weaknesses? 6:21 - Tips Dan has for effectively communicating with staff members. 10:13 - How has Dan delegated work among himself and his staff? 19:51 - How does Dan set and implement standards for his team, and how does he communicate with players that don’t meet that criteria? 24:33 - How Dan balanced stepping into a new role...

COMMUNICATION with Dan Fitzgerald (1 of 2)

February 24, 2023 00:25 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MB

  1:24 - Introducing Dan, as well as his big takeaways from recently becoming the head coach of the baseball program at Kansas University. 3:15 - What were some difficulties Dan experienced transitioning into a larger role as a head coach, as well as moving to a new university? 6:29 - Dan’s experience with communicating with athletes, and how coaches can become better at this skill. 7:52 - With so many players on a roster, how does Dan organize 1-on-1s or other methods of personal commun...

CHAMPIONSHIP BEHAVIORS with Hugh McCutcheon (2 of 2)

February 16, 2023 15:00 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MB

1:30 - How Hugh manages to maintain a healthy lifestyle despite all the craziness that comes with being a coach. 3:12 - Does Hugh allow himself to set aside free time for things like watching a TV Show. 6:11 - Explaining the idea of being a woman and a warrior that Hugh emphasized to his players and in his book. 9:36 - What is coopetition, and how does Hugh incorporate it into practices?  11:47 - How does Hugh create a team mentality rather than one focused on individual results? 15:27...

CHAMPIONSHIP BEHAVIORS with Hugh McCutcheon (1 of 2)

February 09, 2023 15:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MB

1:56 - Hugh’s “retirement” and what his new upcoming role will look like in the next few years.. 4:55 - Will Hugh ever make a comeback to being involved on court as a coach? 9:10 - Should there be more barriers between coaches and players (especially young athletes) in terms of influence? Plus, check out Hugh’s book titled: Championship Behaviors: A Model for Competitive Influence 14:25 - How Hugh first navigated the evidence-based approach for coaching and education, and ways that new ...

CUEING ATTRACTORS - Motor Learning for Coaches

February 02, 2023 15:00 - 32 minutes - 30 MB

1:32 - Despite the losses, where does Andy see success in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ development? 2:15 - Andy’s predictions for the upcoming season. 2:44 - Diving into the idea of attractors and cuing, and how do they fit into the way we interact in our sports? 6:29 - Are attractors universal within all athletes when they start, or do they develop from coaching and instruction? 9:28 - Examples of attractors in volleyball. 17:35 - Andy’s thoughts on constraining with fluctuators in mind vs...

ECO-D FOR YOUTH VB with Loren Anderson (Part 2 of 2)

January 26, 2023 15:00 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MB

1:13 - What is something coaches can do to easily incorporate ecological dynamics for the first time? Giving more authority to the players 10:06 - Loren’s thoughts on the belief that “fundamentals need to be taught first” before there can be any variability in practice. 17:51 - More insight into practice design that uses the constraints led approach. 34:05 - Attributing a reason for doing something to a specific habit or action. 42:05 - Benefits of encouraging players to start a donor ...

ECO-D FOR YOUTH VB with Loren Anderson (Part 1 of 2)

January 19, 2023 15:00 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MB

1:50 - How has Loren explored ecological dynamics in the past? 2:50 - What originally pushed Loren to start learning about ecological dynamics? 9:47 - Have there ever been instances where Loren has questioned the effectiveness of certain aspects of the ecological approach? 13:31 - Does Loren think his teams would have won more if they followed a traditional approach? 15:28 - Differences between ecological dynamics and the traditional methods of coaching. Explaining within the lens of j...

DIFFERENTIAL LEARNING with Wolfgang Schollhorn (Part 2 of 2)

January 12, 2023 15:00 - 27 minutes - 25 MB

1:26 - Despite research that shows that it’s not as effective as an external focus, how can internal focus still encourage learning in differential learning settings? 4:54 - What timing is best for maximizing the effects on the athletes? 6:44 - Are there any scenarios where athletes can have errors that are too extreme to be considered “bad errors”? 12:53 - How to successfully encourage elite athletes to move out of their comfort zone? 16:04 - Would the same improvement that took place ...

DIFFERENTIAL LEARNING with Wolfgang Schollhorn (Part 1 of 2)

January 05, 2023 15:00 - 43 minutes - 40 MB

1:46 - Dr. Schollhorn’s journey through sports during his childhood and how it guided him towards studying the differential approach. 5:09 - When and how can coaches effectively use differential learning? The importance of effective communication 12:32 - Breaking down Dr. Schollhorn’s recent study on serving and passing in volleyball. Three main groups: Control, traditional (repetitive drills), and differential approach 16:29 - Dr. Schollhorn’s response to people doubting the actual us...

JOE TRINSEY - Part 3 of 3

December 29, 2022 15:00 - 20 minutes - 19.3 MB

1:22 - Explaining “archetypes” and how they can be useful when scouting athletes or teams. Similar to Jamie Morrison’s idea of storytelling 6:42 - How adding variability and “noise” can strengthen the defensive and offensive system rather than break it. 7:41 - Beginner players run into variability while advanced players create variability. Why is that? 9:52 - The added benefits of linking archetypes with experiences that players have (e.x. drills in practices, or even plays). 11:41 - H...

JOE TRINSEY - Part 2 of 3

December 22, 2022 15:00 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MB

1:48 - What are some specific games/drills through which Joe enforces this idea of “making the other side play”? 7:47 - Balancing freedom of play and potential development at the younger ages with increasing competition and competitive success. 15:27 - Joe’s thoughts on scoring games/drills where there is a “minus” component. 18:39 - Explaining the idea of “game teaches the game” and its role in development. 25:08 - When it comes down to smaller techniques and motions, leaving the athle...

JOE TRINSEY - Part 1 of 3

December 15, 2022 15:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MB

1:23 - Why does Joe call himself the “Forrest Gump” of volleyball? 3:17 - What can readers gain from becoming subscribers of Joe’s blog? Become a subscriber here: https://smartervolley.substack.com/ 6:10 - Creating a blog vs. publishing it as a book: Billy’s and Joe’s thoughts on the differences and benefits. 7:34 - Joe’s experience coaching the Canadian men’s indoor team over the last summer: what he learned and gained as a coach. 11:48 - Exhausting traveling experience for the VNL ga...

SPECIFICITY AND VARIABILITY - Motor Learning For Coaches

December 08, 2022 15:40 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MB

1:26 - Checking up on Harjiv: with the start of the NBA season, how has he been doing? 3:07 - What is “specificity” in relation to motor learning and practice design? 6:43 - Why should the specificity of practice and the specificity of movement be separated from each other? 10:16 - Defining variability and describing its benefits. 11:22 - Attributing specificity of practice as the “what” and the specificity of movement as the “how”. 13:09 - How do variation and specificity relate to ea...

COACHING with John Mayer (Part 3 of 3)

December 01, 2022 15:00 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MB

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 playe...

COACHING with John Mayer (Part 2 of 3)

November 24, 2022 15:00 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MB

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-setti...

COACHING with John Mayer (Part 1 of 3)

November 17, 2022 15:00 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MB

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 ...

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES - with Dr. Matt Jones

November 10, 2022 15:00 - 26 minutes - 24 MB

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 co...

SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY with Dr. Matt Jones

November 03, 2022 15:00 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MB

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 “competen...

PLAYER IMPROVEMENT PLANS with JP Nerbun

October 27, 2022 15:00 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MB

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

October 20, 2022 15:00 - 58 minutes - 53.2 MB

-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 Contact us for bulk orders: [email protected]  Become a Patron to support the show.

THE CULTURE SYSTEM with JP Nerbun

October 13, 2022 15:00 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MB

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...

COACH DEVELOPMENT with Jamie Taylor

October 06, 2022 15:00 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MB

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 shoul...

PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY with Jamie Taylor

September 29, 2022 15:00 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MB

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 proble...

CHALLENGE POINT - Motor Learning for Coaches

September 22, 2022 15:00 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MB

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 ...

Guests

Nick Winkelman
3 Episodes