This weekend, at just 25 and 24 years old, Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil will officially become the youngest team in USA Volleyball history to compete in an Olympic Games. They will do so after a miraculous come-from-behind run that saw them win two gold medals in the final two events of the Olympic qualification process. They will do so after passing the GOAT, Kerri Walsh Jennings.

And in doing so, they will become the faces young beach volleyball players look to as their newest role models, as Claes and Sponcil once did to Walsh Jennings and Misty May Treanor and April Ross, who is also competing in the Tokyo Olympic Games.

It begs the question: How did Claes and Sponcil become so good, so fast? How did they make the jump from college – Claes at USC, Sponcil at UCLA – to Olympians in a matter of, in Sponcil’s case, two years?

There is no simple answer, but Claes shed some light on her preparation process throughout the Olympic qualification period, and the...

Coach Donny Hui just interviewed beach volleyball pro Mark Burik on YouTube show, THE DIG.  Mark is a professional beach volleyball player (AVP and FIVB World Tours), an athletic performance trainer, entrepreneur, and beach volleyball coach, as founder of Better at Beach Volleyball.

“Learn about Mark’s story of going from a serious baseball player, to picking up volleyball in college on a club team, to walking onto a Division 1 program, to becoming a professional volleyball player,” Coach Donny says. “Mark provides insights into his thought processes and work ethic that will inspire you to achieve your own goals!  Feel free to share this video with your friends to inspire them as well.”

Take it to the next level: Learn about our 7-day beach volleyball training camps.

We also have awesome online training tools and eBooks to elevate your game into greatness.

Transcript of The Dig #6 – Coach Donny’s interview with Mark...

My name is Brandon Joyner. I'm from Chester Virginia and I've been coaching for VolleyCamp Hermosa since October of 2018.

I started playing when I was a junior in high school. I then went to George Mason University after that I was lucky enough to go play professionally overseas for two seasons, and switched over to beach volleyball where I played on the NVL for five years. Now I'm currently still playing on the AVP.

I got connected with VolleyCamp Hermosa by knowing Mark in college. The last couple years I've been hinting that I wanted to come out and finally, he gave me the push and the okay, and now that I'm out here I'm very excited to be working with him again.

I like coaching for VolleyCamp Hermosa because it really does feel like a family. I come out here every single day and I know that I'm going to recognize at least one person at class. It really is a warm environment that every single time, I have to come down to coach where I am excited to go.

I love coaching...