Vital Heynen has already made enormous progress in his advanced training course to understand women, as he finds himself: "I'm learning an incredible amount," confessed the national volleyball coach after a seven-week course with the national team in Kienbaum.

"It's incredibly interesting." After 15 years of men's volleyball, he asks himself the question every day with the women: "What can I do better?"

Achim Dreis

sports editor.

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The German women's national team met for seven weeks in no man's land in Brandenburg to prepare for the upcoming volleyball world championships in the Netherlands.

And above all, to get to know each other anew.

"New coach, new staff, new players," summarizes captain Jennifer Janiska, who has been part of the national team since 2013: "We haven't had such a team spirit for a long time." The 28-year-old is one of "the old hands", to use one of Heynen's new favorite words.

Heynen tries new variants

Only five volleyball players from the current squad were at the 2018 World Cup.

"An interesting mix of young and old," said attacker Lena Stigrot - although it must be noted that she, at 27, is also part of the "old" team.

Vital Heynen mixed up what little that still existed.

He also eliminated the fixed allocation of rooms to enable new communication channels.

Vital Heynen is a man who likes to try new variations.

With the German men's team, he won bronze at the 2014 World Cup.

He even became world champion with Poland in 2018.

Now he switched to the German women and also trains a women's club team in Turkey.

The 53-year-old Belgian calls his method, which he can only recommend to all men, “look at the other side, how it works”.

"99 percent are the same," he has stated, "but the one percent difference" is "quite interesting".

He did not set up a team council for the women's team.

"I wanted that," he admits, but it wasn't necessary: ​​"Everyone is important." Everyone had "the courage to have a say."

Vital's communication is "more direct", Lena Stigrot confessed and praised the trainer, who is known for being impulsive: "He tries to bring an extra portion of empathy with him."

On the other side, the players would have managed better over time not to weigh every word "on the gold scales" when Heynen then commented "like a man".

"Criticism is part of competitive sport."

Self-confident success coach

With what conditions and expectations the team will now tackle the World Cup preliminary round in Arnhem, that is of course still one of the big mysteries even after seven weeks of training camp.

Jennifer Janiska speaks of the "lucky bag".

Coach Heynen calls it unpredictability.

"I have 14 jokers," he says about his personal board.

He doesn't even want to commit himself to a regular six.

It seems rather unusual that he only nominated three middle blockers, but five outside attackers, of whom he always wants to play three.

"I haven't seen anyone who plays with three wingers," says the successful coach confidently.

If it doesn't work, he can always switch to "classic".

For Heynen, the World Championships are generally an intermediate step on the way to the Olympics.

"Paris 2024 is the big goal," says the Belgian.

That's where he wants to go with the German women.

Whether he finishes seventh, 16th or 23rd at the World Cup is of secondary importance.

Surviving the preliminary round is of course the stated goal, and to do that you have to finish fourth in the group of six in five games in seven days.

"play dirty volleyball"

After the opening match on Sunday (7:00 p.m. on Sportdeutschland.tv) against Bulgaria, the games against Kazakhstan, defending champions Serbia, Olympic champions USA and Canada will follow in quick succession.

According to Heynen, he has so far only dealt with the Bulgaria game.

All other games then build on each other, so it makes no sense to prepare for them.

In general, it is only important to have a concept, and that also includes “playing dirty volleyball”.

It doesn't always have to be beautiful, according to the translation.

Aggressive, but if possible without mistakes.

Heynen's final assessment of the differences between the sexes, which does not only apply to volleyball, fits in with this: "Men think too little, women think too much." With the boys he had to give some instructions five times and they are still not arrived.

The women are sometimes "too much involved", which is also underlined by a statement by Lena Stigrot: "We are like sponges that absorb his experience." For Heynen, on the other hand, letting go is the principle.

His advice to women when things get complicated: "Go have a beer."