The Volleyball By Design Podcast

Your practice plan has drills, reps, and systems on it. But there's a second curriculum running underneath your entire season that no one writes down and it might be shaping your team more than anything you actually drew up.

In this episode, I break down 5 unwritten lessons every coach is teaching whether they mean to or not, and the exact moments in practice where you're either building your culture or quietly letting it slip.

These aren't drills. They're moments. And how you respond to them is the real program you're building. In this episode we dive into: 

The customer service idea 

Culture 

Standard of excellence 

Getting pixie dusted 

Response to pressure/adversity 

Team first mentality 

Coachability 

Modelling

And a few more key concepts 

Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy - www.digitalvolleyballacademy.com

Click here for my workshop - http://volleyballworkshop.com

Reach out via Instagram @BrianSingh_CoachB

In this episode, I share my journey from knowing very little about volleyball to building a career coaching at the high school, club, and college as well as eventually working alongside some of the best coaches and athletes in the game.

Along the way, I share some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned about becoming a better coach and building a successful volleyball program.

In this episode, we discuss:

How I went from basketball player to volleyball coach

The biggest mistakes I made early in my coaching career

Why finding a mentor can accelerate your development

The importance of having a plan for your volleyball program

Why coaches need to be lifelong learners

Building culture, identity, and systems within a program

What I learned from working with elite coaches

Why player development should go beyond simply teaching positions

How to build a championship-level volleyball program

Why coaching education is so important for the future of volleyball

If you're interested in growing as a volleyball coach, I'd love to have you in my community - www.digitalvolleyballacademy.com 

Click here for my workshop - http://volleyballworkshop.com 

Reach out via Instagram @BrianSingh_CoachB

In this episode, I share part of a presentation from Canadian National Team and professional volleyball player Daenan Gyimah, as he gives coaches an inside look at what happens at the highest levels of the game.

We discuss:

Building strong team pillars and mental performance

Helping athletes reset and “snap back” after mistakes

Developing leadership and accountability within your team

Creating stronger team culture and chemistry

Why elite teams need clear systems and expectations

How high-performance teams structure their practices

What makes teams like Japan so effective

Click here to join Digital Volleyball Academy - www.digitalvolleyballacademy.com

Click here to join my free workshop - http://volleyballworkshop.com

Reach out via Instagram @BrianSingh_CoachB

This past week I had the privilege spending a week training with the Canadian Senior Men’s National Team and came away with a ton of lessons that coaches at any level can apply to their own gym.

In this episode, I share:

How the head coach planned each practice around player availability, injuries, load management, and practice goals

How they designed drills to maximize volume, efficiency, and game-like reps

Specific training ideas for serve receive, middle attacks, blocking, and 6-on-6

How they used competition and scoring systems to increase intensity

How technology and a serving machine were used to replicate game speed

The importance of players being prepared and warmed up well before practice

What stood out most about the mindset and competitiveness of the players

Practical lessons you can take from Team Canada and apply in your own gym immediately

Click Here to join Digital Volleyball Academy - www.digitalvolleyballacademy.com

Join my workshop at http://volleyballworkshop.com

Reach out via Instagram @BrianSingh_CoachB

In this episode, you will hear from mental skills coach Paige Tonz as she shares two practical mental-performance tools from her presentation at DVA LIVE 2026.

First, Paige breaks down the pre-serve routine—a simple way to add a mental component to an athlete’s existing physical routine so they can manage pressure, reduce overthinking, and step into each serve with greater confidence.

Then, she introduces the Bounce Back Tracker, a simple way for coaches to stop focusing only on mistakes and start measuring resilience. Instead of asking how often an athlete makes an error, coaches can track how quickly they respond and get back on track.

Two simple tools that can help athletes become more confident, composed, and resilient under pressure.

You can watch this training and all the other trainings at DVA LIVE 2026 by clicking here - http://volleyballworkshop.com/dvalive2026

Join Digital Volleyball Academy by clicking here - www.digitalvolleyballacademy.com

Reach out via Instagram @BrianSingh_CoachB