Beach vs Indoor: what’s the difference?
· In short, almost everything!
o Beach volleyball is an entirely different sport than court. The rules are different, the strategy is different, the team makeup is different, and even the fundamental skillset of bump set spike has unique differences. It’s like checkers and chess: played on the same board, but different rules.
· Teams are made up of just 2 players.
· You’re not practicing to “make a team”. Competition happens via tournament play on weekends across the province. Psst: tournaments and competition not your thing? Totally great! You don’t need to participate in any tournaments to have an excellent summer of beach volleyball in the BVA.
· Coaching during actual gameplay/tournaments is very minimal. (Check out the tournament page a bit later this spring for more on how this works.)
· Indoor volleyball is more specific in terms of “playing a position”: setters, hitters, blockers, libero. With just 2 athletes per team, beach players need to master all of these skills. Every athlete is different, and the beach game allows each of these skills to blossom.
What can I expect at practice?
In each 90 minute practice, coaches will lead athletes through a range of skills and drills designed to progress every aspect of their beach volleyball game. All summer long, athletes can expect a mix of fundamentals review, skills, drills and repetition, strategy and gameplay scenario, match play, and workup court: all opportunities designed to deepen their understanding and joy of the game. During the first couple weeks of the season, we’ll shuffle kids to different courts as we work to get everyone playing with and against similarly skilled players. We place 10 kids (5 teams of 2) on the court and like to be fluid as athletes progress or regress during the summer season so that there’s an opportunity for more well-rounded advice and experience during their training. Your athlete will have the influence of multiple coaches through the summer, which we believe is an invaluable part of sharpening beach volleyball skills and strategy.
What is Work Up Court?
Work up court is a game-play scenario using 10 minute rounds of “king / queen of the court” style play. You win you move up a court, you lose you move down a court. With 14 courts your child will be challenged, and ending most practices with a few rounds of work-up court allows athletes to test and try the skills they’ve learned in practice. Younger athletes and new to the sport athletes will play modifications of this game.
Do we play in inclement weather? How do I know if practice is cancelled?
Beach volleyball in Canada means playing in many types of weather! We’ll play through cold nights (bring your sideline blankets, parents!), windy nights, hot nights, and even nights with light rain, but practice will never run in the case of lightning or in the case of heavy rain.
🚨 IMPORTANT: You’ll need to stay tuned into our social accounts for all weather updates! 🚨
This is the most efficient way for us to communicate about practice cancellation or delay. The links are below.
Should the forecast call for rain, Coach Dave will make a decision by 4pm on the status of practice, and will include helpful notes for being prepared each night. Often the radar can change quickly, so be sure that someone in your BVA circle is tuned into these updates. There are no official makeup dates for nights cancelled due to the weather, but we do try our best to offer extra playing time through the summer where we can, and will work to get missed practices made up on other nights of play through the summer.
FACEBOOK FOLLOW HERE INSTAGRAM FOLLOW HERE
My partner is missing practice. Should I still come out?
Yes! We’ll get you paired up appropriately for any practice that your partner can’t make. Solo athletes may even play with a coach.
What should I bring to practice? What should I wear?
Wear comfortable athletic clothing that suits the weather! We always recommend dressing in layers, and love seeing those Zephyr t-shirts out there! You’ll be playing in bare feet, so feel free to show up in your flip flops. Beach volleyball is about expressing your own style, not the club’s. Let the kid be the kid!
Be sure to pack the following each week:
· Sunscreen
· Sunglasses
· Reusable water bottle
· Change of clothing and towel for the car ride home
· Your good attitude :)
· Parents: bring a lawn chair!
Does the parent need to stay at practice?
Totally your choice! We really encourage an active lifestyle for you too, parents :) . The North London Athletic Fields are a great place to go for a nice walk or bike ride while your child is on the courts. You of course can chill on the sidelines in a comfy beach chair to watch your athlete play! Once in a while we even have parents doing tailgate pizza nights. It’s a nice break from gymnasiums.
Who are the Zephyr coaches?
We hire players as coaches, including some of the highest skilled players in the city, players with professional playing experience (beach + indoor) across North America and Europe, University/College ballers, good athletes who’ve been a part of the BVA for multiple seasons, and the occasional scholar who just loves the game. Many of these folks are currently playing, bringing relevance and energy to our practices. Learning from young adults who have been players themselves is so valuable for the development of your athlete’s beach game. Really importantly: we hire coaches that we believe will be positive role models for your child.
Our coaching philosophy is more about “Let me show you how to do it” vs. “I’ll tell you how to do it”.