![]() “If you dig down and take small steps, that’s how you move laterally and stay quick on the beach.” “If you dig down and take small steps, that’s how you move laterally and stay quick on the beach.” “Basically, you’re using every one of your toes as a mini shovel. “Basically, you’re using every one of your toes as a mini shovel,” Sean explains. Shoes and socks are bound to get filled with sand and weigh you down. The reason beach volleyball players go barefoot has nothing to do with eliminating sandal tan lines and everything to do with mobility. Famed women’s beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh-Jennings said that the Oakley lenses enhanced white and blue colors, making it easier for her to see the ball and sky. The newest high-performance sunglasses from brands such as Oakley have special lenses that filter out certain colors and may enhance details and depth perception. Sports sunglasses are usually the way to go.” “The designer ones are more inclined to leave a mark if you take one in the dome. “I have a little scar between my eyes from wearing the wrong type of sunglasses when I was young and dumb,” Sean warns. But be careful which pair of shades you pick. The sun can also work against you during outdoor play, which is why a baseball hat or visor and sunglasses are a must. Another variation of this is the skyball serve, best demonstrated by Italian beach player Adrian Carambula, who used his unconventional serve to flummox teams at the 2016 Rio Games. ![]() A really high ball caught in the wind is extremely hard to anticipate, making it potentially more dangerous than a hit on a windy day. You could also try bumping the ball as high as you can over the net. “The wind comes across there at a pretty awkward angle, so you definitely see a different version of volleyball while you’re there.” He suggests the standby beach- volleyball technique of using a handful of sand to sense the direction of the wind before each serve and adjusting the strength of your hit accordingly. Chicagoland native Sean recalls the difficulties of playing on North Avenue Beach in one of the windiest cities in North America. Playing outdoors means adapting to the weather, a particularly challenging thing to do on a gusty day, when the wind pushes the ball in unpredictable ways. But the players in the front row (usually the setter) can still give a secret hand signal to the server to tell them where to serve. In many intramural leagues, however, six people play, setting up in more traditional indoor- volleyball positions despite being on the beach. Pro Tip: Devise hand signals to prevent the other team from anticipating your plays. ![]() In addition to verbal cues-such as shouting “mine!” or “seagull incoming!”-Sean recommends devising hand signals “to set up your offense or to communicate when you’re further apart.” Such nonverbal cues are important, he says, to prevent the other team from anticipating your plays. This makes communication between teammates crucial. In the most traditional beach volleyball games, there are two people per side, which means there’s a lot of court to cover. Here’s what he had to say: Use a secret language ![]() Sean may have been on the US men’s indoor volleyball team that took home gold in the 2008 Beijing Games, but he also played in the premier beach league, the AVP, after college. To help beach-goers deal with beach volleyball’s specific challenges, we asked Olympic medalist Sean Rooney to share some volleyball tips with us. ![]() Yet there is something so fun, so quintessentially summer about knocking the ball around a sandy court on a warm day. Between the scorching sun, unpredictable wind, and sand everywhere ( everywhere), there’s no question that beach volleyball is a gritty sport. ![]()
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