Volleyball: “training and sharing are in my DNA”, former Mende coach Constant Tchouassi looking for a new project

After an experience in Germany, Constant Tchouassi, the coach who almost led Mende to Ligue A, is looking for a new project. With a constant desire to train and share.

You left Mende 18 months ago, what has your career been like since then. ?

My last season at Mende was practically a culmination, we almost got promoted after being regular season champions. I decided to leave the club to sign for Friedrichshaffen, one of the best German and European clubs as assistant to Mark Lebedew, to allow me to continue my progression.

You could have signed as No. 1 in a Ligue A club ?

I had already had offers. But I was very attached to the club and to the city of Mende where I felt good. But I had to get out of my comfort zone and this last season in Mende seemed to me to be the right time to go abroad to have this international experience there, see also another aspect to continue to improve.

Mende, it was more than a sporting adventure, it was a human adventure. I had the feeling of contributing to something much stronger than volleyball. I had good opportunities. Friedrichshaffen, it is the biggest German club after Berlin, which was precisely looking for a coach with my profile, because it wanted to take young internationals with great potential that it wanted to develop.

Did that fit in with your desire to progress in your career ?

Yes, it was a big step because I ended up being a head coach there at one point when Mark Lebedew was sick. Knowing that your philosophy and method work, being able to work with players who have been European champions, players who have been the best in the world in their position and to give a certain vision to a club like this, that helps you grow.

I am someone who works on affect

You only stayed one season before leaving for Austria for what reason ?

I had offers to continue in the Bundesliga. I also discussed the position of head coach at Frierichshaffen, but they opted for Adam Swaczyna, who was also assistant but had just won silver at the Olympics with Poland. The Amstetten project in Austria interested me because it was in line with what I was looking for. In sporting terms, a team capable of playing for the title and going to the European Cup. Finally, once there, the project no longer really corresponded to the one that was initially proposed to me. And even if, on a human and sporting level, things were going well, trust had been broken and I am someone who functions on emotion.

Did you continue to follow Mende's results ?

Yes, but from afar, I wanted to distance myself from it to let the club evolve on its own. There was a very strong emotional aspect.

So you are looking for a new project…

Yes, I was appointed instructor by the international federation, it is a great honor for me because I have always been in sharing, training, making players progress, not just young ones.

Training is really an important aspect of your coaching ?

For me, a good coach is a coach who trains, that is to say that all players, at any level, they need to progress. They always have things they need to learn. When you take a group or you draw the quintessence of a group, the players help your project. From the moment you see that all the players in this group have the possibility of progressing, that you bring them something on a daily basis, it's fantastic.

Is this part of the things you are looking for ?

The role of trainer is close to my heart. Helping players progress, sharing, that's my DNA. For me to fully adopt a project, it would need a club that focuses on training. A club that wants to develop young players, give them a chance, because that's what I like to do. And be able to support them and then, that's part of my philosophy in any case. You also need a desire to perform. If there's no desire to win in the medium term, I'm not interested. In Mende I learned to develop networks, because I couldn't work with agents, so I'm used to looking for players, watching dozens of matches. We had to work differently to attract good players, find players with potential to develop.

You are being talked about at Arago de Sète for next season. Is this a project that would tempt you? ?

It is always flattering to be mentioned as a potential coach for such a prestigious club. Which I know well because previous coaches have often played friendly matches or pre-season training courses in Mende and I have always followed the club's results with interest. Arago has a rich history and very good player training. If this opportunity were to come true, it would be a huge honour to participate in such an ambitious project. For the moment, nothing has been decided yet, and I remain focused on my current objectives. This is an inspiring team, and I would be excited to take on such a challenge.

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