bump, set, mic...the tnt volleyball podcast by Chuck Dougherty
More athletes than ever seem to be quitting their volleyball teams mid-season — but why is it happening, and what can families learn from it?
If you've ever wondered why one player on the volleyball court wears a different colored jersey, what rules actually apply to them, or how coaches decide who gets that jersey, episode 42 of "Bump, Set, Mic" covers it all regarding the libero position.
Some teams chase trophies, while others prioritize growth. What about pursuing both? Even if it appears that a tournament team is sandbagging, is that reality of what's really going on?
"Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them: a desire, a dream, a vision" - Muhammad Ali. These wise words from the greatest boxer of all time directly connect to the focus of episode 40 of "Bump, Set, Mic, the TNT Volleyball Podcast."
It's a party at The Armory! TNT Volleyball is thrilled to mark one year since opening the doors to our wonderful facility, The Armory in Horsham, PA. This episode of "Bump, Set, Mic: the TNT Volleyball Podcast" begins with a celebration of all that The Armory has added to life here at the club.
Film doesn't lie - and in club volleyball, it can help coaches to improve their practice, players to devleop faster, and parents to stay aligned with the process they invest so much in for the benefit of their children.
Ready or not, here comes the club season! Bump Set Mic gets it started in episode 37 with an energetic, behind-the-scenes look at TNT Volleyball's kickoff to the new season.
Team parents are the quiet leaders on every junior volleyball team that work closely with coaches and the club to make the season better for players, families, and everyone involved.
Wondering what college volleyball life is like for a Division 1 athlete? This episode of Bump, Set, Mic, the TNT Volleyball Podcast Presents the College Experience Series continues with a focus on the player perspective featuring players from Marist University in New York.
Bump, Set, Mic, the TNT Volleyball Podcast, is thrilled to present the first episode of our new College Experience Series.
We've got a fun one for you this time on TNT Bump. Set. Mic.! 🎙️ We're kicking things off with a recap of our 12U–14U tryouts—lots of energy, tons of talent, and a few process improvements to make this our smoothest tryout ever! If you ever wondered how we manage 250 girls in a single tryout, we give you peek under the covers.
In Episode 32 of Bump. Set. Mic., Chuck and Brian dive into the heart of TNT Volleyball: our core values. From the early days of the club to today, these values have shaped who we are, how we play, and the community we build.
An exciting first for the podcast comes your way in episode 31! Chuck and Brian are joined by TNT boys' program directors Jacki Curci and Bob Minschwaner to discuss the history and growth of boys volleyball, and how they have been producing successful boys teams since 2010! They discuss relevant topics such as the challenges of building a competitive schedule, how to get recruited by colleges as well as the differences between coaching boys and girls. Chuck and Brian learn all about the underground market of Nationals jersey exchanges, and how that is a major factor when designing boys uniforms!
Did you ever wonder how clubs create tournament schedules for teams? If you have ever found yourself scratching your head or irritated about anything related to your schedule, you don't want to miss this episode. In Episode 30, Season 3, Chuck and Brian talk to the schedule maker extraordinaire, a.k.a The Unicorn, a.k.a Leon Kasperski to discuss all of the things that need to be considered when creating the tournament schedule for a team. The panel discusses important factors such as travel costs, availability, picking the right level, and college coach exposure among other things, and how they all factor into building the perfect schedule.
In Episode 29, Season 2 of the podcast continues with another episode from "The Owner's Box." (aka Chuck's Kitchen Table)
In Episode 28, Season 2 of the podcast kicks off at "The Owner's Box" ... i.e. Chuck's house. At the start, Chuck and Brian begin discussing their recent time in Orlando at AAU Nationals with the TNT girls' teams while also wishing the boys' teams who are currently competing there the best of luck. After that, they talk briefly about the quick tunraround from one season to the next before moving forward.
In Episode 27, Chuck and Brian discuss TNT's summer programs and which one is right for you! We look ahead to AAU Nationals and discuss the upcoming summer tryouts as next season quickly approaches. In addition, Chuck and Brian discuss some current events in the crazy world of Philadelphia club volleyball and provide some advice on what to look for when trying to decide which clubs to try out for.
In episode 26, Chuck and Brian welcome four of the club's female coaches, Casey Jenkins, Amber Wood, Kira Campbell, and Sue Rose to the podcast for our "Ladies' Night" episode to share their experiences as players, coaches, parents, and maternal figures within the volleyball community.
We're hitting the mid-season mark, and it's time to check in with the minds behind the game. In this special roundtable episode, we sit down with TNT Coaches, Players and Directors to break down the highs, lows, and surprises of the season so far.
If you thought Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) just applied to D1 College athletes (like we did!), boy were you wrong! Courtney Altemus from Advance NIL joins Chuck and Brian to set the record straight.
Ever wonder if you should try to squeeze in Strength and Conditioning Training during the Season? We have the science and data to answer that question! Ever wonder how your athlete should be eating at a tournament to keep fresh all day long? Listen to what we learned!
In Episode 22, Chuck and Brian talk to Volleyball Lifer and College Coach Eli Porr and Volleyball Dad and TNT Club Director Leon Kasperski as they discuss their thoughts on the College Recruiting process.
In Episode 21, Chuck and Brian travel to Baltimore, MD for the JVA Charm City Classic to talk to Team Mom, Parent, and Former D1 athlete, Natalie McIlhenny.
The first episode of 2025 finds Chuck and Brian at TNT's just-opened new facility, the Armory!
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.
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.
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 Episode 16, TNT is pleased and honored to be able to present a volleyball dicussion with legendary Penn State Coach Russ Rose from a recent chat with TNT Director of Operations Leon Kasperski. The chat occurred in advance of Coach Rose's 11/10/24 visit to TNT to conduct both coach and player clinics.
In Episode 15, Chuck invites Brian and TNT 15U Platinum Head Coach Rob Reifsteck and 15U National Head Coach LJ Brothers to his home to discuss volleyball from their perspectives as younger male coaches. They discuss their beginnings in volleyball, how they got started coaching teenage girls. We hear their thoughts about the upcoming club season and goals for their 15U teams. They discuss the differences in coaching boys vs. girls, and how they go about translating knowledge they gained as players to the next generation of players now that they are coaches themselves. We also discuss the challenges that young coaches face from social media to interacting with parents that may have children older than the coaches themselves.
In Episode 14, Chuck and Brian met up with TNT 14U National Coach Sam Moyerman to discuss the value of statistics in volleyball and suggestions for proper use of them within the concept of a team.
In Episode 13, Chuck and Brian welcome 12U Coach Jamal Corbin to the podcast to discuss the expectations of players at that age group along with some of his experiences over the years coaching both girls’ and boys’ volleyball.
In Episode 12 Brian and Chuck welcome Emily Neff to talk about the importance of strength training for young female athletes. Emily is the founder of Relentless Athletics, a company that specializes in training girls and helping them succeed while also helping them prevent injuries. If you are the parent or coach of a young female athlete, you don't want to miss this episode!
In Episode 11, Brian and Chuck talk about the following topics:
In Episode 10, Brian and Chuck welcome Doug Blystone to the Bump Set Mic studio (aka Doug's back patio) and talk about qualities of the ideal coach. Doug has coached high school, club, and college volleyball and is a CAP Cadre specializing in coaching the coaches. In addition, Doug recently travelled to the United World Games (UWG) in Austria and shares his experiences in Europe as well as ideas for taking a team to the UWG in 2025.
In Episode 9, Brian and Chuck welcome Coach Bob Quon as they discuss the role that young players play in building a club.
In Episode 8, Brian and Chuck talk about some important topics when trying out for a Club Volleyball team. Special guests include 15U players Lea Ras and Ashlyn Kear, who provide inside from a player's perspective. We test them with questions from the Volleyball Mom's Facebook page, including "What is the best volleyball shoe to wear?"
This abbreviated episide applies to the 2024 TNT Volleyball Club National team summer tryouts.
In Episode 6 Brian and Chuck talk about Club Volleyball tryouts from an insider's perspective.
In Episode 5 we take you On Location to the 2024 AAU Girls Nationals in Orlando as Chuck sets up shop in the hotel lobby to interview players, parents and coaches. Joining Chuck are players and parents from TNT 15U Venom as they share their experiences and advice from first time AAU Nationals participants. Chuck then talks to 3 experienced TNT coaches to get ther perspective on why it is valuable for volleyball players and families to attend AAU Nationals, and some advice on how to make the most of the exprience.
In Episide 4, Brian and Chuck are On Location at AAU Nationals in Orlando, poolside at the Endless Summer Dockside Resort. Joining them is the 3x self-proclaimed Coach of the Year, Andrew Lee as he explains how he was introduced to Volleyball as a player and coach and what keeps him coming back for more. Andrew talks about his journey to becoming a college coach and High Performance Academy coach, and discusses what college coaches are looking for in players (and parents).
In Eposide 3, we are On Location at AAU Nationals in Orlando. Chuck and Brian talk to Leon Kasperski about his role in TNT and how he has helped grow a 4 team club to over 50 teams! Chuck talks about the growth of the club and how AAU Nationals helped change the direction of TNT. We also talk about some great online resources for players, parents and coaches and finish the episode with a huge shout out to our favorite Facebook Group...Volleyball Moms.
In Episode 2, Philadelphia legendary Coach Jea Lee joins Chuck and Brian to talk about what players should be doing once the club season has ended. We start by discussing the importance of offseason strength training and explain the reasons why players should explore sand and grass options. Bonus track includes Chuck ranting about his opinion on summer club tryouts!
In Episode 1, Chuck and Brian talk with TNT Volleyball Co-Founder John Kunzier to reminisce about how TNT got started. They disucss the club scene back in 2016, and explain the vision for TNT and the decision to take on the larger well established clubs. They outline the mission of TNT, and how that mission and vision have enabled the club to grow to over 50 teams in 2024.
