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Digging Deeper - Davide Tiberti: From Italy to the Lionhearts – A Journey of Rediscovery and Leadership
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Digging Deeper | In partnership with Volleyball England
In this episode, I’m joined by Davide Tiberti, the London Lionhearts Women’s coach, to hear his inspiring journey through volleyball — from growing up in Italy to leaving his mark on the English game.
Davide’s story begins as a junior in a Serie A club academy in Italy, where he developed his game alongside his brothers — one of whom went on to play professionally for the Italian National Team. Volleyball was in his blood, but when Davide moved to the UK for university, the game slipped away, and for a time, he thought that chapter of his life had closed.
It wasn’t until his late twenties that volleyball found him again. By chance, Davide stumbled across the Lionhearts club in London, and his passion was reignited. Soon after, he stepped up to play libero in the Super League with Lynx, an experience that shaped his understanding of the position. In this episode, he shares valuable tips and insights into the mindset of a great libero — from concentration to consistency and the discipline required to perform at the highest level.
But Davide’s journey didn’t stop on the court. When the opportunity arose, he took over coaching duties for Lynx, before moving on to lead the Lionhearts Women. Over the past four years, he has overseen an incredible rise: taking the team from Division 1, surviving that tough first season in the Super League, and building year on year to achieve an outstanding 4th-place finish last season. Davide opens up about how he achieved this — from his methodical approach to preparation, to instilling mindset and focus in his players, and creating an environment where the team could grow and compete at the highest level.
Now, as Davide steps down after his successful tenure, we also discuss what’s next for the Lionhearts under new leadership, and the legacy he leaves behind.
This is a conversation full of lessons on mindset, perseverance, and leadership — one that every player, coach, and club manager will take something from.
Connecting Through Conversation
That volleyball guy. That Volleyball Guy Hello, I'm Nick Wiltshire, the host of that Volleyball Guy, and if you love volleyball as much as me, then you're in the right place. That volleyball guy hello and welcome to another episode of that volleyball guy and another episode of digging deeper in partnership with volleyball england. I'm really glad to be back as we prepare for next season and the season ahead.
Speaker 2:I had the wonderful Frida Bussey on the Heritage Show and if you haven't listened to that yet then I would urge you to go back, take a listen to someone who's been so instrumental in our sport the Heritage Show, celebrating those people who have really contributed to volleyball. But we are back with another, another episode of digging deeper. So if you're new to the podcast, welcome. Please like and share and share this podcast with all of our volleyball community. A reminder that I set this podcast up to give those people in our sport the chance to have their voice, to tell their story and to share more. You know I'm very open and honest about this that I don't think we share enough in our sport.
Speaker 2:It's the reason why I set up this podcast, because I have so many amazing conversations with people at the National Volleyball Centre or throughout my journeys up and down the country coaching National League teams, and I just think god we need to get these stories on tape and we need to let these people have their story and have their moment and share the amazing things that they're up to and some of the some of the learnings for maybe the newer coaches, the newer players. So I've had some wonderful guests and I'm really pleased to be joined by another wonderful guest today on the Digging Deeper show, someone that I've been keeping an eye on over the last couple of years and someone that I've been really keen to get onto this conversation because I know he is very passionate about people development and the people side of coaching. So let me introduce you to our guest today.
Speaker 2:Originally from Italy, starting his volleyball in the Academy of Assyria A-Team, stopped playing volleyball when moving to the UK to attend university, but then finding volleyball again in his late 20s playing for London Lynx in the Super 8s as a Libro, and I remember him as a very, very good libro, hanging up his playing shoes in 2016 to start coaching a super eight team, and has since been coaching london lionhearts men and london lionhearts women, who will, I know we're going to get onto the conversation to talk about winning the london league title 21, 22 and 23, and recently in the Women's Maori Super League. It is my honour to introduce Davide Tabeti to the show. Davide, hello and welcome.
Speaker 1:Hi Luke and good evening everyone.
Speaker 2:I know you're calling from Italy, so this is, you know, the Italy. Italy. You are in Italy, right?
Speaker 1:I am, I am yes can't keep up, because I know you've been traveling around the first um a fair bit the last few weeks.
Speaker 2:Yes, great and it's great to great to have you on the show and, um, yeah, as I said in my introduction, someone that I've been really keen to get hold of. We've had to cancel and postpone and rearrange our conversation, so, um, I'm really pleased that we're we're here and I'm really looking forward to the conversation. So let's start, like I always start with every guest please tell me more about how you found volleyball and your introduction to the sport back in Italy.
Speaker 1:Well, volleyball is huge in Italy, so it's hard to say when I first played volleyball. You play volleyball in school from a very early age. Probably at six or seven when you do PE in Italy, you play volleyball. So hard to say how I really started. I remember doing some volleyball in a local gym, like volleyball sessions, but it's when I turned 12 that I joined a club and that was my. I'm from a city called Brescia and at the time had a team in the Serie A and at the time had a team in the Serie A and, yeah, I was able to join the academy and that's when volleyball became my main sport. I've got two brothers. Both of them played volleyball. One is eight years older, the other one is two years older, so that I suppose pushed me to volleyball, even though I played basketball and tennis as well. But, yeah, it's when I joined the Brescia Academy that that kind of volleyball became, um, you know, my main sport.
Speaker 2:I'll say I'm always interested in listening to guests and their stories, especially when they've got brothers or siblings that have played the sport as well. That's my story too, by the way. Um, I'm the younger brother. My brother played. I got his knee pads when they were, you know, down to nothing. I got his shoes when he became. They became too small for him. So what was it like growing up and playing?
Speaker 1:you know, three boys and playing volleyball in a family um, I mean, as I said, my older brother is much older than myself and my other brother, um, you know, you get a bit of pressure, I suppose, because you've got to be as good as as your older brothers. I'm, I'm the little one, so, um, it was quite hard to compete, because even being two years younger is quite a huge gap when you are like, uh, 12 or 13 or 15. Um, and then yet one of my brother, simone, who's two years older than me. He became a professional volleyball.
Speaker 1:He was very talented from a very early ambition, so I never felt that pressure to be at this level, but also maybe because I knew that I wasn't going to be as good as he is. But, yeah, I never felt that pressure. In fact, more than pressure, I think it was inspirational to see how you know someone who is committed and has got talent and put in the hard work and actually progress, because he's, uh, he's my height, so he's 180, just over 180 centimeters, six foot, and he made it to the, to the top, into the, to the national team as well, and so, um, yeah, I say inspirational more than than than pressure so you still sort of like when you see each other, do you still pepper another little play, or is it?
Speaker 2:you know?
Speaker 1:No, no, I haven't peppered with him in ages. He's 45 now and he's made the big decision of retiring at the end of this season and he's going to get into coaching. In fact, I was for the first time in the position where I was actually telling fact. I was for the first time in the position where I was actually telling him what I was doing and I was prepping my session, even though it's a very different level. But no, we haven't peppered or played together in decades, I think. Maybe sometimes on a beach in summer after a couple of beers, if anything. But that's about it, nice.
Speaker 2:So let's go back a little bit, then, and talk about volleyball as a junior in Italy, because I imagine it's very, very different to volleyball as a junior in the UK. Um, I'll give you my experience of you know, I found volleyball accidentally and then sort of chucked into 6v6 straight away. Not much technical coaching, um, just getting the ball over a net and just start playing and then getting some technical coaching when you, you know, got too old, almost it was too late to get there. So, for our audience, tell us a little bit more about junior coaching.
Speaker 1:Being part of a Syria academy team, tell us what that sort of was like um, it was, uh, um, a lot of trainings we would train, uh, I started when I was 12, 12, 13. We would train like three times a week, plus weekend match. Sometimes you train four times, but um, two and a half hour session, um, I can tell you what it was like back in the day. I don't know if it's still the way it was. I know things have changed, um, but I do remember spending a lot of time against the wall. Uh, you know, digging and setting, just try to master the technique. And I'm saying that things have changed because I understand that kids these days don't have that sort of passion. But surely, spending hours every week against the wall, uh, you know, was, was, was, a was a way for filtering out bad apples. Like, if you didn't have the patience to uh, uh, to apply yourself and working to master the technique, then then you're probably not made out for the sport. So, um, I don't know what it's like junior, what junior volleyball is like in the UK, but, yeah, the focus was on technique. So, um, I don't know what it's like junior, what junior volleyball is like in the uk, but yeah, the focus was on technique. So, um, I think this is reflected also in the super league and, but we're probably gonna get that to that later on.
Speaker 1:So there was a lot of hard work, a lot of discipline, um, and yeah and uh, and then obviously you needed like physical skills, like the height of the jump, to make it to the very top, but like the approach was all about apply yourself and be disciplined.
Speaker 1:I remember and it's something that I try to do also with my players not entirely successfully, but we would turn up like 20 minutes before, half an hour before training started.
Speaker 1:We had to put up the post, we had to put up the post, we had to put up the net. Um, I'm kind of disappointed today when I show up at training and and they've got it all nicely set up, um, but you know there is the coaches will try to be the habit that you know you got to work hard and so when they, when the janitor or the staff, the gym admin, will say, oh yeah, let me put that up, the coach will be like, no, no, the kids got to do it and so, um, you know, training started even before the session started and and no one was late, everyone was on time and um, and yeah, I'm bringing these things up because there are things that do bother me when I, when I coach, my, when I coach these days and it is so true, right, it's what as a junior, it's not just about the technical side you're learning so much about.
Speaker 2:You know life rules, discipline, hierarchy, um, you know, I went to a school where I had a very strict teacher and we definitely did that and it's definitely impacted my coaching style because I, like you, I want my players to coach at training 30 minutes before the session. Um, they put up the net. It's definitely not my job to put up the net, you know. So it's in. It's interesting that you see these lessons that you learn as a junior and I'm sure we'll come on to it later on they, they, they bleed into your coaching style and your ethos as a coach as well. So, yeah, so interesting to because, again, junior volleyball in this country is, it's on the up, it's growing, it's developing. Um volleyball england are putting a lot of resource and energy into developing junior volleyball in this country.
Speaker 2:Back when I was a junior, we had one tournament a year which was called last eight. Um. A few tournaments leading into that tournament, but most of the time team there weren't enough teams, so you just got a buy and a buy and a buy and all of a sudden you found yourself in a tournament. So what was it like then, in terms of who were you playing? What was the level like? Was it 6v6 right from the start, or was it 3v3?
Speaker 1:there's the mini volleyball, and that's for which I don't think I ever did it. It was a long time ago, luke. Sorry, I can't remember exactly, but then you start from the age of 11, 12, 66. And back then it was under 14, under 16, under 18, under 20. And then, and that's it, and that's senior volleyball, and so I've under 14 at all levels around Italy.
Speaker 1:You play the province. I don't know exactly how many provinces there are in Italy, but you play a tournament for like six or seven months, about like 10, 12 teams. The top two teams, let's say the top three teams, will qualify and they play the regional finals. And there are 20 regions and then the winners for each region play the national final or the top two teams. I never made it to the national final. At the time there was another team locally, another local team, montechiari. Back then Christian Savani was playing. If you remember, he was the captain of the Italy national team. He was very, very impressive already back then. We always lost against them in the final. But yeah, that's basically how we work, and when you go to the national final day, you find all the other you know teams for Serie A, for Trento, milan, you know Cuneo like more than the best the young teams of all the best teams no, interesting.
Speaker 2:I follow on Instagram. I can't remember the account, the account name, but it's in Italy and they're playing almost two a side over a small net indoors, and the kids must only be around seven, eight and their technical skills are so well drilled. You can see that they're going to go on to become great, great volleyball players, so yeah mini volley.
Speaker 1:That's mini volley, where they just like under under 10, in fact under 11, and yeah, and that's why you, you need to be able to combine technical work with with fun as well, because that you can't expect a seven-year-old to to just beating in the wall against the wall and so tell me about.
Speaker 2:You said there's a lot of time against, you know, against the wall and digging and volleying against the wall and all those sorts of things. But what was the? You know? I'm not. I'm not going to out you and ask you how old you are, but if we just say this was a while ago, it wasn't.
Speaker 1:You know, in the last 10 years, yeah, no, it was, it was about 30 years ago. It was about 30 years ago and uh, and I. I think that things have changed, uh a bit, but I think mainly as a result of what kids expect to do when they do physical activity, rather than what, what was needed. I have to say that if you go on youtube and and uh and sometimes I do that to uh, to review some of my, you still find, like top coaches, coaches in the top academy in Italy still working with the battens, the tennis ball and all the kind of drills that I used to do back then, because those are the drills that you need to do to master the digging and the setting technique.
Speaker 1:So very little has changed, I think, since then in terms of what's needed and the good drills. But I think that perhaps coaches nowadays are, you know, try to make their sessions a little bit more fun than they used to be. When I was in the academy, obviously, like on Sunday, we were being ball boys for the like, the, you know, the Serie A and uh, and that was giving us a lot of motivation for putting in the effort because you see what, that you know, um, the how, what the hard work could lead to um and so yeah, so I think things have changed, but not not dramatically expect and it's so true.
Speaker 2:If you think about in this country, like it's. One of the things that I've often said is, more people will play our sport if they see it and if they, if they can see it in Italy, it's on the main television channels, it's in big cities, it's it's in big arenas. It's not that in the in this country at this moment. However, I fell in love with volleyball because my school team took us to a city of Bristol match who were in division one at the time, which was before super league and super eight. They were. It was the top league in the country and we went for a um to go and watch a match and we just started playing volleyball at school, and it was then when you started thinking okay, what we're doing, this is what we're doing. It's not like football where you can turn on the telly, go down the park and watch a Sunday league team play, or even go to your local Premier League team. We need to make the sport more visible for kids so that they see it.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I even I read that after Italy won the Olympic Games in well last summer 24, there's even been like a surge in young girls signing up for volleyball, despite being already the main sport for women in Italy. There's been a further surge. So you see what volleyball interview, what success, can lead to definitely so.
Speaker 2:Anyway, we could talk. I would love to pick your brains and talk to you about that for hours, but let's move on and talk about how you, you gave up volleyball when you moved to the UK. Um, moving to the UK for university, I believe. Which university did you go to?
Speaker 1:I, I, well, I. I first came to the UK when I uh won a scholarship, uh, for the Erasmus program and and I went to Reading University and then I, I liked it. I like studying in the uk. Actually, I applied to go to portugal. I wanted to go and live in lisbon and I didn't win the scholarship to go to lisbon. And then, by chance, I put reading university down, a second option, and um, and yeah, they said, do you want to go to wedding? I was like, yeah, fine, so I had no interest actually to come and live in the uk and then I spent nine months at Reading University. I really liked it and so I thought you know what? I'm going back there for a master's. So I went to Brunel University, west London, and I read my master's.
Speaker 1:So they're just going to show what life, what life can lead to, what you know, what, yeah, what can happen in life.
Speaker 2:Just um out of uh, yeah, unexpected event so what you're saying is like lisbon versus reading that's right, that's right no, no offense if you're from reading, listening to this podcast, but I think I know what I would.
Speaker 2:I had a really good time, so you know um, so, and you're right, it is a lesson in life which is we never know. You know, lots of people at the moment in this country have got their A-level results and perhaps not got into the university of their choosing and having to go to their second choice or through clearing. And actually, you're right Like sometimes one door opens after another, one shut Right and you don't know. You don't know. The opportunities are there, so you wouldn't be coaching in the Super League and we wouldn't have to be having this conversation if you went to lisbon.
Speaker 2:So there we are precisely, precisely so you went to reading, didn't play volleyball reading no, I stopped.
Speaker 1:I stopped because, like when I was 19, I I had a shoulder injury, um, so I had surgery, a problem that I still have, actually, yeah, I've got back shoulder nowadays still. And then I did my ACL the first time when I was 21. And then a second time, and at that point I gave up on volleyball and I moved to the UK for uni. So at that point I, you know, I decided to have the new part.
Speaker 2:And then you found volleyball in your late 20s. So talk us through. How did you find it? What got you back on the court?
Speaker 1:I was in my late 20s and I lived by Mulberry Academy, where Lionheart play nowadays, and it was summer and I remember seeing a lot of people wearing knee pads and volleyball and working around with volleyball, so I thought what's going on there? And then I found out that All Nations was taking place. The big tournament that was yeah, it was at that time Melbourne Academy hosted All Nations. So I was like, oh, wow, volleyball is played in the UK. It's a big thing in London. And so I started to get some information.
Speaker 1:I don't know how old you are, luke, but as I was approaching I was about to turn 30, I was 28 at the time. I thought you know what I either play again now or never, because obviously you can't play. You can't go back to a sport in your 40s if you haven't play, like when, you can't go back to a sport in your 40s if you haven't played it for a long time at least. And so I thought, let me look into this. And I found out that, yeah, there was a club, lionheart, and I played at Mulberry, and I thought you know what? I'm just gonna get in touch with them.
Speaker 1:And so, yeah, I played a season with Lionheart in the London Premier League. Um, people in the super league saw me playing london links and they say, why don't you come and play with us next season? And then, following I thought you know what like yeah, why not? Um, I played libel at the time because of the because of shoulder injuries and and knee injuries and I and I liked it because I've always been good mainly at receiving and defending, and defending especially. And so, yeah, and then I joined Lincoln and played there for another four seasons.
Speaker 2:In what was so for those that are new to volleyball in this country Super 8, and I remember the years that you and I remember the years that you Go on, sorry.
Speaker 1:Sorry, yeah, I was going to say yeah, super 8, it was from 2012 to 2016.
Speaker 2:And I remember those years because they were the sort of I'm pretty sure you played in the years when Hyben Lee was doing the stats for the Super League. Were you around when you did.
Speaker 2:That's right, that's right, yeah yeah, and I was watching at that time as well and part of you know being being around Super League at that time watching and sort of supporting with Solent, who are based in Southampton, um, but yeah, no, I remember you being a very, very, very good Libro um and I remember that those years being really, really competitive in the Super League, there was always a couple of really good teams and yeah. So talk us through your experience and how you enjoy playing for links, because they're obviously not around anymore in the super league today no, they're not around.
Speaker 1:And and I think we're gonna go back to to this thing, to to links later on, when talking about lionheart and and me deciding to stepping um, you know, stepping aside um, yeah, it was great. Like london leagues uh, actually, london league still exists, but just as a, as a, as a youth and local club. Um, yeah, I made some great friends. There were some some fantastic players. Uh, back then, uh, it was an east london club and I lived in East London. I mean, lionheart was literally like the Paralympic Street, it was a two-minute walk. London links were not much further, even though we moved to University of East London that now hosts Mallory. We had some very good season. Never made it to the final. We lost, I think, two semifinals. Yeah, the level was really good back then. I think it still is. But what I saw 10 years later? I think that the women's game has improved a lot since 2012.
Speaker 1:When I played in the Super League, the men's level was already really high and, having played at a good level in Italy, what I found strange in some ways is that, physically, the level in the UK of the Super 8 was impressive. You had some very big guy, great jumpers. Technically and tactically it wasn't at the level I used to play, and so you know we go back to what I was saying earlier that in a country like Italy that kind of volleyball is second nature. Like you know, players understand the game a lot better than in the UK but, yeah, physically, like some impressive players that would actually be able to make it to the top league in Italy, but not at that level technically and tactically. So it was a fun league actually to play because, yeah, yeah, it was very competitive. I played with some fantastic players, people that became very good friends of mine in fact, and yeah, and I still got fond memories of my time at London League.
Speaker 2:And so who was your? I always put people on the spot. Who was the best player that you played with in England?
Speaker 1:I'm going to name more than one. One is Taylor Wilson, american, outside from California. They played together for two or three seasons. But I also got to mention, like a British guy, yassir Zliti, who is a dear friend of mine who still hang about. He was an ex-GB player, amazing opposite. As a libero, one of the bits that I enjoyed the most was when the you know setter defends and you've got to send to the big opposite and it was the dream opposite to set the ball to, because wherever he was he wanted the ball nice and high and would go over the block. So it was a lot of fun playing with Yas. But yeah, I named those two, but also Antonio Antonio Codrington, who's still involved with Volleyball England, a great volleyballer. Yeah, I couldn't name more people, but I just think he was great.
Speaker 2:So I want to just talk briefly about the Libro position. I've had lots of different players setters, outside hitters but whilst I've got you, I'm going to ask you about the Libro position. So, because I want this podcast to be about sharing advice. What would you say to any budding Libro position? So, because I want this podcast to be about sharing advice, what would you say to any budding Libro, so anybody that's interested in being a Libro or trying to train to be a Libro, what's your advice as someone who's been there, done it and got the T-shirt?
Speaker 1:It's a difficult position, the one of the Libro. I played a different position before playing Libra at the end of my career and I always say that, especially at high level, when it comes to receiving, for example, a perfect pass is expected, so no one will notice a Libra that passed the ball perfectly, but everyone will notice a Libra making a mistake. So there is a lot of pressure on the ball perfectly, but everyone will notice the Libra making a mistake. So there is a lot of pressure on the Libra. If you are on the outside and you serve reception, pass the ball, you can make that up by scoring the point or serving or blocking. The Libra gets a lot of pressure.
Speaker 1:So my number one advice to anyone playing Libra is that you need to work on your mindset and your ability to concentrate before the ball is served. That is key. And let go. I know it's one of the things that all coaches I'm sure yourself too you always tell your player just move on from a bad mistake. But that is so important for a Libra because you tend to dwell into the negative easily when you, when you play in that position and it's that no bad pass you move on. You can make that up by by defending, for example. But yeah, a Libra has got to go, got to be made of steel. Really, I just got to go through an entire match, yeah, with the highs and lows you heard that here, guys, a Libra has got to be made of steel, right?
Speaker 2:I like that. I'm going to use that. I'm just writing that down now, okay. But you're right, like something. And you talked about mindset, and people that know me well know that mindset is a huge thing of mine. It's what I do in my professional life as well as a coach. Um, and you're right, you know, you look at the great athletes, the, the nadals. They have their routines, they have their pre-service routines, which is all about getting into the zone, getting into the mindset. And you're right, the past has already happened. We can't go back and change what happened, the point before. What we can do is think about the next point, think about the next path, the next defense.
Speaker 1:I used to touch the end line before every serve, just as a routine, and what I tell my players now is don't put your hands on your knees, don't give up your passing position, move around, you know like try to distract the server. So there's a lot that you can do to prepare for that. For that first contact as a passer.
Speaker 2:You can see it right as a coach. When you're on the sideline, you can see those players who are still thinking about the previous point and the impact it has on the next point. So, oh God, I want to talk to you about this stuff for hours, but this is always the way when I have really interesting people on that.
Speaker 2:I can talk to for hours on this sort of stuff, but after playing then so playing in the Super League or Super 8s then for a couple of years you then decided to hang up the shoes for good and move into coaching. So what was the real sort of point which made you think you know what playing days are done now moving into coaching? Was there a defining moment or did it just sort of happen?
Speaker 1:No, it was my bad knee again, because as a Libra, I didn't have to use the shoulder and so I thought I nailed it, but my knee gave up again. I had a few, I sprained it a few times and I remember the last match I played was a Super League semi-final. Really, I just just I didn't enjoy playing that match because I could feel that I just wasn't at my best and I decided to give up. So really, I mean, I always say I'll still be playing if I could. So when, when I find like people in the early 30s that say you know what, I'm gonna retire, I'm gonna get into coaches like why would you do that? You, you can always coach, but you know you can't play forever. So, um, I probably would still be playing if my body allowed it. So no other decision, no other reason than than my body giving up and telling me to stop.
Speaker 2:I love that if you could still be, but I think that's so true for anybody who's played volleyball. It's so hard on the knees and the shoulders and once you've got one of those injuries and especially someone like yourself who's played at a very high level, very technically sound and talented it's really frustrating, isn't it, to get on a court and play and not be able to play the way you used to be able to play yeah, yeah, because, like you, you do need to be quick.
Speaker 1:As a Libra, you know you do need to dive. You can't expect, you know you can't expect. You're not a big opposite that think you know, well, I'm not gonna dive, I'm just here to hit. As a Libra, you do need to dive, so you need to be quick and hit the floor do you think, um, you're just sticking on the Libro thing.
Speaker 2:For one more question do you think your experience playing other positions made you a better Libro?
Speaker 1:sorry, a better coach no better libro.
Speaker 2:So do you think playing different positions? Just thinking that some people play libro and don't play any other position. They start as a libro and they play as a libro, but you you've said that you've played other positions. Do you think that has?
Speaker 1:yeah, I mean, yeah, but I played as an, so you know a lot of what the Libero does. You know you do it also as an outside. So, yeah, I mean again, I think it's part to the education of that head, we had to understand all the position, like you know, the setters, the middle players. So yeah, I would say so, but I don't know, I don't know Luke.
Speaker 2:I mean. Something I'm playing with in my coaching philosophy at the moment is to try and have more flexibility in my roster. So players playing multiple positions, especially in Division 1 and Division 2, which is where the leagues where I tend to stay in you know, a bout of illness takes out your team and you've got to use an outside of the middle and you've got to use an opposite as an outside, and so it's. These things happen during the season, so it's about trying to be prepared for it, and I think sometimes the best Libros I've seen have been the ones who have transitioned from setter to Libro or outside to Libro, because you can read the game a little bit more. You know what the hit is going to do with their shoulders yeah, yeah, that's interesting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's five points, interesting one to think about, but let's move on to coaching. So you hung up your volleyball shoes and your playing shoes and you moved into coaching. Was that something that you always planned to do or was it you were asked to help and you just were in the right place at the wrong time?
Speaker 1:No, I didn't want to do it. In fact I thought, gosh, I don't want to stop playing. And actually I mentioned this before we started the podcast and I thought, all right, I'm not going to play, but at least I'm going to be traveling this winter, next winter, because I won't have to be playing in the Super 8. No, I didn't want to coach, but my coach at the time, Dan Premus, he had a kid and he wanted to stop coaching and he thought I would be a good replacement. So I said no originally. And then Gary Beckford, the chair of London League, who still is actually the chair of London League and the founder of London League, who still is actually the chair of London League and the founder of All Nations, they just insisted, and my ex-teammates as well, they wanted me to coach. And so, yeah, that's how I started.
Speaker 2:So you started off coaching the team that you were playing for Interesting, was that interesting?
Speaker 1:It was. It was, as, as I said, like a team of talented players. But you know, and they did respect me and they did see me as a coach, but it's still weird, because there are people that you know you've been too made through it for for for a few years and then all of a sudden, you're their boss. So so, yeah, it was, we actually had a good season. I think we finished fourth in the league and yeah, and so it was a good season and it worked out well. But yeah, that's how I started in coaching.
Speaker 2:And I'm aware that you've coached Lionheart men, but I'd like to talk to you more obviously about your longer position as coach of london lion hearts ladies, women, women's team um, and I'd like to sort of really focus this conversation now on. You know the journey that that's what I've been on, um I could talk about. I think it'd be much better, coming from you, if you could, maybe for the audience who don't know, tell us the story of london lion hearts women. And before we go into some of the coaching questions, sure.
Speaker 1:So I yeah, I coached the, the men, for a couple of seasons and at the time uh, because Lionhearts was just so close to where I lead and I and I know the club, uh, the club manager, alan Munger, and the women uh, what then became my team? Uh, they had been crowned London League champion for, I think, seven years in a row at the time, and they were coached by my ex-teammate, jalal. We played together in London League and, after having won the London League for a number of years, they wanted to take up the next challenge, and so Jalal also coached Super A team at the time, and then he stopped, and so he decided to. He and Jalal and Alain decided to register the women for the National League, and that was in 2018-19. And so they got promoted straight away from Division 3 to Division 2, and then from Division 2 to Division 1. I don't think that they lost a single set. And then COVID hit, and then there was a big break, and then the league came back in 2021 and Jalad decided to give up.
Speaker 1:I also decided to give up coaching the Lionheart men, who were playing in the London Premier League at the time, and Alan got in touch and said that he wanted me to take over the women's team, which I thought was interesting. I really didn't want to do it. I was like same as I Sounds familiar, but yeah, I really didn't want to do it. But I knew it was a team of talented girls. Many of them actually left the UK after COVID, but there were still like four or five left from the team that started in Division 3. And, yeah, the team was very close to where I live and so I said yes, but I thought I would do it for one season and then we started in Division 1. Shall I carry on, luke? Do you have any questions?
Speaker 2:No, no, no. I'm just looking at my. I'm just in awe, really, about the journey that that club. And, yes, your role is the coach, but so, just so I heard this right, they started in the National League in 2018-19 season, correct?
Speaker 2:And then now, now and we'll talk about the journey in the seasons. I'm going to ask you some questions about the different seasons, but they now, in the season that's just finished, finished fourth in the super league. You know, the team that started in the national league in 2018 finished fourth best team in the country in the Super League. Um, that's huge, and if you're a club listening to this thinking, uh, should we enter the National League, can we do it? I'm not saying it's easy and I'm sure we'll go into a bit more detail about how it happened. And it doesn't just happen by luck and and and having talented players. It needs a whole system around it coaches, club management, like you've alluded to. But just just to re-embut, just sort of reinforce to the listeners that this team have gone up the leagues and finished fourth in the super league wow what a story.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was remarkable. Thank you, yeah, I, I think it is a great story. Um, yeah, and hopefully there's more to come for the team and the club.
Speaker 2:I mean, if we talk about it and we haven't got time to go through every season, but you obviously started in the 2021 season. I believe you came third in Division One that year 21, 22,.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I'm still a bit bitter about that because we were given one penalty point because the start time outside regulation, and that penalty point meant that we couldn't finish second and be promoted to the Super League, and so we had to spend two seasons in Division 1. But, hey ho, it all worked out at the end. But, yeah, I think we should have been promoted one season sooner.
Speaker 2:All coaches. I've got a moment I won't share mine, but I've got a very similar moment to that but I believe it. I believe it builds you and makes you want it more so the following season, following season, in 2022-23 season finishing, I think, did you finish second and promote we finished?
Speaker 1:second. Again, we finished second, which was a bit of a disappointment because we should have won. But in the end we won the playoff match, which I think is still the highlight of my time with Lionheart, because we should have really won that Division One league that year. But we lost some matches and so, disappointingly, we finished second. And then we played University of Nottingham in the promotion playoff. Yeah, university of Nottingham in the promotion playoff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, University of Nottingham, being a university team, had some very good players and I remember like just looking at them during the warm-up, oh gosh, they were huge, Really tall, and they just finished like a season in the Super League. Why my team, you know, did not play at that level throughout the season, but I remember we spent like three weeks not play at that level throughout the season, but I remember we spent like three weeks I prepared that match. I watched so many videos, introduced meditation before training, which we did before because we talked about mindset and concentration earlier. The girls knew what to expect. We had a strong game plan. We were mentally prepared, physically prepared and we won 3-1 quite comfortably, Unexpectedly, I think that University of Nottingham didn't expect us to be so competitive on that day.
Speaker 1:We also had some players missing from injury. We lost a setter a couple of months before. We lost one player who moved to Brussels, one of our outsides. So we were not even like with the strongest team that we had that season and we still managed to win and that that probably the highlight of my time with lionel and I love, I love the concept, the volleyball england, the playoff concept, because you're right on paper.
Speaker 2:You, you know the, the favorite was university of nottingham for that match. So you can go into that match and it sounds like I want to talk about the meditation stuff because I'm all about that, so let's talk about that in a second. But you going into that match where obviously the pressure wasn't as as on you, as much as it was on university of nottingham, that does impact performance. Pressure does impact performance. We know that. Um, so yeah, so winning promotion, going into Super League, and, if we can, we'll focus more on those two seasons in Super League. So first season, then finding yourself in ninth, I believe, and in the playoff match versus Stockport, and you managed to win that match 3-0 versus Stockport to stay up in the Super League. And then this season, like we talked about the season that's just gone, you've gone from finishing second to bottom to finishing in the top four. So I want to explore with you your coaching ethos, how you've done that and share your knowledge about. You know, like you said, mindset, meditation. So over to you right, the.
Speaker 1:The first season in the super league was the hardest season I've ever experienced in volleyball and I knew it was going to be that hard. And again I I I didn't want to coach the team that season. I thought that I wanted to finish with the promotion but then turbo my assistant coaches oh no, you've got to coach one more season at least than the Gelsen City. So I was like, fine, so it was just as hard as I expected it to be. You are a newly promoted team Kind of. No one in my team had Super League experience, except for maybe one or two. I knew we were going to face a season where we would lose pretty much every match, which we did until February. And also, being a London team, you've got access. You can recruit. The pool of people you can recruit is quite wide. But you're also competing against teams like Team Side Out and Mallory. So when a good player comes around, they go and try different teams and then back then they all went to Side Out and they all went to Mallory. We were the newbies. People did not know. You know what we were about, how serious we were as a team or as a club, how competitive we were going to be. And so we, you know, we had some good players coming and trying for us in the summer, but in the end they decided to go to side out or to Mallory. Even though they spent the entire season on the bench, they still rather join those teams than come to us.
Speaker 1:So we faced pretty much this season with the same team that won promotion and there was a big gap between the Super League and Division One a huge gap. And so we had a couple of new players, but it wasn't enough to be competitive against the top team. We lost every single match. We were playing well because we lost most matches 3-1 and some of them were very close, but we lost every single match. Until mid-February we were bottom of the table zero points. I remember one match against, I can't remember what it was, but we lost 39-37 when we were 1-0. So we just couldn't get even to that tiebreak that would have given us one point.
Speaker 1:And then every week, look, I had to kind of focus on the positive. You couldn't just, you know, you couldn't dwell into the negative. The team had to stay together and had to give that belief that we were going to make it. That belief was quite weak at some point, but at least as a coach I had to show that it was there and the girls were just fantastic. Because then we remember that match in mid-February against Leeds at home. We played a fantastic match. We won 3-1. And from that point onwards the team Changed, tried a lot of confidence. Yeah, yeah, we just needed a win. Really that's what we needed.
Speaker 2:It's really hard guess from and again I'm I'm going through this journey myself at the moment, winning my team that I coach have won promotion from division three to division two, and this year we're in division one, so it's back-to-back promotions. We've we've played um however many games and we've lost three games in the two seasons, so now finding ourselves playing in division one, you've gone from winning most games in Division 2 or Division 1 to now playing in Super League, like you did. So can you tell us a little bit more about the meditation piece and the mindset piece please?
Speaker 1:The meditation, like it's something that I mean it was really to introduce to some of the girls because, like, basically, you've got to say, right, guys, now we're going to be silent for a few minutes, you're just going to focus on the contact of your freedom to the floor. I mean, like top athletes they do it, whether they're footballers or basketballers or tennis players. Meditation is becoming a big thing in sports and, uh, especially for non-contact sports like volleyball, allows you to to basically focus on what it, what is right in front of you. We talked earlier about not dwelling into a mistake, so just moving on from a bad mistake, but also not thinking like, oh, you know what is 22, 50, we're 22, 15 up, we're gonna win this set, we're gonna celebrate, I'm gonna go out with my no.
Speaker 1:All that matters in that moment is the next point is what is in front of you, and that's what meditation is about. Just live the moment and maintain that. Focus on the contact. It can be the contact of the feet to the floor, on your breathing, on the chest, expanding, and just live that moment. Just to make the best of how long is a volleyball rally? Like five, eight seconds. So just give all your concentration to those five, eight seconds, and then moving on to the next one, and moving on to the next one.
Speaker 2:So he's developing that, that, that um, that mindset and that ability to do that at your best and having a group of players, um, that trust you as the coach, um, and are open minded to trying new things, especially players that have been around and played at other clubs and different coaches. Coaching is subjective, coaching is an art and there's no right or wrong way to coaching. So you must have had some really good relationships to build the trust to be able to do those things a fantastic group of players.
Speaker 1:I found a lot, and some of them are still involved. Some some of them are still part of the team and some of them are still involved in some capacity. And one of the things that I've learned from going from men's volleyball to women's volleyball and I think that if I told that to a bunch of of guys, they would have laughed at my face. They'd be like there's no way we're going to do it but one of the things that I've seen in women's volleyball is that there is a lot more desire into buying into a project, buying into ideas, and that's one thing I've really enjoyed about coaching women or maybe it's just the group of women that I've coached, but yeah, they were all on board with that and they all appreciate it, maybe because, like, also, they did the things we talked about before, but they all understand the importance of, uh, building like mental strength in order to to perform awesome.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm definitely talking to you more about this stuff, away off this call, because it's my world, this is my world. So, um, yeah, no, but let's talk about the season. That's just gone then. So I'm going to share something with you which I haven't told you, um, which is I remember. So I'm, as you know, I'm part of the commentary team for Volleyball England and I commentated on your game, your opening weekend game last season, and I recall going down to the court side to speak to you before the game just to get a little bit of information how you feeling.
Speaker 2:And I remember writing in my notepad because I've still got it here calm, just huge, in huge writing calm. And I remember saying to my colleague I said whatever happens as a result of this game, this team will be fine. I said that to my colleague at the time, saying this team will be fine because I've got I've got a good vibe that there's something in this team I can sense the coach has been very honest and said you know they're newly formed, but he's got a lot of potential in the team. It's about how you know we're not going to perform you. I remember you saying vividly we're not going to perform very well at the start of the season, but as we go through the season you'll see us get better and stronger.
Speaker 2:And uh, my colleague in the commentary team, because you lost that opening weekend match, I think, um, and I remember saying to him off off, I said they'll be in the top four around it. I can tell, and I'm a betting man, I should have gone and put a bet on, because you did. You finished fourth. So what happened? Because, yes, you signed some players. I know we steered over move from side out to you, but what did you do with that group of players to go from ninth to fourth?
Speaker 1:Well, first of all, I say that the season before the last one was really tough Already. The way we finished. I don't think that we were a team that deserved to be in ninth place the season before. You know, we finished. We were so strong. When we finished that season we even competed against Durham in the final match of the league. So I think we were already in a better starting position than the season before. So that's one thing.
Speaker 1:Secondly, yeah, we had some new players. We had Masha Zviridova, mallory Poche and a few other players, so there was more experience and more talent and more belief as well. Also, in summer 2024, we got a new sponsor on board and that made a huge difference to us because all of a sudden, well, look, we had money really, and so we could lower that, we could lower the players fee, we could get better material, we could pay for traveling costs more easily. So we we became a better club with a better structure and we more resources. So, yeah, I think these three things, like the experience that the team didn't have the previous season, the talent that we managed to bring in and the resources that Benares, our sponsor, allowed us to bring and, yeah, and including myself. I had experience that I did not have the season before Amazing.
Speaker 2:I want to talk to you about the Lionhearts journey and all your experience, but I think, as we approach an hour already of this conversation, obviously making the decision to step down and to move away from the team this season coming. So tell us about that, tell us about that decision and tell us about the future for Lionhearts and tell us about the future for Lionheart.
Speaker 1:Yes, so I became a father in January and I decided already, like at the start of the season, that I would have not coached the following season. There are things that you can only do once in life and I don't want to miss the time with my baby. And coaching, I mean, the key to success to Lionheart is commitment. If I have to say, when I do something, I do it well, and it's not just the four, the six hours you spend at training or for matches, it's the preparation for the trainings, and I want to be able to dedicate that time to my daughter. And so, yeah, that's really why I decided to step back. And so, yeah, that's really why I decided to step back. I've not given up completely, because we recruited a fantastic new coach and the sponsor is still on board, and they both say that for them to continue to get on board, I still had to remain involved. And also to give some continuity, because I talked earlier about london leagues.
Speaker 1:London leagues are no longer in the super eight on the super leagues because, all of a sudden, myself and the other key players, we all stopped and, uh, and london league did not. You know what volleyball is like in the uk. It really relies on some individual rather than on on club structures. So the moment some individual decided to give up, then then that's often the end for a club or for a team, and so that was the case for london leagues. I didn't want that to happen because as I, as I, stepped aside from the the role of head coach, we also had some other big players that started the journey with me in either 2018 or in 2021 that are stopping and and I wanted Lionhards to continue. So I decided to um, yeah, to continue in a different world to assist Lulama, our amazing new coach, and I work with the sponsor to make sure that, you know, lionhards has got a future and has got actually has got a very strong future amazing what a journey that club have been on.
Speaker 2:um. But any club you know, if you're out there listening and you're a club manager, you're part of a committee of a club, then you definitely want to reach out and look at the lionheart's journey because it's a case study of how good management you know I I'm very passionate about commerciality. Volleyball has to become more commercial. We have to know things are getting more expensive and if we put that price onto players we're going to make the sport inaccessible. So it's about using business. It's about using industry, which sounds like has really supported you and the Lionhearts Club to perform and to be a high performing club within the Super League, and I'm really looking forward to the season ahead and I wish you and the new coach what was the new coach's name?
Speaker 1:The new coach is called Lulama Mussolini-Gennaro. He's an ex-Italy international.
Speaker 2:He's still Italian.
Speaker 1:He's still Italian. There is some continuity there because you know the same ways of seeing volleyball. I suppose she's the first black woman who represented Italy in the national team. She was an extraordinary player. She's now head volleyball coach of Greenhouse Sports, so she works with young girls in Tower Hamlet and in East London, so she's involved locally and I think she is the right person to lead the team forward, not only because of her technical and tactical and volleyball knowledge, but also for the work she does in the community. So and my assistant coaches will continue working with her so there's continuity also in the coaching staff. So I think we've got everything in place for another strong season. You asked earlier what has changed from one season to the other ones in the for us in the Super League is we are now a team that is well known. We know that we are there to compete and the best players want to come and play for Leicester Awesome and to wrap up the conversation around coaching, then how would you describe your coaching style in three words?
Speaker 1:uh, well, one is that is methodic, because there is methods in the way I coach. I I told her about the me taking time off is because, like I don't show up, um, I training and make drills up as I go along. I spent, spent. I spent a lot of time reviewing the matches, understanding what, what doesn't work, what we need to get better at, and designing the drill.
Speaker 1:I designed session by the minute, so every minute of the you know, we know, like, how long a water break is or along the warm-up is, just to make sure that when you've got like four hours per week because we train twice a week, you get the most of every second. You've got like four hours per week, because we train twice a week, you get the most of every second you've got together. And that's why I talked about players being on time. That's one thing for sure. The second one is intensity. I do remember as a player that if I had to turn up and there was no intensity at the session, I would not have fun. So you might not be playing with the best players, but at least there is that structure and there is that intensity and that will make a session fun, and I do think that my sessions were fun and the players finished the session feeling knackered, which is the best feeling that you can have at the end of a session.
Speaker 1:I can't think of a third one, but possibly, possibly it's fun. I say because, like, at the end of the day, we are all you know. This is volleyball in england. It's not professional. You're there for fun, and so the only way you get players to return to the next session and to commit to the project is to make sure that you know the sessions are fun and, and there is that, and, and I'm sorry, now I'm going for a fourth one, which is belief is believing in the project no, no, no, the rules are free, my friend all right.
Speaker 1:So scrub, scrub, believe, but, like I think that the three things all come back together into that uh, into that belief that you're working together for a name and into a fun at the end of the day awesome, methodic, intense fun and belief.
Speaker 2:I'll let you have a fourth one, so that wraps up our conversation. But what do we? What we do? We're on digging deep. Uh, digging deeper is always finish on a game of this or that, um. So haven't prepped you for this at all, so I'm gonna chuck some quick fire questions at you. Some are volleyball related, some aren't volleyball related, and uh. And then I've got a final question from our previous guest, so let's go this or that. So davide outside or libro playing outside Outside or Libro playing Outside.
Speaker 1:Starter or dessert when you go out for a meal.
Speaker 2:Dessert Coaching men or coaching women. Coaching women Watching a film or watching a good TV series.
Speaker 1:Film when passing, when receiving float serve or jump serve. Do you want a commentary to my answers or just a straight answer? Okay, fine. Oh, bio means like a jump server.
Speaker 2:There are a few very good jump servers peanut butter or nutella nutella absolutely and finally, then the closing question that our previous guest left you. She didn't know that you were going to be my next guest. So chloe allen from mallory, who I know you played against this year um, she has asked you what is the easiest skill to learn in volleyball and what is the hardest skill to learn in volleyball?
Speaker 1:and this one has to be quick um, I go with the with the hardest is uh. Um is setting. Uh, the easier is uh block. Oh gosh, it's a difficult question, I say, but it's not easy at all to do well. It's not easy at all to do well.
Speaker 2:I'm going to regret this answer. I can sense by the look on your face that I've asked you a question which is you're thinking methodically about now, about what is the hardest technique.
Speaker 1:And, having talked about technique at the start, I think that these invalidate everything I said earlier.
Speaker 2:And there we go A conversation, an amazing conversation. I've loved every second of it and, like I say with every guest that I have on here, we could do three hours and I could still have questions to ask you. I'm going to miss seeing you on the sideline in a head coach capacity. I know you're still going to be around and still be involved. I wish you all the best of luck and congratulations on fatherhood, and I hope you're enjoying being a dad. Are you sleeping?
Speaker 1:Very much so, very much so. It's a bit like coaching.
Speaker 2:Is your child, are they?
Speaker 1:going to play volleyball, uh, I don't know. I tell my girlfriend that she's gonna. She's gonna play rugby. She's she doesn't like it, uh, but she's definitely gonna play a team sport for sure. 100 awesome, I love I love I love team sports in general, so it's definitely awesome.
Speaker 2:So for me, uh, luke was the host of host the podcast. Thank you ever so much, davide, for your time. Appreciate that you're traveling around and you're in hotels at the moment, so I really appreciate you giving up your time and chatting to me. Um, for me, that's. That's the end of another amazing conversation. So remember, whatever you're doing, whatever you're doing, please keep supporting, keep that volleyball spirit alive. I'm nick wiltshire, the host of that volleyball guy. Thank you for listening that volleyball guy.
