This first video has some awesome defense and digs that are unbelievable! I love a good volleyball dig. Check this out:
This next video shows some great highlights and plays from the AVP tour.
Finally, for those of you that are looking for some beach volleyball conditioning or workout videos, here is a good workout for you:
Beach volleyball history goes back a little in time. There are some unconfirmed reports stating that it started in 1915 in Hawaii. However, most people attribute the start of the sport to be in the 1920s in Santa Monica.
This is roughly 25 years after the indoor version started and the original indoor game was called mintonette (most people aren’t aware of that).
Within a few years, the sport was growing in popularity and was starting to cross overseas. There are reports of the game being played in France among the nudist beaches.
At this time, it was primarily a family sport where they played six people per side like the indoor version of the game.
During the Great Depression, the sport grew largely in popularity due to the fact that it cost virtually nothing to play. People could go to the beach and have a source of entertainment that didn’t cost anything. During this time, we started to see variations of 2 on 2, 3 on 3, and 4 on 4 volleyball.
In the 1950s, there started to be the first beach volleyball tournaments that also included beauty pageants. The sport started to really gain popularity as it was linked with these other events.
The next significant part of beach volleyball history is when the first sponsor came on to sponsor a tournament. This was back in 1975 and Winston Cigarettes was the first company to do so.
One of the signature aspects of beach volleyball happened in 1979 when the King of the Beach tournament started. Over the years, this became one of the most popular events for beach volleyball every year.
As time went on, the sport started to move to locations that weren’t on the beach and could be played anywhere. In fact, this picture is in Denver, Colorado.
There were many great players to play the sport (Sinjin Smith, Randy Stoklos, Ron Von Hagen, Pat Powers, Karch Kiraly) that grew the sport to what it is today.
Now, beach volleyball is an international sport that is also held in the Olympics. You will also find a beach volleyball magazine.
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Usually, the difference between the first place team and the second place team is a very small margin. With that thought in mind, these beach volleyball tips could be the difference between winning and losing.
Communication is key! This communication comes in many different forms. It comes in making sure that you are calling out who is going to be passing the ball on the serve receive. That is one of the easiest ways to lose a point. It comes in the form of letting your partner know if you are going to be blocking the ball, the line, or the angle. You must communicate well to put yourself ahead of the competition.
The communication also comes in how well you listen to your partner. When you are hitting, they should be calling out where to hit. They should also be calling out the balls that they are going to play. Remember that communication is more than just talking; it also requires listening.
When blocking on the left side, line up your left hand with the ball. Do the same with players on the right hand side with your right hand. It will make sure that your hands are in proper position for blocking.
If you are playing against someone that is tall, you can serve the ball to them short. This will help take away their hitting approach.
One of my favorite beach volleyball tips is to analyze the other team. Usually, there is one player that is a better hitter out of the two. Serve the ball to the person that is the worst hitter so that you it is easier to play defense and dig the ball.
The same idea goes for the worst passer. If you notice that someone is either a bad passer or they are just having an off day, keep serving them the ball. This will force them to make a good pass in order to beat you.
When you are preparing to dig the ball, there are a few things to focus on. First of all, stay on your toes so that you can make a quick move to the ball. Second, watch the shoulder of the hitter. They will hit the ball with whatever direction they line up their shoulder with. Lastly, listen to where their partner says to hit the ball. This will increase the likelihood of being at the right place at the right time to dig the ball.
If you want some more beach volleyball tips, I highly recommend this book by Karch Kiraly. Beach volleyball is really considered the “bible” of beach volleyball. Not only does he talk about the big picture of being a champion, but there is also a lot of tactical, “how-to” information as well. It is easily one of the best volleyball books available. You can get it from Amazon.com here: Beach Volleyball
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These beach volleyball drills will help you improve your game and be a better player. When it comes to beach volleyball, the skills are a little bit different than those that are needed on the indoor game.
These drills will help you develop the skills pertinent to the outdoor game. If there are indoor skills that you want to improve, then check out these volleyball drills. There are drills for setting, blocking, passing, and more.
Now, on to the drills.
This drill focuses on practicing to move to the ball being prepared to set the ball. Get used to having the ball come out cleanly and moving to the ball with your hands ready to receive it for the set.
This drill focuses on teaching people how to play defense on the beach. Beach volleyball defense is much different than indoor since there are only two people. This drill will help you maximize your defensive coverage with just two people.
This last drill focuses on helping you see where the defense is as you are hitting the ball. This is an important skill to develop so that you can read the defense as you are hitting and make the correct play.
I hope these volleyball drills will help you develop as a player on the beach.
Proper beach volleyball strategy can be the difference between losing a close match or winning it. Beach volleyball is a different game than the indoor game and so the strategy is also different.
Use the ideas on this page to increase your chances to win.
Here are some strategies to consider:
Serve to the person that is the worst passer – If a person cannot pass the ball well, their offense will struggle from the start. Serving to someone that is a weak passer will result in some quick and easy points.
Serve to the person that is the worst hitter – This beach volleyball strategy focuses on the concept of playing defense to win the point. If there is a weak hitter, that means that it will either be easier to block the ball, or to not block at all and just dig the ball. The point is if they cannot get the kill, then it will result in some easy points.
If one of the players is not a good setter, serve to their partner – Force the weaker setter to set the ball. It will result in a weaker offense and a ball that will be difficult for the hitter to hit.
When I first started playing beach volleyball, I was a better hitter and passer than my partner. However, my setting skills were very below average since I had spent all of my time playing volleyball as a middle blocker. I didn’t set the ball hardly at all. So, when people would play against us, they would use this beach volleyball strategy to serve my partner all the time. This forced me to set (which usually was a bad set on top of the volleyball net) and it forced him to hit whatever ball he got. They got a lot of easy points until my setting game caught up to the rest of my skills.
Communication with your partner is a must – Does your partner know where you want them to serve it? Do they know if you are planning on blocking line, ball, or not blocking at all? When the ball is served in the middle of you both, you have to communicate to make sure that the team is running smoothly. Do not assume that they know, or that they are going to play the ball. Call it out and be clear about it.
You can also use hand signals to handle some of this communication. This is a MUST for your beach volleyball strategy. If you need a refresher on how to use hand signals, click here for the hand signals explanation.
When playing as the back row player that isn’t blocking, read the hitter’s shoulder and arm swing – In most cases, the hitters are going to power the ball through the direction that their shoulder is facing. Watch the hitter when they are in the air and line up to play defense in the path that their shoulder is facing.
Also, you must watch for the roll shot. Since open handed tipping is not allowed, watch for the roll shot over the block. Usually when the hitter is doing the roll shot over the top of the block, they will slow down their arm swing to control the shot. When you see this, start moving to get back behind the block.
Every now and then, it is a good beach volleyball strategy to serve the ball in the middle of the two players – If a team is not communicating well, it can be a very easy point to serve the ball between the two of them. Every now and then, they will both assume that the other person is going to pass the ball and it will result in a service ace.
These beach volleyball strategies can be the difference between winning and losing. Make sure you stay focused on the fundamentals that will help you win the game.
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Beach volleyball has a lot of appeal to fans that the indoor sport doesn’t have. There is a certain atmosphere to being outside and enjoying the weather and a great sport. Grab your beach volleyball shorts and hit the beach!
I played outdoor volleyball for a number of years as I was learning to play the game. I feel like it helped me for a number of reasons.
Since I was playing two on two volleyball, it required me to develop skills so that I was more well rounded. I was the better hitter out of me and my partner when I first started, but my setting skills were awful. As a result, the other team would consistently serve to my partner so that I would have to set and he would have to hit.
I was forced to learn how to set real quickly and it wasn’t always pretty! Serving to the partner of the weaker setter is part of your beach volleyball strategy that can help you win more games. To learn more beach volleyball strategies, click here for the list of strategies.
It also took me a long time to learn how to jump effectively out of the sand. On solid surfaces, I jumped pretty well. But once I got in the sand, my vertical jump was terrible. This also got better with time and I was a better jumper because of it.
I also had to relearn how to play defense. When your partner is blocking, you have to learn how to cover the court instead of spots like when playing indoor. I had to learn to read the hitter and move to the spot. My reaction times improved as a result.
These outdoor volleyball tips can help you speed up your learning process.
Strategy is a key part of this game. It is important to be able to communicate well with your partner. Use these hand signals to communicate with your partner.
Although my passion is still for the indoor game because I love the strategy that six people bring to the game, many of my skills I learned while playing outdoors with only one other player.
If there are parts of your game that need improving, I would recommend playing two on two volleyball. It will require you to become a better all around player. These sand volleyball drills will also help you become a better player.
Since this type of volleyball has different rules, strategies, and features, I have devoted this section of my web site to teaching you the differences and how to be a better beach volleyball player. Click here to see the rules for outdoor volleyball.
If you would like to build your own court, you will need to know the beach court dimensions. The images and measurements there will help make sure it is accurate and the correct
size.
Use these links below to go to the section that you need help with. Hopefully, it will help you become better as you play.
Learn about the history of sand volleyball here.
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