Beach and indoor volleyball are 2 different sports yet they both have a lot of similarities. These mainly include the basic moves such as serving, passing, digging, bumping, spiking as well as many others …
So, if you are wondering whether beach volleyball can help with your indoor skills, then the answer is YES. It will help your individual skills a lot since beach volleyball only involves 2 players, so you will have to touch the ball a lot and get to sharpen those basic skills.
However, it won’t be as helpful when it comes the collective part, since indoor volleyball involves 6 players. So, beach volley won’t be enough to develop those team reflexes.
In this article I breakdown how you can get the most out of sand volleyball to effectively help your indoor skills.
How can beach volleyball help with indoor volleyball?
Indoor volleyball players can benefit from playing beach volleyball in several ways. They can benefit mainly from the sand…
Indeed, any move that is performed in the sand costs additional energy. The sand adds some degree of resistance for every single move, so it is beneficial for your physical attributes.
Beach volleyball can also help the player with basic coordination …
If you are struggling with coordination, so this can be practiced effectively practiced because there are only 2 people on each team, and it is easier to navigate the court. This will help get you ready to cooperate with more teammates in the indoor the court.
There are few more benefits that can be included such as foot work, better and more precise serves, vertical jumping and others …
Quick Tip: If you want to learn more about these sand volleyball key skills, I highly invite you to have a look at this helpful resource.
Is beach volleyball harder than indoor volleyball?
This depends on you and what things you are pretty much struggling with …
Indeed, Indoor volleyball has a large court (18mx9m), twelve players, six players on each team, with the possibility of a few replacements during a game. It also has balls made out of composite materials that are meant for soft and smooth surfaces. Maybe the most crucial thing is the possibility of live coaching during a game.
Beach volleyball has a slightly smaller court (16mx8m), four players, two on each side, with no possibility of replacements during a game, yes you have to play from start to finish. Unlike indoor volleyball, beach volleyball has composite balls that are stitched together for better surface tension on the sand. The thing where beach volleyball is distinct from indoor volleyball is the coaching during a game. A coach is required to sit in the public, that is to be a spectator, live coaching is forbidden.
So, if you are the kind of person who need live coaching and several elements in your team to cooperate with and might lack somewhat the physicality to play the whole game. Then, beach volleyball would probably be harder for you.
Should indoor volleyball players train in the sand?
Yes they should! In fact many coaches are starting to utilize sand as a training method.
Indeed, Sand restricts your movement which pushes you to yield more energy. This will definitely help your agility and stamina.
In other words, if you are not agile enough in sand you will always be a step behind when it comes to saving your team from conceding points or surprise the opponent with a quick attack.
Also for players who have issues with vertical jumps, they can well help this by consistently practicing in in the sand. You don’t really have to practice in a sand volley game, you might just want to practice it as a standalone drill.
Side Note: By the way, if you find yourself always a little behind when it comes to vertical jumping in an indoor court, then consider having a volleyball shoe with a taller sole, this should help quite a bit. For example, these quality volley shoes will help you in this regard.
Drills indoor volleyball players should focus on in the sand.
Block hitter on box
You may know this practice from the indoors, it is designed to help you with your blocking technique.
The block hitter on box is performed so that one player or a coach stands on a box on one side of the net, while the player stands on the other side.
The person on the box needs to toss the ball and then perform a hit move, while you, the player practicing attempt to block the shot.
This exercise will help you with your foot work and precision.
Low Net jumping
Low net jumping is a solo exercise that helps you with your jumps. If you are trying to get yourself to jump higher and faster, this drill will definitely help you with that.
You will start by lowering the net to a height that you can jump easily to, gradually working your way to a greater height, with the ultimate goal of reaching the maximum height of the net, with the ability to jump much higher than before.
The goal of this exercise is to help your blocking and jumping abilities while simultaneously helping you with your explosiveness.
Simulate an actual Game
You will stand on one side of the net and receive the balls your teammates throw at you. The goal is to train both sides.
You will need to practice your receives while your teammates practice their serves. When all teammates have served their balls you go to the serving group, while one of the servers goes to your place and starts practicing receives.
You can learn more on how do beach volleyball players stay in top shape …
Volleyball positions to benefit the most from the sand.
In general all volleyball positions can benefit from playing beach volleyball, however some can benefit even more …
Blocker
The blockers can benefit the most since they are the closest to the net and have the hard task of blocking some of the fastest and strongest balls the opposite team can throw. They can also benefit in the terms of high and explosive jumps.
Setter
This position crucial and can benefit from the additional resistance the sand provides. Sand can make them even more agile and more light footed, which is necessary for a good serve.
Final Thoughts …
I highly invite you to check with your coach or a more experienced teammate to help you do an overall evaluation of your basic volleyball skills.
Then try to identify 2 or 3 skills that you believe are the ones where you are lacking the most!
And instead of practicing those skills in a regular court, practice them in the sand for couple of weeks …
Go back to the court and do another skill check and you should notice a significant improvement!
Finally, I highly encourage you to check this post on how you can become a pro sand volleyball player …