Huntington Beach AVP Wrap Up

The Huntington Beach AVP tournament last weekend was an awesome experience both from a player and a fan standpoint. Nothing like a pro beach volleyball event at a natural beach to make the summer more enjoyable…I wish more events were produced on natural beaches! The fans tend to know the game of beach volleyball more, they follow the players throughout the season and aren’t shy about interacting with the players, refs and other fans…thanks to the high-touch environment that allows fans to do so in beach volleyball – something unique to the sport. Natural beaches also capture new fans because they can see first-hand what the lifestyle is like, and seeing well conditioned athletes do their thing half-naked doesn’t hurt either.

The qualifier was held on Thursday morning just south of the pier. On Wednesday night, we had four players staying at our house in Redondo Beach and had a big dinner that night to fuel up on some good food. I had BBQ chicken, my famous salad (with home-made dressing), cornbread muffins and cous cous on the menu. I love to cook and it’s always entertaining when you get a handful of volleyball players together so this was a fun evening. That night however, I couldn’t sleep a wink because I was so excited to play the next day. I also had virtually no appetite in the morning…not normal for me but it happens sometimes when I’m competing in a big tournament. It’s a good thing I take such good care of my body during the week so I can withstand such mental/physical curve balls come tournament time.

My partner, Aaron Wexler and I had a first round match against a team that neither of us knew. We were the higher seed (#23) but in beach volleyball that can often times be thrown out the window as there are so many good players these days and anyone is capable of getting hot at any time. This was not the case however as we proceeded to dismantle our opponents with a 21-9, 21-9 victory. We had great teamwork and served tough the entire match which led to several blocks and transition kills from digs. Although we should win this match 10 times out of 10, I liked how we handled ourselves in this “should win” game. I remember Karch never letting up on an opponent no matter how bad they may be playing. Win and move on is the mantra…and that is what we did.

The only practice time we had together going into the tournament was playing a couple of matches against another qualifier team on Tuesday morning. This was pretty much our sole opportunity to get a good feel for one another and discuss some volleyball particulars. Who will play what side?, what will we do in an over on two situation?, etc. First we played “Hawaiian Style” where we switched sides straight across the net as opposed to staying on the left or right side respectively the whole match. We figured out that we’d be best suited with me playing the left and Aaron on the right side. Also, since Aaron is 6′ and I’m 6’5″, I’d be doing all of the blocking. As much as I’ve enjoyed playing with a “like” partner in the past that I could switch up blocking duties with at any time, I like specializing my skills as the blocker on the team even better. You can really control a game from the net, and the best teams do just that. I’m even finding myself daydream-blocking where I’ll just be thinking of being at the net and reacting to my opponents offensive attack…and swatting it back of course.

When I played AVP volleyball in the big court days it made more sense to have two able-bodied players that were well-rounded enough to block as well as play defense. Only recently has the trend been geared more towards players specializing in their position. Now that I’ve embraced this, I’m motivated to become the best blocker I can be and have adjusted my training accordingly to improve things like core strength, recovery time and footwork at the net. My favorite training tool is still the TRX Suspension Trainer, a bodyweight-based fitness tool that improves strength and athleticism through whole-body, multi-joint exercises that demand high levels of core engagement, balance and coordination.

In our second round match we went up against a solid team that was the number 10 seed in the qualifier tournament, AJ Mihalic and Kevin McColloch. These guys won an AVP Young Guns tournament a week or two before this tournament against a stacked field…so they were on their game. I started off the match with a stuff block on McColloch but didn’t have as many blocks throughout the match as I should have. AJ in particular was driving me crazy with his line hits/shots. He was selling the crosscourt hit pretty well and always seemed to find a hole in my line. They played steady volleyball and had a sound sideout game going against us. Aaron played great defense behind me and maintained a great positive attitude each and every point. We ended up losing the match in two games and a score of 16-21, 17-21.

We felt like we were right there with them for most of the match but they were indeed playing that much better than we were. I’m not shaken or disappointed in the least from this loss. In fact, I look forward to playing them (or anyone that I ever lose to) again soon to see if we can improve on that performance. It’s an opportunity to learn both individually and as a team from what worked well and what didn’t, and to make the necessary adjustments to be better next time out.

Resuming Tournament Play

I’ve resumed competition in beach volleyball tournaments and I have to say, my juices are bubbling!

The physical and mental challenge of competition brings out the best in me…from physical exertion and effort to fair play and sportsmanship. I grew up playing a lot of golf and tennis (the gentleman’s game) where I was exposed to mentors who taught me about playing with integrity and courtesy. These values are still at the core of my athletic-spirit and enable me to always hang my head high, regardless of the outcome.

My mental mantra, or mission statement entering any match is to have fun and be the best partner I can be (meaning communicate, hustle and motivate to the best of my ability)…something inspired by words spoken to the partners of the AVP’s recently passed and beloved Mike Whitmarsh (96′ Olympic Silver Medalist) – “We win as a team and lose as a team. Let’s have fun and leave it all on the court.”

My goal however in any tournament is to place 3rd or better…to be in contention to win!

Last weekend I played in the California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) sanctioned event, Marine Street Open-level tournament in Manhattan Beach, CA. An Open-level tournament means that anyone can enter, and they draw the best players. While I used to carry a “AAA” rating on the CBVA, the highest rating an amateur can achieve, it’s been years since I’ve competed in their tournaments so I’m currently an unrated player. Since you can play in tournaments at or above your ranking I’m elligible to play in any tournament of choice – from unrated to AAA/Open-level tournaments.

I played with my friend Arqum Iqbal, a solid player with a great attitude who can quietly kill you on the court with his game. It had been two weeks since the last time I played volleyball – something I can’t help because of the “on the road” lifestyle my wife and I lead. Fortunately, the beach game favors players seasoned with experience and even though I’d like to have more sand-time in my training regimen, I’m still able to play well from being in shape and from playing the game for 20 years.

This was a double-elimination tournament. We won our first match, then lost our next two (including a loss to the eventual winners) to place 9th in the tournament. I fell short of my 3rd place or better goal but have several positive take-aways from our play:

• We stayed positive at all times, even while down. While a positive attitude is not a guarantee you will win, a negative attitude almost always results in a loss!
• My fundamentals were solid – including passing, setting, blocking and ability to sideout consistently
• I was physically fit, recovering well after each point and in shape enough to play all day at a high-level
• I was able to mentaly channel energy effectively and “gear-up” for each and every point
• Despite being a primarily left-side player, I played on the right-side and performed just as well – so now I’m confident that I would be able to play either side which opens my partner options for the future

Some things I’ll look to improve upon include:

• Utilizing the Jump Serve more often to place pressure on our opponents
• Serving and Blocking, especially when I’m having success against a player(s)
• Covering my hitter…getting low after setting my partner to pick up any deflected/blocked balls

Beach Volleyball is a physically gruelling sport and players are constantly striving to improve their game, in all aspects – conditioning, fundamentals, ball control, defense, shot accuracy, strategy, dealing with the elements, etc. This sport just never gets boring…and it constantly offers new challenges for players/coaches to confront and overcome. Fortunately for beach volleyball fans and casual spectators alike, they can see how spectacular and sophisticated this sport has become by watching it first-hand on the AVP Tour. Make sure to check it out if and when it comes to your part of town!

My physical training leading up to the tournament included yoga, abdominal work, cardio sessions on the elliptical trainer (at 9,000 ft. elevation in Mammoth Lakes) and workouts with TRX, a bodyweight-based fitness tool that I travel with. If bodyweight-based training doesn’t sound like it can be as tough as a gym-based workout you’re sorely mistaken! The TRX allows me to train in a single-station environment at low or high levels of resistance or intensity…and I tend to push myself pretty hard in order to gain and maintain strength, balance and coordination – all good things for improving athleticism, something beach volleyball is all about!

Come back next week to see how I did in the forthcoming CBVA A-level tournament at Ocean Park, Santa Monica…and wish me luck!

As always, please feel free to comment on this Blog or share something about your own personal comeback – whether it’s sports related or not. Thanks!