The Volleyball By Design Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with CCAA National Championship coach Aaron Schulha to break down the full blueprintbehind his team’s title run. From building a selfless, high-trust culture to executing detailed game plans under pressure, this conversation goes far beyond talent and into what actually separates championship teams. We dive into:How to help your team play free and confident in...

In this episode, I sit down with 5-time national team coach Austin Dyer, who has led his program to 4 straight national championships. We break down the real reasons behind their success and also take a deep dive into the setter position. Topics in this episode include: Roster Building & Retainment Athlete Development Adapting coaching style based on teamCulture Recruiting Athletes vs...

In this episode, we go back into the vault with Mindset Coach Paige Tonz, who works specifically with female athletes helping them improve their mindset, confidence and so much more. In this episode we discuss:How to prepare mentally for serve receive How to bounce back after committing an error How to not dwell on the mistake you just made How to deal with a player with low confidence How to get...

In this episode, I dive into two important trends shaping the game right now. First, I break down the new rules being introduced by FIVB in 2026 and what they could mean for the future of volleyball.I also share some interesting out-of-system trends I’ve been seeing during the 2026 playoffs. Teams are becoming much more efficient when they’re out of system, and we’re seeing new setting solutions...

Down 0–2 in a best-of-five match is where most teams panic — and where great coaches separate themselves. In this episode, I break down the exact emotional resets, tactical simplifications, and momentum strategies needed to engineer a reverse sweep. If you want to lead with clarity when the pressure is highest, this one’s for you. We dive into:Tactical Changes Preparation during the seasonCoaches...

In this episode, we head back into the vault and listen to an episode I did with 6x national champion coach Jessy Satti where he not only shares some insight into wining all those championships but he breaks down concepts and strategies that all coaches can get a ton of value from. In this episode, we dive into:5 phases of blockingTrap Blocking2 vs 3 step blockingFire up blocking 60/40Offensive...

In this episode, I dive into strategies you can use in your gym leading up to the playoffs. This is an important time to make sure you're doing the right things to maximize your opportunity to win in the playoffs. We talk about: Film Team Chemistry Refinement vs Acquisition Check ins Mental Skills Team Building Activities Tactical Strategies And a few more key concepts Click here to join Digital...

This is a topic that is hard to articulate, you can't learn it anywhere on the web but it's extremely important and every high level coach has this in their gym. And that is creating a system and standard of excellence and maintaining that during practices and over the course of a season. In this episode, we dive into:What does it look like to create a high standard of excellence What I see in...

In this episode, we go back into the fault with an interview I did with the Head Coach of the University of Alberta, Brock Davidiuk, as he is an expert setting coach. In this episode, he shares so much technical aspects of setting and provides amazing insights to the position. He talks about:The technical principles - Feet, Hands, Body & Eyes Principle of a live environment Stages of setting...

This episode dives into the intangibles of volleyball — the non-skill, non-system factors that directly impact game play, lineup decisions, and winning. We break down the habits, awareness, and behaviours that coaches need to be aware of but don’t always explicitly coach, and why they matter so much on match day. Some things we cover are: Being surprised on the court Coming down from the block...