Volleybrains

From national team libero to head coach of a professional club and now Canada's senior men's national team.

We sat down with Dan Lewis for four hours right after his season in France wrapped up. He opened up about the mentors who shaped him, how his own economics background led him to build a framework for smarter training, and why he believes culture matters more than raw talent when building a team.

This is part one of two.

https://volleybrains.com/dan-lewis/

And if you want the full interview, plus practice videos and breakdowns from the best coaches in the world, this is a good time to become a VolleyBrains member.

118. Dan Lewis: The quickest way to get better is to get organized A four hour, wide ranging conversation with one of Canadian volleyball's most respected coaches: the mentors who shaped him, the frameworks he's built for developing athletes, and the honest story of what it actually took to reach the highest level. Part one of two.

"Just going to bed doesn't work."

Kelly Sheffield on what he does after a loss. Watch the film, see what happened, build a plan, move on. No drama, no overthinking. Just get to work so you're ready for the next day.

This is one of thirteen clips from our conversation with Coach Sheffield, covering everything from game prep and film study to communication, conflict management, and what it actually takes to build leaders across a roster.

Read the full interview at volleybrains.com/kelly-sheffield-part2

Become a VolleyBrains member for full access: longform masterclasses and an ever growing library of practice videos from the world's top coaches. Real sessions you can watch, learn from, and take straight to your own gym.

"Just tell me what I need. I don't need all the extra stuff."

That's what one of Kelly Sheffield's All-Americans told him. She just needed information. Other players need a fire lit under them. Understanding the difference, that's the art of coaching.

In our latest conversation, Coach Sheffield breaks down how he coaches communication within his team, from the DISC profiles they build in preseason to the real conversations that follow.

Read the full interview with Kelly at volleybrains.com/kelly-sheffield-part2

Become a VolleyBrains member for full access: longform masterclasses and an ever growing library of practice videos from the world's top coaches. Real sessions you can watch, learn from, and take straight to your own gym.

Join at volleybrains.com

"This isn't pro, this is college."

Kelly Sheffield on why the scoreboard is only part of the job at Wisconsin. Winning matters. So does who these players become by the time the season ends.

Become a VolleyBrains member and get the full library: longform masterclasses plus an ever growing collection of practice videos from top international coaches. Real sessions, real drills, ready to take straight to your gym.

Join now at volleybrains.com

Kelly Sheffield doesn't just build teams. He builds leaders, and he'll tell you the best teams he's ever had were the ones with the strongest ones.

In our second VolleyBrains masterclass, the coach behind Wisconsin's rise to a national powerhouse gets into the details: why he develops leadership across the whole roster instead of just naming captains, how personality profiling helps him coach eighteen players as individuals rather than one group, and why he treats conflict as a good thing as long as it stays above the table.

An honest, thoughtful conversation with one of the best minds in the sport.

Watch the full masterclass at VolleyBrains, where the best coaches in the world open their doors: 110+ in-depth interviews and practice videos that take you inside their minds and their gyms 👇

116. Kelly Sheffield: Winning the Right Way How do you keep a program grounded when NIL, the transfer portal, and five-year eligibility have rewritten every rule? Kelly Sheffield, the coach behind Wisconsin's rise to a national powerhouse, on winning without losing who you are.

He left Portugal with no roadmap and no one to follow. Through hard work, dedication, and a quiet pride in where he comes from, André Sá built one of the more remarkable coaching careers in European volleyball.

This season at Mulhouse, it all came together, winning the treble in France. Full masterclass now live on VolleyBrains. Enjoy!

115. André Sa: Success Is A Decision André Sá left Portugal with no roadmap and no one to follow. Through hard work, dedication, and a quiet pride in where he comes from, he built one of the more remarkable coaching careers in European volleyball. This season at Mulhouse (France), it all came together.

Coach Guidetti sat down with us fresh off his seventh Champions League title, already in Canada, already thinking about LA 2028.

We talked culture, staff, belief, and what it actually takes to build a dynasty that keeps winning year after year. And about what is really going on in a coach's mind at 2-0 and 22-18 down in the Champions League semi-final.

The most decorated coach in the history of professional women's volleyball. Full Masterclass now live on VolleyBrains.

114. Giovanni Guidetti: I don't want to be in the photo. I want to be the photographer. We sat down with Giovanni Guidetti over a coffee, fresh off his seventh Champions League title with Vakifbank, and already settled in Canada. On culture, staff, belief, and why surrounding yourself with people better than you is not a risk.

New Masterclass just dropped. 🏐

John Hawks, head coach of UCLA men's volleyball, sat down with us for coaching a Masterclass.

Behind Al Scates and John Speraw, John only became the third head coach in UCLA program history in October 2024. AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2022. Head coach of the USA U21 Men's National Team. The résumé speaks for itself.

In this conversation, coach Hawks goes deep on:

✅ How he structures a full match week
✅ His technical beliefs on setting, passing, middles & opposites
✅ Where he lets his captains lead — and what he keeps for himself
✅ What real player resilience looks like
✅ Why "just be you" might be the most powerful message an athlete can hear

If you coach, play, or just love this game, this is the one. Link below. 👇

113. John Hawks: Your behaviors have to match your goals. John Hawks is the head coach of UCLA men's volleyball, the most decorated program in the history of American collegiate volleyball. Home to 21 NCAA Championships.

In 1990, Julio Velasco coached Italy Men's National Team to the World Championship. In 2024, he led Italy Women's National Team to Olympic gold in Paris.

In this VolleyBrains Masterclass, he talks about the mistakes he made, the lessons he carried, and the coaching philosophy behind a career that spans decades at the very top of the sport.

Including this: the more experienced you become, the more you need to watch how you explain things. Expertise can make you impatient. Clarity is a skill.
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54. Julio Velasco: Be a happy and energetic coach. In this 2nd Julio Velasco Masterclass article, we focus on the mistakes he feels he made and the lessons he learned from them. But we also go deeper into Julio's favorite resources which helped him become a master coach.