I would like to play beach v-ball...HELP!?

Question

hey.

i am turning 14 in september and well i watched the olympics this year and i really really really liked watching women's beach v-ball. now it's like my fave sport and i really want to play it really bad!!!! im really good at regular v-ball; i can bump it, set it, spike it. i played on my school's team before. but it was regular indoor 6 ppl v-ball. i live in a place where there are a lot of beaches but i live about 45min. to an hour away from some of them. well, if anyone can help me with starting ideas and tips that would be great!!!!! maybe if there's any leagues or something idkk, but i would really appreciate it if you would help me out on how to start. thxx =]

Answer 1

The AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) holds a lot of beach tournaments nation wide.  Go to aau.com to look for some near you.  You'll need to find a partner to play with, which is probably the hardest part of starting beach volleyball.  After a few years, I've never found a partner I want to play with.  I play at the beach all the time with a friend who's okay, but I want someone better to play with, and it' a bit of a struggle to find someone.  

Once you do find a partner (you could even use this site to find one), you'll need LOTS of practice.  Beach volleyball is a totally different game than indoor.  Obviously, there's two people so you have to touch the ball every play, but the game focuses more on finesse and shots than regular indoor.  Defense is different, blocking is always 1 on 1, passing is only with two people, and your hitting approach is different.  You'll get the hang of it after a while, and you'll be able to play both indoor and beach.  I've played indoor club for three years, on my fourth year, and beach took a lot of getting used to.  But once you learn the game, it's just as fun and even better practice.

Your biggest problem will probably be practicing on a beach.  If you don't have a nearby beach, you could play 2 man on a grass court, although the grass is much easier to move in than sand.  You may have a man made sand court nearby if you look, they aren't uncommon.  If you're rich you could make your own court in your backyard :P.  Todd Rogers, the mens star player, did that so he could practice, and he's the best player out there right now.  If it's good enough for him, it should be good enough for you.  But again, that costs money.

Just find some substitution for a proper beach on weekdays, and then maybe go to the beach on weekends for practice.