| So you are a pretty talented college player who has a | | | | While training with various beach volleyball champions |
| lot of years of learning how to improve your setting | | | | Nina Matthies and Elaine Roque and expert coaches |
| while training on your club volleyball team, right? You | | | | like Pat Zartman and Mark Barber, I had to learn that |
| may not be the setter on your team but you're good | | | | until I got my "sand legs" (which happens when your |
| enough to run down a ball that your setter can't get to | | | | leg muscles are strengthened by consistent exercising |
| and set the ball to any of your other teammates. | | | | and playing in the sand) if I set the volleyball on the run |
| Now, you want to start playing sand volleyball and you | | | | while trying to use my hands, I was increasing my |
| see that your first challenge is to coordinate your | | | | chances of being called for a throw or a lift because I |
| upper body setting mechanics with trying to learn how | | | | hadn't developed yet, the speed or the strength |
| to run in the sand and all of a sudden you seem to be | | | | needed to have my body completely positioned |
| getting whistled for double hits and lifts every time you | | | | underneath the ball to deliver a clean overhand set. |
| touch the ball. | | | | Since developing that leg strength takes time and |
| As a competitive athlete that can initially seem rather | | | | consistent sand training, I needed to be able to perform |
| frustrating because it feels like you are just giving | | | | beach volleyball skills in a way that would allow me to |
| away easy points to the opposing team by committing | | | | gain maximum control of the ball. So, instead of |
| errors while trying to use your hands to set which of | | | | overhand setting I learned to bump set. |
| course is something you've been training to do for | | | | As soon as I got my ego out of the way and realized |
| years. | | | | that bump setting was not a cop out but was one of |
| The good news is that everybody and I mean | | | | the most important skills that almost all of the most |
| everybody including Olympians and very experienced | | | | experienced beach volleyball players used to control |
| indoor pro players who come out to learn how to play | | | | the ball, especially when the wind was a factor, the |
| in the sand experience two things a) the initial | | | | faster I was able to regain confidence in my playing |
| frustration of deciding when not to hand set and b) | | | | ability and deliver a decent set to my teammate on a |
| realizing that bump setting is not for sissies. | | | | consistent basis, even on a windy day. |
| I know this for a fact because it happened to me. | | | | |