AVP Huntington Beach Finals Review

Happy Wednesday to you!

Buckle up, it time to review and hopefully learn from the AVP Huntington Beach Open!

Well the boys and girls of summer seem to be stepping their play up a little more, and they, like all of us, they have "farther to go"!

Men's Final

Overall Grade - B

Both teams played very well at times, but both teams rarely played their best, at the same time.

There were definitely some entertaining rallies, amazing hustle / effort plays and some aggressive serving by both teams.

Where each of the 3 games fell apart was in the blocking, passing and setting.

I know it's sacrilegious to say that 2 of the most respected blockers in the AVP blocked poorly, but they did - if you compare them to their own standards!

Yes, both Scott and Dalhausser had a few impressive blocks each, BUT they both missed way too many and also 'guessed' too much - thus leaving their partner with no chance at all to dig behind them.

When blocking, there is a fine line between attacking the ball and guessing.

Example - you know you are guessing when this happens: you are supposed to be blocking line and more than once the ball is hit past you down the line. One time is acceptable, 2 times or more is not!

Attack the ball when you block AND don't leave you partner with absolutely no chance to the dig because you didn't block the area of the court that you were supposed to!

Also, far too many bad passes and bad sets off of GOOD serves, but not great serves.

A bad pass off a GREAT serve or a bad set off of a bad pass is acceptable.

When the opponent is serving GREAT, you must not give them any more confidence by poorly passing/shanking their GOOD to AVERAGE serves.

My theory is: if it's a clean ace (you can't touch the ball at all or you barely touch the ball with one arm), it's a GREAT serve.

If you can get 2 arms on the ball and the ball is not easily settable, it's a BAD pass and the serve was average to good.

It's ok to lose; BUT, it's NOT OK to beat yourself!

Women's Final

Overall Grade - C+

Once again, both teams played well but never at the same time - game 1 and 2 were blow outs.

Although Kessy and Ross started out not playing well, it wasn't because of lack of effort or energy. I really appreciated their consistent energy, hustle and attacking nature of the way they played in all 3 games.

Once they got their confidence and rhythm, they also served very well.

Which brings me to this:

What in heck is one of the best diggers in the world doing sharing blocking duties with someone who can block better than she can?

To block or dig well you need some time to get a good 'feel' for the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents. You need to figure out your opponent's rhythm and then how to disrupt it.

If you block every play or you dig every play you will start to get a feel for what the hitter likes to do based on the set they get and their approach.

Only one team that I can remember consistently did very well sharing blocking and digging duties - Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes. They are not the norm, or normal...;>) all the other great teams specialized in their defensive duties by either focusing on digging or blocking.

There's a HUGE difference between capitalizing on the mistakes the other team makes and FORCING the other team to make mistakes.

Misty May-Treanor does not consistently force the other team into hitting errors because of her blocking abilities (yes, she does a good job of blocking the other teams mistakes but she DOESN'T force them)

BUT she is second to none in forcing the other team to make mistakes as a back court digger.

Nicole Branagh can force the other team to make mistakes as a blocker and even if she doesn't, Misty May-Treanor's defense will!

Between their "strategy" of keeping the other team off balance by switching their blocking and defensive duties every play while also randomly serving either Kessey or Ross...as they say on Twitter, OMG!!!

Their "strategy" did nothing but get themselves off balance and out of rhythm and allowed their opponents to settle down and gain confidence!

I do realize that the commentators where saying in the first game "how brilliant" it was to keep the other team off balance - you didn't hear them say that in game 2 or 3 though...

Yes, May-Treanor and Branagh lost at the end because of great serving, BUT great serving comes from confidence and being in rhythm, and they were very much responsible for the confidence and rhythm that Kessy and Ross had.

(And yes I do realize that Kessy and Ross switch off on their blocking and digging responsibilities - and I do strongly believe that they would be a better offensive and defensive team if they specialized.)

And the moral of the story is:

Your offensive and defensive rhythm not only greatly affects your own rhythm; it greatly affects your opponent's offensive and defensive rhythm.

Once again these AVP tournament reviews are not about whether or not a person is a good or bad person - they are about how a team performs in the final and what to learn from what they did.

Until next time

Be Your Very Best!

Dan

U of Beach Volleyball

Happy Friday!

Well, I finally was able to watch the 2010 AVP Santa Barbara Open. Thankfully the weather was much better than the Ft Lauderdale Open and so was the play of the athletes!

Since it's been a while - Please remember this is all about how the players played and not what type of human beings they are - one can play poorly and be a fantastic human being or play very well and be a complete jerk!

Women's Final

Overall Grade: C

Not too exciting of a match - although it was nice to see some consistent aggressive defense - meaning players consistently laying out for shots, getting up and at least attempting to attack the ball - there were some really nice digs on hard driven balls.

And...way too many unforced errors; average transition play (what is done when a ball is dug) and please blockers get your hands over and across the net...

Girls, Girls, Girls (and boys!); PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE consistently 1) SET YOUR FEET, 2) JUMP LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS APON IT, AND 3) GET YOUR HANDS ACROSS THE NET.

ATTACK THE BALL when you are blocking!

Lamely jumping up and hoping that the hitter hits the ball into you ISN"T called BLOCKING; it's called wishing!!!

Men's Final

It started off looking VERY promising...

Then focus was lost and so was the hope of a well played final...

Overall Grade: C+

Good News:

The ONLY reason this gets a C+ is because of the blocking of Phil Dalhausser!

The blocking and setting of Mr Dalhausser was wonderful - I guess if you block 10 balls for points, and about 10 more that didn't directly get a point it's more than OK to serve 10 plus balls into the net! ;>)

So what was the problem?

Focus, FOCUS, FOCUS (anyone notice I have to say things in threes - I really have issues, issues, issues!)

OK Focus - what do I mean?

When a ball is dug - the setter MUST do everything they can to create rhythm for the digger/hitter and the hitter must do EVERYTHING possible to attack the ball aggressively BUT NOT 'stupidly'.

The ability to consistently win the transition points is what separates the great teams from the good.

Do you control the dig?

Do you control the set?

Do you control your ego when attacking the transition set?

Getting blocked or hitting out during any play is brutal, but it happens...

Getting blocked, hitting out or making a lame shot after you just dug a ball (when playing at the top AVP level) is ALL about lack of focus.

Also, when you make a mistake, (and you will make a mistake) what do you do the next play? How long does it take for the "bleeding to stop"? Where is your focus?

And, what are you doing in-between plays, games and matches to clear your head but at the same time keep your focus?

There's a BIG difference between 1) clearing your head and 2) thinking about or doing something that actually weakens your game focus.

And the last thought on focus is: When a blocker is 'on', it truly is dumb to try and hit by the blocker - Instead, hit high and off the blockers hands - this will frustrate the blocker and should get them out of their rhythm.

You are not going to hit by the best blocker in the world when he is "on". FOCUS and adjust your game!

In closing - big congratulations to Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers for not only winning the Santa Barbara Open but then traveling around the world and winning 3 FIVB tournaments in a row!

Winning in different time zones and in different countries is not an easy thing at all. The effects of the travel and having your schedule and routines be completely flipped around is extremely demanding on your body and mind and yes...it takes a TON of Focus to overcome that and compete at your very best!

Until next time

Be Your Very Best!

Dan

U of Beach Volleyball

The Timing of Attacking the Ball in Beach Volleyball - Part 3

Hi!

Last week we discussed the setters responsibilities in the Timing and Rhythm of Attacking the Ball.

The setter basically can make or break the timing of the play BUT the team MUST NOT have an 'indoor mentality' - in beach volleyball the play revolves around the passer / attacker NOT the setter as it does in indoor volleyball.

This is why it is very difficult for indoor players to do consistently well on the beach UNLESS they can wrap their heads around the rhythm and timing of beach volleyball.

OK, let's get back to the hitter / passers responsibility to develop rhythm and timing

Pass the ball to the best possible place for YOU to attack the ball - if you want to hit from the middle of the court, pass to the middle of the court, if you want an outside set, pass to about 6 - 8' (2 m) from the sideline.

Remember, you DO NOT want to be consistently trying to hit a set that is coming from farther than 6 - 8 feet (2 m) away - so pass the ball less than 8 feet (2.5m) away from where YOU want to hit from.

Just passing the ball anywhere and expecting your partner to give you the perfect set in rhythm is not so "smart"... ;>)

OK, so you just made a great pass up to the net, to where YOU wanted the setter to go, you followed your pass and are a couple of steps away from where the set is going - NOW WHAT?

The ball is coming down and you are going up to hit it...

This is key - YOU MUST go up to attack the ball as high as you possibly can, rather than dropping your arm and letting for the ball to come down to you!

You energy and momentum MUST be going up (not forward) that's one of the many reasons why a strong plant and jump off of 2 feet is SO IMPORTANT!

I see this A LOT, especially on: 1) sets that are close to the net and 2) when the hitter wants to make a shot. What happens is that the hitter doesn't go UPWARDS as strong and as high as they can to make contact with the ball: instead, they wait for the ball to come down to them - this totally screws up the rhythm and timing of attacking the ball!

The HIGHEST you can touch (stretch your hitting arm straight up,) when jumping (or standing on the ground) is the goal for where you want to consistently make contact with the ball - you need to start and end with this goal in mind.

You really, really, REALLY need to create the habit of always, always, ALWAYS making contact with the ball as high as you can reach, no matter what you are doing (warm up, practice swings, any and all drills) -

If you don't reach high consistently when you are standing on the ground, I promise that you will hardly ever make solid contact with the ball as high as you can reach when you are jumping!

FYI: What the elbow of your hitting arm does GREATLY effects how high or low you make contact with the ball

Also, the hand of your non hitting arm needs to get as close as possible to exactly the spot where you want to make contact, (what you do with your non hitting arm and hand is very critical in the jump, timing and swing). Your non hitting hand helps you track your target, the ball.

Yes, I realize I'm talking about arm swing and not about timing right now!

Why?

Because until you get used to the mentality AND feeling of making contact with the ball as high as you possibly can touch above your head, knowing when to jump is almost useless!

Your jump is "almost" directly under the ball: if you try to jump too far forward you will hit the ball at least 6 to 12" lower than you could have! 6 to 12" lower is HUGE when it comes to attacking the ball and easily can make the difference between winning and loosing the point!

The stronger you plant and the more aggressively you explode your jump upwards (NOT forward) with the mentality of making contact with the ball as high as you possibly can reach, the better off you will be and the quicker you will develop consistent timing in your attack jump and hitting the ball high.

Three words to remember during the actual swing: REACH and SNAP!

It takes a TON of energy and focus to:

- pass the ball well,

- quickly move into position, and then

- plant and jump like your life depends upon it,

- make contact with the ball as high as you possibly can' and then

- do it again, and

- again!

Be patient with your self, focus on one thing at a time and then keep adding 'pieces to the puzzle'. Quickly evaluate what you did and didn't do every time you attack the ball and keep making adjustments - the greatest players who ever played did this, maybe we should too!

There are many, many physical and mental skills and variables that go into the rhythm and timing of attacking the ball in beach volleyball - this is probably why beach volleyball is such a fantastic game to play and what I believe to be one of the most all encompassing and demanding sports to play at a high level.

And most of the meatballs who try to promote the sport put the vast majority of their focus on the "beach lifestyle and the girls in bikinis" - talk about killing the rhythm and timing of the game! But that's a different story...

Sounds like I need a few more deep slow breaths and another Mediterranean cruise... ;>)

We attempted to describe most of the physical and some of the mental aspects that create an environment for attacking the ball with in rhythm with timing.

If you pass, set and keep the play moving forward, then plant aggressively, jump upwards and attack the ball rather than waiting for it to come to come down to you - you will have the foundation of developing great timing in attacking the ball.

Timing is all about rhythm and feel and really needs to be 'lived rather than read about'

I hope this helped just a little - keep practicing in "baby steps", you'll get it sooner than you think!

Feel free to ask questions or make comments.

Be Your VERY Best!

Dan

U of Beach Volleyball

Part 2 - the Timing of Attacking the Ball in Beach Volleyball

Hi!

Last week we attempted to describe how to get into the physical rhythm of attacking the ball in beach volleyball.

In short, consistently pass the ball well and you have a 'sporting chance' of getting into rhythm, consistently pass the ball all over the damn place and you don't!

Shocking... but I got a little long-winded and the blog on rhythm and timing turned into a 2 Part blog and now it's going to be a 3 Part blog - Part 3 will be next week!

Let's take a quick left turn and talk about the setter in regards to the rhythm and timing of hitting.

To be a great partner you must communicate very well AND never give up on the play or your partner.

This very much includes during the serve receive! You need to be unquestionably clear as to who is going to pass the ball.

As soon as you know you are not passing the ball you MUST aggressively move to the net in a straight line toward the passers side of the court. (your first step is toward your partners side of the court and also forward toward the net rather than straight in-front of you)

As you are quickly moving to the net and to your partners side of the court, you are also watching the passer because if it isn't a great pass you can adjust to the ball and still do everything possible to make a great set.

If you came from playing indoors, or on grass or play with people who played indoors you will swear on your grandmothers grave that the passer is supposed to pass the ball to the setter in the middle of the court and somewhat close to the net. And you are correct -

IF you are playing indoor volleyball, BUT YOU ARE NOT...

This is about 2 person beach /sand volleyball!

Indoors, the setter is "god"/ the focal point of the team - everything revolves around the setter - everyone goes to work to set up the setter and make the setters life "easier".

THIS IS A VERY KEY POINT: In 2 person beach / sand volleyball - the passer / hitter is "god" - the setter must go to work for the passer / hitter and do EVERYTHING possible to make it easier for the passer / hitter.

If you want, beach / sand volleyball can be played with an indoor mentality, but it won't be played very well and it will have ugly rhythm and timing - sound fun? Heck NO! - and it's even uglier to watch! ;>)

But this is how many, many people try to play it - STOP IT - would it help if I said "please"?

Indoor volleyball is a great game and has its own mentality, strategies, rhythm and timing; IT DOES NOT have the same mentality, strategies, rhythm and timing of beach / sand volleyball - PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT get the 2 mixed up!

To set well you need to move your feet like a cat, be willing to literally 'pounce' into position at the last moment, land balanced and then set using your entire body. The weight of your body, as well as your hips and shoulders need to move in the exact direction you want the set to go in - and I mean EXACT direction!!

Like passing, the set goes in the direction of the balanced weight of your body - if your body isn't balanced and the weight and position of your body isn't going in the exact direction you want the set to go in - you will not help your partner with the rhythm and timing of hitting.

Setting is an exact science -

A bad set,
A setter who doesn't know where to go or how to get there,
or a lazy setter

Will pretty much guarantee that the rhythm and timing of attacking the ball will be totally screwed up!

Or, the setter can help give more rhythm to play, or even create rhythm when there really wasn't any because of a bad pass, IF they work their butt off - it's up to you!

In short - the setter must do everything possible to make the play better and help the hitter.

What the setter does or doesn't do is an extremely important part of the rhythm and timing of hitting.

FYI: PLEASE make the play better EVERY time you contact the ball - you are either helping the rhythm of the play or destroying it!

Next Week Part 3 of 'The Timing of Attacking the Ball in Beach Volleyball'

Until then,

Be Your VERY Best!

Dan

U of Beach Volleyball

The Timing of Attacking the Ball in Beach Volleyball - Part 1

Hi

On our previous blog post when we evaluated the first AVP final of 2010, I said we would be doing a tournament evaluation for every AVP final shown on ESPN2 / ABC…

I didn’t lie! – (I just haven’t seen the Santa Barbara final yet and won’t be able to until the end of May) – I’m in Europe for the next few weeks with my wife on a Mediterranean cruise celebrating the fact we have survived 30 years of aggravating the heck out of each other / our 30th wedding anniversary! (and our 50th birthdays) ;>)

So we’ll put on hold evaluating the Santa Barbara Open, and for now we will attempt to answer a question we received the other day – the question was about how you know when to time your jump when you are attacking the ball – (spiking or making a shot).

Trying to describe timing is much like “trying to get a haircut over the phone” – it’s not very efficient or effective, but it’s better than trying to evaluate a tournament you haven’t seen! ;>)

Timing really needs to be taught in person or via video training – but the good news is that it can be learned, although it takes a little patience and a lot of incremental steps.

But it’s a good question and something I see many players struggle with – so here goes…

The Timing of Attacking the Ball in Beach Volleyball - Part 1

Timing is all about rhythm, it’s about doing what you need to do to get into rhythm, and even if you are a “white boy” and can’t dance, you can still learn the rhythm and timing of beach volleyball! ;>)

When you are in rhythm, your timing comes naturally.

When you are out of rhythm, it gets very, very ugly, very quickly… (you can understand timing, but not be in rhythm; but if you are in rhythm, the timing will be easy to find)

But before we jump fully into the subject of timing and rhythm, here are a couple of “side dishes” to consider…

1) The goal of hitting/spiking is not to crush the ball downwards, the goal of hitting/spiking is to end the play and win the point! Think about that – there is a time and a place to crush the ball down and a time and a place to do something else…

2) Most players, at all levels of play try to crush the ball when they should be making a shot, and make a shot when they should be crushing the ball. I say this happens because most players play from their ego / from fear, and thus are not in step with the rhythm of the game – but that’s a different level of rhythm than what we are going to discuss today.

OK, let’s jump into the subject of the rhythm and timing of attacking the ball - the physical rhythm of hitting is far more easily controlled than the mental and emotional rhythm – unless of coarse you are a Zen Buddhist monk… ;>)

This is what you physically need to do on a consistent basis to get into the physical rhythm of hitting the ball:

PASS THE *@#*! BALL toward the net and in front of you!!!

The first way you kill the rhythm and timing of your hit is by screwing up the pass.

To have great timing, you first need to be a great passer. The better you pass the serve, the better the physical rhythm and timing of your hitting can be.

It’s really that simple – consistently pass the ball well and you have a chance at consistent rhythm.

Consistently spray your passes / serve-receive all over the court and you have absolutely ZERO chance at having consistent hitting rhythm and timing – PERIOD!

After you pass the ball in front of you and toward the net immediately move toward the net - “basically” follow your pass – you, the ball and your energy need to be moving forward in a controlled yet very aggressive way.

Even if you don’t pass the ball toward the net, the play isn’t over yet and you maybe able to save the “rhythm” of the play – BUT YOU MUST move forward, tell your setter to push the set up to the net and thus attempt to develop some sort of forward moving attacking energy and rhythm to the play.

If the setter doesn’t see and hear you moving forward (tell the setter where you are going / where to set the ball during the play), it makes it even more difficult for the setter to make the play better with their set and thus you can once again help kill the rhythm of the play, especially if you pass the pass too far off the net. So DON’T wait for the setter to get to the ball before you move forward!!

In a 'perfect world' this is how the rhythm of hitting goes: the pass lands about 3' from the net and slightly off center from the passers point of contact, the passer follows the pass quickly so that at the moment the setter is about to make contact with the ball, the hitter is about 2 large steps away from where the ball/set will land – which is about 1 foot away from the net and about 3 – 6 feet away from the setter.

As the ball leaves the setter, the hitter makes a quick adjustment step towards where the ball is going and then a large aggressive plant step under the ball (you hop off one foot forward and land on 2 feet in a balanced squat position with both arms back) and then explode upward and make contact with the ball at the highest point you possibly can reach..

It is key that you are within a few steps of the setter and a few steps from where you hope the set to land – you don’t want to be running forward or sideways chasing the ball, hoping to figure out where it’s going to go.

This is why the location of the pass and then the approach position of the hitter is so VERY important to the rhythm and timing of hitting!

The pass should move the setter close to where the hitter wants to hit from; then all the setter has to do is set the ball toward the net and a few feet from where they are – this is SO much easier than having the setter push the ball all over the place – and as an added bonus there is someone right there to cover your sorry ass if you get blocked! ;>)

Attacking sets that come from 10 to 15 feet away works just fine in indoor 6 person volleyball – IT DOESN’T ON THE BEACH!!!!

Indoors, the passer is rarely also the hitter; the hitters are basically in their approach position before the pass is completed; and there is not any sun, wind or a soft slippery surface to jump off of – it’s a completely different approach, timing and rhythm.

PLEASE TRUST ME ON THIS ONE!

You will never EVER get into any rhythm and thus never be able to develop the timing needed to consistently attack the ball as high as you possibly can, UNLESS you learn to consistently pass the ball up toward the net and in front of you and then immediately move toward the net to get into your final attack approach!

Most everyone wants to be a great hitter (have great rhythm and timing) but most everyone forgets that they need to consistently be a great passer first.

So what about the setter? My theory is, the better you are at passing the serve; the more skilled the setters will be who will want to play with you. So focus on you becoming a better passer first and your setter in "white shining armor will show up! ;>)

I must admit, I’m a beach volleyball rhythm snob – I won’t play a competitive game unless I’m pretty damn sure that the person I am playing with can pass consistently and set consistently – it is absolutely no fun at all chasing passes that I have no clue as to where they are going and even less fun to break my back chasing a set after I worked my butt off to give my partner a good pass. I’d be better off trying to chase a balloon in the wind!

No rhythm, no timing, no fun!

Yes, I do feel somewhat passionate about this and my doctor says I should close my eyes and take a few slow deep breaths of this beautiful Mediterranean sea air…;>)

Next week, The Timing of Attacking the Ball in Beach Volleyball - Part 2

Let us know what you think.

Be Your VERY Best!

Dan

U of Beach Volleyball

Sloppy Weather Doesn’t Have to Equal Sloppy Play!

Hi – we’re going to try something new here at U of Beach Volleyball and give you some opinions about each of the AVP tournaments we see on ESPN2 or ABC this season –

FYI: In this and in further tournament reviews I’ll do my best not to talk about players by name unless they do something very well – no need to throw anyone directly under the bus!

And please remember this has everything to do with how the players played and NOTHING to do with if they are decent human beings. (please remember there can be a huge difference between the 2!)

Here goes: The AVP Ft Lauderdale Women’s Beach Volleyball Final on ESPN2:

First the Overall Grade ranked on a scale from: A+ to F (Excellent to Fail)

Then the Good News - this won’t take long ;>)

Then the Bad News – (pack a lunch, this may take a while…)

And finally, What to Learn.

Overall Grade: D – the only reason it didn’t get an F is because the weather started out bad and got much worse. See, I can be rational and grade on a curve… ;>)

Good News:

The Pro Beach Volleyball season has begun!
It’s easy to find on TV and it’s in HD – awesome!
Mike Dodd is the new Commissioner – we wish him all the best!
There was some good serves
There were a few decent digs
There were many well placed / smart shots – mostly by Nicole Branagh
The wind was taken advantage of by both teams
The commentators talked about how great of an athlete pro beach volleyball players are

Bad News:

The commentators talked about how great of an athlete pro beach volleyball players are! – because the players did not live up to it by playing very poorly for the most part.

Very windy and significant rain – not what one would expect of Florida in mid April but it happened – it’s up to the players to focus more and play harder instead of letting the elements dictate the level of their play – they didn’t…

There was:
An unholy amount of unforced errors – the amount of shots that were hit into the net was pitiful – just because it’s windy and raining doesn’t mean you can’t attack the ball above the net!


Below average setting – the sets were very “safe” and too low – USE YOUR DAMN LEGS when you set!!!! (Yes, when it’s windy and raining the sets and passes need to be lower – but give your hitter something to swing at – please?)

WAY Below average hitting – it was rare to see any of the players give everything they had to attack the ball as high above the net as they possibly could – sad…

Horrible foot movement – the sand was wet, but it wasn’t concrete and the girls weren’t wearing hiking boots!


Consistently weak attack approach and jump – that’s mental and there is no excuse.


Painful Blocking – Get your filthy hands across the net! – there is absolutely no reason for a professional athlete not to get their elbows across the net if you are 6’ or taller and playing on a 7’4” net – get your feet in position, get your butt down and JUMP! Your hands are above the net when you are just standing and reaching up – come-on girls!!!!


There are only 12 AVP events this year, for the good of the sport, no one can afford to ease there way into the season and not play at the top of their game.

What to Learn

I need more Anger Management classes….:>)
I should take a few deep breathes and think of my “happy place”

Ok enough about my obvious issues – what can you learn from the sloppy play in the sloppy weather?

If you are going to play in a tournament, play to win, rather than not to not make mistakes – even if it’s the first tournament of the year and the weather sucks!

Practice in bad weather so you are prepared for it.

When the weather is bad that means you need to focus even more, be even more exact with your foot movement and ball placement and play even more intensely.

Get the weather to work for you because you are working so hard and smart – DON’T be a ‘victim’ of the weather!


Pass the ball low and to the net; and set the ball almost straight up and down - rather than pushing the set out at all – but give your hitter a sporting chance to attack the ball as best they can.

Serve very aggressively, using the wind to your advantage.

Communicate with your partner A LOT before and during the play – make sure they are seeing what you are seeing and visa versa – tell each other what is working for you and what is not – communicate, communicate, and communicate some more!

Looking cool, pretty and sexy should not the goal of Pro Beach Volleyball; playing the very best you possibly can no matter how you feel or what the conditions are SHOULD be the goal for a professional.

Do what ever it takes - play ugly, get sandy, it doesn’t matter what you have to do, BUT give it EVERYTHING you got, EVERY PLAY – you have lots of time to look pretty after the match!

I am looking forward to the next AVP event – I hope you are too!


Be Your VERY Best!
U of Beach Volleyball

Beach Volleyball Season is Just Around the Corner

Hi

Hope you have been doing very well!

The time has changed which means beach volleyball season is just around the corner - now that's good news! Day Light Savings Time is awsome!

Sorry for not posting anything new for the past month or so, I needed to focus on getting a bunch of work done on remodeling our house - now that the exterior walls have been removed and new windows put in, even though all you can see is the wood framing, it's a big improvement on what was there before - I swear we lived in the ugliest house in the neighborhood!

Anyways...I hope you've had the chance to watch the 10 part video series, "The Common Errors that Coaches Coach and Players Practice" a couple of times.

Although no Academy Awards will be handed out for the series... I don't mind patting ourselves on the back by saying there is a lot of very valuable information in each video.

So far the video that we have received the most response from is Video #10 "Human Being Errors" - seems like there might be a few other players out there who are tired of bad attitudes and less than human behavior on the court...

Since almost everyone wants to be a better hitter - please remember:

Be a better passer / bumper first

Pass the ball up to the net and almost straight in front of you

Learn and perfect a quick, short explosive balanced plant and plant jump.

Being a great hitter is about doing these things first - the best arm swing in the world is almost worthless if you don't pass the ball consistently well and have a consistent explosive plant and jump.

We are all going to make mistakes every time we play, but there is no reason to practice the mistakes during warm-ups or when doing drills.

Let us know how we can help you be your very best!

Happy Sunday!

Dan

Be Your VERY Best!
University of Beach Volleyball

The Common Errors in Beach Volleyball

Well it's done!

For those of you who like to read and see information...

Go to our web site for the written description of each of the beach volleyball errors that are in the 10 part video series called:

"The Common Errors that Coaches Coach and Players Practice"

(We also have all the videos from YouTube on our site as well.)

I hope you are 'training smart' for the up coming season.

Make sure you send us your questions and comments so we can help you 'be your VERY best!'

Happy Monday!

Dan

Be Your VERY Best!

U of Beach Volleyball

How To "Mess With" a Blockers Head in Beach Volleyball

We received a question about strategies to get the blocker to move or not allow them to get properly set up...you may not like our answer!

The short and probably best answer for all of us is: become a better passer and hitter, forget about the blocker!

If you pass the ball up to the net and almost straight in front of you consistently you will get a more consistent set.

If you have a strong, balanced explosive plant jump, jump straight up (and not forward) and attack the ball as high above your head as you can, you are definitely moving in the right direction!

If you listen to your partners shot call, approach and jump as you do when spiking AND contact the ball as high as you can reach, this also messes with a blockers head.

If you don’t ‘freak out’ if the set is too tight or too far off the net, and don’t give away points by swinging down into the blocker or into the net, once again, the blocker is going to feel a little lonely and useless!

If you keep your ego OFF the beach and DON’T try to spike the ball ‘straight down’ but instead hit the ball very hard at the back lines from as high as you can reach – you will frustrate the heck out of the blocker and they will not like you at all!

The more you focus on the blocker and digger the less effective you become BUT…

The more you focus on your passing, your approach and focus on attacking the ball the more effective you will be.

I have never been a fan of “gimmick” type plays (back sets, shoot sets, etc) – once you get to a certain level of competition, the gimmick plays fall apart, so I greatly prefer perfecting your own physical and mental skills of attacking the ball.

(Lower quicker sets when the blocker is out of position / late during a transition play is really the only ‘extra’ that is needed)

Gimmick / gadget plays can work against lesser competition – 2 things about that:
- If you are better than the other team, why do you need a gimmick play?
- Learn to play against better competition, stop worrying about winning or loosing and focus on becoming the very best you can be!

A good hitter almost always has the advantage over a good blocker.

And, a great blocker almost always has the advantage over a good hitter, (gimmicks plays or not, a great blocker will figure out the hitter and setter) - so become a great hitter!

Trying to consistently hit down and around big blockers is way too risky for most unless you truly have a lightening quick arm swing, and not just think you do…

Running gimmick / gadget plays only works occasionally; it can sometimes help you get out of a ‘funk’ during a tournament. But if you rely on gadget plays and you are not playing in a competitive tournament, all it means is that you have very poor beach etiquette and aren't putting in any time into quality training, So Stop It and get better!

The moment I see a team running gadget plays in a tournament, I know they are in some kind of physical or mental trouble, they know they can’t win ‘straight up’ and hope to rely more on luck than skill to win.

I highly recommend that you focus on YOUR OWN skills and abilities - learn to consistently attack the ball’ high and hard’ - use the blocker to your advantage – when in doubt, a high hard hit off the blockers hands should keep you in business for a long, long time!

All the VERY BEST to YOU!

Dan

Be Your VERY Best!
University of Beach Volleyball

Beach Volleyball - The Common Errors that Coaches Coach and Players Practice

Happy Thursday!


Hi - Just a quick update on the 10 part video series The Common Errors that Coaches Coach and Players Practice.

We posted 3 more videos on YouTube, so now 6 out of the 10 are posted.

To Recap:

Video #1 - Swinging Errors
Video #2 - Swinging Errors - Part ll
Video #3 - Approach Errors
Video #4 - Passing & Setting Errors
Video #5 - Passing & Setting Errors - Part ll
Video #6 - Setting Errors

I have a favor to ask of you - If you like or don't like the videos, please leave a comment and also give them a rating - by you doing this it helps our Google ranking, which in turn helps more people find our information - Thanks!

We have 4 more videos to edit, hopefully we will have them up on YouTube by the end of the weekend - I'll let you know when they are completed.

Please remember that this series of videos is about WHAT TO COACH or PRACTICE.

Even though we all make errors, DO NOT unknowingly coach or, practice mistakes, PLEASE!

What you coach or practice will become a habit, so coach or practice DOING IT RIGHT!

Let us know if you would like us to help you learn HOW to 'Do It Right' and be your very best!

All the VERY BEST TO YOU!

Dan

Be Your Very Best!
U of Beach Volleyball

'The Common Errors that Coaches Coach and Players Practice" in Beach Volleyball

Hi!

Happy New Year!

We finally got our "stuff" together and have edited and posted 3 of the videos we promised to give you during the Christmas Holiday season.

Sorry for the delay!

It turns out that the video series on 'The Common Errors that Coaches Coach and Players Practice" will be 10 videos long, with a total of over 30 specific training segments.

We hope you enjoy the first 3 videos which cover the common errors in the arm swing and the hitting approach.

Please remember that this series of videos is about WHAT TO COACH or PRACTICE.

Even though we all make errors, DO NOT unknowingly coach or, practice mistakes, PLEASE!

What you coach or practice will become a habit, so coach or practice DOING IT RIGHT!

Let us know if you would like us to help you learn HOW to 'Do It Right' and be your very best!

Here is the link to the first 3 videos:

The Common Errors that Coaches Coach and Players Practice

All the VERY BEST TO YOU!

Dan

U of Beach Volleyball