2026 Chicago Coaching Clinic – On Demand

At AOC, we believe there’s no single “right way” to coach volleyball. This approach has led us to create world class in-person and virtual experiences like this one, designed to share different philosophies, coaching styles and training methods with one thing in mind–helping you become a better coach. The on-demand video is from the 1.5-day in-person clinic that took place on May 16-17, 2026 in Chicago, IL.

With this virtual clinic, you get access to:

• 12 hours of on-court and classroom clinic sessions
• Printable handbook PDF full of drills and session notes from the presenting coaches
• Video of the clinicians answering questions from virtual attendees in a post-clinic Q&A
• Certificate showing hours spent watching the clinic that can be used for continuing education credit
• On-demand access to the virtual clinic for life

Presenting coaches:

• Russ Rose – AOC Founder, 7-time NCAA National Champion at Penn State University (’79-’21)
• Terry Liskevych – AOC Founder, Former USA Head Coach, 3-time Olympic Coach
• Amanda Berkley – Head Coach, Loyola University Chicago
• Steve Aird – Head Coach, Indiana University
• Marie Zidek – Head Coach, DePaul University
• Matt Ulmer – Head Coach, University of Kansas
• Leanne Ulmer – Head Coach, Carthage College

On-court sessions:

• Keys for training the six skills (All Coaches)
• The 8 Ss of passing (Amanda Berkley)
• Short court games: Developing control close to the net (Marie Zidek)
• Training dominant outside hitters (Russ Rose)
• High efficiency serving (Steve Aird)
• Designing a team defense that works (Terry Liskevych)
• A blueprint for smarter practices (Amanda Berkley)
• Blocking techniques and tactics (Steve Aird)
• Training game-changing liberos (Russ Rose)
• Drills for less than 12 players (All Coaches)
• How to build injury prevention and conditioning into training (Marie Zidek)
• Mastering the setter/middle connection (Amanda Berkley)
• First swing offense vs. defense (Rose & Liskevych)
• Generations of insight: A live coaching conversation with Leanne & Matt Ulmer
• Competitive team drills (All Coaches)

Classroom sessions:

• Building leadership in your team (Terry Liskevych)
• Problem solving for success (Amanda Berkley)
• Scheduling for success: Managing athlete workload (Marie Zidek)
• Scouting and match prep (Russ Rose)
• Marketing your program (Steve Aird)
• Building and sustaining a winning program (Russ Rose)
• Lessons from a coaching legend (Terry Liskevych)
• Teaching players to get more out of watching film (Marie Zidek)

Frequently Asked Questions

Attendees of this clinic are saying:

“Honestly, this was one of the best clinics I’ve attended in my 32 years of coaching.”

“I liked the option of having the virtual since I couldn’t be there in person. All of the sessions I watched were great.”

“BEST CLINIC EVER!!!”

“Beyond the featured presenters, what truly sets AOC apart is the caliber of coaches who attend. The conversations in the hallways, during breaks, and around court sessions are just as valuable as the formal programming. Being in a room full of coaches who are equally passionate and invested in the game creates an environment where you’re learning constantly not just from the stage, but from your peers. That culture of shared growth and collaboration is something I keep coming back for. AOC consistently delivers a clinic experience that challenges me as a coach and sends me home with things I can immediately put into practice with my team.”

“I really loved this clinic and felt it was very valuable! I would come back!”

“As a college coach, I found it very impressive how the clinic handled be useful for coaches from middle school to college without feeling unproductive at any times. I really enjoyed the collaborative teaching experience and the different opinions even at the highest levels. I also loved that it wasn’t about telling you what to do but instead give ideas and concepts that you then can adapt to your team/situation”

“I really enjoyed being able to see the visuals and real-world legal processes live, because it made the experience more engaging and helped me better understand how everything works in practice.”

““Overall, this was a highly valuable clinic experience. The variety of court and classroom sessions struck a great balance between hands-on application and strategic thinking. Highlights for me included the High Efficiency Serving session with Steve Aird, which gave immediately actionable takeaways, and Terry Liskevych’s Building Leadership in Your Team, which was one of the most impactful classroom sessions I’ve attended. Russ Rose’s Scouting and Match Prep was equally excellent, practical, detailed, and directly applicable to game planning at the high school level. Steve Aird’s Marketing Your Program session was a great addition and not something you typically see at volleyball clinics. Marie Zidek’s Teaching Players to Get More Out of Watching Film rounded out my selections well and gave me new ideas for how to use film with my athletes.”“

“It has been great. Getting to talk with other coaches and experienced staff has made it amazing.”

“This is my 3rd clinic and I loved it. Always a great experience. The fact that they had the hosting team as demos was the best part.”

“Everything was great! I loved the clinic and learned a lot. I’m looking forward to practicing the new drills that I learned. Can’t wait to participate in the next clinic!”

“I liked that is was high-level but also approachable.”

It was a great experience as a 1st time attendee.”

“The AOC clinic was an extremely valuable and well-organized experience. I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn from high-level coaches and be surrounded by others who are passionate about growing the game. The presenters did a great job breaking down concepts in a way that was both practical and immediately applicable, especially in areas like skill progression, drill design, and game strategy. I also appreciated the variety of perspectives and coaching styles—it gave me new ideas and reinforced things I’m already implementing. One of my favorite parts was the on-court demonstrations and seeing drills executed live. That hands-on element made a big difference in understanding the details and pacing of each drill. The overall environment was positive, engaging, and collaborative. If there was one area for improvement, I would love to see even more time built in for Q&A or small group discussions with the presenters. That kind of interaction would allow for deeper conversation and more personalized takeaways. Overall, the clinic was run very smoothly, stayed on schedule, and provided a great balance of information and application. I would definitely attend again and would love to see even more opportunities for interactive learning and networking with other coaches.”

“It was great! It was wonderful to be around so much volleyball knowledge and people who would happily answer our questions!”

“Every moment of the clinic felt purposeful. I appreciated the timing and the structure greatly. A topic that could be explored in the classroom perhaps is how to start or gain efficiencies in a summer volleyball clinic. We are trying to start a clinic for younger kids in our area to increase exposure, knowledge, and interest of and in the game before they get to us as high schoolers.”

“It was fantastic. The 30 min sessions were perfect. It made the day go quickly.”

“I loved networking, meeting high level coaches, the combination of on-court and classroom material, and hearing different points of view from coaches.”

“It was very organized and the content of the clinic can be used right away in my season.”

“Loved all the info and quality explanations. Also loved seeing all the drills being done be high level athletes.”

“I really enjoyed this clinic. Thank you!”

“DePaul players demonstrating were great. Presenters were fun and easy to understand.”

“I absolutely loved it. I appreciate having a handbook as a reference with key notes and information.”

“Terry and Russ are so down to earth and I loved everything they said. I loved Amanda too and thought she was super knowledgeable.”

“I appreciate how accessible the coaches were to ask additional questions. The quick hitter session where each coach had 3 minutes to share a drill was a really cool concept.”

“Absolutely loved the drills and the injury prevention to be able to change my warm ups”

“I enjoyed the drill demonstrations, and the overall open love and dedication to the game of volleyball and to the people coaching it.”

“Great venue, great content, great presenters”

“I enjoyed learning and watching a ton of new drills. The coaches made this understandable and approachable. I would have liked to see a little more about coaching a setter. I liked the set up of the clinic. The sessions were a good amount of time and it provided a suitable break between sessions.”

“I think it was great clinic. It’s quiet period for us so I chose to do professional development and I’m so glad I chose AOC it was hands down a great experience. Iron sharpens iron, never can never stop learning.”

“Enjoyed the quick and efficient coaches who got points across quickly.”

“I enjoyed this experience and loved being able to learn and be inspired. I feel like my season is winding down and I see how I want to improve next season.”

“I love the idea that you’re just hearing about perspectives and philosophies that help form your own ideas, not a “here’s the only way”. Love the multitude of voices.”