In episode 19, Chuck and Brian ventured to the new TNT Armory facility scheduled to open in January to meet up with 13U Coach John Kutsuzawa, a.k.a. JK3.

John will be coaching the National TNT 13 Roadrunner team this season and has played volleyball for over 30 years. JK3 has coached CYO, high school, adults, and beach players. He has previous club stops at East Coast Power and GPS Crush prior to coming to TNT.

Ever wonder what to expect from 13 year old players and how much you can challenge them? JK3 shares shares his thoughts on what to focus on in practice, and what to expect as a player develops in the critical 13U year of volleyball.

Timeline:

1:22 Meet Coach JK3

2:52 Highlighting Some of JK3's Experiences in Volleyball (and in life) Prior to TNT

5:30 Coaching Philosophy

8:00 JK's Other Interests

9:53 Why 13U is His Preferred Age Group

10:59 Favorite Memories at TNT

14:26 JK3's Leadership Role at TNT: Coordinating Required Coaching Certifications

16:50 History of 13U at TNT, Why Participation Doubles at 13U Compared to 12U, and TNT Philosophy on Getting Younger Players Involved

20:30 Variance in Players at 13U and What Coaches Want From Younger Players

24:08 Reasonable Expectations / What Not to Focus on at 13U

32:14 What About Those Who Want to Play at Higher Levels?

36:10 What Coaches Look for Specifically During Open Gyms and Tryouts

39:19 JK3's Thoughts on "You Can't Teach Height" When Forming a Team

41:23 The Growth that Occurs in Younger Players from Year-to-Year

43:56 13U Transitioning to High School

45:02 Playing Time, Balancing Teaching and Learning vs. Winning at 13U

50:24 Volleyball Moms Questions for Chuck and JK3

60:00 Bonus Question from Coaching Volleyball Group

63:00 Current Happenings and Holiday Season Programming at TNT

65:50 Wrap-Up

In episode 18, Chuck and Brian caught up with TNT Coach Randy Syracuse. Randy recently joined TNT to continue his volleyball journey with our club, and we couldn't be happier that he's now with us.

Randy's journey includes expereince as both a professional player and a NCAA Division 1 coach. He also has a long track record of recruiting and training talented academic and athletic students. Randy has achieved multiple championships and medals as a player in various countries along the way, and he has quite a bit of experience in club volleyball, too.

On this episode, Randy talks about his life in volleyball, sharing knowledge gained from some of those experiences. He talks about ways in which he plans to help TNT to move forward as a club, from coaching his 17 Platinum team this coming season as well as helping girls get recruited.

Timeline:

0:51 Meet Coach Randy

2:25 How Randy Got His Start in Volleyball

9:22 When He Knew He'd Be Able to Compete as a Player at a High Level

13:07 Randy's Overseas Playing Experiences

19:19 Comparing Volleyball in Europe to the United States

24:37 When/How He Decided to Get Into Coaching

26:29 Favorite Coaching Memories Over the Years

34:51 The Value of Club for Players Wanting to Maximize Their Potential

40:58 How Coach Randy Came to TNT and the Appeal of TNT

48:30 Randy's Goals for the 2024-2025 17 Platinum Team and Coaching with Former Players

53:07 How Randy Envisions His Role at TNT

55:06 Randy's Advice to Players Who Want to Play at the Next Level

57:48 Volleyball Moms' Question for Randy About Playing Club Overseas

64:44 Volleyball Mom's Question #2 for Randy About Development of Younger Players

66:30 Wrap-Up

In Episode 17, Chuck and Brian got together a few days after the recent tryouts for the remaining 15-18U teams to discuss TNT's approach to the tryout process. Tryouts are stressful for Players, Parents and Coaches alike. This episode takes listeners behind the scenes of the process that takes place from the time the tryout is completed until the teams are fomed.

In segment one, Chuck and Brian talk about the steps that are taken by the club before, during and after a tryout. We learn how TNT schedules and conducts their tryouts, and how no positions are offered before the tryout. How are players rated? How do coaches evaluate players? How are team rosters built? What if players want to compare offers? Can players 'Move Up'? Why does it take so long? All of these questions are discussed during Segment 2. The segment ends with discussion on the dilemma of not having enough spots for all who wish to play, and ways TNT tries to find homes for as many players as possible.

Segment two answers specific questions sent by TNT parents and players immediately after tryouts were conducted. What does loyalty mean to a club? Why do players get moved to lower teams? Chuck and Brian go though some data that explains why some positions (OH, DSL) become more competitive as players get older. We answer the common question about why a player didn't make a team and where she "fell short". A recommendation made for those looking for in-depth feedback about a player's performance and what they need to improve in order to make a team. The segment concludes with advice for families about what to do if an offer is not received. As always, we finish by answering some great Volleyball Moms questions about tryouts.

Timeline:

2:11 TNT's approach to the process to conducting the tryout itself

9:11 The decision on how many teams to fill prior to TNT conducting a callback session

10:30 The process of extending offers

12:00 Challenges the club faces in extending offers, having to wait for responses, and having to start the process all over again for each offer that's not accepted

14:56 Clubs who do not allow for wait time, extend offers right after tryouts expecting immediate response, and how some even fill teams before tryouts

18:09 The current reality of more players trying out than we can extend offers to at TNT

20:24 How the club determines the number of teams to offer at each age group

24:21 The importance of loyalty to the club and the role it plays in the process of filling teams at TNT

26:27 Addressing concerns brought up about players who are no longer on the same level of team as in past years --- or recevied no offer at all

28:42 How the game changes as the players get older and its impact on tryouts with some postiions that become even more competitive as a result

32:20 Discussion about why the evaluation of a player at tryouts is not one that will give the in-depth feedback about a player's performance that some parents desire if an offer is not received

34:16 Explaining why private lessons are the route to go for in-depth feedback about player performance if tryouts don't go a players' way

36:10 What families should and should not do after tryouts if an offer is not received

38:45 Reasons for the decision to forego the 15-18U callbacks at TNT after tryouts were held

40:32 The unpredicable nature of the older age groups (17 and 18U) when it comes to tryouts from year to year

45:08 Volleyball Moms question #1 - a parent venting about a player who didn't receive an offer

48:11 Volleyball Mom's question #2 - is an in-house league just a money grab?

50:00 Wrap-up