Learn from the Legends

Introduction

“This book has been in the works for many years – probably from the moment that John, Russ and I began our careers. The three of us met in the 1970s and have nurtured a wonderful friendship while having a great deal of respect for each other. Russ won a record seven NCAA championships as head coach of the Penn State women’s team. John won five NCAA championships – two at University of the Pacific and three at Stanford. I was head coach of the U.S. women’s national team for three Olympics, including the ’92 Games in Barcelona, where we won a bronze medal. Throughout our coaching journeys, John, Russ and I have frequently been helped by the advice of mentors – our parents, our teachers, our coaches, our administrators and our business acquaintances. Everyone needs mentors in their lives, and we have been fortunate to have an abundance of good ones. Our main purpose in writing this book is to pass along some of the knowledge we have acquired from those mentors as well as the lessons we’ve learned from many years of coaching and teaching.

One of my trusted mentors years ago was Mark Kruse, a retired financial banker who owned a number of Wendy’s franchises in Northern California. One day, in my fourth year as head coach of the volleyball team at University of the Pacific, I wrote a scathing letter to the university president. Before I sent it, I called Mark and read it to him. “Terry, that is a great letter,” he said. “Where are you?” I replied that I was sitting at the desk in my office. “Open a drawer and put the letter in the drawer,” he said. “In two or three days, read it again. If you still like what you wrote, send it.” A few days later, I did just what he told me, and I was taken aback at what I had written. Needless to say, I never sent the letter, and I’m glad I didn’t. To this day, I remain grateful to Mark for his guidance. Often, a fresh perspective is invaluable.

When John, Russ and I started The Art of Coaching in 2011, our primary mission was to offer fresh perspectives on volleyball from many different viewpoints. Through clinics, both live and virtual, and a website stocked with videos, we wanted to share tips and strategies from coaches in all areas of the game.

This book is an extension of that mission – a collection of ideas stemming from subjects that are relevant to coaches at every level. We hope you’ll dive into it and discover some fresh “pearls” that will be of help to you as you take your own journey in coaching this great game.”

–Terry Liskevych

Chapters:

• Foreword by Karch Kiraly
• Introduction
• Key 1 – Use the Socratic method of coaching/teaching
• Key 2 – Create a one-page coaching philosophy
• Key 3 – Understand that coverage is crucial
• Key 4 – Define and refine your team’s culture
• Key 5 – Seek a better way to do things
• Key 6 – Work hard and smart
• Key 7 – Be patient and calm during tough moments
• Key 8 – Don’t just wing your practice plan
• Key 9 – Motivate those around you
• Key 10 – Be prepared to explain the ‘why’
• Key 11 – Ask yourself: “Am I doing my best right now to help our team be the best they can be?”
• Key 12 – Develop a team, not just individuals
• Key 13 – Control what you can control
• Key 14 – Become a listener
• Key 15 – Prioritize competition
• Key 16 – Focus on the important statistics
• Key 17 – Pay attention to practice execution
• Key 18 – Understand that great organization will make up for weaknesses
• Key 19 – Wait until tomorrow to fix technical errors (find a way to win the next point right now!)
• Key 20 – Set boundaries, but let your players breathe
• Key 21 – Maintain balance in your life
• Key 22 – Make the most of meetings (team and individual)
• Key 23 – Treat everyone with respect
• Key 24 – Find the identity of your team
• Key 25 – Don’t underestimate the value of mental training
• Key 26 – Remember that less is more
• Key 27 – Keep in mind: When stacking quarters, every quarter matters – details, details, details
• Key 28 – Allow yourself to be influenced by your players
• Key 29 – Manage your time effectively
• Key 30 – Embrace matter-of-fact coaching
• Key 31 – Don’t be afraid of technology
• Key 32 – Understand the importance of planning
• Key 33 – Learn the benefit of activity framing
• Key 34 – Coach the players you have
• Key 35 – Have a plan for when you are overwhelmed
• Key 36 – Use failure as a learning tool
• Key 37 – Help players develop their volleyball IQ
• Key 38 – Give your team a rest
• Key 39 – Remember: The best teams don’t always have the best players
• Key 40 – Know your strengths and your weaknesses
• Key 41 – Encourage parents to be team players
• Key 42 – Tell the truth
• Key 43 – Be prepared for game day
• Key 44 – Never let your players doubt that you care
• Key 45 – Develop and nurture leaders
• Key 46 – Don’t be a victim – take responsibility rather than blaming
• Key 47 – Know your priorities in life
• Key 48 – Find a mentor, be a mentor
• Key 49 – Surround yourself with the right people
• Key 50 – Use video as a teaching tool
• Key 51 – Teach your players to read the game
• Key 52 – Understand the value of single-item focus training
• Key 53 – Be a lifelong learner
• About the Authors

– – –

Foreword by Karch Kiraly

“When we coaches want to share examples of excellence and stories of inspiration with our teams, a very wise and simple choice is pointing them to the masters of learning: the elite performers of international volleyball. The same strategy seems appropriate for young or aspiring volleyball coaches: point them to the Black Belt Learner-Coaches of our sport. This book is just that resource.

Why “Black Belt”? Russ Rose, John Dunning and Terry Liskevych were like lifelong martial artists, having been on a relentless search for “better” every season of their long and distinguished careers. All have powerful stories of learning, and of the pursuit of mastery – something that has also consumed me for the last two decades. Each time they would guide their teams toward another championship, another podium; they would regroup and then power on toward the next goal, toward the next degree of “belt,” learning and adapting all along the path. That’s what people who pursue “better” do: they’re never truly satisfied with the skillsets they have; they’re always looking to add more.

Russ Rose brought the Penn State University women’s volleyball program to life from nothing, with almost no budget and only three scholarships. Then, he took it to almost unimaginable heights: seven NCAA titles, including an astonishing four in a row, 109 consecutive wins, on and on. Coach Rose didn’t lead his teams through complacency; he instead led with a craving to adapt and improve. For example, he created his own system of statistics, which he would keep on the sideline during every match.

Talk about a learner: John Dunning became Coach Dunning without having played or even seen a game of volleyball. I still can’t wrap my head around how someone could pull that off, but he did – to the highest level. Two hallmarks of learners are curiosity and humility, and Coach Dunning exemplifies both: in Key 53, he shares how he “fell into the trap of thinking I had found ‘it’” more than once, with “it” being an answer that he believed would always continue to succeed – which it turned out wouldn’t!

Of these three, I’ve known Terry Liskevych the longest, having collaborated on numerous projects over several decades. Coach Liskevych is the ultimate problem-solver. Budget far too small to support the University of the Pacific’s big dreams? No problem: create and promote hugely successful spring All-Star matches and junior club tournaments. Struggle to push the game past analog solutions (actual videotape) for video and statistical analysis? No problem: start a company to create digital solutions, now commonplace at every level of volleyball.

One of my favorite traits of these three legends is this: all of them aspired to empower their teams. They understood clearly that it’s the players, not the coaches, who must make the real-time assessments and decisions as the ball is in the air. Great teams do this better, earning themselves a significant competitive advantage. If you were to watch these three coach in competition, you’d see something almost unheard-of in today’s game: they sat on the bench rather than standing close to the court. They let their teams “own” the game more, be more autonomous, and allowed them to tap into those most amazing of resources, human capital and brain power.

Finally, there’s this: understanding that each coach faces unique challenges to solve for her or his individual teams, this book is perfectly tailored to help you find answers – without the need to read cover to cover, or even sequentially. Study the Table of Contents, pick any Key that jumps off the page, and dive in. I wish you coaches and your teams great luck and learning!”

–Karch Kiraly

– – –