Beach Nation Clinic Review

<p>Ninety athletes gathered on Riviera Beach in Singer Island, Florida, January 4-5 to learn, grow, and develop their skills from some of the world’s top professionals. Beach Nation is a traveling beach volleyball clinic for the nation’s youth looking to take their game to the next level while being trained and educated from the best in the business. Beach Nation operates under the following mission statement: “We create educational opportunities for beach volleyball coaches and players of all ages, everywhere.” As one of the fastest growing youth sports, there is a high demand for educational opportunities in beach volleyball in the United States.</p> <p>The main instructor of the clinic was none other than Olympic gold-medalist, Todd Rogers. The former stand-out AVP athlete is currently the beach coach at Cal Poly. Rogers was joined by an impressive staff roster including Brooke Niles (former AVP player and current beach coach at FSU), Nick Lucena (current AVP player), Phil Dalhausser (current AVP player), Mark Fishman (USA National Team coach), Patty Dodd (former professional beach player and current club director), Bob Bertucci (coach at Sacred Heart University), Andrew Bennett (Tamarack BVC coach), Beth Van Fleet (former professional beach player and current coach at Georgia State), Cameron Sitler (coach at Houston Baptist University), John Bracco (club coach of Stars and Stripes), Matt Heath (former professional beach player and current club coach at VBVB), and Steve Grotowski (former British professional beach player and current coach at FAU).</p> <p>After 2 days, 4 sessions, and 12 hours of volleyball, there was a ton of valuable information given. Here are the key takeaways from the clinic.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Understand your surroundings</strong></p> <p>Beach is such a different sport than indoor in so many ways. First of all, the game is played outdoors, providing a line-up of obstacles already that you do not have to worry about with indoor. The sun, wind, and sand all give the game a new element and are subject to change daily. This is why timing is so key in beach.</p> <p>Another way of understanding your surroundings is to use the wind to your advantage. Of course you will be changing sides regularly to keep the play equal, but use the direction of the wind to your advantage while you can. Hit and serve into the wind, be cognizant of how the wind will affect the trajectory of your contacts, and adjust your play accordingly.</p> <p>Finally, peeking is essential. This is when you “peek” over to the other side of the net between contacts. This takes a lot of skill as you have to know where the ball is, be ready to make the next contact, look over to the other side of the net to spot both the defender and blocker, and decide what shot will be best based on the set and opponent positioning. This is a skill that requires a lot of eye sequencing and practice to master.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Communication is SO important</strong></p> <p>There is SO much talking that takes place on the sand. Since it is a two-player game, teammates must be well acquainted and understand each other’s volleyball language in order to be successful. Offensively, teammates call open shots, communicate where they are on the court in an out-of-system play, let the attacker know if a block is up, and call for a specific set (pin, middle, back). Defensively, teammates are responsible for signaling blocks, communicating opponent trends/preferences, and talking on serve receive.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Be over-dramatic</strong></p> <p>I’m not talking about your attitude, I’m talking about your technique. Over-emphasize the way you contact the ball, the way you move to the ball, and the way you jump for the ball. Going against sand and wind is not easy, so making it a point to do things right and focusing on technique will make you a better player.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>There is always something else you should be doing</strong></p> <p>In this intense, quick-paced two-player game, there is a lot of thought processing and decision-making in a short amount of time. Unlike indoor where everyone has a specific duty, in beach you must be prepared to take any ball at any time while still setting up your team for success. As soon as you see your teammate taking the first ball, there should be a triggered response in both mental processing and physical action. Whether you are communicating on defensive positioning, looking for open shots, or deciding where to direct your shot in regards to the wind, beach volleyball requires your complete focus 100% of the time.</p>