For indoor players experiencing the beach volleyball game for the
first time, its challenging enough to learn how to walk and run in the
sand much less perform advanced volleyball skills. For those of you that
are in the process of "getting your sand legs" here is a serve receive
tip that will help you improve your game.
You Want To Keep The Ball Off The Net When Passing
This was one habit that took me a little time to break when I went from indoors to sand volleyball. Since we are trained to pass the ball as close to the net as possible indoors it only comes naturally to want to do the same on the beach. The problem is that the passer who received the ball needs to allow plenty of time for their partner to get into position to set the ball.
The setter is moving forward at a fast pace to get into position, and before stopping they need to turn and get perpendicular to the net. Since beach volleyball players (tall ones especially) are departing all the way from midcourt in order to get into position they need time to make all these movements without risking the chance of becoming a tuna fish caught in the net.
Ideally you want to serve receive the ball so the pass is four to five feet off the net, a little over midway between your serve receive starting position and the net, which leaves plenty of room for your partner to get into position and give you a great set that should put you about two or three feet closer to the net.
As you and your partner's ball control skills improve, then both of you can make adjustments to your ideal serve receive target area.
Another reason you want to keep the pass off the net is that depending on what side you are on, the wind will become a factor. If you pass the ball too close to the net, the wind will take it and blow it over the net into the hands of the opposing team's blocker who won't be able to thank you enough for giving them such an easy point.
One more thing before I go, the concept of passing the ball with your feet becomes really really crucial when you start to master the serve receive skill on the beach. As an indoor player coming to the sand, you want to avoid becoming a "Tower of Pisa" that leans over to pass the ball, which will be easy to do anyway since the sand is there to stay. I know this is one of the hardest things for indoor middle blockers to have to learn since middle blockers are usually not the primary passers on their indoor volleyball teams.
The best part and the worst part of the game is learning how much you need to use your legs to
a) stay on top of the sand,
b) move you to get you into position behind the ball, and
c) to help you stay low to deliver a low pass to your intended target.
This was one habit that took me a little time to break when I went from indoors to sand volleyball. Since we are trained to pass the ball as close to the net as possible indoors it only comes naturally to want to do the same on the beach. The problem is that the passer who received the ball needs to allow plenty of time for their partner to get into position to set the ball.
The setter is moving forward at a fast pace to get into position, and before stopping they need to turn and get perpendicular to the net. Since beach volleyball players (tall ones especially) are departing all the way from midcourt in order to get into position they need time to make all these movements without risking the chance of becoming a tuna fish caught in the net.
Ideally you want to serve receive the ball so the pass is four to five feet off the net, a little over midway between your serve receive starting position and the net, which leaves plenty of room for your partner to get into position and give you a great set that should put you about two or three feet closer to the net.
As you and your partner's ball control skills improve, then both of you can make adjustments to your ideal serve receive target area.
Another reason you want to keep the pass off the net is that depending on what side you are on, the wind will become a factor. If you pass the ball too close to the net, the wind will take it and blow it over the net into the hands of the opposing team's blocker who won't be able to thank you enough for giving them such an easy point.
One more thing before I go, the concept of passing the ball with your feet becomes really really crucial when you start to master the serve receive skill on the beach. As an indoor player coming to the sand, you want to avoid becoming a "Tower of Pisa" that leans over to pass the ball, which will be easy to do anyway since the sand is there to stay. I know this is one of the hardest things for indoor middle blockers to have to learn since middle blockers are usually not the primary passers on their indoor volleyball teams.
The best part and the worst part of the game is learning how much you need to use your legs to
a) stay on top of the sand,
b) move you to get you into position behind the ball, and
c) to help you stay low to deliver a low pass to your intended target.
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