Vaggelis Koutouleas delivered an excellent CPD clinic on Sunday 5th of
October presented in a relaxed and informative way. The theme of the clinic was blocking with emphasis on the key elements of footwork and posture. To respond quickly to any attacking unit by organising a double block is essential in modern high speed volleyball. The session was beneficial in going into the details of structuring the block. Things are never quite as simple as they look; Vaggelis’ iconic guidelines came as a result of a lifetime of experience at the highest levels of performance.. He is gifted as a coach in that he makes something so complicated look easy.
It was good to see nine coaches and four players travelling from all over Scotland to attend the event at Carluke High School. The players from Su Ragazzi and South Ayrshire worked very hard and deserve a lot of credit for their efforts and their good spirit. Vaggelis engaged with the group of players and created a meaningful dialogue with the coaches in humble way, asking frequently for their feedback and thoughts. This made the coaches engage and exchange observations seeking clarity of understanding that would help them implement the teaching in their own situations. Vaggelis was equally impressed by the quality of feedback from the coaches and by the quality of the young players performance. The atmosphere at the gym was exceptionally friendly and entertaining with many happy smiles which made it a pleasant experience for all participants
My sincere appreciation to the players Mark Mclauglin, Connor Walker, Fraser Dunlop and Darren Martin for their commitment. I feel that it was a good day for them as it was for our coaches. In the words of one of the young athletes “The day provided very good feedback on our performance and with an insight to where our blocking was lacking” (Connor Walker). Many thanks also to Graeme Spowart who helped me organise this event and Mark Kontopoulos and his company Side Out for the support he continues to offer by giving us access to his coaches.
Very many thanks to my friend Vaggelis Koutouleas for sharing his knowledge on recent trends on blocking. And to the coaches who attended this clinic and understand that their best can be better.