While the roles of indoor and beach volleyball coaches present distinct challenges, their shared crucial contribution to team success remains constant. To offer fans deeper insights into what defines a successful coach, this “Secrets of Coaching Success” series features accomplished European coaches from both disciplines, aiming to uncover their invaluable expertise and insider perspectives.
For the seventh installment of this series, we spotlight Jetmund Berntsen, a preeminent figure in contemporary beach volleyball coaching. As a key architect behind the triumphs of Anders Mol & Christian Sorum – Norway`s reigning world and Olympic champions – his influence is undeniable. Let`s delve deeper into his remarkable story.
Born in 1973, Jetmund was the second of five children, all of whom progressed to become national team athletes in either volleyball or beach volleyball. His elder sister, Merita, now widely recognized as Anders Mol`s mother, achieved the greatest athletic success among them, notably placing ninth for Norway in beach volleyball at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.
As a child, Jetmund showed a keen interest in various ball sports, particularly football during summers and volleyball in winters. He formally began playing organized volleyball at age seven, inspired by his older sister. By seventeen, he had also taken up beach volleyball seasonally.
Jetmund`s passion for beach volleyball was further ignited by his indoor national team colleague, Jan Kvalheim, an established international professional in the sport, and especially by his brother-in-law, Kare Mol (Merita’s husband). Berntsen and Mol teamed up, securing a national championship bronze medal in 1995. Jetmund also competed in two FIVB World Tour events – the 1997 Marseille Open and the 1999 Stavanger Open. His indoor volleyball career reached its pinnacle roughly ten years later, winning both the Norwegian national title and cup with the Forde team.
Merita Mol’s Olympic journey to Atlanta, with her husband Kare Mol serving as her coach, sparked Berntsen’s own interest in coaching. The two families raised their children together, allowing Jetmund extensive opportunities to observe Kare, seek guidance, and experiment with coaching strategies as he embarked on his new career path.
With all five Mol children and both Berntsen children eventually joining the sport, beach volleyball evolved into a family enterprise known as the Beachvolley Vikings. This initiative began in 2016 with three key players: Kare’s son Anders Mol, Jetmund’s son Mathias Berntsen (who had already clinched the 2015 CEV U20 European Championship as a team), and Christian Sorum, who was considered an `adopted` member of the sporting family.
The young Vikings consistently achieved success. Anders Mol secured another U20 continental title in 2016, this time with Christian Sorum’s younger brother, Aleksander. Later that same year, he won the U22 title alongside Christian, and in 2017, he claimed U22 silver with Mathias Berntsen. 2017 also marked Anders’s debut on the senior international podium, earning gold at the Ljubljana Masters on the CEV European Tour with Christian, and a bronze at the Espinho two-star event on the FIVB World Tour with Mathias.
During this formative period, Jetmund Berntsen and the BeachVolley Vikings’ coaching staff experimented with various player pairings. They soon recognized the exceptional synergy between Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, noting their similar game intuition and remarkable chemistry – a combination poised to elevate the sport to unprecedented heights.
Mol & Sorum`s significant breakthrough occurred in 2018, marked by an incredible streak of five consecutive top-tier victories: the Gstaad five-star, the CEV European Championship in The Hague, the Vienna five-star, the World Tour Finals in Hamburg, and the Las Vegas four-star. This remarkable run signaled the start of their storied career.
The duo continued their dominance in 2019, securing six gold medals from seven World Tour finals appearances. The Vikings also earned bronze at the FIVB World Championship in Hamburg and the World Tour Finals in Rome, cementing their status as World Tour season champions for both 2018 and 2019. Further solidifying their legacy, they added consecutive European titles in Moscow (2019) and Jurmala (2020).
The Beachvolley Vikings celebrated another landmark year in 2021. For Mol & Sorum, it began with successive four-star victories on the World Tour and culminated in the coveted Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020. This was swiftly followed by their fourth consecutive EuroBeachVolley title in Vienna and a gold medal at the final World Tour Finals event in Cagliari.
Kare Mol transitioned to a less prominent role, allowing Jetmund Berntsen to assume the primary coaching responsibilities, and the team`s success trajectory continued seamlessly into 2022. The inaugural Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour season saw Mol & Sorum claim three Elite16 gold medals, with their crowning achievement being the World Championship title won in Rome. Following their triumph at the Paris Elite16 in October, the pair regained the top position in the FIVB World Ranking, a spot they have consistently held since.
At EuroBeachVolley 2022 in Munich, Mol & Sorum placed third, ending their impressive streak of four consecutive continental titles. However, the CEV BeachVolley Nations Cup in Vienna proved to be another highlight for the Beachvolley Vikings in 2022. Under Jetmund Berntsen’s leadership as head coach of the Norwegian men’s national team (comprising Anders Mol, Christian Sorum, Hendrik Mol, and Mathias Berntsen), they emerged victorious at this inaugural event.
The team of Mathias Berntsen and Anders’s elder brother, Hendrik Mol, also experienced a successful year on the Beach Pro Tour, securing a silver medal at the Agadir Challenge and concluding the season ranked 13th globally.
Jetmund Berntsen’s coaching prowess extends beyond men’s beach volleyball. He notably guided Emilie Olimstad and his daughter, Frida Berntsen, to bronze medals at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games.
Since 2018, Jetmund Berntsen has also contributed his expertise to ToppVolley Norge, a private boarding school. This esteemed institution provides aspiring volleyball and beach volleyball talents with a unique opportunity to integrate high school education with intensive athletic training.
Jetmund Berntsen, Beach Volleyball Coach
Finley Blackwood