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!