Alan Knipe is a volleyball player and now coach. As a player he was a Collegiate All American and represented the USA Team.
He was an Assistant Coach at his Alma Mater, Long Beach State University in 1996 before taking over as Head Coach in 2000. He has led them to 7 final four appearances and back-to-back NCAA championships in 2018 and 2019.
From 2009 until 2012 he was also the Coach of the USA Men’s team and led them to Gold medal at 3 Continental Championships as well as Gold at the 2012 World League.
Alan is a reflective and thoughtful leader, who manages to couple a program with a strong structure and supportive environment.
Some of the highlights from the interview for me were:
- The way he encourages his team to focus on the message not the tone during in-game communication.
- The importance of not coaching to the last point, but to be able to manage your emotions and look forward.
- The importance of honesty and not using “feelings” when describing selection decisions
- And how he uses Mindset Monday to reset and prepare for the week ahead.
If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com