Help shape the future of coaching — by sharing what only players know.

Thank you for considering this.

I would like to talk to current and former world-class volleyball players about what truly supports a player's growth.

The questions we want to ask you are designed to uncover the deeper insights, lessons, and experiences that can help today’s coaches better understand what truly supports a player’s growth.

Most of these questions aren't questions with 'easy' answers and some answers will likely flow into others; that's perfectly fine.

What to Expect

This isn’t a formal interview. It’s a relaxed, thoughtful conversation.

• 🕐 Duration: 60-80 minutes
• 🎥 Format: Video call
• 💬 No perfect answers: Just your real, honest perspective

We want to go a bit deeper than just highlights or achievements — we’re interested in what you needed from coaching at different stages in your career, what really helped you grow, and what maybe didn’t.

Some of that you might have realized in the moment. Some of it might have taken years to understand. Some of that is maybe even still unclear.

There’s no pressure to have perfect answers. This is about exploring your experience and how that experience might offer clues for today’s coaches.

What We'll Explore

We’ve organized the conversation into four main themes. These aren’t a script — just guideposts for an open, reflective discussion.

Developmental needs and gaps

1. When you reflect on your early development, what do you wish your coaches had known or understood about you as a young player?
2. What were the most important things you needed from a coach when you were 14, 18, 22, 28, 30+ and how did those needs evolve?
3. Was there something you didn't understand as a young player that a coach could have helped you understand earlier?
4. Were there any coaching behaviors, mindsets, or methods that you only appreciated much later in your career?

Skill and mindset development

1. Were there specific drills, feedback styles, or practice environments that had a lasting impact on your development?
2. Did you ever experience coaching that was too prescriptive or too hands-off? What balance would you have wanted more of?
3. What non-technical skill (leadership, resilience, communication) did you wish coaches had helped you with even more?

Player - coach relationship

1. What do you think coaches often misunderstand about the internal experience of elite players?
2. How did your best coaches earn your trust, and what did they do when things weren’t going well?

Looking back and forward

1. What advice would you give to coaches developing players who remind you of yourself at 16?
2. If you were to design a coaching philosophy based on your playing journey, what would be at its core?
3. What role do you think coaches should play outside of training and matches — especially in elite pathways?
4. What’s one thing you’d want every youth coach to stop doing — and one thing you’d beg them to start doing?

Let's hop on a video call

If you’re open to it, I’d love to schedule a video call on a time that works for you.

Thanks for considering this.

Matias Raymaekers