WEBVTT - Masters In Coaching Podcast- Episode LXXXIV 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.560 From a player to a coach to now starting a 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:07.520 program from the ground up. He is University of San 0:00:07.600 --> 0:00:12.479 Diego Beach volleyball head coach Derek Olsen, and he talks 0:00:12.520 --> 0:00:15.680 about his unique journey and is now progressed to start 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:20.640 a program next on episode eighty four of the Masters 0:00:20.680 --> 0:00:22.040 in Coaching podcast. 0:00:22.800 --> 0:00:23.440 Let's go. 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:28.639 Well, welcome into episode eighty four the Masters in Coaching 0:00:28.720 --> 0:00:32.199 podcasts Here on iHeartRadio or wherever you are consuming, we 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:34.839 certainly appreciate it. I am Tim Kates from A five 0:00:34.880 --> 0:00:38.519 seventy LA Sports and iHeart Radio, and we are so 0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:41.080 honored to have another guest here on the Masters in 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:43.680 Coaching podcast. And we've talked to a lot of coaches 0:00:43.800 --> 0:00:48.720 and administrators, folks that have extended their careers into retirement, 0:00:48.760 --> 0:00:51.240 those who are in the middle of their careers and excelling. 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:53.440 And it is so excited to talk to this week's 0:00:53.520 --> 0:00:56.440 guests because not only he has he excelled everywhere he 0:00:56.520 --> 0:00:59.120 has been, but now he's starting a new endeavor where 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:01.680 he's actually long. She need a Division one program that 0:01:01.760 --> 0:01:04.959 doesn't start until twenty twenty seven, so we're gonna get 0:01:04.959 --> 0:01:08.200 a fresh perspective on starting a program in twenty twenty 0:01:08.240 --> 0:01:11.080 six and twenty twenty seven at the Division one level. 0:01:11.160 --> 0:01:13.840 He of courses Derek Olsen, and he joins us now 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:16.120 from the University of San Diego. Derek, how you doing. 0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:17.920 I'm doing great. Thanks for having me. 0:01:17.959 --> 0:01:22.160 Tim absolutely looking forward to this conversation. We've talked to 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:24.680 a lot of coaches and administrators, as I mentioned, and 0:01:25.040 --> 0:01:29.160 none we're in that first phase of starting a program 0:01:29.200 --> 0:01:32.880 maybe maybe first time coaches, maybe first time coaches at 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:35.440 a different level, and tried to figure it out. But 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:39.880 last fall you were named the new beach volleyball coach 0:01:39.880 --> 0:01:42.200 in charge of the entire program at University of San 0:01:42.240 --> 0:01:45.679 Diego and it's not starting until twenty twenty seven. So 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:47.960 what is it like for you right now? 0:01:49.600 --> 0:01:52.120 Well, it's different, right it's a unique opportunity. 0:01:52.120 --> 0:01:54.440 As you said, we don't have a team this year, 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:57.960 we're not competing, but it does provide me, you know, 0:01:58.040 --> 0:02:01.160 a unique opportunity to have a runway to build this 0:02:01.160 --> 0:02:02.919 thing out and do it the right way. 0:02:03.200 --> 0:02:05.280 So you know, I'm sure we'll dive in. 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:08.120 But a lot of this year instead of you know, 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:12.639 practicing with the team and being with them daily, it's 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:14.000 recruiting and fundraising. 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:15.320 Are the two main things. 0:02:15.960 --> 0:02:19.440 Do you have a facility already or is that something 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:20.200 in the works. 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:21.440 It's in the work. 0:02:21.520 --> 0:02:25.080 So we actually just submitted plans to the city, the 0:02:25.080 --> 0:02:28.440 goals to break around this summer and then to have 0:02:28.560 --> 0:02:33.360 it done ideally by the time we report next September 0:02:34.120 --> 0:02:36.679 when school starts. But they've kind of given us a 0:02:36.720 --> 0:02:39.880 timeline of somewhere somewhere in the fall where it'll be 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:43.320 done and we'll be competing in twenty twenty seven on them. 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:46.560 Now, this isn't your first coaching job, so you're you're 0:02:46.600 --> 0:02:48.800 not fresh to this and you know, trying to figure 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:51.240 out as you go, but you sort of are building 0:02:51.280 --> 0:02:54.839 the programmer. You've coached University of Washington, you coached at Cal, 0:02:54.919 --> 0:02:58.079 you got extensive coaching the background at the elite beach 0:02:58.160 --> 0:03:03.560 volleyball level, USA Volleyball, International Volleyball. What is this endeavor 0:03:03.720 --> 0:03:05.519 like though? It was just something that was maybe part 0:03:05.520 --> 0:03:08.359 of the challenge and part of the fun of starting 0:03:08.360 --> 0:03:10.040 a program from ground zero. 0:03:10.880 --> 0:03:11.040 Yeah. 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:14.160 Absolutely, it really is a dream job. And I'm so 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:17.119 you know, I'm so loyal. 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:18.840 To San Diego. I love this place. 0:03:19.639 --> 0:03:22.680 It's been a dream of mine to actually have this 0:03:22.840 --> 0:03:26.560 job going back eight nine years ago. This is where 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:29.280 you know I used to live I consider home, and 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:32.480 so to have this opportunity come up has been, uh, 0:03:32.800 --> 0:03:34.560 you know, really a dream come true. 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:36.160 And it is. 0:03:36.320 --> 0:03:38.680 Yeah, it's it's a it's a challenge in a lot 0:03:38.680 --> 0:03:42.040 of ways. But you know, with our sport, I think 0:03:42.080 --> 0:03:46.000 it's considered the fastest growing sport in NCAA history. So 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:51.000 there's been a lot of you know, development and firsts. 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:55.000 And you know, even with my other two positions up 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:58.520 at University of Washington and then before that at UC Berkeley, 0:03:59.640 --> 0:03:59.960 there was. 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:03.280 A lot of developing and creating. 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:07.440 And you know, because every program has kind of started 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:11.280 from you know, ground zero, but has taken a few 0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:14.360 years to develop to you know, where they are now. 0:04:14.400 --> 0:04:17.440 And so a lot of the things that I learned 0:04:17.440 --> 0:04:21.839 from my previous stops I'm applying here. You know, Like 0:04:22.520 --> 0:04:24.800 I don't think they would have hired a brand new 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:28.240 coach in position. They wanted somebody with experience, and I 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:32.160 kind of had that unique experience of you know, not 0:04:32.240 --> 0:04:35.600 necessarily starting from the ground up, but putting a lot 0:04:35.640 --> 0:04:40.000 of systems and you know, a lot of philosophies in 0:04:40.040 --> 0:04:42.800 place to this startup. 0:04:43.960 --> 0:04:45.279 I was shocked to hear that. 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:46.800 Correct me if I'm on wrong. 0:04:47.000 --> 0:04:50.080 University of San Diego this is the first D one 0:04:50.640 --> 0:04:53.640 beach volleyball program in the San Diego area. Mean, we 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:58.240 think of West Coast volleyball, beach volleyball the epicenter for 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:01.839 you know, the volleyball circuits and high school volleyball and 0:05:02.120 --> 0:05:05.599 you know Olympic volleyball. Is University of San Diego really 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:07.839 the first D one program to have beach volleyball in 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:08.279 that area. 0:05:08.960 --> 0:05:11.440 Yeah, yeah, it's true, I know it. 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:13.560 You would have thought that it would have been, you know, 0:05:14.960 --> 0:05:18.480 an established place within our sport from the beginning. 0:05:18.640 --> 0:05:21.600 But you know, credit to Kimya. 0:05:21.360 --> 0:05:25.880 Our athletic director, for launching this program and taking the 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:27.040 necessary step. 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:28.520 So that we we do have a program. 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:32.559 And I'll tell you what, the city has been really 0:05:32.560 --> 0:05:37.359 forthcoming and their support and you know, appreciation for having 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:42.480 a school adopt the program. And so yeah, it's it's 0:05:42.520 --> 0:05:43.880 been it's been really cool to see it. 0:05:44.279 --> 0:05:48.160 Why do you think it took so long for Division 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:51.560 one to have beach volleyball in the San Diego area. 0:05:51.560 --> 0:05:55.600 There's other schools in that area. Why us D? 0:05:55.839 --> 0:05:59.200 Why? Now? Yeah, you know, that's a good question. 0:05:59.839 --> 0:06:02.000 And I think a lot of us that have been 0:06:02.040 --> 0:06:05.240 in San Diego for the last ten plus years have 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:06.680 been asking those questions. 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:10.080 And you know, I think for every schools it's different, right. 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:13.800 Sometimes it comes down to a money issue, Sometimes it 0:06:13.800 --> 0:06:16.520 comes down to a Title nine issue. Sometimes it's just 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:20.520 you know, what the ad wants or admin wants, and 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:25.520 so you know, I think, you know, I'm obviously biased, 0:06:25.600 --> 0:06:27.680 but to me, it's a no brainer in San Diego, 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:29.480 and I think we'll be real competitive. 0:06:29.720 --> 0:06:31.080 You know, from the jump. 0:06:31.760 --> 0:06:35.880 I'm curious in the recruiting that you're doing to start 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:38.960 this program. And I asked this because I had daughters 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:42.680 that went through it in lacrosse, and I remember, you know, 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:45.520 looking at programs or maybe we're just starting across the 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:48.599 country at the Division one or Division two level, and okay, 0:06:48.600 --> 0:06:51.719 there's an opportunity there. They don't have players already, they're 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:54.120 looking for players, they're looking to build a program, and 0:06:54.160 --> 0:06:57.080 they're looking for young players. What is going to be 0:06:57.720 --> 0:07:00.920 your philosophy? Have you started it as far as building 0:07:00.920 --> 0:07:03.720 that initial team as a new program. Are you looking 0:07:03.760 --> 0:07:06.240 for young players? Are you going to look into the 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:09.320 portal bringing experienced players a little bit of bullf Have 0:07:09.360 --> 0:07:11.920 you figure out maybe a philosophy of how you're going 0:07:12.000 --> 0:07:14.320 to start your program with players. 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:18.200 Yeah, and that's something that me and my two coaches, 0:07:18.280 --> 0:07:22.800 Mike Plachek and Jayden Whitmarsh, we're talking constantly about. You know, 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:27.000 it's tricky because we got to field an entire team. 0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:30.240 Our roster limit is nineteen, so we got to have 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:33.840 you know, essentially nineteen by year one. But we don't 0:07:33.840 --> 0:07:37.120 want nineteen incoming freshmen, right, we want to balanced roster. 0:07:37.520 --> 0:07:41.640 The fortunate thing for us is the transfer portal makes 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:43.680 that job easier for us, so we can go out 0:07:43.720 --> 0:07:47.120 and get athletes to have one year of eligibility, athletes 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:50.080 that have two three, so that we can start off 0:07:50.120 --> 0:07:54.480 with a balanced roster. So that's fortunate for us. But 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:58.200 you know, I was thinking the other day, actually, I 0:07:58.200 --> 0:08:02.000 have two young daughters, and I'm starting to think that, like, 0:08:02.120 --> 0:08:04.400 my daughters are going to be around the program a lot. 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:08.480 So kind of my idea of recruiting, you know, on character, 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:11.760 which is I think the most important thing is like 0:08:12.040 --> 0:08:15.880 who do I want to be role models for my daughters? 0:08:15.920 --> 0:08:18.240 Which is, you know, a perspective that I haven't even 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:21.400 considered before, but it kind of gives me a new 0:08:21.480 --> 0:08:25.760 lens to operate within. But yeah, I mean, this is 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:28.680 a unique opportunity, right, Like I have an entrepreneurial spirit. 0:08:28.760 --> 0:08:33.280 I love the building and the creating something rather than 0:08:33.400 --> 0:08:36.559 just jumping on something that's already well established and good, 0:08:38.000 --> 0:08:41.640 you know. So I'm looking for individuals that share that, 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:43.960 you know, athletes that want to be a part of 0:08:43.960 --> 0:08:47.880 that process and you know, see that vision as we do. 0:08:48.559 --> 0:08:50.559 Because I think, yeah, like you said, it's a it's 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:53.000 a really unique opportunity to be the first. 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:58.520 I imagine and I'm just speculating. I'm I'm guessing your 0:08:58.600 --> 0:09:02.160 inbox for your email and your assistance is getting filled 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:05.959 up pretty quickly on a daily basis. And now knowing 0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:09.240 that USD is going to have a D one Beach 0:09:09.320 --> 0:09:12.400 Volleyball program, you probably don't have to go out and 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:15.760 sell the program, Derek, because I imagine you're getting flooded 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:19.280 with kids looking to come to your program because of 0:09:19.320 --> 0:09:22.400 the location, being the D one program and being a 0:09:22.440 --> 0:09:25.720 new program. Am I right that? I mean you're probably 0:09:25.720 --> 0:09:28.040 getting indudated with kids that are just trying to get 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:29.000 into your program. 0:09:29.840 --> 0:09:32.440 Yeah, I mean we're seeing it, you know through our 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:36.679 email box. We have camps ongoing and they're filling up 0:09:36.840 --> 0:09:41.040 within you know hours, to be honest, Wow, So yeah, 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:43.040 I mean I kind of expected it to some degree, 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:45.720 but probably not at this level. 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:49.360 And you know, we're you know, we're just we're just starting. 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:52.600 So I think when we kind of establish our identity 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:56.400 a little bit and establish you know, how good we 0:09:56.679 --> 0:10:00.600 can be, I think that's only gonna get become more. 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:01.880 So we're going to. 0:10:01.920 --> 0:10:04.600 Get more to the program. Some of your philosophies you 0:10:04.640 --> 0:10:06.600 mentioned character is going to be a big thing for you, 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:08.440 and I want to touch on that in a minute, 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:10.000 but I kind of want to go back to how 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:12.520 you got into coaching. You're a former player, but you 0:10:12.559 --> 0:10:16.319 played indoor volleyball and then went out and played outdoor volleyball. 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:18.720 You played on the AVP Tour, and then you got 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:22.240 into coaching. Why what was it about coaching at that 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:24.320 point you said, I want to get into it. I 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:25.800 want to coach beach volleyball. 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:26.800 Yeah. 0:10:26.880 --> 0:10:29.320 I grew up in a family of educators, so my 0:10:29.440 --> 0:10:34.560 mom taught elementary school, my dad was a pe teacher 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:35.680 and a volleyball coach. 0:10:36.760 --> 0:10:38.679 My grand grandfather. 0:10:38.320 --> 0:10:42.960 High school coach, high school teacher, uncles, you know, so 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:47.440 it's kind of been what I've grown up in. But 0:10:48.280 --> 0:10:50.760 you know, I started playing volleyball at the University of Oregon, 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:54.360 actually on their club team, and I grew up around 0:10:54.360 --> 0:10:56.520 it because, as I said, my dad coached and he 0:10:56.600 --> 0:10:59.200 ran his own club and he played, and so I 0:10:59.240 --> 0:11:02.480 always kind of was interested and curious about the sport, 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:06.200 but it was a girl sport where where I'm from 0:11:06.240 --> 0:11:08.520 at the time, and so I never really had access 0:11:08.559 --> 0:11:11.360 to it. And then finally at the University of Oregon, 0:11:12.120 --> 0:11:13.600 you know, I tried out and made the team, and 0:11:13.640 --> 0:11:16.080 I was terrible, but I at least kind of knew 0:11:16.240 --> 0:11:18.400 what the game was supposed to look like and supposed 0:11:18.400 --> 0:11:21.800 to be. So for whatever reason, I became addicted and 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:24.240 it was I remember the first couple of years just 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:27.320 like frustrated every day because I wanted to be better 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:28.280 in it and it's. 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:29.079 A hard sport. 0:11:29.600 --> 0:11:34.720 But I think finding that at nineteen and going through 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:37.720 like the very beginning stages of it kind of gave 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:41.080 me a unique perspective of how that process is and 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:45.240 I could actually like absorb it and comprehend the you know, 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:48.400 very beginner all the way through to you know, the 0:11:48.400 --> 0:11:51.679 professional level, and so that gave me a unique perspective 0:11:51.880 --> 0:11:54.120 something that I've leaned on in my coaching career. But 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:56.880 when I graduated from the University of Oregon in two 0:11:56.920 --> 0:12:00.280 thousand and six, I moved down to San Diego, you know, 0:12:00.320 --> 0:12:03.320 with with goals to be a professional beach volleyball player. 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:05.480 And so, you know, I worked hard at it. 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:10.800 I sacrificed a lot, I you know, accomplished a lot 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:13.079 of goals. I had to keep moving the goalpost, if 0:12:13.080 --> 0:12:16.080 you will, and got way better than I ever thought 0:12:16.120 --> 0:12:21.040 I could. And that actually, throughout that process gave me 0:12:21.240 --> 0:12:24.319 confidence that you know, I never really knew that I had. 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:27.000 It's not like I was lacking self esteem or anything 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:29.360 like that, but I had never done something like that 0:12:29.400 --> 0:12:33.280 where I put years into my development for something and 0:12:33.960 --> 0:12:36.440 saw the you know, the product of that, which was 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:37.240 really cool. 0:12:37.040 --> 0:12:37.880 And eye opening to me. 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:42.040 And it kind of gave me this recipe for success, like, hey, 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:45.679 this can actually apply to other domains, this can apply 0:12:45.720 --> 0:12:49.200 across the board, and I kind of lived it, and so, 0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:51.920 you know, there's a point in time where I was 0:12:52.040 --> 0:12:55.840 I was coaching towards the end of my career, and 0:12:56.120 --> 0:12:58.920 I always say, you know, the switch for me was 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:01.600 what you used to keep me up at night was 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:06.280 my own like practice, my own training, my own competition's 0:13:06.360 --> 0:13:09.400 coming up. Then for whatever reason, all of a sudden, 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:11.680 it switched to how am I going to train my 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:14.800 athletes tomorrow? How am I going to get this person better? 0:13:15.280 --> 0:13:19.080 And thinking about drills and ideas for them, And then 0:13:19.120 --> 0:13:20.640 it was just kind of a you know, the riding 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:23.440 was on the wall, you know, because I still had 0:13:23.480 --> 0:13:27.400 plenty of years in me physically, but I just kind 0:13:27.400 --> 0:13:30.040 of knew with that mind shift that I wanted to 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:30.760 pursue coaching. 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:34.720 What is it about coaching at the college level? Because 0:13:35.000 --> 0:13:38.600 you've coached Olympic teams, part of the Morocco national team, 0:13:38.920 --> 0:13:42.720 a club level, elite volleyball levels of coaching. 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:43.400 Up and down the board. 0:13:43.400 --> 0:13:46.199 But why do you being you settled maybe at the 0:13:46.280 --> 0:13:48.640 D one level and what you've been doing at Cal 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:50.040 Washington and now USD. 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:53.680 Yeah, I mean it's the perfect environment because I mean 0:13:53.760 --> 0:13:57.720 there's I believe in a very holistic approach to this 0:13:57.760 --> 0:14:00.840 whole thing. And it's not just you know, the skills 0:14:00.840 --> 0:14:03.679 and drills that you do on the court during practice. 0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:07.360 There's so much more that goes into it. And so 0:14:08.120 --> 0:14:12.400 this system, this environment actually allows us to dive deeper 0:14:12.440 --> 0:14:17.760 into those other areas strength and conditioning, nutrition, mental skills, 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:20.320 you name it. There's a bunch that goes into it, 0:14:20.920 --> 0:14:24.080 and you get the same players for an entire year 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:26.440 that you get to just like really spend time with 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:30.080 and develop and and to me, that's that's really cool. 0:14:30.080 --> 0:14:31.800 At the club level, you know, you get them. 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:35.880 For practice, but there's not a ton of time outside 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:39.520 of practice that you know you can help develop them. 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:44.120 So it's a unique, unique environment, but it's really really 0:14:44.120 --> 0:14:45.760 cool and you get to be really hands on. 0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:49.000 You mentioned that when you were pursuing that pro career 0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:52.600 at the Grind you went through and and just the 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:55.560 process and then flipping that switch, as you said, from 0:14:55.600 --> 0:14:59.560 a player's mentality to a coach's mentality. When you look 0:14:59.600 --> 0:15:03.480 at your style of coaching and how you you know, 0:15:03.640 --> 0:15:07.720 work your programs and in your players, is it based 0:15:07.760 --> 0:15:11.200 on that process that you went through. Is it based 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:13.880 on that plus how you were a coach, maybe philosophies 0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:17.480 that you took from family members who were educators and coachers. 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:20.600 When you look at how you, I guess approach coaching 0:15:20.640 --> 0:15:22.200 in your style and where where do you kind of 0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:22.880 get it from? 0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:26.240 Probably all of that, to be honest, you know, in 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:31.640 my career, our sport is is interesting. Ten years ago, 0:15:31.720 --> 0:15:34.080 there wasn't a lot of coaching in our sport, so 0:15:34.320 --> 0:15:39.600 I grew up and developed almost myself. Like I didn't 0:15:39.640 --> 0:15:43.200 have coaches in beach volleyball, so I, you know, would 0:15:43.200 --> 0:15:48.040 watch this person, do you know a certain skill or 0:15:48.240 --> 0:15:50.440 run a certain drill, and I would adopt it. It 0:15:50.520 --> 0:15:53.640 was a whole lot of just like monkey see, monkey do, 0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:57.400 and and borrowing ideas and really training myself. 0:15:57.440 --> 0:15:58.320 And so I think. 0:15:59.600 --> 0:16:02.720 That also so helped, you know, like train my coaches 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:07.520 eye and develop some like coaching characteristics that have helped me. 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:12.560 But I think, you know, really my philosophy and kind 0:16:12.560 --> 0:16:14.680 of what I've learned along the way is I mean, 0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:17.920 it's a I like to coach the individual, like I 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:21.200 don't have a cookie cutter. Everybody's got to do do 0:16:21.320 --> 0:16:25.600 it this way because to me, that's not the best approach. 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:28.320 And I think that approach could work, and it certainly 0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:30.960 has to some degree. But if I'm going to get 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:32.480 the most out of my athletes, I want to meet 0:16:32.480 --> 0:16:34.960 them where they're at and I want to see if 0:16:35.000 --> 0:16:36.680 I can develop them as individuals. 0:16:37.200 --> 0:16:40.040 You mentioned no coaching in beach volleyball, and I want 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:43.760 to kind of pick up on that. Why was there 0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:46.880 no coaching for beach volleyball? Was it just because the 0:16:46.920 --> 0:16:50.760 players maybe knew more than the coaches and can teach themselves. 0:16:51.080 --> 0:16:53.200 And now we're maybe at a point where that generation 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:55.160 and I'm gonna lump you into that great generation of 0:16:55.240 --> 0:16:59.280 volleyball players that now are older and can't be coaches. 0:16:59.760 --> 0:17:01.840 Is it just the evolution that way? Is that why 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:03.480 we have coaching now when beach volleyball? 0:17:04.880 --> 0:17:07.920 You know, it's I think part of it is money, right, 0:17:09.119 --> 0:17:11.960 Coaching costs money, and the way our sport has been 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:17.800 set up traditionally, you only get paid if you depending 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:20.879 on how well you do in tournaments, right, And so 0:17:21.119 --> 0:17:24.480 it just wasn't and especially if you're playing you know, internationally, 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:27.320 you're traveling a bunch, Like those costs just add up 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:29.399 if you're also having a coach. 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:31.720 You know, I and I did have. 0:17:31.600 --> 0:17:33.719 Some coaching like later on in my career, but it 0:17:33.800 --> 0:17:36.520 was you know, for a few trainings here and there. 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:39.160 It wasn't like a consistent, consistent thing. 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:43.000 But really it just it became a bigger thing really 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:45.679 because of NCAA and obviously you have to have a 0:17:45.720 --> 0:17:49.119 coach with these NCAA teams, so it created more coaching opportunities, 0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:49.960 which is really cool. 0:17:50.359 --> 0:17:52.560 And then because of the NCAA. 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:55.880 Growth, the club level and the junior level really took off, 0:17:55.920 --> 0:17:58.280 and then there was more coaching opportunities at the club level. 0:17:58.760 --> 0:18:02.160 So it's almost like there was more coaching at these 0:18:02.400 --> 0:18:06.080 lower levels than there were at the professional levels. 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:07.520 And it's still true to this day. 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:11.600 You know, they're more and more pros are are, you know, 0:18:11.680 --> 0:18:16.480 having coaches now, and now our national governing body USA 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:21.520 Volleyball is really supporting and providing coaching, you know, stipends 0:18:21.520 --> 0:18:26.000 and money for coaches, so it's now become much more prevalent. 0:18:26.119 --> 0:18:27.600 But yeah, back in the day, it was. 0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:31.359 That was an additional cost and we didn't want to 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:34.439 spend that money, so we just we just went without. 0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:37.400 Derek Olsen is our guest. He's the first ever coach 0:18:37.400 --> 0:18:41.199 at University of San Diego Beach Volleyball program, launching the 0:18:41.280 --> 0:18:45.399 team for its inaugural twenty twenty seven season, and you 0:18:45.480 --> 0:18:47.960 mentioned character early on. I want to talk about what 0:18:48.040 --> 0:18:51.640 you're looking to do establishing this program. Certainly you're looking 0:18:51.680 --> 0:18:54.399 for volleyball players that can play and be competitive and 0:18:54.520 --> 0:18:55.320 ultimately win. 0:18:55.880 --> 0:18:59.080 But how are you setting up your program? 0:18:59.080 --> 0:19:02.880 It's maybe some found and some pillars that you want 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:06.160 to establish right away with culture at USD. 0:19:07.280 --> 0:19:08.879 Yeah, I mean for sure. 0:19:08.960 --> 0:19:11.920 I mean I think the point of this whole thing 0:19:12.040 --> 0:19:15.960 is to win championships, right, But you're never going to 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:19.440 get there if you can't build culture first and build 0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:21.840 a team that gets the most out of itself. And 0:19:21.920 --> 0:19:25.439 so that's hard. I think that's, you know, probably the 0:19:25.440 --> 0:19:30.120 hardest thing. But the goal is to establish that. I mean, 0:19:30.160 --> 0:19:33.040 we want synergy, which is one plus one equals three. 0:19:33.320 --> 0:19:35.840 That's what we wanted within our team. And you got 0:19:35.880 --> 0:19:40.320 to have high character athletes that will get you there. 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:43.240 So yeah, I mean character is a. 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:45.480 Lot harder to recruit on because you have a limited 0:19:45.480 --> 0:19:48.000 amount of time to get to know these athletes and 0:19:48.440 --> 0:19:51.840 figure out what they're all about, and you know, you 0:19:51.880 --> 0:19:52.480 get it wrong. 0:19:52.720 --> 0:19:53.800 Everybody gets it wrong. 0:19:55.040 --> 0:19:59.719 Watching skill and predicting skill is a lot easier because 0:19:59.760 --> 0:20:03.159 it's you can watch film and get that, but you 0:20:03.200 --> 0:20:07.400 know whether or not and an athlete communicates well gets 0:20:07.400 --> 0:20:12.600 along well with others, you know, has a gritty mindset, 0:20:12.920 --> 0:20:16.320 which is passion and perseverance towards long term goals. You 0:20:16.359 --> 0:20:18.719 don't know like that those things are so much harder 0:20:18.760 --> 0:20:21.399 to recruit on. So you know, we try and we 0:20:21.400 --> 0:20:24.160 look at those things and we have some ideas as 0:20:24.200 --> 0:20:28.200 to how we assess those characteristics and athletes. 0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:29.920 But at the end of the day, too, we're we're 0:20:29.960 --> 0:20:32.679 recruiting high school kids. Like I was an idiot in 0:20:32.720 --> 0:20:33.280 high school. 0:20:33.359 --> 0:20:36.919 If anybody judged me on my character, you know, hopefully 0:20:36.920 --> 0:20:38.160 they would have seen some great things. 0:20:38.200 --> 0:20:41.040 But you know, we change, we grow, and so. 0:20:42.480 --> 0:20:45.080 You know, it's it's hard, but that's the goal is 0:20:45.119 --> 0:20:48.320 to you know, bring in athletes that see this not 0:20:48.440 --> 0:20:50.920 as the finish line, but as just the next step 0:20:50.960 --> 0:20:54.400 in their progression. And I don't need, you know, nineteen 0:20:54.440 --> 0:20:57.359