Episode 20 - Physical literacy, Ottawa U Men's Volleyball & Learning with Colin Walker

From The First Chair Podcast

In this episode, Frank & Thierry welcome Ottawa U Men's Volleyball Head Coach Colin Walker to discuss integration of physical literacy, the evolution of the men's program at Ottawa U and the importance of learning. (0:50) - How is Frank's club preseason going? (2:50) - What does it represent to be producing episode 20? (4:45) - Resource: Changing the Game Project The Perils of Single-Sport Participation Way of Champions - Podcast #18 - Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is the Way (10:40) - Colin's bio (10:55) - What is Colin's description of himself as an athlete? (12:00) - How did a grade 12 enrichment course kick start Colin's coaching career? (13:15) - Why did coach Walker choose to coach volleyball over other sports? (15:50) - What did Colin learn from his time with the Youth National Team alonside past UBC Men's Volleyball Head Coach and present Volleyball Canada's Director of Sports Science, Medicine and Information Kerry MacDonald? (16:30) - What are some of Kerry's thoughts on serving? (18:20) - Resource: Coach Your Brains Out Podcast - Serving Mindset with Andrea Becker (episode 1, episode 2), Andrea Becker on Perfect in Mindset (18:40) - Resource: 2018 USports Men's Volleyball Gold Medal Match - UBC vs Trinity Western (20:55) - What are some of Kerry's thoughts on controlling jumping load? (26:40) - Why did coach Walker take on the Ottawa U Men's volleyball program? (28:08) - What kind of men's team could Ottawa U have using primarily regional volleyball players? (29:15) - What is the history of the Ottawa U Men's volleyball club team? (35:30) - How is the team doing this year so far? (38:30) - Is a men's varsity program at Ottawa U going to see the day any time soon? (39:50) - Why and how did Colin found the SportsCan project? (42:00) - How does SportsCan cover the full LTAD pathway and focus especially on ancillary training? (46:50) - What can be done to facilitate physical literacy development? What can a 12-15U volleyball coach do to enhance physical literacy development? (51:50) - Can physical literacy still be developed at the older age groups? (53:08) - How can broader physical literacy activities be integrated into a volleyball practice already taxed for time to develop volleyball skills? (54:50) - When would be a good time during the season to integrate physical literacy activities? How long should athletes work on given skill sets? (55:50) - What are some of coach Walker's tips to teach ball control with younger age groups? (61:00) - What is Colin's definition of learning and how does learning take place in his coaching environment? (64:30) - What is coach Walker's analogy to explain learning from a neurological perspective to his athletes? (66:00) - Why are growth mindset, grit and failure key words Colin uses repeatedly with his students and athletes?