ABOUT JOHN KESSEL
John brings a wealth of experience as a player, coach, author, administrator and clinician to USA Volleyball and serves as its number one ambassador for the sport. In 1995, Volleyball Magazine named him as one of the 50 most important people in the sport of volleyball in the first 100 years.
He has competed in 15 USVBA National Open Championships and is a seven-time regional champion. He has also played professionally with the Denver Comets in the International Volleyball Association and the Alessandria Volleyball Club in Italy.
He has been coaching since 1971, including National Women's Open titles in 1986 & 1987. From 1982 to 1990 he was Director and Coaches' Coach of the Albuquerque Junior Olympic Volleyball Program. He has also coached the Pikes Peak VBC 13's.
From 1987 to 1991 he was the tournament director of the USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships. He was on staff for the 1984, 1988 and 1996 Olympics, and was producer for the 1996 Paralympics Sitting Volleyball Venue.
A sought after international lecturer, in the past 10 years he has coached in more than 18 countries as well as every state in the United States. In the summer of 1991, he was one of the four featured speakers at the first International Youth Volleyball Coaches Symposium in Olympia, Greece and repeated the work at the 1995 event in Quebec, Canada. He is a charter member of the USA Coaches Accreditation Program (CAP) Cadre as well as the Sports Medicine and Performance Commission. Kessel was an originator of the IMPACT program and continues to serve as a Master level IMPACT Instructor for USA Volleyball's Coaching Education department. He is currently one of 10 members of the International Volleyball Federation Technical & Coaches Commission, serving as secretary of that commission, and is an FIVB Level IV and Beach Volleyball instructor, and serves on the FIVB Volleyball Coach magazine editorial board.
John is a prolific writer and author of "The Coach's Encyclopedia", the "Coaches Guide to Beginning Volleyball Programs", "The Junior Olympic Program Guidebook", "Collegiate Recruiting Guide", "IMPACT Manual", "Thoughts and Quotes for Coaches", "Kessel's Krazy Kollection", and "Places to Play, " and currently is working on a new youth volleyball book, "The Coach Who Cares, Wins."
John was the USA team leader for the 2000 Sydney Olympic beach teams. In addition to his directorship of the Grassroots, Beach and Disabled volleyball programs he also serves as USAV's staff liaison to the SGMA, Starlings and U.S. Youth Volleyball League.
His main goal is to help make coaches more efficient, positive and creative, no matter what the level - whether it be seven-year olds in elementary school programs or national team players. He challenges old ways of thinking and helps coaches create what they need, while having fun in the process. He has been very active in the past few years in getting the internet to be the tool of communication for all the volleyball leaders from the FIVB level to those in the grassroots.
John received a B.A. in Biology and Economics from The Colorado College in 1974. He is a member of Mensa, the American Volleyball Coaches Association, AAPHERD, USA Disabled Volleyball, YMCA, and the Boys Scouts of America. John has a son Cody, born in 1991 and a daughter McKenzie, born in 1993. In those rare moments when John is not involved with volleyball, he enjoys fly-fishing, skiing and backpacking.
