Switching From the Six-Player Game to the Two-Player Beach Game

It's a challenge faced by more and more of the best young volleyball players every year after they graduate from college or finish their NCAA eligibility. They want to continue playing volleyball, but they are not sure how to do it.

If they don't make the United States National Team, or choose not to try out for that team, they still have a couple of choices. They can either try to find a professional team in another country or they can try and make the transition from the indoor, six-player game they've been playing for years, to the two-player beach game they've watched grow into one of the most popular professional sports in the last 10 years.

If they decide to try the two-player game, there is much to learn. For years, they have probably only played indoors on hardwood floors, running sophisticated offenses with swing hits, slides, quicksets, backsets, and X-plays, while trying to cover defensive angles behind single and double blocks with five teammates backing them up.

In the two-player game, it will be just them and a partner running through some very deep sand while covering the same amount of court space. And although those are just two of the adjustments between the six-person indoor game and the two-person beach game, they are not necessarily the most important.

"I think the biggest adjustment is that the indoor game is becoming so specialized and on the beach you have to be able to do every skill," says Liz Masakayan, one of the top ranked players on the Evian Women's Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. "And the one skill that really stands out on the beach is setting. If you can't hand set, you better have great ball control. Setting is definitely one of the hardest transitions to make."

Holly McPeak, the Most Valuable Player and Top Defensive Player on the Evian Tour for the last two seasons, agrees. "Both the indoor game and the outdoor game requires great ball control," she says. "Especially on the beach. You really need to be able to control the ball. You need to stay focused all the time."

Ball control also plays an important part in the hitting adjustments players have to make in the beach game, and it begins with the pass to your partner.

"On the beach, if you pass poor, you're still going to get the set, but it might not be a good one," says 11-year beach veteran, Angela Rock. "If you make a bad pass, you will also be causing your own misery so to speak."

"Shots become important on the beach and that's where ball control is important too," McPeak adds. "You need to hit a perfect cut shot, a short shot, a deep shot. If you have great shots, you put the other team on the defensive. It's important, especially after a long, hard rally."

Another skill that is becoming more important to the game is serving. "On the beach, serving is definitely a weapon," says Rock,who has arguably the best jump serve on the beach. "It also helps having a little breeze going through the court, plus, there are more holes to go for with only two people on the other side of the court."

However, in some cases, a hard, jump serve is not always needed. "A floater (serve), on some levels, is still the best serve," says McPeak. "In the international game, with the type of ball they use, the floater is still the hardest serve to pass. It's much easier to pass a jump serve."

Training is another big factor in the transition from the indoor game to the beach game. You have to work hard and give 100% all of the time, not only during matches, but also in practice and in the weight room.

"You have to be in much better shape to play on the beach, both aerobically and anaerobically," says Masakayan. "You need the combination of endurance and power. Indoors, your body's joints really get pounded. On the beach, while the sand is more forgiving on your body, it's also harder on the muscles. You need the endurance and power of your muscles to cover the entire court with only two people."

Masakayan is one player who knows the importance of good training. Especially in the last few years as she has worked to recover from two serious knee injuries, a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and a broken knee cap. But the hard work paid off, as she won three Evian Tour stops in 1995 with with Karolyn Kirby, including two grand slam events, the Shootout and the U.S. Open. Masakayan also earned the 1995 Judy Bellomo Most Inspirational Player Award for her great recovery and return to the sport.

Krista Blomquist, a seven year Evian Tour veteran who last season won the tour's Most Improved Player award, and who also has recovered from ACL knee surgery, agrees that hard work is one of the keys to success on the beach. "Training for the beach is more comprehensive, she says. "You have to be explosive, quick, and still have the endurance to get through a whole tournament. Training for the two-player game entails not just showing up for practice. You have to be in a lot better shape for the beach and have a lot more stamina."

It may look like a fun and glamorous sport as you watch it on television, but the players that play beach volleyball are some of the best athletes you will find in any sport. Playing the game requires a lot of hard work, discipline, and dedication. You not only need to have all of the playing skills, but you must also be in great shape to have the strength and endurance to play through a two or three day tournament, 20 to 25 times a year, sometimes in 100-degree heat.

How challenging is the two-player beach game? Masakayan sums it up the best. "I've played a lot of sports in my life," she says. "But the beach game is definitely the most challenging one I've ever played."