How HARD is the beach game? Part 2

In Part 1, I more or less was writing a response to Mike Dodd's AVP promo video that talks about how tough the beach game is.  And certainly from a physical point of view it is very demanding but it is not unparalleled.  To me, a sport is a mental battle that is confronted and fought with your body.  Being in great physical condition only improves your ability to express the decisions your mind makes and translate them to the tangible world so that you skills may be quantitatively compared to others.

As it is true with almost any professional sport, once you reach that level you will find that just about everyone is as good as you are (sans a few exceptions to the rule).  So the way that you as an athlete have to differentiate yourself from the pack is in your preparation, conditioning, and knowledge of the game.  I will go more in depth into the game, that most know little about, and explain just what happens on a play to play basis and why this game is so hard to play.

From the time the ball is served this is the type of thought logic that goes through a defender's mind...

1.  Identify who the serve is going to
2.  Begin to move to base position based on what the block call is
3.  Identify where the ball is passed and adjust your positioning accordingly
4.  Read the setter if they may go over on 2, or if they are in position to make a good/bad set
5.  Read the hitter's approach (angle and speed)
6.  Adjust your positioning based on where your blocker is setting up
7.  Adjust your positioning (again) based on where the set is
8.  Wait
9.  Read the hitter's body and arm swing...but still wait
10.  As the ball is being contacted prepare to make a play, being as low as possible and have your body angled that allows you to cover a roll shot but still balance to dig a hard driven ball.

All of this takes place within the span of about 3-4 seconds.

On offense, you have to try your hardest to just let the game come to you and not over think it too much.  For the first 3.5 seconds of a play it is like driving through a pitch black tunnel, and it isn't until you get at the very end that you will know if you have to turn left or right or even come to stop.  If you don't like having the pressure of being rushed on you then this sport is not for you, because you have to make tons of split second decisions one after another.

If that doesn't make the game tough enough, there is a tremendous amount of mental acuity necessary to simply put a pre-game strategy in place, and be able to adjust it as you go along based on each play, and the dozen or so things that take place during the play, while accounting for variables that can change at any moment, like wind speed and direction.  So on one hand you need to have a short memory so that you focus solely on the point at hand but at the same time you need to keep track of virtually everything that transpires so that you can not only know if you need to make changes to your strategy, but also identify if your opponent has or will change their strategy.  Oh and by the way, you are your own coach.  So while play is going on you have only you and the person next to you to make adjustments.

And to top it all off, there are no substitutions you can make for yourself or your partner if you aren't playing well.  You just have to fight through it.  You need to have at least a 30 inch vertical, be able to change direction on a dime, sprint, dive, and jump without your lungs exploding while the hot sun burns the bottom of your feet, and bakes the sweat out of your skin.  So how hard is the beach game?  Pretty difficult but there is one sport that I will always believe that is 1 up from beach volleyball.....

Best Place To Get Nutritional Info...EVER?!

Let me know if this is what you would want to get in terms of health and nutrition advice.  You would want information that is objective, unbiased, backed by either clinical studies or other scientific evidence, that is easy to understand without having to get a degree in chemistry or biology.  Well I think I have just the place...

I don't think I have to tell you how I found this site, because how does anyone find anything on the internet now a days...completely at random without an actual attempt of finding said results.  Basically SELF Nutrition Data is a site that provides a comprehensive look into virtually every food out there and breaks down the information into graphical representations and further informs you as to how to can better equip your diet with suggestion pairings of other foods already listed in their database.

Here are a few screenshots below of one of my favorite foods, quinoa, and just about all the info you can get from just one visit.  You can also click here to see the whole page and interact with the data

 

Congrats to the US teams in the WSOBV

A round of applause is in order for Casey Patterson, Jake Gibb, April Ross, and Jen Kessy for winning the FIVB World Series of Beach Volleyball this weekend.  Way to represent!

Buzzfeed: 14 best things to eat after a workout

Benjamin Franklin once said that "by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail", so not having much of a plan or strategy regarding your diet leaves you without a safety net, and puts you at risk of wasting all the hard work you put into your workouts, practices, and games.

Luckily, Buzzfeed came along with a simple and concise list of mostly common foods that are easy to prepare and purchase, even on a budget, to keep you on track for success.

Click here for the full article

How EASY is the beach game? Part 1

"It must be so hard to play moving around, running and jumping in the sand".  I've heard lots of variations of this over the years, but it's hard to really appreciate just how tough the game is until you see a seasoned vet playing next to a court next of first timers who probably are taking their once a year trip to the beach.  

Mike Dodd tried to explain the difficulty of the beach game in this short promo video for the AVP but what he doesn't say is just how EASY it can become in time.

Ok sure stepping out on the sand for the first time, even if you are an experienced volleyball player is a lot like Bambi walking out onto ice for the first time.  The fact is, that pretty much everywhere you go you are walking on a flat surface, so when you step foot on the beach and the ground beneath you suddenly gives way, your body now has to use muscles it didn't have to before to stabilize itself.

Just about every beach player will go through a stage early in the "preseason" where they have to find their "beach legs".  It is during this time we wonder how we were ever capable of hitting the ball over the net or chase down a roll shot, but after more and more time spent in the sand, and as those stabilizing muscles get stronger the game starts to come naturally to us.

Even to a world class athlete, playing on the sand may seem like playing in a completely alien environment at first, but just like a hangover, it gets better over time.  You can't tell me that the best athletes in the world, with 40 inch verticals, 25+ reps of 225 lb bench press, and 4.4 sec 40 times, would be unable to adapt to these conditions.  Given about a month of pure sand conditioning, footwork, and agility drills you can have Derrick Rose looking like Sean Rosenthal, and Colin Kaepernick looking like more tan version of the "thin beast".

Beach volleyball is probably the easiest tough game there is.  The physical aspect isn't incredibly difficult to adjust to.  Ryan Doherty has show us that already.  But there is another world that most people don't see.  The stuff that goes on behind the scenes, the chatter that takes place between your ears is what really makes this game difficult.  I'll talk more about that in Part 2.

More Than Just A Game...

"Love drives you to do everything to maintain that connection.  If I didn't have love for the game, I would have never achieved anything." 

- Michael Jordan

World Series Of Beach Volleyball

Starting next week the FIVB is looking to begin what hopes to be an annual tradition in beach volleyball that squares off the world's best over 7 days of competition.  At first glance the Long Beach Grand Slam just looked like another tour stop for the FIVB to not only reach a broader audience but give the US players and fans a taste of the international game as well.  The World Series of Beach Volleyball is a 7 day event, which will be hosted in Long Beach, CA, that starts on Monday July 22nd with qualifying, and continues each day until the champions are crowned much like how the the World Series of Poker is set up.  The event will be televised on NBC Sports and NBC Sports Universal.

To this point there has never been a climax to any beach season.  Each tournament is regarded with relatively equal importance.  The only ones that draw greater favor from the players are usually the ones that simply pay more, but there is no great amount of sentimental value attached to any one tournament in particular which could be a culprit in the lack of the sport's mass appeal.  Football has the Superbowl, baseball has the World Series, and golf has 4 majors, and for each sport, prize money is a non-factor.  Each event is held with such esteem by both players and fans that winning them, takes you as an athlete to another level, you reach an exclusive club where champions can be heralded for their season long accomplishments.

Beach volleyball has never had that.  The Manhattan Open is the closest thing to that, where the winner for both the men and women are forever immortalized with the names on plaques on the pier nearby, but financial instability of late has put that tradition at risk.  The AVP which has been regarded as the preeminent American tour didn't even feature the Manhattan on their original schedule this year, giving favor instead to Santa Barbara and Huntington.  Now granted with beach volleyball being born in Southern California, and almost all of the professionals playing and training in that area, each athlete will usually have personal favorites based on their "hometown" beach.  For some it may be Hermosa, and others it may be Mission, but it's still strange that there isn't that "one" that everyone has their eyes set on.

Perhaps this will be a big turning point for the game.  There have been long standing tournaments like the Motherlode that have been around for about as long as the sport has existed but there was never a crown jewel.  I don't think that players will instantly call the WSOBV a classic (despite the large prize money purse), because there needs to be a certain amount of nostalgia and reverence built up in an event first.  Plus this tournament is taking place mid-season.  Just imagine if the Superbowl took place in December and then they resumed the final 8 games of the season.  Championships, trophies, banners, and rings, they are the most coveted symbols by both fans and athletes, but a grand unifying tournament that essentially comes with bragging rights may be just what this sport needs to give the fans something and someone to root for.


Side notes:  If you can't watch it on TV you can get updates online by following @WSOBV on Twitter.

AVP polls

If you visit the AVP's website you get the basics with a little bit of flare.  But at times that the people involved with the AVP, the ones working on the business side of things, are just trying a little too hard.  These first two polls below show an obvious trend of just how vital "beach culture" is to beach volleyball.  (Click on any of the pictures to visit the poll and vote)

Poll 2 breakdown
beach lifestyle: 34.3
athleticism: 24.4
it's a fun way to workout: 17
the star players are accessible: 13
toned bodies and swimsuits: 11.3


The above information is very useful from a marketing perspective, and would better allow the AVP to decide where to put emphasis and resources to drive a better fan experience

These next two polls on the other hand, I just don't know what the point of them were.  At best, they were just filler for a very slow week.  At worst, they are a misguided attempt to provide "entertainment" on their website to draw return visits.

Poll 3 breakdown
Nick Lucena - 39%
Sean Rosenthal - 33.2%
John Mayer 10.6%
John Hyden - 9.5%
Matt Fuerbringer - 7.6%

Poll 4 breakdown
Casey Patterson - 33.6%
Sean Rosenthal - 24.8%
Ryan Doherty - 19.8%
April Ross - 15.2%
Brad Keenan - 6.5%

Whatever the motive for the last two polls, my reaction was the same...

Top 5 gifts to give a beach volleyball player.

As a dedicated beach volleyball player our lives usually exists in a perpetual state of brokeness, so when your birthday rolls around, you can drop a not-so-subtle hint to your friends and family by sending them this blog post.  This is a list of things that most every beach volleyball player covets and will love you more than a slow loris getting tickled.

1. Bikinis/Boardshorts.

Until the US follows the ways of the FIVB, players will always have the freedom to choose their attire (unless they are lucky enough to be tied down by a sponsor), but this clothing is much more than just a "jersey", it can also be a form of expression.  We are always window shopping online for swimsuits, and we always want a new one each year.  This gift is home run every time, or in volleyball terms, an ace.

2. Sunglasses

Usually we will only stick to one pair of sunglasses but that doesn't mean that they won't break, be lost, stolen, or scratched up, so it is always good to have extra pairs and other styles to mix it up with.

3. Volleyballs

You may want to consult with your giftee to see what type of ball they want but it will either be a Wilson or a Spalding (Click here to find out where you can find discounted volleyball gear).  If you are currently asking yourself, "But they already have a bunch of volleyballs, why do they need more?", the answer is:  You can never have too many volleyballs.  It is just a beach player thing.

4. Care Package

If you are the creative type that wants to put some more thought and a personal touch on your gift, here is an assortment items you can put into a gift bag that will have their smile stretching from ear to ear.

sunscreen

athletic tape/KT tape

beach towel

sandals/flip flops

nutritional supplements (ask what they take)

ball pump (if they don't have one)

foam roller

resistance bands

agility ladder

and last but most certainly not least.....

............

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..........

.........

........

.......

......

.....

....

...

..

.

5. Your support

Now would be a good time to break out the wine and crackers because I'm going to get a little cheesy.

We put in a disgusting amount of time into training, conditioning, practices, and playing time, for little to no money (most of us lose a good amount of money on this game), and even those of us lucky enough to make some scratch on the side because of this awesome sport, we still love to see you at our matches, and we'd love to see more people share in the experience and the beach volleyball culture.  So get a hold of their tournament schedule and set aside a few dates to show up and cheer us on.  We definitely notice and appreciate it.

Breaking: USAV to sanction all NVL tournaments

So you know when the AVP went through 2 bankruptcies, several tours struggled to make ends meet (and continue to do so), while all chaos breaks loose when tournament schedules conflict, and no one was there to step in?  It seemed like USAV had absolutely no interest in the outdoor game, and was solely dedicated to the youth indoor game as that is where the big bucks are.

But in breaking news it looks like USAV is finally taking a vested interest in the beach game and providing a "safety net" to the NVL, the fast rising, self-proclaimed "grassroots" tour, by sanctioning all of the NVL's tournaments.

The AVP may have money (even though most of it is Donald Sun's), the NVL has now leveled the playing field so to speak with this endorsement.  The rivalry between the two tours and the players that play for the respective tournaments will only get more heated from here.

From a purists stand point, you may only be interested in what is good for the growth of the game, but in the grand scheme of things, when beach volleyball functions within the entertainment industry you must have constant drama to lean on to keep yourself in the spotlight.  All other major sports have versions of this whether it be contract negotiations, free agency, trades, arrests, trash talking, and lockouts.  None of these things are good for the sport but it attracts eyeballs, and more viewers, more followers mean more money.  So for the time being, I'll continue to wring my hands and poke the bear that is this growing rivalry between the AVP and the NVL


Side note: If you think that there isn't much of a rivalry between these two tours then you might want to see who is featured in the AVP's Q&A this month.  It is none other than one of the former poster child's of the NVL Casey Patterson.

A Day In The Life ft. Martin Reader & Josh Binstock

I found this very interesting video on YouTube featuring the Canadian duo of Reader/Binstock as they prepared for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Just check out that training facility!

No Escaping The Quicksand

On a beautiful Wednesday morning in Chicago at the iconic North Avenue beach, myself and a few friends got some nice games in early.  At this time of day there usually isn't many people around, and as much as we usually live to play for an audience, to catch the "ooo's" and "ahhh's" against a back drop of top 40 music, it is moments like these that I love the most about beach volleyball.  Since no one is there to cheer, no one to adore the highlight plays, long rallies, sky balls, and scrambles, the sport for a brief time exists in its purest form.  It is just you, a net, lines, a ball, and the sand, and from time to time even the wind pauses to let you enjoy the serene calm, and transcend all stresses into a zen-like state of mind.

But summer was clearly in full swing that day, as large groups of people started to make their way onto the sand.  One group looked like a summer camp for young kids and another looked like a girls volleyball camp that was apparently uninformed of the volleyball rental policy at NAB, but was still just content in enjoying the landscape, playing by the water, and peppering occasionally.  That serene calm wouldn't exist to an outside observer but for a beach volleyball fanatic like myself I can usually tune it all out and maintain that unique symbiotic relationship between player and sand.  It was then that I was distracted and my focus was diverted.  

DePaul University's men's basketball team started to walk down the ramp of the boathouse toward the south end of the beach with coaches, team trainers, and managers carrying equipment with them, prepared to put their student athletes through a strenuous workout.  It was then that it dawned upon me, that I was pitying them.  I knew that they had no idea what they were about to walk into.  I played basketball briefly in high school but the shortness of breath from "suicides" still doesn't compare to any of the training I've done on the beach.

Smiles, laughs, and chatter from the team filled the air, as we paused momentarily to marvel at their height, but I still couldn't wipe the smug grin that was growing inside of me as I continued to play and catch glimpses of their workout between points.  They arrived at the beach on flat ground, and as basketball players they will return to the hard court for practices, but today will just be one of those tough conditioning days in their memory.  For us, this is our world.  They had the luxury of leaving, but there is no escaping the sand for us.  Even as we head home, we still take the beach with us.  It is in our bags, in our clothes, and in the cracks and crevices of our body that even water seemingly can't reach.

For any other athlete, a workout in the sand means that you will eventually retreat to your respective environment, but for us we flock to the sand, hoping that it never leaves us and warms the passion and dedication under our feet.  Dehydration, sunburn, and fatigue, are no part of our vocabulary.  They are just the tangible results of the love-hate relationship that we share with this sport.  The lust and bitterness, sloppy scrambles and jump serve bombs is ingrained in the sport, so when we leave it all on the court, we remember every emotion and every point when we come into contact with those grains of sand, because they represent much more than eroded fragments of rock and glass.  They are past versions of ourselves that we shed in pursuit of victory, success, and glory.  So it isn't hard to understand why there is so much passion and a cult following that surrounds this sport, and how quickly you can get pulled into it.  You can take the beach away from the player but you can't take the player away from the beach, because there is no escaping the quicksand.  

Once a beach volleyball player, always a beach volleyball player, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Follow All Beach Everything On Twitter

Yes, we now exist within the realm of the Twitterverse.  Follow for updates on beach news as well as when we add new blog posts and playing tips.

Follow us at @ABE_vball, and use the hashtag #allbeacheverything if it compels you as you tweet your beach volleyball activities

NVL Dallas Men's Final - Play of the Match

Josh Binstock puts the exclamation point on after a nice rally.  MUST watch!

ASU to add beach volleyball program in 2014

This hits home for me since I went to Arizona State, and plan on moving back to the "480" this fall.  ASU is one of many schools to add a beach program this coming school year, and it appears as beach volleyball will finally be an official championship sport in the NCAA.  Not only is this big news for my alma mater, but for the sport in general.

In addition to both ASU and U of A adding beach programs this coming school year, Arizona is the first state to have beach volleyball as an official sanctioned sport and anticipates adding  as many as 32 teams this Spring.

You can find out more details on both ASU, and beach volleyball on the high school level in the article HERE.

New Playing Tip: Switch Blocking

This playing tip goes over the simple adjustment of switching your block mid-play by reacting to where you opponent passes the ball.

Level of play: AA/Open
Featured players: Casey Patterson & Ty Loomis/Adrian Carambula & Steve Grotowski

The Golden Rule: "Listen To Your Body"

When it comes to sports injuries, or most problems in life, prevention is the best strategy.  So when it comes to nipping problems in the bud, there has been one guideline among others that has been my fail-safe.  This same rule has helped me progress through my conditioning and be in better shape in the late summer months of August and September.  Of course when we were young during our high school years (when we still had much of our cartilage in tact) it never seemed like we would reach that stage where stuff just started to hurt for no reason, or that we couldn't play when we wanted because our body just told us "NO."  But every athlete succumbs to the laws of nature, so if you want to continue to pursue your passion you gotta know when to ease off the gas, put on the brakes, and shift to a higher gear.

When it comes to volleyball, range of motion is so crucial, an the more flexible you are, the more torque and power you can produce.  With that in mind, if at any point you are unable to perform the same range of motion the day after a workout or day of playing, then put up the stop sign.  You may be tempted to power through it, but with volleyball being a non-contact sport (as long as you don't get six-packed or domed), chances are that any injury is going to result from fatigue and wear and tear.  To give you the best chances to avoid injury, let your body be as close to 100% as possible before you play or do any conditioning.  This is especially true of knee injuries, when the muscles that give support to the area around the knee start to fatigue, basic movements can now become a serious threat to sidelining you.

On the flip side, if parts of your body are feeling fine, don't let them off the hook just because others still need time to recover.  For the most part this means your upper body and your core.  Unless you are in real pain, you can still muster up a few sets of push-ups, sit-ups, leg lifts, planks, and v-sits.  Your core is so active during volleyball and when it is the first domino to fall, all others will follow suit so be sure to keep this strong.  You are only as strong as your weakest link, and for most people, they ignore their back and obliques, but if you stay on top of them everything will seem easier.  If you have shoulder injuries then you should be make a habit of doing resistance bands exercises.   

It should go without saying that once something in your training becomes easy, make it harder, or you may plateau mid-season right as you want to bring your game to the next level.  This doesn't necessarily mean adding more weight.  There is a variety of ways to challenge yourself, whether if it is less down time during circuit training, more reps, or just expanding on your simple exercises, like my personal favorite of taking the squat and making it more advanced by only using 1 leg.  Use your imagination but remember to use good form.

Just remember:  1 bad habit won't make you fail, but 1 good habit won't make you succeed either, it is the consistent work ethic or lack thereof that will determine how strong of a player you will be.  Be disciplined and develop as many good habits as you can, early and often.

Prime, Perform, Recovery

By now you've probably seen those Gatorade commercials promoting their relatively new G-Series line of products.  Gatorade wanted to expand and find their products in the hands of athletes every step of the way from the pre-game warm up, to the post-game cool down.  And as tempting as "energy gummies" and protein sports drinks were, I've decided to take a different route.  Here is my customized "G-Series", tailored to do everything that Gatorade's line promises to do without excessive sugar levels, or unnecessary additives, preservatives, or food dyes.

Prime:

There are two ways to look at this really.  There is the day before physical activity, and the immediate moments before physical activity.  Surely you know of long distance runners carbo-loading the day before a big race.  Well the same concept applies for beach volleyball, except I usually try to do equal parts complex carbs and veggies.  But this is the less interesting and less relevant version of the 'prime' aspect.

About 3 hours before I anticipate playing, I take two supplements: one 1000 mg fish oil concentrate, and 8-12 mg of astaxanthin (depending on how long I anticipate playing and how hot/strong the UV intensity is that day).  The only reason why I take the fish oil is so that it can compliment the astaxanthin, which it is fat soluble.  Astaxanthin is an uber-potent antioxidant, doubles as an anti-inflammatory, and cherries on top are that it acts as a natural sunscreen that protects you from the inside out (so no need to lace your skin with harmful chemicals), AND it has be shown to improve physical endurance through its antioxidative properties and by increasing your lipid metabolism.  Basically it tells your body to burn the fat you already have stored in your body before burning through the glucose in your muscles.

Finally, I get as much water an electrolytes into my system.  Potassium is rather easy to come by in the form of a banana or orange juice, but I usually take one 400 mg Magnesium pill just before I play.

Perform:

As athletes all we've ever known growing up is Gatorade or Powerade.  We had no reason to think that they weren't good for us because there was no other option to make us doubt, but the time has come that more and more options are making their way into the mainstream, and although I do like to see some healthier options made available like coconut water, I still prefer my own homemade sports drink.

It is always a plus to know all the ingredients that go into what you ingest and where they came from, and so my go-to has been the following.

Per 32 oz.
2-3 green tea bags
1 lemon cut into eighths, or 1 lime and 1/2 lemon cut into eighths
1.5-2 tbls of raw organic honey
a pinch of salt (about 1/8 tsp)

Only brew roughly 26 oz of green tea since you will need room to add the fruits to your container.

When it comes simple sugars, there are 3 main ones that you can and should consume:  fructose, sucrose, and glucose (you could also throw dextrose in the mix too, but it just gets converted into glucose when it enters your body), and all 3 are found in fruits and vegetables, so if you forget to make your own sports drink, be sure to check the ingredients list of whatever you buy and be wary of any sweeteners that aren't the 4 mentioned above.  The only artifical sweetener I approve of is Stevia.

Recovery:

Here comes the fun part.  Even though Gatorade Recovery may bolster 16 g of protien it also contains 40 g of sugar.  Yea, no thanks.  I've never been big on protein shakes, or any of the behemoth size containers of various protein powders.  I'm not saying they don't work, it's just not my cup of tea.

But every week you can find one large of food in my fridge:  quinoa.  As a vegetarian I don't have the luxury of getting a steak burrito at Chipotle and calling it a day.  Although all vegetables have protein in them, most of them are incomplete, but not quinoa.  Toss in some black beans, red peppers, tomatoes, onions and hot sauce and I got everything I need after a long day at the beach.  It is very filling to stave off any crazed runs for junk food, and has plenty of protein (8g per cup).  Add in the black beans and you can take in at least 12 g of protein alone in one serving.

When it comes to recovery, I'm a big advocate of loading up on nutrients to allow your body's natural healing processes to operate at its optimal levels, so  when my body is really hurting there is two things that I gotta have.  Spirulina and chlorella.  I usually take 1.5 tsp in a fruit smoothie, and just take the chlorella in pill form.  They are both complete proteins, and super dense nutritionally, but that isn't why I continue to take them.  These two algae based foods increase your body's nitric oxygen, which in turn help prevent soreness by giving your muscles plenty of oxygen to recover after going through several hours of anaerobic exercise.  There is probably more I could say about them, but I have never been sore the next day after having both, which is key in helping me continue my training an conditioning.