In this solo episode, host Greg Herceg — the Volleyball Strength Coach — gets personal, sharing three of his own injury stories and the hard-won lessons he took from each one. Greg walks through his first calf tear in 2019, how he underestimated it, rushed back too soon, and paid the price. He then recounts a second, more serious calf tear in 2021 that hit him like an existential crisis — after two years of doing "everything right," he tore his other calf while sprinting. Finally, he shares a recent back injury that started small but snowballed because he didn't respect the warning signs. Along the way, Greg breaks down his core injury philosophy: Don't do anything that hurts — but do everything you can that doesn't hurt Take injuries seriously and confirm you're truly ready before returning to play Watch for spikes in volume and intensity — that's where most injuries happen Greg also addresses the mental side of injury recovery: the frustration, the self-doubt, and the importance of staying focused on what you can learn and control. Whether you're currently sidelined or just trying to stay healthy, this episode is packed with practical perspective from a coach who's been through it himself.
In this solo episode, Greg gets personal — sharing three of his own injury stories and the coaching lessons he extracted from each one. Whether you're currently dealing with an injury or trying to avoid one, this episode is full of hard-won wisdom from someone who's been through it.
Timestamps
0:00 — Welcome & intro to the VBSC podcast
0:23 — Today's episode: a solo deep dive on injuries
1:14 — Greg's background: D1 volleyball at Ball State, 20+ years playing, sports performance degrees
2:29 — **Story #1: First calf tear (August 2019)**
7:35 — **Lesson 1a:** Don't do anything that hurts — but do everything you can that doesn't
9:35 — **Lesson 1b:** Take injuries seriously — confirm you're ready before returning to play
10:09 — **Story #2: Second calf tear (July 2021)** — and an existential crisis
13:01 — **Lesson 2:** Spikes in volume and intensity are the #1 injury risk
14:50 — The rehab that worked: 12 weeks to the highest touch of his adult life (11'2")
17:16 — **Story #3: Recent back injury** — a minor tweak that became a major problem
20:11 — **Lesson 3:** Sometimes stuff just happens — have protocols in place
21:05 — The mental side of injury recovery
23:06 — Full recap of all lessons
Key Takeaways