10 Reasons To Try Beach Volleyball
Imagine a sport where kids are in control of their own successes and failures. No coach standing over them, subbing them out at every mistake. Now, imagine that those kids, instead of running to Subway or Chipotle in between games, stay and referee the next game, working directly with tournament organizers to figure out where and when they ref or play next. Imagine a world where parents have NO ROLE, let me repeat that, NO ROLE in their sporting event – except maybe driving them there. Now imagine what kids are learning from an experience like that: Self-reliance, grit, leadership, conflict management, self-regulation, discipline, work ethic, organization, and being part of a community. All youth sports could learn something from beach volleyball!
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The top-ranked UCLA Women’s Beach Volleyball Head Coach, Jenny Johnson Jordan, knows a thing or two about volleyball. The former Bruin standout and Olympian is in her 12th season with the UCLA beach volleyball program and is one of UCLA’s newest Hall of Famers. She has won a national title as a player and as a coach, helping guide the Bruins to their first-ever NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship in 2018 and repeating as National Champs in 2019. Here are Johnson Jordan’s top reasons kids should try beach volleyball.
10 Reasons To Try Beach Volleyball:
- It’s (usually) outdoors—fresh air and vitamin D, typically at a beach, park, or school court.
- It’s an incredible workout; running and jumping in the sand is not easy. And it’s low impact since the sand ‘gives,’ unlike a court or even grass.
- Players must learn to rely on themselves, even the very young players. Coaches are not allowed during the games unless registered beforehand, primarily only for the championship tournaments.
- It develops your all-around game. Unlike indoor volleyball, where players tend to be more specialized in their skill sets, in beach volleyball, with only two athletes on the court, you develop and use a wider range of skills.
- Parents aren’t allowed to yell or coach from the sidelines. This is a widely enforced and respected rule.
- Kids take an active role in the match logistics. They typically check themselves in and figure out what court and times they play at.
- Kids referee the other matches. This not only ensures they will truly understand the rules and the game but doing some of the ‘heavy lifting’ of the day allows them to take an active role in their sport.
- They often get free stuff like sunblock and even bathing suits.
- There’s a lot of flexibility regarding when and how often you play, which is very nice for parents with many different schedules and demands. Also, they can easily switch partners up, decide to play in most tournaments at the last minute, and don’t HAVE to play in all the tournaments or any.
- Seventy colleges, not including Junior Colleges, offer beach volleyball through the different divisions, and 54 Division 1 colleges now offer Beach Volleyball scholarships; it’s a growing sport.
To try a UCLA Beach Volleyball Camp, Click here for more information.
To sign up for tournaments and learn about camps near you, check out VolleyballLife.com. It’s your one-stop shop for all things Volleyball.
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