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Beach Volleyball’s popularity continues to grow each year. The success of the USA Olympic Team has contributed greatly to the sports rise in prominence. Some players have migrated over from the indoor game while most have never played any form of volleyball. Some beginners may get frustrated with the speed and difficulty of the game. Here are a few easy tips that every beginner should learn to make the game a little easier and more enjoyable. Learn The Rules This tip seems obvious but the rules for beach volleyball are different than the indoor game. The basic differences are as follows: the sand court is smaller than the indoor, beach volleyball is mostly a two-on-two game, the first two sets are played to 21 points while the third set is played to 15, the sand game is best of three rally-scoring sets, and obviously playing on sand is the biggest difference. Get Accustomed to Moving in Sand You will move much slower in the sand, so practice taking smaller steps and conserving energy. Your jump height will also be much lower. Learning to move efficiently in the sand will improve your game. Practice Your Serve As a beginner, the serve will probably be the most difficult skill to learn at first. Start with the basic underhand serve. A good rule of thumb is to serve to the back middle in between two players. Improve Your Fitness Level As a beginner, you may not be able to make the best shots or pass and set very well. You can still help your team by being quick to the ball and covering a lot of ground fast. Just make sure to communicate with your teammates. Beginners usually do not have an arsenal of different shots at their disposal. That’s where good court vision helps. You should be aware of the opponents changing positions and place your hits accordingly. “Its hard to play defense against a player that sees the court well,” says Adam Hyatt. Adam has been playing volleyball since 2003. He started playing for the UNCW club team before moving on to compete in EVP tournaments. Adam also plays locally at Captain Bills where his team got out to a 16 – 0 record this past season. Court vision is a very important aspect for beginners. Another tip for beginners Adam suggests is, “Get under the ball and relax your platform so you don’t shoot the ball out of the court.” Most beginners have trouble returning hard hit balls. Beach volleyball skills can be broken down to five basic categories: spiking, setting, serving, passing, and defense. As a beginner, you should focus your practice on certain skills while adding the others in as you get more advanced. This chart shows the breakdown you should follow. *Infographic created by Jeffrey Boulden using Microsoft Numbers. Data retrieved from http://www.tristatevolunteers.org/sports/guidetovbbasics.pdf Beach volleyball is all about having fun and making new friends. With these tips, you can get more enjoyment from the game right from the start.
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Tag: Tips
How to Serve a Volleyball That Scores More Points
Are you tired of all your serves being returned easily? In a few easy steps, this article will explain the best way to serve a volleyball that scores more points. The article will explain the basic steps for the overhand serve. The overhand method is the most effective and difficult to return. The underhanded serve does not deliver the amount of power we need to devastate the opponent. This method is a little more geared for the intermediate to advanced player and may not be suitable for the beginner.
The only supplies you will need are a regulation volleyball and a beach volleyball court. If you do not have access to a court, you can draw a line on a wall to represent the net and stand thirty feet away. The net height is 7’11 for men and 7’4 for women.
- Foot Placement and starting posture: Stand a few feet behind the serving line with your left foot slightly behind your right (right handed players).
- Ball placement: Hold the ball out in front of you with your left hand (Right handed players) while keeping your left arm straight. Your right hand should be held up next to your head in ready position to strike the ball. This will look similar to pulling back a bow and arrow.
- The toss: Toss the ball with your left hand two to three feet in the air. Caution- Do not let your toss drift too far away from your body. A good toss is key.
- The serve: Take a step forward with your right foot and hit the ball at the top of the toss just before it starts to come down. Make sure to hit the ball with the heel of your palm for more power. Pro tip- Try to hit the top of the ball to create topspin that will make the ball travel in a sinking motion and thus harder to return.
Extra Tips and Cautions
- Try to aim your serve towards the back line to make the return more difficult.
- Aim the serve towards a weaker player on the opposing team.
- Practice using different trajectories to see what works best for you.
- Make sure to ready yourself and get back into position after your serve.
- You can also jump while serving to add more power and get better angles.
If you follow these steps properly and practice you will turn your serves into a weapon that can lead to more points and more victories. Serving is one of the most important parts of the game that most players overlook. Using this guide will put you a step above other players. Comments and suggestions about how to improve this guide are welcomed.
*All photos and videos taken and published by Jeffrey M. Boulden