If you're interested in this blog on beach volleyball, and how to play defense in beach volleyball, you may be interested in our serving course, which, of course, is the first line of defense in beach volleyball. It will have you serving more accurately, with more power, in just a few weeks! We'd also love to have you drop by one -- or more -- of our beach volleyball classes in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, or anywhere in the South Bay!

If you are to peruse the best beach volleyball teams of all time -- Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor, Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos, Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal, to name a few -- you'll find a number of common traits. 

While all of them could side out at a world-class level, that is not necessarily the differentiator between them and the rest of the world. Most teams at the top of the AVP and FIVB...

We now have 7...

If you've ever watched a beach volleyball match with someone who doesn't play beach volleyball at a decently high level, you'll inevitably be asked the question: What do those numbers mean? 

By "numbers," we are referencing what the blocker at the net is signaling to the defender. Typically, these signals could be a one, two, three, four, fist or five, or "shaka." 

To the uninitiated beach volleyball player, this is complete gibberish. Allow us to translate. 

Before we begin, let us note: The signal is for the...

If you're interested in this blog on beach volleyball serve receive and passing, you may want to take a look at our passing and serve receive course! And, now that the beaches are open again, we'd love to have you drop by one -- or more -- of our beach volleyball classes in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, or anywhere in the South Bay!

Mastering the volleyball pass is crucial if you want to get better at playing beach volleyball. As you know, there are two types of passes in volleyball: the forearm pass (also known as the underhand pass or the bump) and the overhead pass (great for indoor volleyball players but nearly useless for beach volleyball).

Since we’re talking about serve receive for beach volleyball, this guide will focus on the forearm pass. If you play indoor volleyball, the concepts still 100% apply to you, but you have an extra weapon: your hands!

Beach volleyball players should only use their forearm passing platforms...

Have you ever tried to move in the sand? Chances are that you have -- you wouldn't be reading this blog on beach volleyball if you haven't. So, because you know how difficult it is to move, you know, then, how imperative it is to be in the right spot -- you can't depend on blazing speed in the deep sands of Hermosa Beach or Manhattan Beach. 

Your positioning has to be on point. 

This goes for all aspects and positions in beach volleyball. If you're a defender, you need to be positioned correctly, with the proper balance, if...

The following video is a video analysis that Mark had done with one of his players. Our video analysis sessions are designed to have professional AVP athletes/coaches sit down with our players and they go through 45 minutes of tape review. Our coaches look at the player’s game film, the techniques and what decisions the player makes in a game. Watch a sample of Mark’s video analysis in action.

Make sure to subscribe to Mark’s YouTube channel and social media accounts if you want to see more of these.

Our Complete Serve Receive course starts at the bottom and takes you all the way to the top. Whether you are a true beginner, or you've been playing for decades, this course will offer you a chance to build and re-build your basics and take the next jump. Take the time to follow the course and do the drills. We guarantee you are going to Get Better at Beach! https://www.betteratbeach.com/offers/LYbwq3yL

There is a common yet underrated skill that is involved in pretty much every sport you can think of -- basketball, soccer, baseball, beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, football, hockey, you get the point. 

It's juking. 

Think about it: Basketball players feint one way, only to go the next -- it's the most basic move, the crossover. Soccer players live off a shifty juke. Baseball players stealing use jukes to fake out the pitcher. Barry Sanders was the King of the Juke during his heydey with the Lions (do yourself a...

Beach volleyball is an all-encompassing game. When we talk to our students at Better at Beach, sometimes we cover everything -- Beach Volleyball 101 style. In this call with Joe L., AVP Professional beach volleyball player Mark Burik discusses topics A-Z in the game, from good arm swing mechanics to defensive positioning to attack timing. 

It's one of the many products and services we offer here at Better at Beach, and if you'd like to schedule a call with Mark or one of our professional volleyball players, check us out with a 30-minute phone call and film review. We can go over any topic, skill, or question you have -- as we do with Joe in the video below.

We're firm believers that aside from physically practicing and being on the beach, there is nothing that can help your development in beach volleyball as studying your own game from practice and match film. I challenge you to think of a single sport where teams at the highest level don't watch hundreds of hours of...

It's a mental game, beach volleyball defense. Doesn't matter if you're playing in Hermosa Beach or Austin, Manhattan Beach or New York City, San Jose or the South Bay. It is, as a popular saying goes, "chess, not checkers."

Which is why we wanted to show you this video. Austrian Olympian Alex Huber is playing BetteratBeach founder and CEO Mark Burik at the p1440 event in San Jose, California. 

One play, in particular, stood out to us. 

Huber, a ninja of a beach volleyball defender, runs a four. If you're new to beach...

You guys asked, and we're going to deliver: You wanted to hear more about defense in beach volleyball, so that's what we're going to cover today. 

The video below is our match -- Mark Burik and Ian Satterfield -- vs. Sean Rosenthal and Chase Budinger at AVP San Francisco. One of the reasons that this video will be valuable to you is that it's an AVP professional beach volleyball match, and you can learn just about anything you'd want by watching AVP volleyball. The second, and most important, reason, is because is features Sean...