As promised I will continue to consolidate similar blog posts for your viewing pleasure. Today I'm providing you with the page the posts that I had the most fun putting together. The majority of these posts are blog posts, opinion pieces, that are more or less rants about the self-destructive behavior of the AVP or the clumsy missteps of the NVL. Everyone now a days is a critic, and I could really care less what the AVP or NVL thinks because they don't have enough money in the bank to prove me wrong. #I'mjustsaying
Anyways..... CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE AVP/NVL PAGE
Oh BTW, there will also be legitimate news updates on this page too, so it isn't all bashing and critiquing.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
New Consolidated Page: Equipment...more to come
Since I have eclipsed the 100 post mark I figured it would be a good time to start consolidating some of the posts for easier browsing for future reference. For starters there is a new Equipment page that has all my posts about beach volleyball equipment, from reviews about nets, balls, and lines, to where you can buy discounted gear, as well as reviews about KT Tape and the Coach's Eye app.
I'll be putting up more pages, as well as updating the Health page. Be on the lookout for AVP/NVL, Hot Picks, Playing Tips (blogs posts only), and a Random/Funny/Meme page
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Easy fixes to be more successful on the beach
You can't coach height, and you can't teach speed, but there is much more to beach volleyball than just physical ability. You truly excel and move up into more challenging divisions you have to become a student of the game by identifying your own strengths and weaknesses, but here are some helpful tips that I think can be applied to any level that can instantly improve your chances of winning. Keep in mind that your skills may not necessarily be any better, but making these small changes will help reduce errors and prolong point streaks, and ultimately earn the only stat at the end of the day that matters: the W.
1. Communication
Oh where to begin. Without rambling on and on and on too much about this (because I could and probably should), I'll just give you the cliff notes version of the keys of good communication on the beach.
a. Serve-Receive: Communication here takes place before the ball is served. Whoever is set up cross from the server should make the call on middle serves since they have the better angle. Also little notes on wind direction, potential serving tendencies (short, long, line etc.), and calling out responsibilities ("my line, your middle), can go a long way and essentially eliminate all ace serves.
b. Shot calls: This skill takes some time to master, but the basics can be picked up rather easily. Immediately after setting the ball it is easy enough to see where the blocker is set up, so based on your preference you can give a swing call opposite of where the blocker is, or shot call based on where the blocker is. So if the blocker is set up on the line, you would give a "swing cross" or a "high line" call.
c. Defense/Pulling: The more time you spend with your partner the easier this is but even for new partnerships you each should be fluent in communicating where you set up on defense, what part of the court you want to take away with the block, and when the ball is in play, as a defender you need to give a "pull", "peel", or "off" call.
d. Setting/Offensive Strategy: Before the game even begins, be on the same page on how to set your partner. It should generally be the same from game to game, but whether conditions change, your physical abilities change, and who you are playing always changes. So in addition to tempo, middle, pin, and regular sets also be sure that each of you has an idea what should happen during transition plays, scramble plays, when to hit on 2, and if you want to throw in any wrinkles like back sets.
2. Know when to hold em
Did you just miss your serve? If so, then shake it off and move onto the next point. Did you just miss another serve? Well that isn't exactly a recipe for success but like life, the game goes on. At this point most people think that they must put their next serve in as they have been conditioned to never miss 3 serves in a row from the indoor experience.
Although memories of endless suicide sprints and wall sits, may make your first instinct to hold back, there is a much easier way to analyze and dictate how you should serve: how easily/difficult the opposing team is siding out off of serve-receive. If they are siding out like clock work, then try to keep the pressure on and continue serving tough no matter how many serves you have missed to that point. If you just lolly pop serves in just to feel good about getting them in then ultimately you will likely end up with the same result as a missed serve. The risk-reward ratio strongly swings in your favor when the other team sides out well, so get back there and let 'er rip.
3. Know when to fold em
If you were to put the game of beach volleyball in a nutshell, it would be summarized as this: low errors equates to winning. Yes, you have to make blocks, digs, and take big swings on free balls, but in the grand scheme of things, the team that makes the least amount of errors is the team that usually wins.
If you get roofed, then so bet it, tip your cap and move on to the next play. If you hit out or into the net then you have legitimate cause for concern because the other team did absolutely nothing to earn that point. So during tightly contested games, you just have to play the percentages sometimes and just make the smart play. You shouldn't think of this mentality as playing to "not lose", rather as not beating yourself. Swinging "deep 6" (aka deep middle back), not taking as sharp cuts on shots or swinging across your body, or making flashy plays will still give you some points here and there. When you got it going, keep it going and stay aggressive and keep the other team off balance, but when you are going blow for blow, then make them beat you instead of beating yourself.
4. Square up
Of all the small adjustments that you can make this one can probably have the biggest impact. From serve-receive, to setting, blocking, defensive positioning, and even serving, so much is dependent upon our ability to square up our hips toward where we want to impart our action. So when change of direction and explosiveness are so critical to play, the ough plays that a lot of the great players make may not be so far outside your realm of possibility, but it does mean that you will have to do the little things like squaring up perfectly over and over and over again.
5. Elbow high
Probably the most common flaw I see from indoor players transitioning to the beach is that way too often they drop their arm and elbow down when hitting roll shots, or they take exaggerated cuts on shots. There are a couple of main reasons why this is an important mistake to make, and a habit that you should try your hardest to not form.
When you drop arm down you are drastically changing you explosion out of the sand and thus not jumping as high, but more importantly it is an obvious tell for the defense. It may not feel like much to you but it pretty obvious to everyone else that you are going to roll instead of swing.
Secondly, since you are going to be contacting the ball much lower, and thus on an upward angle the ball will be in he air for much longer than it should and however much you need to hit it. For defenders this is what we feed off of. The longer the ball is in the air, the more time the defense has to pick it up. So consistently reaching high and hitting a soft flat shot over the block will always be the better more effective way sideout.
For more detailed tips and tutorials visit my YouTube channel here
1. Communication
Oh where to begin. Without rambling on and on and on too much about this (because I could and probably should), I'll just give you the cliff notes version of the keys of good communication on the beach.
a. Serve-Receive: Communication here takes place before the ball is served. Whoever is set up cross from the server should make the call on middle serves since they have the better angle. Also little notes on wind direction, potential serving tendencies (short, long, line etc.), and calling out responsibilities ("my line, your middle), can go a long way and essentially eliminate all ace serves.
b. Shot calls: This skill takes some time to master, but the basics can be picked up rather easily. Immediately after setting the ball it is easy enough to see where the blocker is set up, so based on your preference you can give a swing call opposite of where the blocker is, or shot call based on where the blocker is. So if the blocker is set up on the line, you would give a "swing cross" or a "high line" call.
c. Defense/Pulling: The more time you spend with your partner the easier this is but even for new partnerships you each should be fluent in communicating where you set up on defense, what part of the court you want to take away with the block, and when the ball is in play, as a defender you need to give a "pull", "peel", or "off" call.
d. Setting/Offensive Strategy: Before the game even begins, be on the same page on how to set your partner. It should generally be the same from game to game, but whether conditions change, your physical abilities change, and who you are playing always changes. So in addition to tempo, middle, pin, and regular sets also be sure that each of you has an idea what should happen during transition plays, scramble plays, when to hit on 2, and if you want to throw in any wrinkles like back sets.
2. Know when to hold em
Did you just miss your serve? If so, then shake it off and move onto the next point. Did you just miss another serve? Well that isn't exactly a recipe for success but like life, the game goes on. At this point most people think that they must put their next serve in as they have been conditioned to never miss 3 serves in a row from the indoor experience.
Although memories of endless suicide sprints and wall sits, may make your first instinct to hold back, there is a much easier way to analyze and dictate how you should serve: how easily/difficult the opposing team is siding out off of serve-receive. If they are siding out like clock work, then try to keep the pressure on and continue serving tough no matter how many serves you have missed to that point. If you just lolly pop serves in just to feel good about getting them in then ultimately you will likely end up with the same result as a missed serve. The risk-reward ratio strongly swings in your favor when the other team sides out well, so get back there and let 'er rip.
3. Know when to fold em
If you were to put the game of beach volleyball in a nutshell, it would be summarized as this: low errors equates to winning. Yes, you have to make blocks, digs, and take big swings on free balls, but in the grand scheme of things, the team that makes the least amount of errors is the team that usually wins.
If you get roofed, then so bet it, tip your cap and move on to the next play. If you hit out or into the net then you have legitimate cause for concern because the other team did absolutely nothing to earn that point. So during tightly contested games, you just have to play the percentages sometimes and just make the smart play. You shouldn't think of this mentality as playing to "not lose", rather as not beating yourself. Swinging "deep 6" (aka deep middle back), not taking as sharp cuts on shots or swinging across your body, or making flashy plays will still give you some points here and there. When you got it going, keep it going and stay aggressive and keep the other team off balance, but when you are going blow for blow, then make them beat you instead of beating yourself.
4. Square up
Of all the small adjustments that you can make this one can probably have the biggest impact. From serve-receive, to setting, blocking, defensive positioning, and even serving, so much is dependent upon our ability to square up our hips toward where we want to impart our action. So when change of direction and explosiveness are so critical to play, the ough plays that a lot of the great players make may not be so far outside your realm of possibility, but it does mean that you will have to do the little things like squaring up perfectly over and over and over again.
5. Elbow high
Probably the most common flaw I see from indoor players transitioning to the beach is that way too often they drop their arm and elbow down when hitting roll shots, or they take exaggerated cuts on shots. There are a couple of main reasons why this is an important mistake to make, and a habit that you should try your hardest to not form.
When you drop arm down you are drastically changing you explosion out of the sand and thus not jumping as high, but more importantly it is an obvious tell for the defense. It may not feel like much to you but it pretty obvious to everyone else that you are going to roll instead of swing.
Secondly, since you are going to be contacting the ball much lower, and thus on an upward angle the ball will be in he air for much longer than it should and however much you need to hit it. For defenders this is what we feed off of. The longer the ball is in the air, the more time the defense has to pick it up. So consistently reaching high and hitting a soft flat shot over the block will always be the better more effective way sideout.
For more detailed tips and tutorials visit my YouTube channel here
Saturday, November 9, 2013
AVP matches streaming
Yes we are all sad that summer is over but you can relive all the action, albeit anticlimactic, from the AVP at http://avp.com/live
I'll try to pull some of the footage and break the down in the playing tips tab. And yes I'm very sorry that it has been so long since the last one, but I've still had issues uploading/rendering videos and with this big move to AZ as of late I've been a little short on time.
But as always feel free to leave some suggestions and I'll do my best to have the video up within a week.
I'll try to pull some of the footage and break the down in the playing tips tab. And yes I'm very sorry that it has been so long since the last one, but I've still had issues uploading/rendering videos and with this big move to AZ as of late I've been a little short on time.
But as always feel free to leave some suggestions and I'll do my best to have the video up within a week.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Product Review: Body Armor Sports Drink
Where and How much:
Like I said I've never seen, heard of, or known of anyone who has used this so I don't know where else you can find it but I first found them at a 7-Eleven in Mesa, AZ. On their site they do have a store locator, although on my first attempt it landed me in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but maybe you'll have better results than me. As a new product they were being offered for $2 a piece.
Like I said I've never seen, heard of, or known of anyone who has used this so I don't know where else you can find it but I first found them at a 7-Eleven in Mesa, AZ. On their site they do have a store locator, although on my first attempt it landed me in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but maybe you'll have better results than me. As a new product they were being offered for $2 a piece.
The Pros:
For a sports drink at only 16oz it only boasts 140 calories. I guess you could call this the silver lining. It isn't ideal but it could be much worse.
It claims to have 2x the amount of the electrolytes than the leading brands with a total blend of about 600mg. That was the first draw that I noticed on the front label. It also contains 50mg of polyphenols (antioxidant) from blueberries, and is 10% coconut water.
The Cons:
For all those extra electrolytes it packs in, most of it is for naught. It is clearly labeled on the ingredients list that the source of magnesium in its electrolyte blend is in the form of magnesium oxide which is essentially useless since your body can't readily absorb it. Since it is a low sodium drink at about 15mg per serving and 30mg per bottle you aren't really getting all you need from the electrolyte department. Ideally the sodium:potassium ratio should be between 3:1-5:1 (based on sweat content), where as BodyArmor's ration is 1:20. Oh and those polyphenols apparently are 75% derived from apples according to their ingredients list.
The Results:
I suppose you can't really "feel" the difference if you did a blind taste test, but as far as how you perform with it versus other sports drinks would still vary on a lot of factors so it would be very difficult to determine its benefits. You should feel a bit of a "boost" which I'm assuming is coming from the B-Vitamins and green tea extract (although they claim on their website that it is a trace amount of only ~1/2 mg), so be sure not to mistake this from the electrolyte formula.
Overall it didn't taste bad, and it wasn't overwhelming with sweetness. It didn't have any artificial colors from what I could discern although it does contain "natural flavors" on the ingredients list which is always a cause to pause (find out more about "natural" flavors here). Even if you aren't gaining much from the electrolytes it is still a decent substitute if you forget to make your own batch at home and are your way to practice or a tournament. It says to have superior hydration and nutrition but superior is a relative term. You may still be better off making your own sports drinks but it is probably better than anything else you can find in a supermarket.
Extra notes:
On their website they are vehemently concerned with not being confused as a "sports drink" but rather being called a superdrink. But unless I drink this product and wake up tomorrow with a black cape, utility belt, hoarse voice, and a tank in the driveway, I'm going to just call it a sports drink (unless of course they sign Dwight Howard to their team, then I may change my mind).
Extra notes:
On their website they are vehemently concerned with not being confused as a "sports drink" but rather being called a superdrink. But unless I drink this product and wake up tomorrow with a black cape, utility belt, hoarse voice, and a tank in the driveway, I'm going to just call it a sports drink (unless of course they sign Dwight Howard to their team, then I may change my mind).
 |
| Drinking BodyArmor may or may not allow you to do this |
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
OC Sand Volleyball Club...The Next Level?
Up to this point, beach volleyball has maintained the status quo more or less, without much deviation to expand, develop, or progress the game significantly. But all of that may change in the immediate future.
We all know that beach volleyball was born and started in Southern California, and from that same region, we have seen some of the greatest players of all-time in both the indoor and outdoor game, but as the popularity of beach volleyball spread across the country we also have seen talent spikes (no pun intended) in different regions like Florida, and the Midwest. Even with those talent spikes Southern California has remained head and shoulders above the rest, and remains the place to be to take your game to the next level. Being anywhere else doesn't necessarily make it impossible, just improbably and illogical. It is like being an NFL player and practicing and training in Canada with CFL players. To be the best you gotta play against the best.
Before I expanded my thoughts on the NVL's money grab to develop beach volleyball athletes at the junior level with their Club Med facilities. Consider their philosophy (volleyball not business), to be a growing trend in the years to come. Here we have the next major development, the OC Sand Volleyball Club, started by Brad Keenan and April Ross.
With beach volleyball still in its infancy stages in the NCAA the talent pool is still very much spread out due to the fact that for the most part these are just indoor players playing on sand. Outside of the few exceptions, the sophistication of beach volleyball skills and intellect is basically on par and in proportion with that of the players' indoor skills and intellect. Expect that to change. Yes, the SoCal school are still holding down the majority of top beach programs, but that is also because they also have some of the top indoor programs as well. This year's AVCA Collegiate Sand Championships featured teams from Georgia State, FIU, UAB, and Jacksonville University, which let's be honest aren't the first names that come to mind in terms of volleyball, indoor or beach.
So why should be see a growing gap between the elite and the "very good" in years to come, and what does the OC Sand Volleyball Club have to do with it? Well as you may have taken note of, top programs like UCLA and USC have brought on retired professionals Stein Metzger and Misty May-Treanor for their school's team respectively. Schools that identify the need for specialization, that being the identification of the stark difference between the indoor and beach game and the resulting consequence of hiring different people for those jobs, will likely see exponential growth in success and development.
The OCSVC has gotten their foot in the door first, and now has the inside track with professionals who have had very successful careers in the hot bed in the world for beach volleyball talent. It will make it all the more likely that they will graduate athletes to nearby schools on the West coast, and as the old adage goes, the rich will keep getting richer.
But hey, prove me wrong Nebraska and Penn State. But I think you will find that transitioning from the indoor game to the beach is just as hard for the players as it is for the coaches, so it won't be long until there is a noticeably higher class of program. Basically, you can only drink Jameson for so long until you discover single malt Scotch. For the athletes, there may be more money in playing for international clubs post-collegiate career, but the competition to earn roster spots is much stiffer. With the beach game literally open to anyone who can make it through qualifiers (i.e Summer Ross), the incentive to pick a program with great indoor AND beach programs will be higher than ever, but ultimately it will be the schools that invest now that can see dividends pay out in the near future and long-term.
We all know that beach volleyball was born and started in Southern California, and from that same region, we have seen some of the greatest players of all-time in both the indoor and outdoor game, but as the popularity of beach volleyball spread across the country we also have seen talent spikes (no pun intended) in different regions like Florida, and the Midwest. Even with those talent spikes Southern California has remained head and shoulders above the rest, and remains the place to be to take your game to the next level. Being anywhere else doesn't necessarily make it impossible, just improbably and illogical. It is like being an NFL player and practicing and training in Canada with CFL players. To be the best you gotta play against the best.
Before I expanded my thoughts on the NVL's money grab to develop beach volleyball athletes at the junior level with their Club Med facilities. Consider their philosophy (volleyball not business), to be a growing trend in the years to come. Here we have the next major development, the OC Sand Volleyball Club, started by Brad Keenan and April Ross.
With beach volleyball still in its infancy stages in the NCAA the talent pool is still very much spread out due to the fact that for the most part these are just indoor players playing on sand. Outside of the few exceptions, the sophistication of beach volleyball skills and intellect is basically on par and in proportion with that of the players' indoor skills and intellect. Expect that to change. Yes, the SoCal school are still holding down the majority of top beach programs, but that is also because they also have some of the top indoor programs as well. This year's AVCA Collegiate Sand Championships featured teams from Georgia State, FIU, UAB, and Jacksonville University, which let's be honest aren't the first names that come to mind in terms of volleyball, indoor or beach.
So why should be see a growing gap between the elite and the "very good" in years to come, and what does the OC Sand Volleyball Club have to do with it? Well as you may have taken note of, top programs like UCLA and USC have brought on retired professionals Stein Metzger and Misty May-Treanor for their school's team respectively. Schools that identify the need for specialization, that being the identification of the stark difference between the indoor and beach game and the resulting consequence of hiring different people for those jobs, will likely see exponential growth in success and development.
The OCSVC has gotten their foot in the door first, and now has the inside track with professionals who have had very successful careers in the hot bed in the world for beach volleyball talent. It will make it all the more likely that they will graduate athletes to nearby schools on the West coast, and as the old adage goes, the rich will keep getting richer.
But hey, prove me wrong Nebraska and Penn State. But I think you will find that transitioning from the indoor game to the beach is just as hard for the players as it is for the coaches, so it won't be long until there is a noticeably higher class of program. Basically, you can only drink Jameson for so long until you discover single malt Scotch. For the athletes, there may be more money in playing for international clubs post-collegiate career, but the competition to earn roster spots is much stiffer. With the beach game literally open to anyone who can make it through qualifiers (i.e Summer Ross), the incentive to pick a program with great indoor AND beach programs will be higher than ever, but ultimately it will be the schools that invest now that can see dividends pay out in the near future and long-term.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
The Easiest Diet Rules To Follow
I could go on forever on complete vs. incomplete proteins good fat vs. bad fat, glycemic indexes, artificial sweeteners, and sodium content, but for those of us who don't have the time, or are in a rush and don't the time to scrupulously probe line by line on the nutrition guide and ingredients list I've comprised some of the easiest rules to follow when buying, making, and eating food.
1. Protein (g) + Fiber (g) > Sugar (g)
This is probably the one that I abide by the most because these are 3 key components for a very active athlete. We all know the benefits of protein, but fiber helps regulate blood sugar and ultimately the metabolization of the sugar you intake. Plus sugar is an inflammatory so if you struggle with joint pain ingesting a lot of sugar will only worsen your condition.
Think about if you were to consume a product with 20g of sugar but with no fiber. What happens basically is that all that sugar is going to try to be processed all at once and if you are not burning significant calories then you will inevitably store it away as fat. A similar product with fiber will have to be broken down and the more fiber there is the more sugar that will be broken down as well. This is why apple juice is bad for you where as apples are perfectly healthy. Without any of that flesh or pulp, there is a sugar rush that your body simply can't handle.
This rule is something I came up with myself, so this is by no means an industry standard (that I know of at least), but I found that I would be putting more items back on the shelf that were questionable than I was putting into my cart, and when it comes to health and diet that is usually the side you want to side on.
2. # of minutes to make meal > # of ingredients
There is probably a slew of ways to abuse and circumvent this rule, but this rule isn't meant to be broken, but to be understood at face value. The intent of this rule is to avoid highly processed, quick to make meals (think of Kraft Mac and Cheese). Of course you could cheat and take 20 minutes to make Mac and Cheese to offset the 17 ingredients, but that isn't what you should be aiming for.
When you get right down to it, you shouldn't be thinking about the time portion but the ingredients portion. A simple meal of choice of fish, salad topped with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, and a baked sweet potato will accumulate an outstanding 5 ingredients. So really this rule isn't about saving time (because you should take the time and care into preparing a nutritious meal), but cutting back on the unnatural preservatives, dyes, and contaminates, and adding whole foods will make this rule easy to follow.
3. Nothing in life is "free"
When is the last time you saw an stalk of celery have a label on it that said "Fat Free!"? I'm sure you haven't and the point here is that if a product has to officially claim on its label to be lacking one thing, there is probably issues elsewhere. Usually this is interchangeable with sugar and fat. Sugar free? Look for fat content both saturated and unsaturated. Fat Free? Look for how much sugar it has and revert back to rule #1. And don't forget that if you see 0g of sugar, don't forget to check the ingredients list for often used artificial sweeteners (hopefully by now you know that zero-sugar means your body pays a larger toll in the long run). Really the only "free" labels you should be excited to see are "GMO Free" and "Gluten Free".
*
I don't want to necessarily delve much deeper into questions like "white rice or brown rice?" (but the answer there is always quinoa), because this is just supposed to serve as a starter. So when you contemplate pasta for dinner, consider just topping off your pasta with freshly cut garlic, tomatoes, and olive oil instead of store bought sauce. Don't expect your budget to take much of a hit either because you can actually save money on healthier alternatives, although I don't think there will ever be a substitute for Top Ramen.
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