Brian Singh on Volleyball Culture, Coaching & His Journey With Kofi Gyimah

What makes a great volleyball coach? What can coaches learn from working in different volleyball cultures? And what separates an elite athlete from everyone else? On this episode of Bump Set Chat, I sit down with Brian Singh, a competitive volleyball coach with more than 20 years of experience, nearly a decade coaching at the largest college in Canada, and the founder of Digital Volleyball Academy and Nemesis Sports. Brian and I take a deep dive into his volleyball journey, from playing and coaching high school volleyball to club and college coaching, and eventually becoming one of the most recognized voices in volleyball coaching and player development. We talk about the differences between coaching volleyball in the United States and Canada, what Brian learned from being in the gyms of great coaches, how his coaching philosophy developed, and what coaches can sometimes lose sight of when working with young athletes. We also get into Brian's work with vertical jump training and some of the biggest mistakes young volleyball players make when they begin training to jump higher. And one of my favorite parts of the conversation is Brian's relationship with Daenan "Kofi" Gyimah. Brian shares what separated Kofi from other athletes, the moment he saw Kofi's potential begin to take off, and what it has been like watching the player and person Kofi has become. 0:00 1:00 background 2:35 high school coaching US vs Canada ** 6:00 Why coaching ** 7:05 Volleyball hook * 8:17 In the Sprawes gym * 9:10 Boys volleyball in TO Ont and CA 10:00 The aha moment that BS knew coaching was his calling * 12:10 Coaching coaches on the entire game 12:45 Who infleunced BS on his coaching style * 14:55 Coach B's philosophy * 18:15 Learned from coaching high school * 20:10 Playing high school ball - enjoy it ** 21:21 What do coaches lose sight of coaching today ** 23:35 Differences in coaching volleyball in Canada vs US - 12U **** 26:50 1st year coach Brian advice ** 28:30 can a coach over plan and over complicate their teams 30:30 One ball ** 30:50 takeaways from being in other amazing coaches gyms ** 35:00 Creating a high level of expectations with the athletes ** 37:10 jump training ** 39:50 What do yougn athletes get wrong starting vertical training ** 42:00 3a pushing a car around a parking lot ** 44:20 Kofi's kind words ** 45:05 What Brian learns from volleyball cultures outside of NA * 48:05 What keeps BS excited about coaching year after year * 48:45 Players need a break * 50:35 most rewarding part of coaching * 51:50 Kofi ** 53:00 what separated Kofi from the other athletes ** 54:30 Aha moment for Kofi's growth ** 56:50 Reflecting on who kofi is today 58:00 Jumping into digital media and social media * 1:02:20 Away from Volleyball 1:04:09 Where to find Brian 1:04:35 Who is next