Must haves for every beach volleyball player Part 1

Equipment

Sure it may seem as simple as waking up early on a weekend afternoon and strolling over to your local beach or sand court and look to pick up some games throughout the day, but before you make that commute there are a few things that every serious beach volleyball player needs before they set foot on the sand.  Here in part 1 we are going to go over all the equipment you'll need as well as some reviews and recommendations.


Ball
There are a few options you can pick from here, probably a few too many, as it would be better to have the comfort and familiarity of consistently playing with the same ball week in and week out, from tournament to tournament, but nonetheless this is where we find ourselves.

We'll start out with the old timer, the veteran, and the silent film star who withstood years next to Tom Hanks until he could take no more and simply floated away.  Of course we are talking about the one and only, iconic yellow Wilson game ball.

At roughly $55-60 a ball it is moderately priced, and has been the prevailing ball used for the past, well, basically forever, until recently as other domestic and international tours gained popularity and favor over the AVP.  What you should note is that the NCAA has been using this exact ball, except for that fact that theirs is blue and says "SAND" on it, but it is tougher to find, and in addition the EVP has recently switched to using Wilson as their official tour ball.

How it plays:  Because of its weight it is tougher to pull off big serves or aces, but it is very easy to pass and set.  It has a smooth feel to it, and provides an expected "bounce" off hard digs.  It is solid through and through and you'll see why it has survived the test of time, even as the AVP went through its 2nd bankruptcy, players continued to buy and play with this ball.


Next is probably the biggest competition to Wilson, that being Spalding's King of the Beach.

At $40-50 this is definitely on the lower end of the price scale so if you are on a budget and need to buy in bulk, this is good option.  It is not used as widely as the Wilson but is actually favored over the Wilson in some regions of the country depending on where you are like Florida, or Chicago.  It has been featured as the official tour ball of the Jose Cuervo Beach Volleyball Series, which in recent years has been the closest thing to a successful and stable domestic tour.

How it plays:  It is a little bit smaller than the Wilson and a little bit lighter, but what is most noticeable it that when properly inflated it doesn't feel as "round" as it should be.  At its seams, ridges protrude as if it were underinflated even though you've pumped it up.  Despite this aesthetic flaw, it is still a great ball for a number of reasons.  It provides tougher float serves giving more movement, and as a result makes it more challenging to pass and set, but in the end will make you a better skilled player.  It still has a predictable response as you pass it, so don't worry about being turned away at some pickup games if you show up with this ball.


Finally we'll wrap up with the international ball used on the FIVB the Mikasa VLS 300

I've only had limited use with this ball and actually it has been with the older model so don't take my word as the end all be all on this ball in particular.  In addition to being the tour ball for the FIVB, the NVL has also recently struck a deal with Mikasa to use them as their official tour ball.  Whether or not theirs will be similar to the FIVB's has yet to be seen as details have not been released other than this picture found on Volleyball Magazine.  I've seen various prices for this but I think you will consistently find it online for roughly $70-80 making it on the higher end of the price scale, and don't bother trying to find this in retail or sporting good stores.

How it plays:  In a nutshell it has the size of the Wilson and the weight of the Spalding.  The big difference here is that it has a unique 10 panel design versus the conventional 18 panel, as well as many people saying that it isn't as lively as compared to Wilson or Spalding or going so far as to say that it is a "dead" ball.

We haven't had to worry much before on ball selection but with the recent decay of the AVP, the emergence of the NVL, and perseverence of other smaller tours like the EVP and formerly named Jose Cuervo (now IMG) Beach Volleyball Series, adaptation will be key for up and coming players.  Hopefully you get enough opportunities to play with all 3 so that you can hit it pure when tourney time comes.


Net
You may not think of this as a "must have", but it is definitely a bummer when you have to rely on other people in order to play.  It just puts you at ease knowing that you can play on your terms, not when "that guy who has a net" is able to play.  We won't go as much into brands as we will type, and accessories.

Basically if you want a quality net, you going to have to spend at least a Benjamin on it.  Sorry, Target is not going to carry what you should be playing on.  The biggest thing to look for is the size of the "tape", that being the border that outlines the actual netting.  The bigger the better.  Any thin tape will result in the net either curling, or being weak and providing unexpected plays from balls that go into the net.  Below we will illustrate the basic Do's and Don'ts

DO

 

DON'T

The wider tape isn't just good for writing a sponsor or company name on it but makes it stronger and more durable, and also holds up well in high wind conditions.  I used Jose Cuervo as an example because they provide a wide selection of quality nets that are very resonably priced.  You can find many quality nets in excess of $200 or even $300, but you won't pay near that with JC, with prices ranging from $100-$175.

Now if you want the best looking net on the beach then you are going to need something to keep your net straight and stable like the wooden poles featured below.

These will significantly drive up the cost of the net to around $250-$350, but they get the job done.  I didn't get this type of net personally because of 1) the price, and 2) the size.  Some of the nets online are built where these poles aren't removeable making their dimensions rigid and not flexible.  That may not seem like a big deal but try finding a travel bag that will accomodate the proper dimensions, and trust me, it aint easy, but more on that later.

"Crank"
No it isn't enough to just have a net and a court assembled, and unless you are the Hulk that has access to seemingly unlimited strength, you won't be able to obtain the force and tension required to set your net up at the proper height and tautness and maintain it throughout the day.  Luckily Archimedes exposed the world to the wonders of the pulley, allowing for proportionately less force to move heavy objects.  We used quotations marks in the title of this section because this nifty tool, goes by many names such as cam buckle, ratchet strap, etc, but whatever you call it, it is a cheap and very effective tool at about $10, to ensure optimal playing conditions.

Now the different names does mean that there is a difference between say a ratchet (pictures above), and a cam buckle (pictured below).  The ratchet uses a lever, to apply torque and a gear to hold the tension, where as the cam buckle forces you to simply pull on the strap while he buckle holds the tension.  The ratchet requires less energy to tighten but is tougher/trickier to loosen, and may break if too much torque is applied.  The cam buckle requires more energy to tighten but is easier to loosen, and really there is no way for it to break except through wear and tear of the straps.  Each work like a charm and often can be found in 2 or 4 packs, so even if you lose, or have one stolen, you won't have to cry in a corner.

 
Lines
Sorry Karch, but I like the smaller court dimensions, and for those of you that are new to the game, the dimension are 16 meters by 8 meters, or the equivalent of 59' x 29'6".  You can easily find lines online at the proper dimension and you can also find adjustable ones in the event you want to open it up for some grass triples, or beach 4s or 6s.

Don't be tempted to get the thin rope lines.  Yes they are significantly cheaper, but they are tough to see, especially at dusk.  At the very least get 1" lines, but what you will find in Open tournaments (at least on center court) are 2" lines.  It is one of my big pet peeves, to play on a court with yellow or orange rope lines, because they are tough to see, and close calls are tough to review.


Pump
By this time, your bag is pretty full, and you still have more to put in it.  Quick solution: deflate your ball.  This is where your pump comes in handy, plus you're going to need it when your ball inevitably starts to lose air.  Now there are dual action ball pumps that inflate balls twice as fast for basically the same cost as traditional pumps at a price range between $6-12

Part 2 will be featuring all the additional gear that you need so you don't have another one of those "oh damn, I wish I had a ________ right now" moments.