Youth Volleyball - Empower the Future

Canadian Elite Academy - Dr. Darren Cannell

This is our first podcast, feel free to comment, share, discuss, disagree. Podcast Introduction: Let's Talk Youth Volleyball - More Questions Than Answers The introduction is designed to immediately capture the audience's attention and set the tone for the podcast [i]. It starts with a welcoming statement and clearly defines the podcast's purpose: to explore the world of coaching young volleyball athletes [i].•Emphasis on Inquiry: The phrase "More Questions Than Answers" is intentionally provocative. It signals that this podcast isn't about providing definitive solutions or prescriptive advice

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20 episodes
Updated June 30

Episodes20

Newest first

June 30 · 4 min
The_Locked_Gym_Paradox
School are built to develop the youth of a community paid for by taxes should be used as much as possible. In Saskatoon school rentals cannot be used on School holiday or professional development days. In Saskatchewan, the school year typically includes 186 to 190 instructional days, with a minimum requirement of 950 hours of instructional time.When including non-instructional days (such as Teacher Preparation and Professional Development days), the total reaches roughly 197 calendar days.The province features three main holiday blocks (totalling about 13 weeks or ~90 days of designated breaks):Summer Break: A minimum of 6 weeks (typically from late June through Labour Day).Christmas/Winter Break: Usually 2 to 2.5 weeks, spanning late December to early January.February Break (Winter Break): 1 week (usually the third week of February).Spring/Easter Break: 1 week, timed around the Easter holiday.Statutory Holidays: Regular public days off (such as Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Thanksgiving, and Remembrance Day) are observed during the school year, as well as several Teacher Professional Activity (PA) days. Why is this rental restricts of not allow athletes to use the school gyms for as many days as is possible Is this a contradiction to studies that promote keeping youth in a community busy and active will save money in the health budget and police budget What does studies who that sport teach the youth that will lessen health issues and criminal behaviour in their future
April 29 · 20 min
Why the best coaches do less.
The Canadian Elite Academy leagues are unique as they have no coaches, in every GameDay - two hour period you play 6 games. Players are mixed on each game into a different group of athletes and different starting positions. Parents Guidelines Our Philosophy: Learning Through Discovery Elite Volleyball is designed to give athletes the opportunity to discover how to play volleyball on their own terms. There are no coaches, no visible scoreboards, and parents are asked not to coach from the stands. Why no coaching? We believe young athletes ar best when they: Learn by doing and watching their peers Feel comfortable taking risks without pressure Help teammates around them feel less nervous Develop problem-solving skills on the court Build confidence through their own achievements This approach encourages athletes to communicate, support each other, and develop a deeper understanding of the game that comes from within rather than from instructions shouted from the sidelines. Day 1 vs. Other Days Day 1: Sorting Day The first day is a sorting day where we assess all athletes and assign initial rankings. Teams are mixed by age using a snake draft to ensure balanced competition across all courts. This helps us see how everyone plays and determines your starting position in the tiered system. Day 2 and Beyond: Ranked Play From Day 2 onwards, you'll compete on courts based on your ranking. Your performance on each game day affects your ranking, so you can move up or down between tiers. This creates a competitive environment where effort and teamwork are rewarded. The Tiered Court System Athletes earn their court placement based on performance. Your ranking determines which court you play on, and you control your destiny. Pinnacle Court (Ranks 1-20) The top tier for the highest-ranked athletes. This is where the most competitive play happens. Challenger Court (Ranks 21-40) The middle tier where athletes work to climb to Pinnacle or maintain their position. Foundation Court (Ranks 41-60) The development tier where athletes build skills and work toward higher rankings.
April 28 · 15 min
How_beach_volleyball_builds_better_indoor_players
Is playing beach volleyball a good way to train for indoor?
April 27 · 4 min
Our Beach and Indoor Leagues Explained
Check out the way this video explains why our league is so good for todays volleyball players.
February 19 · 4 min
Elite Volleyball Training App - Step 1 Sign in and Accept Terms
Welcome to the Elite Volleyball Training App! We are excited to have you join our coaching team. The Continuous Improvement Framework (CIF) is designed to guide you through a structured onboarding process that sets you up for success. Step 1: Sign In & Accept Terms This is your starting point. Here is what you need to do: 1. Visit elitevolleyball.training and sign in using your account. If you do not have one yet, click "Sign In" to create your profile. 2. Once signed in, navigate to your Coach Portal. You will find it in the main menu. 3. Open the "Onboarding" tab in your Coach Portal. You will see all 7 steps of the CIF laid out with a clear timeline. 4. Complete Step 1 by reviewing and accepting the Academy Coaching Terms & Conditions. This covers our code of conduct, safeguarding policies, and coaching expectations. That is it for Step 1. Once you accept the terms, your progress will be saved and you can move on to Step 2: Complete Your Profile. Important Deadline Please complete Step 1 by February 22, 2026. This gives us time to ensure all coaches are onboarded before our upcoming season. What Comes Next? The full 7-step CIF journey: - Step 1: Sign In & Accept Terms (you are here) - Step 2: Complete Your Profile - Step 3: Intro Modules - Step 4: Role-Specific Training - Step 5: Submit Artifacts - Step 6: Shadow/Live Evaluation (admin-managed) - Step 7: Final Review & Pay-Band Assignment (admin-managed) Steps 1 through 5 are self-serve — you work through them at your own pace within the weekly timeline. Steps 6 and 7 are coordinated by the Academy admin team. Need Help? If you have any questions about the onboarding process, reach out to the Academy team or use the Help chat in the app. We are here to support you every step of the way. Welcome aboard — let us build something great together.
February 19 · 16 min
Elite Volleyball Fixes Youth Sports Chaos
Why Elite Volleyball Exists Elite Volleyball was born from a simple observation: community sport organizations deserve better tools. Coaches, parents, and athletes juggle schedules, communications, payments, and development tracking across scattered systems. We set out to bring everything into one place. The platform started with the Vea League, a competitive volleyball league in Saskatoon. As the league grew, so did the vision. We realized that leagues, academies, camps, clinics, and school programs all share the same core needs: scheduling, athlete management, communication, and coaching development. Rather than building separate tools, we chose to unite them under one roof at elitevolleyball.training. What We Have Built So Far The platform today includes: - League Management: Automated scheduling, real-time scoring, tiered rankings, and attendance tracking for competitive leagues. - Event System: A flexible event engine supporting leagues, camps, training sessions, and clinics with registration, payment, and eligibility management. - Coach Development: The Continuous Improvement Framework (CIF) provides a structured 7-step onboarding journey for academy coaches, from sign-in to final evaluation and pay-band assignment. A public Coach Directory showcases certified coaches. - Community Portal: A unified hub where athletes, parents, and coaches manage profiles, view schedules, track development, and stay connected. - Newsroom and Content Hub: A content management system for newsletters, onboarding guides, coaching tips, and community updates, with email distribution and links to external media on Spotify, YouTube, and Blogger. - AI-Powered Assistants: Five AI tools help with event creation, parent guidance, athlete skill coaching, general help, and content writing. - Family Dashboard: Parents see their children's schedules, payment history, event summaries, and emergency contacts in one place. Where We Are Headed Our roadmap focuses on three pillars: 1. Expanding Coach Development We are building out the CIF to include ongoing professional development beyond initial onboarding. This means regular coaching tip content, peer observation tools, and a coaching portfolio system that tracks growth over time. We want every coach, whether academy, school, or club, to have access to resources that help them improve. 2. Deepening Athlete Development The athlete profile will evolve into a comprehensive development passport. Skill assessments, game performance data, coach feedback, and training history will come together to give athletes and their families a clear picture of progress. We envision age-appropriate development pathways that guide athletes from beginner programs through competitive leagues. 3. Strengthening Community Connection The Newsroom will become the central communication hub for the entire volleyball community. Podcasts, video content, newsletters, and coaching resources will all flow through the platform. Our Principles - Athlete-First: Every feature is evaluated by how it impacts the athlete experience. - Coach Quality: Great coaching creates great athletes. We invest in tools that make coaches better. - Family Trust: Parents and guardians need transparency. We protect personal information and keep families informed. - Community Scale: What works for one league should work for many. The platform is designed to support multiple organizations, locations, and programs. - Keep It Simple: Complexity is the enemy of adoption. We build tools that people actually use. The Bigger Picture AElite Volleyball is not just software. It is a commitment to raising the standard of community sport in Saskatchewan and beyond. We believe that when coaches are well-supported, athletes thrive. When families are informed and connected, participation grows. When organizations have the right tools, they can focus on what matters: the sport and the people who love it.
February 19 · 6 min
Why the Elite Volleyball exist!
Why Elite Volleyball Exists Elite Volleyball was born from a simple observation: community sport organizations deserve better tools. Coaches, parents, and athletes juggle schedules, communications, payments, and development tracking across scattered systems. We set out to bring everything into one place. What We Have Built So Far The platform today includes: - League Management: Automated scheduling, real-time scoring, tiered rankings, and attendance tracking for competitive leagues. - Event System: A flexible event engine supporting leagues, camps, training sessions, and clinics with registration, payment, and eligibility management. - Coach Development: The Continuous Improvement Framework (CIF) provides a structured 7-step onboarding journey for academy coaches, from sign-in to final evaluation and pay-band assignment. A public Coach Directory showcases certified coaches. - Community Portal: A unified hub where athletes, parents, and coaches manage profiles, view schedules, track development, and stay connected. - Newsroom and Content Hub: A content management system for newsletters, onboarding guides, coaching tips, and community updates, with email distribution and links to external media on Spotify, YouTube, and Blogger. - AI-Powered Assistants: Five AI tools help with event creation, parent guidance, athlete skill coaching, general help, and content writing. - Family Dashboard: Parents see their children's schedules, payment history, event summaries, and emergency contacts in one place. Where We Are Headed Our roadmap focuses on three pillars: 1. Expanding Coach Development We are building out the CIF to include ongoing professional development beyond initial onboarding. This means regular coaching tip content, peer observation tools, and a coaching portfolio system that tracks growth over time. We want every coach, whether academy, school, or club, to have access to resources that help them improve. 2. Deepening Athlete Development The athlete profile will evolve into a comprehensive development passport. Skill assessments, game performance data, coach feedback, and training history will come together to give athletes and their families a clear picture of progress. We envision age-appropriate development pathways that guide athletes from beginner programs through competitive leagues. 3. Strengthening Community Connection The Newsroom will become the central communication hub for the entire volleyball community. Podcasts, video content, newsletters, and coaching resources will all flow through the platform. Our Principles - Athlete-First: Every feature is evaluated by how it impacts the athlete experience. - Coach Quality: Great coaching creates great athletes. We invest in tools that make coaches better. - Family Trust: Parents and guardians need transparency. We protect personal information and keep families informed. - Community Scale: What works for one league should work for many. The platform is designed to support multiple organizations, locations, and programs. - Keep It Simple: Complexity is the enemy of adoption. We build tools that people actually use. The Bigger Picture Elite Volleyball is not just software. It is a commitment to raising the standard of community sport in Saskatchewan and beyond. We believe that when coaches are well-supported, athletes thrive. When families are informed and connected, participation grows. When organizations have the right tools, they can focus on what matters: the sport and the people who love it. We are building this together, one feature, one season, one community at a time.
February 6 · 6 min
Your Playbook for Peak Performance
The Unseen Battleground: Beyond Physical Prowess - Beyond the highlight reels: The critical role of the mind in elite sports today. - Athlete anecdotes: Moments where mental fortitude (or lack thereof) decided the game. - Setting the stage: Why mental conditioning isn't a "nice-to-have" but a "must-have" for pros. Your Playbook for Peak Performance - Recap of key mental conditioning techniques discussed. - Empowering viewers: Practical steps to integrate these strategies into their daily lives for their own "high-stakes" moments. - Final thought: The ultimate competitive advantage isn't just physical, it's profoundly mental.
February 4 · 5 min
Building Mental Toughness: Resilience & Growth Mindset
The Unseen Battleground: Beyond Physical Prowess - Beyond the highlight reels: The critical role of the mind in elite sports today. - Athlete anecdotes: Moments where mental fortitude (or lack thereof) decided the game. - Setting the stage: Why mental conditioning isn't a "nice-to-have" but a "must-have" for pros. Building Mental Toughness: Resilience & Growth Mindset - Bouncing back: The psychological strategies athletes use to overcome setbacks and injuries. - Learning from losses: How a growth mindset transforms defeat into fuel for future success. - The long game: Developing sustained mental fortitude for a career's worth of challenges.
February 4 · 16 min
Identifying Tomorrow's Stars Today
The Data Revolution in Canadian Volleyball Identifying Tomorrow's Stars Today - One of the most exciting applications is AI's ability to identify emerging talent much earlier than traditional scouting methods. - By analyzing metrics like reaction time, court coverage efficiency, and even predictive success in specific drills, AI can spot potential that might otherwise be overlooked. - This means a stronger pipeline of Canadian talent, nurtured from a younger age with highly individualized development plans.
February 3 · 14 min
Future-Proofing Canadian Volleyball
The Data Revolution in Canadian Volleyball Future-Proofing Canadian Volleyball - The integration of AI and next-gen data analytics isn't just about winning more games; it's about building a sustainable, high-performance ecosystem for Canadian volleyball. - This technology will democratize access to elite-level insights, making advanced coaching strategies available to teams at all levels. - Ultimately, this ensures Canadian volleyball remains at the forefront of innovation, attracting new players and fans, and consistently competing on the global stage for decades to come.
February 2 · 5 min
The Zen of Performance: Mindfulness & Emotional Regulation
The Unseen Battleground: Beyond Physical Prowess - Beyond the highlight reels: The critical role of the mind in elite sports today. - Athlete anecdotes: Moments where mental fortitude (or lack thereof) decided the game. - Setting the stage: Why mental conditioning isn't a "nice-to-have" but a "must-have" for pros. The Zen of Performance: Mindfulness & Emotional Regulation - Staying present under pressure: The rise of mindfulness practices in professional sports. - Controlling the controllables: Managing anxiety, frustration, and doubt mid-game. - Tools of the trade: Deep breathing exercises and self-talk techniques used by pros.
February 2 · 15 min
From Raw Stats to Strategic Insights
The Data Revolution in Canadian Volleyball Imagine a future where Canadian volleyball players are scouted, trained, and optimized using cutting-edge AI. This isn't science fiction; it's the imminent reality of how next-gen data analytics will reshape the sport. We'll explore the specific datasets and intelligent systems making this revolution possible, from grassroots to the Olympic stage. From Raw Stats to Strategic Insights We're moving beyond simple kill counts and block numbers. Think sophisticated tracking of player movement, ball trajectory, and even emotional responses during a match. AI will identify hidden patterns in these vast datasets, revealing optimal player combinations, strategic weaknesses in opponents, and untapped potential in athletes. This data-driven approach allows for personalized training regimens, injury prevention through biomechanical analysis, and real-time adjustments during games that were previously impossible.
February 1 · 5 min
Architects of the Mind: Visualization & Imagery
The Unseen Battleground: Beyond Physical Prowess Beyond the highlight reels: The critical role of the mind in elite sports today. Athlete anecdotes: Moments where mental fortitude (or lack thereof) decided the game. Setting the stage: Why mental conditioning isn't a "nice-to-have" but a "must-have" for pros. Architects of the Mind: Visualization & Imagery Seeing is believing: How top athletes utilize detailed visualization to pre-program success. Real-world examples: LeBron James' free throw routine or Simone Biles' pre-vault mental walkthrough. Actionable insights: How viewers can apply visualization in their own lives, beyond sports.
January 29 · 6 min
The Unseen Battleground: Beyond Physical Prowess
The Unseen Battleground: Beyond Physical Prowess - Beyond the highlight reels: The critical role of the mind in elite sports today. - Athlete anecdotes: Moments where mental fortitude (or lack thereof) decided the game. - Setting the stage: Why mental conditioning isn't a "nice-to-have" but a "must-have" for pros.
January 28 · 15 min
The Zen of Performance: Mindfulness & Emotional Regulation
The Unseen Battleground: Beyond Physical Prowess The Zen of Performance: Mindfulness & Emotional Regulation - Staying present under pressure: The rise of mindfulness practices in professional sports. - Controlling the controllables: Managing anxiety, frustration, and doubt mid-game. - Tools of the trade: Deep breathing exercises and self-talk techniques used by pros.
January 27 · 14 min
Elite Mental Tricks for High Pressure
The Unseen Battleground: Beyond Physical Prowess - Beyond the highlight reels: The critical role of the mind in elite sports today. - Athlete anecdotes: Moments where mental fortitude (or lack thereof) decided the game. - Setting the stage: Why mental conditioning isn't a "nice-to-have" but a "must-have" for pros. Your Playbook for Peak Performance - Recap of key mental conditioning techniques discussed. - Empowering viewers: Practical steps to integrate these strategies into their daily lives for their own "high-stakes" moments. - Final thought: The ultimate competitive advantage isn't just physical, it's profoundly mental.
January 26 · 6 min
Identifying Tomorrow's Stars Today
The Data Revolution in Canadian Volleyball Identifying Tomorrow's Stars Today - One of the most exciting applications is AI's ability to identify emerging talent much earlier than traditional scouting methods. - By analyzing metrics like reaction time, court coverage efficiency, and even predictive success in specific drills, AI can spot potential that might otherwise be overlooked. - This means a stronger pipeline of Canadian talent, nurtured from a younger age with highly individualized development plans.
January 25 · 13 min
The invisible Architecture of Elite Volleyball
The Unseen Battleground: Beyond Physical Prowess - Beyond the highlight reels: The critical role of the mind in elite sports today. - Athlete anecdotes: Moments where mental fortitude (or lack thereof) decided the game. - Setting the stage: Why mental conditioning isn't a "nice-to-have" but a "must-have" for pros. Building Mental Toughness: Resilience & Growth Mindset - Bouncing back: The psychological strategies athletes use to overcome setbacks and injuries. - Learning from losses: How a growth mindset transforms defeat into fuel for future success. - The long game: Developing sustained mental fortitude for a career's worth of challenges.
January 24 · 17 min
The Unseen Battleground: Beyond Physical Prowess
The Unseen Battleground: Beyond Physical Prowess - Beyond the highlight reels: The critical role of the mind in elite sports today. - Athlete anecdotes: Moments where mental fortitude (or lack thereof) decided the game. - Setting the stage: Why mental conditioning isn't a "nice-to-have" but a "must-have" for pros.