Bump, Set, Mic...The TNT Volleyball Podcast

Chuck Dougherty
  • 5.0 (5)
  • VOLLEYBALL
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Bump, Set, Mic...The TNT Volleyball Podcast

The Bump, Set, Mic podcast guides you through the world of junior club volleyball through the perspective of the TNT Volleyball Club located in the Philadelphia area. Join Club Director Chuck Dougherty and his cohost Brian Mooney as they interview coaches, parents and players to get behind the scenes insight into all things important in the world of club volleyball.

  1. DEC 16

    Ep 19: 13U Expectations and Advice with JK3

    In episode 19, Chuck and Brian ventured to the new TNT Armory facility scheduled to open in January to meet up with 13U Coach John Kutsuzawa, a.k.a. JK3. John will be coaching the National TNT 13 Roadrunner team this season and has played volleyball for over 30 years. JK3 has coached CYO, high school, adults, and beach players. He has previous club stops at East Coast Power and GPS Crush prior to coming to TNT.  Ever wonder what to expect from 13 year old players and how much you can challenge them?  JK3 shares shares his thoughts on what to focus on in practice, and what to expect as a player develops in the critical 13U year of volleyball. Timeline:  1:22 Meet Coach JK3 2:52 Highlighting Some of JK3's Experiences in Volleyball (and in life) Prior to TNT 5:30 Coaching Philosophy 8:00 JK's Other Interests 9:53 Why 13U is His Preferred Age Group 10:59 Favorite Memories at TNT 14:26 JK3's Leadership Role at TNT: Coordinating Required Coaching Certifications 16:50 History of 13U at TNT, Why Participation Doubles at 13U Compared to 12U, and TNT Philosophy on Getting Younger Players Involved 20:30 Variance in Players at 13U and What Coaches Want From Younger Players 24:08 Reasonable Expectations / What Not to Focus on at 13U 32:14 What About Those Who Want to Play at Higher Levels? 36:10 What Coaches Look for Specifically During Open Gyms and Tryouts 39:19 JK3's Thoughts on "You Can't Teach Height" When Forming a Team 41:23 The Growth that Occurs in Younger Players from Year-to-Year 43:56 13U Transitioning to High School 45:02 Playing Time, Balancing Teaching and Learning vs. Winning at 13U 50:24 Volleyball Moms Questions for Chuck and JK3 60:00 Bonus Question from Coaching Volleyball Group 63:00 Current Happenings and Holiday Season Programming at TNT  65:50 Wrap-Up

    1h 8m

  2. NOV 27

    Ep 18 Volleyball in Europe With Randy Syracuse

    In episode 18, Chuck and Brian caught up with TNT Coach Randy Syracuse. Randy recently joined TNT to continue his volleyball journey with our club, and we couldn't be happier that he's now with us. Randy's journey includes expereince as both a professional player and a NCAA Division 1 coach. He also has a long track record of recruiting and training talented academic and athletic students. Randy has achieved multiple championships and medals as a player in various countries along the way, and he has quite a bit of experience in club volleyball, too. On this episode, Randy talks about his life in volleyball, sharing knowledge gained from some of those experiences. He talks about ways in which he plans to help TNT to move forward as a club, from coaching his 17 Platinum team this coming season as well as helping girls get recruited. Timeline:  0:51 Meet Coach Randy 2:25 How Randy Got His Start in Volleyball 9:22 When He Knew He'd Be Able to Compete as a Player at a High Level 13:07 Randy's Overseas Playing Experiences 19:19 Comparing Volleyball in Europe to the United States 24:37 When/How He Decided to Get Into Coaching 26:29 Favorite Coaching Memories Over the Years 34:51 The Value of Club for Players Wanting to Maximize Their Potential 40:58 How Coach Randy Came to TNT and the Appeal of TNT 48:30 Randy's Goals for the 2024-2025 17 Platinum Team and Coaching with Former Players 53:07 How Randy Envisions His Role at TNT 55:06 Randy's Advice to Players Who Want to Play at the Next Level 57:48 Volleyball Moms' Question for Randy About Playing Club Overseas 64:44 Volleyball Mom's Question #2 for Randy About Development of Younger Players 66:30 Wrap-Up

    1h 9m

  3. NOV 18

    Ep 17 How Teams Are Made - Dealing With the Stress of Tryouts

    In Episode 17, Chuck and Brian got together a few days after the recent tryouts for the remaining 15-18U teams to discuss TNT's approach to the tryout process. Tryouts are stressful for Players, Parents and Coaches alike.  This episode takes listeners behind the scenes of the process that takes place from the time the tryout is completed until the teams are fomed. In segment one, Chuck and Brian talk about the steps that are taken by the club before, during and after a tryout. We learn how TNT schedules and conducts their tryouts, and how no positions are offered before the tryout.  How are players rated?  How do coaches evaluate players?  How are team rosters built?  What if players want to compare offers?  Can players 'Move Up'?  Why does it take so long?  All of these questions are discussed during Segment 2.  The segment ends with discussion on the dilemma of not having enough spots for all who wish to play, and ways TNT tries to find homes for as many players as possible. Segment two answers specific questions sent by TNT parents and players immediately after tryouts were conducted.  What does loyalty mean to a club?  Why do players get moved  to lower teams?  Chuck and Brian go though some data that explains why some positions (OH, DSL) become more competitive as players get older. We answer the common question about why a player didn't make a team and where she "fell short".  A recommendation made for those looking for in-depth feedback about a player's performance and what they need to improve in order to make a team.  The segment concludes with advice for families about what to do if an offer is not received.  As always, we finish by answering some great Volleyball Moms questions about tryouts. Timeline: 2:11 TNT's approach to the process to conducting the tryout itself 9:11 The decision on how many teams to fill prior to TNT conducting a callback session 10:30 The process of extending offers 12:00 Challenges the club faces in extending offers, having to wait for responses, and having to start the process all over again for each offer that's not accepted 14:56 Clubs who do not allow for wait time, extend offers right after tryouts expecting immediate response, and how some even fill teams before tryouts 18:09 The current reality of more players trying out than we can extend offers to at TNT 20:24 How the club determines the number of teams to offer at each age group 24:21 The importance of loyalty to the club and the role it plays in the process of filling teams at TNT 26:27 Addressing concerns brought up about players who are no longer on the same level of team as in past years --- or recevied no offer at all 28:42 How the game changes as the players get older and its impact on tryouts with some postiions that become even more competitive as a result 32:20  Discussion about why the evaluation of a player at tryouts is not one that will give the in-depth feedback about a player's performance that some parents desire if an offer is not received 34:16 Explaining why private lessons are the route to go for in-depth feedback about player performance if tryouts don't go a players' way 36:10 What families should and should not do after tryouts if an offer is not received 38:45 Reasons for the decision to forego the 15-18U callbacks at TNT after tryouts were held 40:32 The unpredicable nature of the older age groups (17 and 18U) when it comes to tryouts from year to year 45:08 Volleyball Moms question #1 - a parent venting about a player who didn't receive an offer  48:11 Volleyball Mom's question #2 - is an in-house league just a money grab?  50:00 Wrap-up

    52 min

  4. NOV 5

    Ep 16 Advice from a Legend with Russ Rose

    In Episode 16, TNT is pleased and honored to be able to present a volleyball dicussion with legendary Penn State Coach Russ Rose from a recent chat with TNT Director of Operations Leon Kasperski. The chat occurred in advance of Coach Rose's 11/10/24 visit to TNT to conduct both coach and player clinics. This special episode features numerous clips taken from that chat, each one followed by a discussion between Chuck and Brian about the topics just mentioned. In segment one, Russ shares his thoughts about club philosophy, skill acquisition at the younger age groups, and overall player development. Leon and Russ also talk about putting teams together for success as well as Russ's approach to communicating with the players and parents. Segment two includes additional talk about club culture along with player expectations,  selection, and development.  Russ shares his thoughts on roster formation for winning teams. The discussion then focuses on reasons for TNT's growth and the club's approach to the coming season. Leon and Russ talk about TNT's goal of trying to develop players, while also providing a great experience.  Finally, the group discusses the value of learning life lessons while participing in youth sports. In segment three, Russ gives his thoughts on volleyball statistics that corellate to winning. Russ gives advice on the approach that clubs such as TNT should be taking to continue to build and be successful against some of the nation's premier programs. The segment ends with the Russ' thoughts on the  importance of having players that are willing to work in order to be successful.  The episode ends with a brief update on upcoming events at TNT. Timeline: 2:43 Clip 1 (Club Philosophy, Skill Acquisition, and Overall Player Development) 16:23 Clip 2 (How to Put Successful Teams Together, Russ's Approach to Communicating with Players and Parents) 25:47 Clip 3 (More on Successful Club Culture, Player Expectations, Selection, and Development along with Roster Formation for Winning Teams) 45:35 Clip 4 (Reasons for TNT's growth, our approach to the coming season while trying to balance player development with the best experience, and the life lessons that experiences in sports can provide) 61:27 Clip 5 (Problems Clubs Can Experience, Stats that Corellate Most to Winning, How to Be Most Successful Against Top Competition, Players Working Hard vs. Players Hardly Working) 78:14 Final Thoughts and Upcoming Events at TNT

    1h 33m

  5. OCT 29

    Ep 15 Beginning a Coaching Career with Rob Reifsteck and LJ Brothers

    In Episode 15, Chuck invites Brian and TNT 15U Platinum Head Coach Rob Reifsteck and 15U National Head Coach LJ Brothers to his home to discuss volleyball from their perspectives as younger male coaches. They discuss their beginnings in volleyball, how they got started coaching teenage girls.  We hear their thoughts about the upcoming club season and goals for their 15U teams.  They discuss the differences in coaching boys vs. girls, and how they go about translating knowledge they gained as players to the next generation of players now that they are coaches themselves.  We also discuss the challenges that young coaches face from social media to  interacting with parents that may have children older than the coaches themselves. In segment one, we are introduced to Rob and LJ, hear about their careers as school teachers and their family influence that led them to coaching.  They tell us about their background in the sport, and talk about some of their coaching experiences with various age groups.  We finish the segment discussing their friendly rivalry as they evaluate players to form their club teams. For segment two, Rob and LJ give their thoughts on differences in the boys' vs. girls' game with regard to technique.  The talk about challenges they have faced as younger coaches, and how more experienced coaches have helped them along their coaching journey. This segment also includes discussion among the group about guidelines for appropriate communication from a club perspective, especially younger male coaches.  We hear about how Rob and LJ interact with their players and parents, and how they, as younger coaches, go about translating knowledge they gained as players to those they now coach.  Segment three features some questions from our friends at Volleyball Moms for the group to respond to and ends with an updated on current TNT happenings, inlcuiding the ongoing tryout process, status of Bunker 2.0, and other programs TNT has planned including the upcoming Russ Rose clinic in November for players and coaches.  Timeline: 0:30 Meet Rob and LJ 6:43 How Rob, LJ and Brian found their way to TNT 15:24 How to coah 15U players versus High School players 27:15 Difference between coaching boys and girls techniques 30:44 Challenges of being a young coach when dealing with parents and players 37:37 Biggest need from club to support young coaches 41:30 Safeguards when communicating with players and social media pitfalls to avoid 51:00 Volleyball Moms questions of the episode

    1h 5m

  6. OCT 18

    Ep 14 Volleyball Statistics for Dummies - with Sam Moyerman

    In Episode 14, Chuck and Brian met up with TNT 14U National Coach Sam Moyerman to discuss the value of statistics in volleyball and suggestions for proper use of them within the concept of a team. Given that there are many different opinions about stats, Sam presents a lot of valuable information about which are most important and how they should be valued by coaches, players, and parents. The need to balance the coach's “eye-test” with what statistics say was an interesting aspect of the discussion, too. In segment one, we meet Sam, hear some about his coaching background, and he shares his thoughts about the benefits of stats as part of his coaching, those which relate most to each position, and team stats he feels are most important. For segment two, the guys continue the discussion of the importance of using stats to help make decisions, plan practices, instruct players, and the value of them for parents, too.  Segment three features discussion about the stats that are correlated to winning vs. losing, including some potential surprises, tools available for recording and analyzing stats, and the episode ends with some stat-related questions from our friends at volleyball moms before a brief wrap-up. Timeline: 1:17 Meet Coach Sam 4:00 Sam’s coaching philosophy, reflections on some past coaching experiences, and discussion of goals for 14 National for the coming season 10:00 Benefits of using stats … what to focus on stats-wise as a coach, using the stats as well as the eye-test to make informed judgements, and those most important to a team and for each individual position 18:30  The role of stats in determining a team’s approach to serving 22:22 Using statistical data to help plan more effective practices 26:13 Sharing stats with players and how to use them to help explain coaching decisions and set goals for player and team improvement 30:25 Benefits for parents being aware of the objective nature of statistics and understanding them so that they can support their player off the court and engage in positive discussions about player performance vs. negative ones 35:48 Stats that are the most important in terms of college recruiting 39:38 Thoughts on coaches who are reluctant to use statistics as part of their process, relying solely on the eye-test instead and the dangers of doing so 43:20 How the importance of some stats changes at various age levels 47:30 How stats are perhaps underutilized in certain situations 50:00 Significant numbers and thresholds that correlate to winning in relation to certain stats 53:35 Stats that surprisingly do not have as much correlation to winning as one might think 61:00 Tools that are available for those interested in collecting and using stats 67:00 Stat-related questions from Volleyball Moms 75:47 Wrap-Up

    1h 18m

  7. OCT 5

    Ep 13 Parent Coaches, 12U Expectations & Boys vs Girls with Jamal Corbin

    In Episode 13, Chuck and Brian welcome 12U Coach Jamal Corbin to the podcast to discuss the expectations of players at that age group along with some of his experiences over the years coaching both girls’ and boys’ volleyball. Also debuting in this episode is Chuck’s first public singing performance (not really, but that sounds good).  For parents and players new to the club, wondering what the expectations are for players at that level, this episode is one we hope you find helpful. In segment 1, we meet Jamal, hear about his coaching background, and his overall approach to coaching 12U. Segment 2 features discussion of fair expectations to have of younger players, how to approach assigning positions with younger players, practice plans for that age level, and being aggressive especially with serving. In Segment 3, the discussion shifts to the differences between coaching boys and girls. Also featured in this segment are some pertinent questions from our friends at Volleyball Moms. Timeline: 1:45 Meet Coach Jamal. 2:55 Jamal’s coaching philosophy and the importance of using mistakes to promote growth. 4:20 Coach Jamal’s approach to 12U and appropriate challenges for players at that age. 7:33 Winning at that age level vs. playing the right way to benefit players in the long run. 12:57 The emotional nature of volleyball, how that can especially impact younger players, andthe importance of coaches remaining on an even keel. 14:53 Coaching your own child and a discussion of the delicate balance involved in handling the role of being a parent coach. 26:00 The skills that 12U players need to master. What does a coach look for at that level? 31:00 Positions and the value of having players be versatile to be better prepared moving forward. 35:26 Differences between practice structure for a 12U team vs. one for older players. 37:45 How aggressive should players be, especially with their serves, at that age level? 43:12 Differences in approach to coaching boys and girls, how to deliver criticism, and the importance of getting to know your players above all else. 52:30 The importance of younger volleyball players simply watching themselves and other volleyball players play. 59:00 Volleyball Moms questions of the day. 61:10 TNT upcoming events and wrap-up.

    1h 11m

  8. SEP 19

    Ep 12 The Value of Strength and Conditioning Coaching with Relentless Athletics

    In Episode 12 Brian and Chuck welcome Emily Neff to talk about the importance of strength training for young female athletes.  Emily is the founder of Relentless Athletics, a company that specializes in training girls and helping them succeed while also helping them prevent injuries.  If you are the parent or coach of a young female athlete, you don't want to miss this episode! Visit them at Relentless Athletics (relentlessathleticsllc.com) In Segment 1, we meet Emily and learn the science behind why young girls are far more prone to injury.  We learn about steps that parents and coaches can take to reduce the chances of getting hurt.  We learn how over-training impacts girls and strategies to take to reduce injuries in multi-sport athletes.  Finally, we talk about strategies to train while in season versus out of season. In Segment 2, Emily walks through the volleyball ages from 12U to 18U and explains differenet goals when training girls at each age. When should you start training?  When should you try to increase vertical?  How do volleyball players train differently from other sports? 2:06 Meet Emily Neff 4:34 How do girls train differently from boys? 5:38 The baby giraffe syndrome and the science behind training girls 7:45 Should we train girls for speed and agility?  9:15 Volleyball Moms question of the episode.  Hurt during tryouts...bad timing? 11:00 Strategies for Multi-Sport athletes. 13:30 Over-Training and what we can do to prevent injury. 16:00 Why so many ACL injuries in girls? 22:00 When to start strength training for young girls 22:30 Training strategies for in-season versus off-season 26:40 Strategies for age groups from 12U through 18U 38:42 Do volleyball players train defferently from other sports? 40:50 Volleyball Moms Question 2 - How to increase vertical. 50:00 Parent responsibilities to prevent injuries. 51:45 What's new at TNT.

    59 min
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The Bump, Set, Mic podcast guides you through the world of junior club volleyball through the perspective of the TNT Volleyball Club located in the Philadelphia area. Join Club Director Chuck Dougherty and his cohost Brian Mooney as they interview coaches, parents and players to get behind the scenes insight into all things important in the world of club volleyball.

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