Episode 25 - Using Statistics Efficiently with Nathan Janzen

From The First Chair Podcast

In this episode, Frank & Thierry welcome McMaster Marauders Women's Volleyball Assistant Coach Nathan Janzen to discuss statistics: what they mean, how to gather them and how to use them. (0:40) - Why are statistics so meaningful to Frank? (1:35) - Resource: Statistics Forms on Coaches Corner (3:20) - Resource: Statistics Apps iStat Vball 2 Solostats 123 (5:10) - What is Frank's system to gather and use statistics? (7:29) - How is the season going so far for the Marauders? (7:55) - What does learning how to win mean? (8:50) - What is the mindset for the coaching staff with varsity athletes coming back from the exam and holiday break? (10:35) - How does monitoring jumping volume impact practice planning? (13:10) - How is coach Janzen adapting to and enjoying being a full time assistant coach? (14:50) - Nathan's bio (15:08) - How does baseball relate to volleyball? (16:50) - Did Nathan coach baseball? And why did he choose volleyball over baseball as a coach? (21:36) - Who are Nathan's mentors? (23:45) - When did coach Janzen first start to use DataVolley? (25:55) - How does DataVolley work? What is the setup? And why is it so difficult to master? (31:11) - What are some key statistics that a club coach or a post-secondary coach should look at? (36:45) - Why does Nathan prefer passing efficiency over passing average? (42:28) - What does coach Janzen look at first when analyzing a statistical report of a match? (43:40) - What are good serving numbers? (44:50) - What is a good hitting efficiency? (47:30) - How often is data collected during practice? (49:30) - How are statistics considered when practice planning? How can a balance be maintained between the seasonal plan and statistical needs? (53:10) - How many drills should a club coach allot to statistical needs on a weekly basis? (56:05) - How well prepared are the club athletes coming to university in regards to using and understanding statistics? (57:20) - What is the process to educate athletes about statistics? (61:30) - What does Frank do in terms of statistical analysis at 18U in the club setting? (68:18) - Would Frank do it differently at 15U? (71:25) - How does a big sample size help a coach determine the true talent level of an athlete overall or for a particular skill? (72:49) - What can a coach do to help an athlete that is too fixated on his or her stats?