News

Beach ACE – Coaching in the Box: Scaling Performance Up

 

SPEAKERS

LEWIE LETT (HOST) Olympic and FIVB World Tour Commentator, Beach Coach Team GB

Lewie Lett currently works full-time in sport. His roles vary between broadcasting and coaching. Lett is experienced in both areas having commentated on multiple volleyball world championships and world tour events for the sports federation, the FIVB and also having coached Beach Volleyball for Team GB at the first European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Lett has vast experience, not only in elite sport, but also within developing athletes. He has worked in football, cricket, and skiing and also as a multi-skills coach. Lett mentors coaches and has run many coach development programmes. He studied sports psychology and also sports coaching and athlete development. His educational background and experience help aid his role as an educator but also as a sports broadcaster.


JEFF CONOVER Olympic Coach and AVP Senior Director

Jeff Conover is currently the AVP Senior Director for Sport and Competition driving the development of coaching in the box for the professional tour in the US. He has continued to enhance the role of the beach coach and offers a unique insight into how the AVP has advocated for this competitive advantage.

Jeff, a former player, turned coach and continues to hit the sand with some of the best talent in the US. He also coached and prepared Team USA for the London Olympics with April Ross and Jen Kessy who won the silver medal.


ANNA COLLIER Olympic and Former Head Coach at USC Women’s Beach

Anna is an Olympic beach volleyball coach who led the University of Southern California to three National Championships with an overall record of 206-38. She is the 2019 NCAA Beach National Coach of the Year and has coached numerous teams representing the USA at home and abroad.

She has seen and advocated for the continued development of the professionalization of beach coaching and offers a unique perspective on how it has advanced the game over the years.

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Beach ACE – ROUNDTABLE

The Panel

KÅRE MOL OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL COACH – NORWAY MEN

Kåre Mol has been coaching volleyball and beach volleyball for more than 30 years. He is a four-time Olympic coach for Norway (1996, 2004, 2008 and 2020). Kåre has coached Mol-Sørum from the youth level to a world leading beach team. The pair has won 120 out of the last 130 games with 22 international tournament wins, including Olympic gold and four European championships.

Kåre is passionate about making the sport better and more accessible for children. He is also committed to coaching excellence with high-performance athletes.


ANGIE AKERS OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL COACH – USA WOMEN

Angie Akers is currently the Head Coach for Team USA Olympic Gold Medal winning team of April Ross and Alix Klineman. Before joining the team of Ross-Klineman in 2020, Angie was a Federation Coach for the Netherlands from 2015-2020. She coached Madelein Meppelink and Marleen van Iersel at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Before her coaching career, she competed professionally on the AVP Tour from 2002-2013 and on the FIVB Tour from 2009-2012. Angie graduated from the University of Notre Dame where she played indoor volleyball.


VICTOR ANFILOFF MODERATOR

Victor Anfiloff is currently the Head of Education with the International Beach Volleyball Coaches Association (IBVCA). He is a three-time Olympic coach for the Netherlands (2008, 2012 and 2020). Victor was also the Talent Coach for the Netherlands for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Victor is an advocate for developing educational opportunities and professional sustainability for beach coaches globally.


Seeking value beyond results

Thoughts by Marco Solustri

The Greeks, who were wise and very, very serious people, said that our identity is determined by the people around us.

In more recent times, cultural anthropologists have pointed out that it is not individuals who act on society, but rather it is society at large that determines the majority of our behaviors. In short, we are in the grips of what we might call a “cultural cage”.

These simple considerations alone emphasise how important it is to surround ourselves with people who make us feel at ease, who share similar values and who eventually “catalyze” our best qualities and inclinations.

Here’s a trivial example amongst many that could be given: if we like being active, it would not be fulfilling to live in a community where a sedentary lifestyle is the norm. Of course, connecting with those who share our values does not imply avoiding confrontation or exchange with those who do not resemble us, with those we might view as “different” from ourselves. It is thanks to these diverging viewpoints that we experience evolution, growth, development. In one way or another, though, we must have a common starting point, shared intentions, motivations…values.

In the case of sports, a coach must share goals with his/her athletes, which I prefer calling values.
A goal can be winning a certain tournament or achieving a certain result – but when we talk about values, we are really engaging in a common understanding of the behaviors and attitudes that will help us on that path. I don’t like hearing people say you must win at any cost. Victory must always be guided by ethical behavior.

I have always thought that flexibility and adaptability are very important qualities, almost indispensable, to be a good coach. But on the basic values – those that constitute the essence not only of our way of working, but above all of our way of being – we cannot compromise.

If we have chosen to be “open minded” people, to face life’s risks (in a more or less calculated way), to believe in communication, to put passion in what you do, to face with optimism the problems that we face, to accept the most difficult challenges with enthusiasm and without anxieties or fears… then we need to relate to people who share our values.

Two simple examples to clarify the points made. A coach can and must adapt to a player who does not want to hand set because he/she is afraid of making a mistake. However, a coach cannot accept that an athlete of his/hers takes performance enhancing substances. In the first example flexibility is key, while the second one would entail a compromise of values, namely honesty and respect for the rules.

For some months now I have had increasing clarity on the fact that in my future work I want to surround myself with people (olympic athletes? Sixty-year-olds with beer bellies? Children from disadvantaged parts of the world?) who share these values of mine.

I would like to train motivated players who are aware and enthusiastic about the privilege of being a professional athlete.

I would like to train amateurs who come to the beach at 7 am before work, just so they can run and jump happily on the sand.

I would like to train children with a perennial smile, perhaps because just having a new ball is a source of happiness.

Am I asking too much?

ACE: Advanced Coaching Education

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has partnered with the International Beach Volleyball Coaches Association (IBVCA), to elevate professional beach volleyball coaching through advocacy, education, and networking. This partnership will drive a new education initiative for beach volleyball coaches who aspire to or who already coach at the highest levels of the game both in the United States and across the globe: ACE – Advance Coaching Education
https://beachvolleyballconsulting.com/beach-ace/

Webinar with Kåre Mol online

We announced the webinar with Kåre Mol at the beginning of the year, now you can watch the full 2 hours online on youtube:

“Nowo at 47” – FIVB-News article featuring Robert Nowotny

Former World Tour Player and IBVCA Coach Robert Nowotny celebrated his 47th birthday recently. Reason enough to get an article on the FIVB news site. Read it here:
https://www.volleyball.world/en/beachvolleyball/worldtour/2021/news/nowo-at-47?id=92104

Marco Solustri featured in FIVB News

Read here an article about IBVCA Coach Marco Solustri:

https://www.volleyball.world/en/story/solustri-even-after-five-olympic-games-coaching?id=92077

Webinar with Kåre Mol
IBVCA Coach Kåre Mol is the father of Anders Mol and coach of the best male beach-volleyball duo in the world at the moment: Mol/Sorum.
In a webinar hosted by former Dutch national volleyball players, Yannick van Harskamp and Dirk Sparidans from Njoi Life, he shared his passion and knowledge about our beloved game! 
Take a moment to imagine coaching the most successful beach volleyball team in the world. Now imagine being part of the long journey to reach it. To know how it feels we must talk with someone who does… in this episode listen to Kåre Mol!

(and watch the full 2 hours webinar for € 7,50)

Watch a short teaser here:

IBVCA – Video Interviews: Episode 1 – A Conversation with Richard Lambourne

A few days before Christmas we have a real highlight for our followers: a video interview with Richard Lambourne. Lambourne is currently coach of US-Team Crabb/Gibb, but worked with many other american Top-Teams before that.

We hope to make more of these video interviews, let us know how you like this one in the comments!

Enjoy!

Angie Akers revealed as a Speaker at the AVCA Convention 2020

Angie Akers is currently the Head Coach for the USA Beach National Team of April Ross and Alix Klineman and previously led the Dutch Beach National Team of Madelein Meppelink and Marleen van Iersel to 4 FIVB medals (2 silver, 2 bronze) and a 6th place overall Olympic Ranking.

At this year’s AVCA Virtual Convention she will take us into the training process she is utilizing with April and Alix as they prepare for the Olympics. Coaches will see first hand how she develops and executes dills to promote improvement in elite athletes.

If you are interested find more info about the AVCA Convention here: https://avcaconvention.org/beach-education-track/

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