The Volleyball By Design Podcast
Aug 17, 2026 · 17 min · 8 segments
In this episode, you will hear from mental skills coach Paige Tonz as she shares two practical mental-performance tools from her presentation at DVA LIVE 2026. First, Paige breaks down the pre-serve…
Paige TonzGuestBrian SingHost
I think this is one of the biggest things that makes the, like, the biggest shifts for the girls, the biggest changes.
And, um, it's something that can, they can, like, so easily add into their, like, what they're already doing.
'Cause a lot of times, your girls, like, they already have, like, a little pre-serve routine, right? Like, typically it's like, you know, you bounce the ball three times, and then you, like, spin it, and then you, like, step with your effort certain foot or [laughs] like they...
Now we're just kind of adding the mental aspect into that routine and really, like, preparing mentally.
And, um, this, th- there's studies that show when you have a routine that you do every single time, it gives you confidence because it's, it's something that's in your control.
Like, it never changes, and you can always rely on this no matter, like, what's happening in the game, good or bad.
S- and, uh, serving is one of those, the really only truly isolated pressure moments when it's, like, not so q- fast, I guess, um, in volleyball and, and really any team sport.
You'll, you'll see, like, you're gonna start to see some, uh, some patterns here and some things that we use over and over again.
Um, they might have a little, you know, physical routine with the bounces, and the spins, and things like that.
Like, look at the ball and take a deep breath, or look at your shoes and take a deep breath, or find a focal point out there or where you wanna serve it.
Um, when- once you get to the spot, like, see where you wanna serve it, take a deep breath.
But, um, maybe to, like, to get them thinking about, like, emptying their brain and just thinking, like, go.
I think this is one of the biggest things that makes the, like, the biggest shifts for the girls, the biggest changes.
And, um, it's something that can, they can, like, so easily add into their, like, what they're already doing.
'Cause a lot of times, your girls, like, they already have, like, a little pre-serve routine, right? Like, typically it's like, you know, you bounce the ball three times, and then you, like, spin it, and then you, like, step with your effort certain foot or [laughs] like they...
Now we're just kind of adding the mental aspect into that routine and really, like, preparing mentally.
And, um, this, th- there's studies that show when you have a routine that you do every single time, it gives you confidence because it's, it's something that's in your control.
Like, it never changes, and you can always rely on this no matter, like, what's happening in the game, good or bad.
S- and, uh, serving is one of those, the really only truly isolated pressure moments when it's, like, not so q- fast, I guess, um, in volleyball and, and really any team sport.
You'll, you'll see, like, you're gonna start to see some, uh, some patterns here and some things that we use over and over again.
Um, they might have a little, you know, physical routine with the bounces, and the spins, and things like that.
Like, look at the ball and take a deep breath, or look at your shoes and take a deep breath, or find a focal point out there or where you wanna serve it.
Um, when- once you get to the spot, like, see where you wanna serve it, take a deep breath.
But, um, maybe to, like, to get them thinking about, like, emptying their brain and just thinking, like, go.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.