The VBSC Podcast

Miles Partain Returns: Hitting Breakdown, Fascia Debates & Banana Volleyball

Episode Summary

Greg Herceg (the Volleyball Strength Coach) welcomes back beach volleyball pro Miles Partain for part two of their conversation. Miles kicks things off with an update on his season, including a recent trip to the Rio Elite 16 and his progress on vertical jump training. The two then dive deep into hitting mechanics, with Miles walking through his seven-part biomechanical model of the arm swing — from hip-shoulder separation and trunk rotation through to pronation and the "elbow snap." They discuss arm-swing variations across hitters, side-bend and coiling patterns borrowed from David Weck's training philosophy, and the ongoing fascia-vs-traditional-strength-training debate. From there, the conversation shifts to training theory: the difference between "braking" and "stretching" approaches to plyometrics, and how elite athletes achieve maximum output with minimal conscious effort. Miles shares his concept for "Banana Volleyball" — a fan-first, entertainment-driven beach volleyball league inspired by the Savannah Bananas, complete with trick-shot bonus points, crowdsourced rules, and celebrity pro-ams. They close out by comparing notes on their respective online coaching businesses — Miles' growing consulting practice and Greg's new School community — and how remote coaching provides the accountability and certainty that keeps athletes consistent.

Episode Notes

Greg Herceg (the Volleyball Strength Coach) sits down with beach volleyball pro Miles Partain for a wide-ranging conversation covering hitting mechanics, elastic training theory, a bold new idea for beach volleyball, and building an online coaching business.

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