Majo Orellana (00:00:00):
I never stopped fighting for what I wanted. I've never have, and I never will. What I stopped doing is forcing because sometimes, like if I didn't force it, I felt I was not doing enough ever, or I felt that I was not caring enough or I don't know, like something. So it was more about allowing myself to that having fun is okay. You know, feeling peace is okay. I don't have to be in the grind all the time, but I'm still giving my all. So just recognizing that when it's like I'm fighting for this that I really want, and when it's when I'm forcing it and it's not right for me,
Mark Burik (00:00:40):
Hello everybody and welcome to the Better at Beach Volleyball Podcast. My name is Mark Burik and today we have a very special guest for you. But before we get to that, just have a few announcements. Today is Wednesday, June 22nd. That's the day that we're filming. We just released our second set of dates for camps coming up this fall. If you don't know about our camps there, seven day beach volleyball training vacations where you just get to connect with new friends, current pro players, amazing coaches, and you get to party and play volleyball and train. I think we separate ourselves in the idea that, uh, we really, really pride ourselves in helping you become a better player and a better coach through our camps and clinics. If you ever want us to come to your hometown for a clinic, please reach out, shoot an email to [email protected].
(00:01:35):
Uh, we can send our coaches to you for a coaching or a player's clinic, and we have loads of online resources, online courses for passing, setting, hitting arm swing. We have a tremendous 60 day max vertical workout program if you ever want to upgrade your body and your efficiency in terms of physical fitness. And we have other resources for coaches as well, such as 53 practice plans. But all of that is available and betteratbeach.com. Should you ever want to check it out. We are here to help you get better at each onto today's show. She has a USA volleyball and F I V B coaching certifications. She is a certified lecturer for the International Olympic Academy and Women in Sports Organization, as well as a FAIRPLAY and sport management company for the Guatemalan Olympic Committee. She's an entrepreneur. She started a number of programs and she founded the first ever private beach volleyball club in Central America, which is wild.
(00:02:41):
She's also the founder of Digit, where she'd coached beach volleyball players from Central America. And from 2017 through 2018, she was the director of Coast Beach Volleyball Club and she qualified for the F I B World Championships in the Hague Netherlands in 2015, becoming the first Guatemalan team to participate in the world championships. She is currently the associate head coach at T C U and she has helped guide the horn frogs to end of season rankings in all three seasons. 2019, 2020, and 2021, all top 20 rankings. She has helped orchestrate the rise of the program to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 2021, and she was named the A B C Assistant Coach of the Year in that process. Laundry list. Mouthful, to get through your list of accomplishments. Majo Orellana, my friend, my competitor, my fellow travel mate. What's up?
Majo Orellana (00:03:51):
Hello, Mark. I'm so excited to be in your podcast and to see you again. It's been a while since we were like our ventures in Noe. I don't even remember when that was, but that was a while ago. So super happy to see you.
Mark Burik (00:04:04):
Do you miss playing on Noe?
Majo Orellana (00:04:07):
Uh, yes and no. You know, , it was so fun, but
Mark Burik (00:04:11):
So fun.
Majo Orellana (00:04:12):
It was, sometimes it was a struggle so that, you know, I don't miss that, but I for sure miss the people that we had so much fun and learned so much about different cultures and the game and everything and just how we all were trying to make a living out of beach volleyball. So, I don't know, it was just a great experience for sure.
Mark Burik (00:04:33):
So you were born in Guatemala, right? Mm-hmm. . And then when did you move to the us?
Majo Orellana (00:04:38):
I moved to the US nine years ago, so I moved in June, 2013.
Mark Burik (00:04:45):
How is your English? So perfect.
Majo Orellana (00:04:47):
I am super grateful that my parents, you know, like cared a lot about our education and me and my sisters went to an American school. So basically you graduate from like two degrees, you know, one in Spanish, one in English, so high school and Spanish. So high school and English, and in Spanish. So since I was in preschool instead of, you know, like how here you have just like Spanish class, right? We had half day of Spanish, half day of English. So I got to take math in English and Spanish. I got to get to take like history, like our history plus American history, you know, literature in Spanish plus or English literatures and stuff like that. So grammar and Spanish, grammar and English, Spanish, like, so I got like everything I had in Spanish. I took it in English as well. So that helped me a lot. And I think just moving here and just coaching and making sure that I was able to communicate the best I could in practicing it just got better and better. And I still like, you know, sometimes I say things that I feel like people don't understand, but you know, I, I do my best.
Mark Burik (00:05:56):
Nice. I love hearing about those, like the bilingual schools, or not even bilingual schools, but when you hear of, uh, like an American school just placed in another country or just an English speaking school, I know that those exist here in the US for other languages. I've never been able to be a part of one, but I, I, you know, I, I do have a little app, you know, duo lingo and that , my wife is practicing her Spanish and uh, I'll, I'll keep up. So that was being able to speak a little bit of Spanish was so valuable on the north were,
Majo Orellana (00:06:29):
Yeah. Mm-hmm. .
Mark Burik (00:06:31):
Oh man.
Majo Orellana (00:06:32):
Yeah, because you have so many, like mostly, you know, the refs, the tournament director, you know, because back when we used to go it was a right, like, it was not like, now it's a Canadian, so it's probably easier. But yeah, I was, you know, most of the time I was translator for a lot of the American Canadian teams, you know, even I remember like Kendra one time, she had like a condition in her skin and she couldn't play without like being all covered and where in Mexico was so hot and they, they didn't want to let her play, so we needed to explain the whole condition. So yeah, it was, yeah, a lot of stories of that. That's wild. Yeah.
Mark Burik (00:07:14):
How long since you been in a tournament?
Majo Orellana (00:07:16):
Last year I played was 2016, if I'm not mistaken.
Mark Burik (00:07:21):
So my last year doing like Noga heavily. Was your, probably your last year doing competing?
Majo Orellana (00:07:28):
Yes.
Mark Burik (00:07:28):
What's the transition like going from playing to no longer playing or competing? Do you feel like life opened up for you or do you feel like you had to cut a big slice of it out?
Majo Orellana (00:07:42):
I think like, you know, like as a player, as a competitor, as an athlete, you know, you have all those expectations, right? About where are you going, what is supposed to look like, you know, like your timeline and all that stuff. And yeah, sometimes things go great, Sometimes things go terrible, right? mm-hmm. . And I just think, like, I went through a process, self discovery for a whole year. I worked with a life coach and I was working a lot on like trying to qualify for, you know, for Tokyo that time. And was it Tokyo? No, it was real. I, I don't know. I don't know, I don't remember, but it was Olympics Olympic process, right? Olympic cycle. So I was like trying to focus on that, but at the same time working on me on a lot of things that I needed to kinda like self-worth and kind of having more faith and surrendering to things that I couldn't control.
(00:08:38):
So I think like I was training really hard, then I got injured, I heard my shoulder, like one of the many injuries I've had, you know, I tore my labor on my left, I was ambidextrous. So that kind of, yeah. Now then I was just an average, a high four undersized for like nothing special. So I think, and also you knowing Guatemala is always hard, you know, to find a partner, this and that. And it was just a constant struggle. And, and I was working too a lot at like running B12 o club, Not easy. There's a lot of things. So I think by the time that I realized that I was like being really good and, and you know, like, and coaching and working with kids and like all this stuff like happened, you know, and then like opportunities showed up to work on different schools that I, you know, had some conversations and I was, I think I was in a good head space where I could really intuitively know what was right for me and what was the right timing of things, right? Yeah. So just, it was a year that I just surrendered to the things that were good for me and just let it play its curse and just give all in to the things that they felt. Right. And it
Mark Burik (00:09:55):
Was, did they feel right or did they feel easy and like fitting? Cause I think sometimes in life, people, Yeah, you know, I'm sure that the opportunities to coach at schools and to work for different people in start clubs and start companies, I'm sure those opportunities were always there. And maybe you just weren't listening or you would've had to fit it into whatever you had. But I think sometimes in life we're at a moment where like something fits perfectly, but we just push it aside and we keep going. You know, you ignore it so that you can do what you think or what you want to do. So for you, did it fit? Was it just the right time? Did you used the word surrender, which I think is pretty interesting?
Majo Orellana (00:10:41):
I think it was ready, like I was ready, like I was in the right head space that I knew what I was worth. You know, I knew that I had the say like the experience and I knew that I was prepared, right? And I knew that if I wasn't prepared, I knew that I could, you know, like the opportunities would present for me to be prepared or to learn and or the right people. So I just think like everything kind of aligned, but it was because I let it happen most of the time. Like you're so trapped into how things should look or how people should be, instead of creating a space where people can be there themselves and people can, you know, provide you what they can provide you and what they can give you, how they can love you, and how they can't, I don't know, help you to be better instead of always trying to for it to be your way. And I think that helped, you know, for sure. Yeah. I don't know if you, you know, kind of like, understand what I'm trying to say.
Mark Burik (00:11:43):
Well, how, how do you weigh that against the friction? Because the heroes, you know, in our life are that we look at, they go against the grain against the flow of what's happening to them. And they stand in the face of, you know, t out, all pressure, everything that that's going wrong for them. And then they somehow turn the course. You know, I think some heroes end up in a position because that's what they were given, like in some movies. But how do you measure surrendering to what's being given you and, and what, you know, maybe God or the universe or energies are sending you versus like, No, I have to fight against this now because I know what's right for me.
Majo Orellana (00:12:24):
Yeah, I totally understand what you're saying and I agree a hundred percent. The thing is like, there's two things that are very different. I never stopped fighting for what I wanted. I've never have and I never will. What I stopped doing is forcing, you know? So that was what I kind of like what the difference of one thing and another, because sometimes like if I didn't force it, I felt I was not doing enough ever, or I felt that I was not caring enough or I don't know, like something. So it was more about allowing myself to that having fun is okay, you know, feeling peace is okay. I don't have to be in the grind all the time, but I'm still giving my all, you know, I'm still giving my all. So just recognizing that awareness, like I'm fighting for this that I really want, and when is when I'm forcing it and it's not right for me.
Mark Burik (00:13:19):
Have you used that time, those transitions with your current players to directly translate any specific lessons, you know, to guide them?
Majo Orellana (00:13:30):
Yeah, that's one of the beauties of my job. I get to do that every day and I love it. And I think it's one of the, my whys, you know, that I'm there for those girls, not only for volleyball, but for life. You know, just for me, like I was super clear on what my, why it was my, what my purpose was long time ago, even before I got here to the United States. I'm like, I just wanted to support youth to have better opportunities throughout sport, right? And to be better people and to be better leaders of a community, better leaders of a family, of a team. Like whatever it is, you know, just, and I just feel that I'm on the spot every day with a bunch of girls that I love and that I care for more than a player, right? So it is like I have to be, one of the, probably the hardest things as a collegiate coach is for you to really take care of yourself, you know, of your body, your health and your mind, and make sure that you are well rested, your well.
(00:14:33):
You know, like even if you're working a lot like not burnt out or stuff like that, so you can really be there for them. Because if not, you know, like the stress can just overwhelm you. And just the competitiveness, which, you know, I'm still super competitive, but at the same time, you know, is very, very important for me and for Hector that the girls are, feel, loved, feel, you know, feel that they can't communicate with us. That they have a safe space for them to share what they're going through and stuff like that. So yeah. Every day.
Mark Burik (00:15:07):
How do you guys do that? Do you do it with open meetings, one-on-one meetings or just a constant repetition of we're here for you when you guys need it? Cause I think a lot of maybe club directors and juniors coaches and even fellow NCAA coaches, you know, with like the rules and, and guidelines of sometimes you absolutely cannot have communication with people or there are certain barriers. So how do you guys specifically let your players know that they are cared for safe and that you have their back
Majo Orellana (00:15:39):
Basically repeating it consistently? You know, like coaching a college team, you have to be strict. You have to be, have to have a lot of rules. You know, you're creating a culture, you know that a competitive culture, right? And, and managing a big group of people that, you know, it has to work, it has to flow, it has to work. We have to compete, right? But at the same time, like just constantly reminders to them individually and as a group, you know, like, whatever you need, I'm here for you. It's important for you guys to communicate with us, to communicate with each other. And just like making sure that not, you know, not only here, but like anywhere that you're at, you know, like make sure that everyone has their support system and they know that they can reach out to someone, right? And just for us to be available and generate that trust both ways, right? That they can trust us and we can trust them. And it's worked out. It has worked out like really, really well. And you know, there's everyone mostly, you know, young adults go through a lot of stuff. Yeah. And sometimes we can't help. Sometimes we can't, but the only thing we can do is like, we can be there for them. Right?
Mark Burik (00:16:49):
Yep. Absolutely. Before we get to some volleyball talk mm-hmm. , what's the vibe like on current NCAA bus rides? I mean, for me, what is this now? 15 years ago, I mean, like the bus rides were fun and everybody was constantly talking to each other. We played the stupid game where we hit each other in the face with a ball. But you know, now I look at like airports and everything with smartphones and I can see like teams staying in their phone, not talking to each other. So what's the vibe in NCAA bus rides, like nowadays?
Majo Orellana (00:17:25):
Well, it is, there's a lot of, you know, that they're on their phone or sleeping and stuff like that. But also, you know, sometimes when we have to rent bands and, you know, you have your own band with like a group of like, I don't know, six girls or whatever, it's so fun. You know, like blasting music, you always have like, somebody fighting to be the DJ and they're just like the quiet ones. And so our fun, our team is so fun that I have a great time and yeah, I don't like the smartphone thing, you know, for meals and stuff like that. We try to avoid that. But, but no, it's, it's still fun. I think I travel with another team and they were so quiet and I told them like, Hey, like, what's wrong with you guys? You know, our girls were just, you know, there's always like someone making fun of someone or just like, they're dancing. A lot of TikTok, a lot of TikTok, , uh, so yeah, . It's fun.
Mark Burik (00:18:20):
It's fun. Nice. Okay, cool. I'm glad that that team vibe is is still around. Yes, there's a, I've got a few favorite, like, partners that I travel with that are just super entertaining on their own. And uh, I always remember stories of like Todd and Phil just literally not talking to each other for entire road trips, cuz they just both enjoyed like reading and movies and, but they did it together. So you don't have to be silly and communicate. It was just fun.
Majo Orellana (00:18:49):
Yeah. And it's something that we, you know, like we tried to tell them like, Hey, you know, I know I wants to be on their phone, you know, for meals and stuff like that. And you're like, Yeah, but then you're going to really miss this time. You know, like when you are older and you say like, I should have just really enjoyed my time with my teammates. Mm-hmm. , because it is fun.
Mark Burik (00:19:10):
It is fun. All right. So my, what's it like growing up and trying to be a volleyball player in Guatemala?
Majo Orellana (00:19:18):
Ooh. You really wanna go into
Mark Burik (00:19:20):
That ? Absolutely.
Majo Orellana (00:19:22):
Okay.
Mark Burik (00:19:23):
Absolutely. You know, beaches, indoor club systems, politics. Tell me everything. Okay. Everything that won't get you in trouble with the government. .
Majo Orellana (00:19:33):
No, I'm good. , I'm an American citizen
Mark Burik (00:19:36):
Now. .
Majo Orellana (00:19:40):
Okay. So I started playing really young, indoor, because my parents played for, they played indoor, they met like, you know, playing sports. So I, I played a different sports when I was a kid and then I chose volleyball. I loved it. It was just rough on the sense that, you know, there's not that many support, right. And money and just like, the system is completely different. Right. I was blessed enough to have different coaches from different countries. So my first coach was Peruvian, then I had like three different Japanese coaches, then I had like four different Cubans, . Yeah. So I learned a lot from different styles of volleyball. This was all indoor. I was even in Guatemala that people are short. I was still always the shortest . So that was rough as well in school. You know, it's not that back home. You can't, the system is not like here that you can have an education throughout sport, like a better education. So people think it's just a hobby and you know, like it's not, you're gonna not make a living of it ever. So
Mark Burik (00:20:52):
Do you have school teams?
Majo Orellana (00:20:54):
You have school teams? Yes. Yes.
Mark Burik (00:20:56):
Okay. Okay.
Majo Orellana (00:20:57):
You have school,
Mark Burik (00:20:59):
I mean, you started the first beach volleyball club. Yeah. Do you have a private club system and how does that relate with the federation?
Majo Orellana (00:21:07):
No, no private club system. No. Okay.
Mark Burik (00:21:10):
So you can't be like an entrepreneur who wants to start a, a business and, and coach and run teams and tournaments and stuff.
Majo Orellana (00:21:16):
Uhuh, huh? Like, there's a league, but it's just like the, like it's open for everyone. You know, It's not a youth league or uh, junior club league or stuff like that. No, no. It doesn't work like that. So almost everything is, you know, the federation is in control. Okay. So that's where everything is just weird. So for me, for example, to travel, beach volleyball is super new, right? I was like, when I started playing beach, like I didn't have a clue about beach ball. We didn't have a coach or anything. I just kind of, I saw some invitations coming in through the federation about beach Volvo tournaments. And I was like, Oh, um, can I see that, you know, the secretary? And she showed me. And, but like every time it went to the, how do you call it, the people I forgot. Well, they always look at them and they say they declined the invitation because, you know, they didn't have like a budget or funds or, or, or team or whatever.
(00:22:19):
So I just started like fundraising and just making sure like, hey, like I told like our president of the federation and the manager was just like, Hey, I know this invitation came through and I don't, I'm not asking for money or anything. I just want to for you to say yes and I'll fundraise whatever. And I'll go like, you know, and we'll go, Yeah, but you don't have a coach. It doesn't matter. So whenever, like we went to an international tournament, it was just like sitting down and watching teams practice and what do they do? You know, like just being super curious.
Mark Burik (00:22:52):
Oh wow. Yeah. Okay. So, so new to you guys that like, they didn't know how to say yes because they thought certain people needed to be in place and they didn't have them. And then when you finally convinced them like, Nah, it'll just be me. I'm fine. We'll go,
Majo Orellana (00:23:09):
Yes, we'll go. We'll find like something, you know, like sponsors or whatever. And that's another thing, you know, I majored in marketing so I kind of knew, you know, a little bit of how to promote myself and talk and stuff like that. So I did a bunch of that. Also, school was hard because like professors didn't give me permission. And at that time I was going, you know, to college, right? Mm-hmm.
Mark Burik (00:23:32):
.
Majo Orellana (00:23:33):
Then I played indoor and I played beat. So I had two practices a day, plus mostly, you know, indoor was my main thing cuz I was captain of the national team for a long time. Nice. So then five,
Mark Burik (00:23:46):
Four captain and the national team. What the heck?
Majo Orellana (00:23:49):
Yes. I dunno. I was an outside hitter. I don't know how, but yeah, something like that. I have a story about that too. It was like, and I worked part-time, so it was like, my days were super long for me, like to do my conditioning. It was 4:00 AM in the stadium, you know, go to the track 4:30 AM in the morning and just get the lift in, you know, work, then get a beach practice after lunch and then go to school and then at night, like from seven 30 to 10 practice indoor. So it was just a lot brutal. Yes. And with no like true guidance. So that was super brutal. And, but that's, you know, like I knew that I had to do a lot for me to be able to play, right? Yeah. And then on top of that, you have your parents and your friends telling you you're completely crazy. You're outta your mom, you know, you're not gonna live from Baltimore. Like every freaking family gathering that I went, I had an uncle, an aunt, my grandparent, like any, like anyone had like this like hour conversation with me about that I was wasting my life. That I was, you know, like I was never gonna make a living outta sport that I should focus on school and work and stuff like that. So for we
Mark Burik (00:25:11):
Talking about force versus fit.
Majo Orellana (00:25:13):
Yeah. So then I That's right. Exactly. So then I was like, you know what, like I'm just gonna stop going through all this social, you know, because it was so annoying. And it was, yeah, it was force fight and force. Like that was my life for a long time. So that was so hard. And also, you know, just like, and then trying to get like coaches coming. So we had some Cuban coaches, which they were the first Cuban coaches that we had. He was like, I don't know, like 70 years old. Like really old, like, or more, you know, like basically he was like a very good indoor coach parent. Like not apparently he was like, you know, like the three time Olympic medalist or indoor, he was part of that coaching staff. We had another one like that too, but like, kind of like when Cuba, like they were not, you know, young to coach for national teams.
(00:26:08):
They cannot send them to like our countries. Okay. So I learned a lot from him, but at the same time it was like, okay, you just came here almost to retire, right? So what do we do? So that was rough, but at least we had coach and then we had another coach, which he was, he was awesome. I loved him. But at the same time he would've never like, fight for us for money or anything or for opportunities. So we still had to do that ourselves. We went to a lot of, like every year went to training camps to Cuba. And then I started coming to California to train, you know, like paying my trip and just trying to get, you know, a code. This
Mark Burik (00:26:50):
Is wild that
Majo Orellana (00:26:52):
You've
Mark Burik (00:26:53):
Self funded. Yeah, everything I like. It's not only like, oh yeah, you know, like I, I packed bags at the groceries so that I could pay for my club membership. You were figuring out how and where to get coaches, how and where you could travel, how and where you could pay for travel mm-hmm. and with nobody leading the way or showing you what to do or how to do it. You just like made up stuff like I guess I should go to California cuz there's volleyball players there.
Majo Orellana (00:27:22):
Yeah. , it was just like, my parents always supported me like with sports, not they, there was a point that they, that they started like, Hey, you know what, like you have to grow up, right? And then, but they never gave me like money, you know, like to pay for coach, even to pay for shoes. Like for my, if I wanted like cool, like Mizuno or Asics, like shoes to play indoor, like they said, like, okay if you want them, like you just, you know, you can get them. So I was, I was like trying to find a way to make money to buy my stuff, you know, the, the things that I wanted. So I just learned since I was young, I think to find a way to get there and, but yeah, it was constant struggle. And then trying to get media involved.
(00:28:13):
So our sport was promoted then the media was like only like shooting, you know, like our bikini bottoms and stuff like that. Sure. When they called, I had to have like this conversations with sponsors, like, no, like, yeah, you can give me all this money, but if you're going to promote only our bottoms, I don't want it. You know, like, this is not what it is. And just kinda educating people like media, sport organizations and whoever about beach volleyball. And that's how I started the club too. But the club was mostly what I did for the club when I started the club is I hired a PR company that helped me, cuz I already had like sponsors and stuff for me, like, as a player, but I wanted to educate the community of Beach Vo, you know, like kind like promote the sport. So I went 10th of like, interviews, tv, newspapers, magazines, everything to promote beach volleyball in Guatemala.
Mark Burik (00:29:13):
So let's say I'm all right, better at Beach wants to sponsor you as a, as a Guatemala athlete, or they don't, let's say, you know, I'm just sitting there and you know that I'm a company. Mm-hmm. , how do you open that conversation? Because I know that we have a lot of listeners that are thinking like, how do I get sponsors for my leagues, for my tournaments? How do I get, you know, uniforms paid for, for my junior thing? And there's, uh, probably a big segment who are listening, who are thinking, how do I get my tournaments paid for? So how do you approach a company?
Majo Orellana (00:29:47):
I think first I, I really created like really cool presentation about everything and making myself like exposed to different, you know, like media programs, like whatever, you know, like just try to be there like everywhere. So my face will pop out or, or I could talk or I could speak wherever I could, I could add that into, you know, like a sponsor plan, stuff like that. So I have this many appearances and this and this and this. Does that make sense?
Mark Burik (00:30:17):
Not yet because, so the first step for you is to just get speaking roles?
Majo Orellana (00:30:23):
That was what I did first.
Mark Burik (00:30:25):
Okay. So then that, who do you go to to speak somewhere and, and where do you, like what do you do for that?
Majo Orellana (00:30:32):
So I, I did like, I went to high schools, right? I, uh, I started a foundation for like kids with no resources mm-hmm. to get them like equipment and, you know, opportunities for them to play the sport. So then kind of like for that, you, you're creating PR too for yourself and Sure. Like whatever, like your team or whatever you wanna do. Right? So the more exposure I had in media, Right? Like, even just like interviews, How
Mark Burik (00:31:04):
Do you do that?
Majo Orellana (00:31:05):
A really good relationship with reporters. How do you do that? Just like being around? I don't know.
Mark Burik (00:31:12):
No, no, no. There's no, being around somebody here is is learning from you figuring out how to get sponsors and they're like, Oh yeah, just hang out at the reporter bar.
Majo Orellana (00:31:21):
No, no, no. Don't hang out from border bar. But I dunno, like, also like traveling, going to, So I, I went to the Olympics in Greece mm-hmm. in Athens as an expectator. So I just hang out with like, yeah. Like I just like hang out with the reporters. Yes. And then kind of like, how,
Mark Burik (00:31:40):
How would one in their neighborhood find out where reporters hang out so that they can start getting stories in newspapers.
Majo Orellana (00:31:50):
I don't, I dunno, it was a different time too, like social media was not big, right? So it was more about radio, TV and magazines and things, you know, it was so different. I, I don't, like right now, it's easier to get exposed and, you know, like get interviews and podcasts and stuff like that before I, I also, you know, Guatemala is small. It's not big. So, and just talking to people too, you know, I got like, oh, CLE to sponsor me and gnc. Wow.
Mark Burik (00:32:24):
, what is, what did like the conversations start? Who do you know at Oakland? Did you like email Oakland headquarters?
Majo Orellana (00:32:34):
No, no, no, no. I like started like to see who was the rep in Latin America and Central America.
Mark Burik (00:32:41):
How'd you find that out?
Majo Orellana (00:32:42):
I found out because I had friends that had like, you know, like just distribute Oakleys, you know, had stores or whatever. So obviously like, who are you dealing with? This and that. Okay. Can you like, I don't know, like connect me in sort of way. So I started like talking and then I kind of knew when like the Latin American rep was coming to visit and I'm like, can I go to lunch with you guys? And I went to lunch and then I started a relationship with them. And then, you know, like, so Guatemala was sponsoring me and then Latin America. And then that went to when I started like coming to the United States, to San Diego and in LA I just started meeting people in the headquarters. So I, so that's how it all, And then that person, the Latin American Oakley rep, he's from Venezuela, he ended up being in quick silver.
(00:33:33):
So then Roxy sponsored me after that. Yeah. It's just like relationships, you know, I just meeting people and not even being pushy, you know, just, I don't know. I've just been lucky. I think , I've worked hard. I worked really hard. Like I, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna deny that, but at the same time, you know, I, I sometimes I've had, like for someone when I travel to nor and stuff, you know, they were like better players than me at like playing all the time. And they're like always like, How did you get Oakley? How did you get this? You know? Right. I'm like,
Mark Burik (00:34:06):
Yeah, I'm, I'm guessing you just don't want to tell anybody.
Majo Orellana (00:34:11):
I'm telling you the truth. Like I'm just have my, had my sponsor plan, you know, my PowerPoint that I updated all the time. Try to be exposed to media as much as I could because I had, uh, marketing and advertisement was what I studied in college. I think here is like Stratcom or something like that. So I knew media, so that's what I did. And I was just like, Facebook was like, not even Instagram was existed yet, but, you know, I tried to have a lot of presence in media. And another thing that I did is that one of the photographers that, like, I had a photo shoot, he was a graphic designer and he just started working, you know, like helping me out on like creating logos and just like doing like really cool stuff where I, which I could present. And when I like presented to my sponsors, like, yeah, like this is how your brand is gonna look. So I had like, the whole layout and, and like different things. Like, this is your brand, this is, how's gonna look like, it was like professional stuff, you know, not things that I did on my computer. So it was a professional graphic designer that made everything that helped me out. And we had like a deal, you know, like I helped him out with like some stuff and he helped me out with other, and that's how we made it work. Yeah.
Mark Burik (00:35:29):
All right. So reach out to media, Figure out if there's a phone number somewhere on, on a newspaper or I guess guess like today, you know, like if I, if I were given advice, just send as many, you know, messages as you can. Don't blanket it. Don't exactly. You know, like, like when you're getting recruited to college, I would say, you know, don't send every coach the same exact message, same thing to the company. Like make sure that it's personal and it's personal to their company and, and why there would actually be a connection there.
Majo Orellana (00:36:00):
Yeah. And then just like, I had like tons of meetings with different sponsors and most of them say no, but some of them say yes. So, but yeah, just was like sitting down like, hey, like this, this is who I'm making my presentation and everything. And I got like little money from a lot of different places where I got some of our trips paid for some others, you know, like when you norca paid for like the first team and stuff like that. So that was covered. But if we needed like something bigger or anything, I was able to get it. Or a training camp or something. Yeah.
Mark Burik (00:36:36):
So here's what I advise against with current players who are like coming up. I tell them to stop chasing sponsorships. Like don't spend time on it. Because to me right now, knowing the things that I know from eCommerce and like internet types of jobs, you could start building some financial platform without full time hours that will pay you well beyond that season and like, if you get hurt. So to me, I think people waste a lot of potential by sending out all of these sponsorships and talking to companies trying to get free protein powder instead of like, hey, start a YouTube channel and just do volleyball player reacts or Yeah. Or start like a for sale by Amazon or, or something where you're putting the same amount of time into researching and talking to these things. Well put that same amount of time into developing something that will pay you no matter if you're hurt healthy winning or losing.
(00:37:39):
I, yeah, I guess you would call that a job. But people think about a sponsorship as, you know, maybe one of the keys to being pros. And to me it's, it's a losing battle. You know, it's only when Nike or Oakley or somebody comes to you and says, Hey, we want you on our team and this is how much we're we're going to give. Maybe that's coming from a big personal experience where I had a few friend and family sponsorships, but now as a person who owns a volleyball company, I see how little benefit I could have provided to those companies, you know, with like 3000 friends and followers. Like, so I don't know, I think more players now should maybe not chase the sponsorship, but what would you say? Would you put them down your route and say like, this is how you do it, go for it.
Majo Orellana (00:38:29):
No, I think now it's completely different. You need to create your audience, you know, you have your list and make sure that you, you can have a good reach so you can start something as well. But for me it's like also like, I think it was different times in a different culture as well. You know, there was a point that I had like a person, like her name was Suli Aria back in Guatemala. She helped me a lot and then she found me like actually like contracts, you know, like legal stuff where, which I could, you know, rely on on a monthly basis or a yearly basis. So that was awesome. But like, I think first people need to know that you're professional, that you're trustworthy and stuff like that. And you're gonna be a good image for their brand. So making sure, I think like one of the things that I talk to my student athletes as well, it's like you are building your brand forever, right? So make sure that your social media, the way you speak, the way you dress, the way you act, like everything, like you're dressing up, you're showing up for the job that you want, not the job that you have or the what you are right now. So just make sure that you're presenting yourself as you want people to see you in the future. You know, Like it's not, you don't have to be perfect, you know, you still have to be authentic, have to be yourself, but you're selling yourself every day.
Mark Burik (00:39:46):
Mm. Yeah. I couldn't agree with that more because you'll think of like one of those posts that popped in your mind or in your memory and you assume that that was like the most recent thing that happened to them just because it's the most recent thing in your mind associated with that person. Yeah. You know, so even if somebody changed in the last three years, a part of you still remembers like what they were doing three years ago and that might just shut off a phone call immediately because they did X back in 2014. So it is sadly a little bit important. Yeah. Or very important. We'll say
Majo Orellana (00:40:24):
Yes. You know, and it's like, it's not that you can't, you know, have fun and you know, make mistakes and stuff like that, but just be smart in when you put out. Right. I think that's like, because sometimes it just stays forever. It could be like a screenshot, it could be whatever. And you just, you just need to be careful. Yeah. But yeah,
Mark Burik (00:40:47):
It's entrapment why? It's like everything is entrapment. Yeah. All back to some actual volleyball. So we're steering current players towards the same hunger and passion that you had. And if you can find sponsorships that are out there, you just gotta push. But there might be for players better avenues in terms of developing relationships. And you said that relationships were absolutely the most important for, I guess, long term, right? Yeah. Just being a player and a person. Mm-hmm.
Majo Orellana (00:41:22):
nice. Yeah, I know, I, I totally agree in that. Cause even like, just like me being here, it was because of relationships too. You know, I got hired by a club, which they, it was like, like Mark Lamel back in the day, he believed in me and he asked me if I could come and work for them, you know, because I, with my club I kinda, I was bringing kids for like fall camps and bring break and stuff like that. So then they asked me if I wanted to come and I was like, well I don't know, you know, I have a pretty good life in what I, you know, but uh, sure, let's see how it looks. So I came for a couple of months, sat with the lawyers and see how everything would look like and just took it, you know, step by step.
(00:42:08):
And I said like, okay, it's an opportunity that I can take, right? If I don't like it, I can always go back, but I'm gonna do whatever it takes to make it happen. I was not even expecting it, but it happened. So I'm just gonna do whatever it takes, put all my mind and heart into it. And that's what I did. And here I am nine years after and I had to get like a lot of like recommendation letters cuz I started coming with an visa that is extraordinary alien in your field, which I didn't think I was, but I, to prove that, you know, lawyers were like all this pressure on me and I had to get like so many letters. So sponsors like having those big companies like Oakley, GNC, that are international, help me, you know, uh, letters from the Olympic committee cuz I was like, I was the Olympic Academy in Greece. I spoke in different things. And so I had letters from the International Olympic committee. So like all this relationships that, yeah, even like they would lasted for like couple of hours. Helped me to get here. Nice. So yeah.
Mark Burik (00:43:15):
What were you talking about for the Olympic committee when you were in your speaking agents and roles?
Majo Orellana (00:43:21):
Oh yes. I was part of the firm play. Okay. Organization. So I talked about for play and I also talked about women in sport. So the history of women in sport. Yeah. So it could be like Title I now here, that's how like, a little bit like that related. But, so I was part of the earn a scholarship from the Olympic solidarity to go to the International Olympic Academy in Greece in Olympia back in 2002. So that was fun. You learn about the Olympic movement, how everything started. You go to the ruins Olympia and you get all this talks, discussion groups, you meet people from all over the world. And it's just a lot of like education and training. And after that, you know, I just got super involved in the Olympic movement and just like gave lectures on different things, you know, for play women in sports, the Olympic, uh, values and things like that.
Mark Burik (00:44:13):
Mm. Were you trying to encourage more women's participation in sport? Is, is that what you mean? Or were you giving like historical talks or what?
Majo Orellana (00:44:22):
I was mostly empowering women, I think.
Mark Burik (00:44:24):
Okay.
Majo Orellana (00:44:25):
Yeah. Yes. They had like a historical context mm-hmm. . But empowering women and just making sure that, you know, we got like equal rights and equal opportunities because just coming from developing country, you know, like a lot of macho, right? Like soccer is the main thing there and everything else is like not good enough. Or women are look like, not as athletes, but different. So just making sure that people respect us. That was basically it.
Mark Burik (00:44:56):
Nice. Mm-hmm. all done. So impressive. The things that you're done in the, the way that you push, it's bonkers and impressive.
Majo Orellana (00:45:05):
There's like taking me back to the grind on my life. I'm like, oh my God, this is not that hard. You
Mark Burik (00:45:14):
Know, . But, but it is, you know, the things that you did automatically or whether they're through necessity, people who are in your same situation or in the situation that you were before feel powerless. Yeah. And they'll get stuck. And it sounds like you did it. You you paid as much attention to problems or like roadblocks as you would like a pebble in the sidewalk. You're like, Oh, okay, I'll just step on or over that doesn't really affect my day. . You know, and you drove through it. So I think that's, that's why I'm so,
Majo Orellana (00:45:50):
Yeah. Yeah. And it was like, just like being on the sides too. Cause like the first Cuban coach we had, I think it was around 17 and for the indoor team. So I came to practice, it was his first day and he told me, What are you doing here? And I'm like, Oh, I come to practice. I'm like, Why? Because I'm part of the team, you know? And they're like, Yeah, but like you don't service. You're too short. Like that. That was like, like his words, like, you don't service. And I'm like, Okay, so, but can I stay for this practice? And he's like, Okay, you can stay.
Mark Burik (00:46:26):
I love that. You don't right away that one sentence, that one interaction shows who you are. Yeah. So like, okay. And they would shrink and say, I'm gone anyway. Yeah. But yeah, but, but I can stay today. Right? .
Majo Orellana (00:46:42):
And then he is like, Yeah, but you're not coming tomorrow. I'm like, okay. So I practice, right? Practice. Like I was so mad, so mad. I'm like, okay, but I'm just gonna give my all next day I came back and he is like, What are you doing here? I'm like, I come to practice. It's like, I told you not to come. I'm like, I know, but I'll show you that you're gonna need me. And I just kept showing up, you know? And probably like, I don't know, like months after, like captain selection for national team, I was his captain for three years in a row. Huh. And he was just like, yeah, it was great. And I love him. Had the best relationship with him. Every time I went to Cuba, went like, had dinner with his family and he always remember that. But I'm like, No way.
(00:47:26):
Like, but that, you know, kind of like, you were like just being short, being from Guatemala, you know, it's like I'm always trying to prove myself. Like not anymore as much, but you know, like it was just a constant thing, you know? Like that I don't need to prove myself, you know? I'm kind of like more in peace with it now. And I, and I accept and I, you know, I still fight for the things that I believe and that I want to, but it's not this like rage. Cuz like, sometimes I was like just, I was like formed, you know? Like I'm just gonna do whatever it takes. Yeah. Yeah. But you know what, like, there's like a lot of stuff that I didn't accomplish right. As an athlete. But I'm like, I, I love where I'm at. I love what I do. I compete, you know, as a coach, I teach, I talk, I, I don't know, I empower people. Yeah. So life is good.
Mark Burik (00:48:24):
And you're a revolutionary. I mean, to, you know, to to be the first Guatemalan beach volleyball or female beach volleyball in the world championships. Which, which was it
Majo Orellana (00:48:34):
Like beach hall,
Mark Burik (00:48:35):
First Guatemalan period. Yeah. Uh, in, in beach volleyball championships. It's unreal. Yeah. So being your stature, your height, do you have specific, and I I'm gonna try to lock you down again to specific advice for what undersized players need to do to be successful.
Majo Orellana (00:49:01):
Yes. You know, you have to be really good with your footwork. Footwork. Like on everything super diligent with f work and ball control for sure. Right.
Mark Burik (00:49:13):
When you say footwork, do you mean your ability to change direction? Do you mean like never crossing over or never shuffling? Could you dive a little bit into a, a specific footwork sequence?
Majo Orellana (00:49:25):
Being fast with your footwork, right. What's one thing? And making sure you are efficient as well. So you know, like pivoting and all that stuff, you know, cause like everything is about efficiency, you know, like for me to get from here to there, it's a little harder than for someone that is six feet, you know? Mm-hmm. . So being efficient with your footwork and just making sure that you know, like you're fast, right? You're there so you can be explosive and like when you're fast with your footwork, it also like generates like the speed and then the speed generates power and all that stuff. Right. So just that ball control for sure. Just touching the ball as much as you can all the time. Having as many reps and like very mindful reps on things like court vision is huge. Making sure that you have like the best core vision. Stay behind the ball, learn the game. But also confidence, right? Because like sometimes as a short player you can say like, oh, like yeah, people look at me as I'm small so I'm already in disadvantaged. Like no, you know, I just need to work harder. And that's it. You know, no big deal, right? ,
Mark Burik (00:50:33):
That's my mindset is like, this is what I am and who I am. Yeah. So it just means that I need to work in a slightly different direction and just outwork them. I'll promise that I can do that. You know? And then I'll take my own path. That's not the same path as a six, nine person, but you know, I'll find my game.
Majo Orellana (00:50:53):
Yeah. And not take anything personal, you know, like kind of like what happened to me with that coach, you know, like I was discouraged, yes. But it didn't make me feel less, you know, I just wanted to prove him that I was not what he was thinking of me. So you're just like that, you know, self worth that you're gonna have is just gonna carry on on every area of your life. Not only, you know, sport, but also for undersized people. Like there's, uh, one of the things that I really, you know, it has really stuck me for about the Olympic movement. One of the Olympic values is the joy of effort and it's something I talk about a lot, you know, just like, hmm. So that's one of the Olympic values, joy of effort. So you say like, yes, like I'm working my sales off. I enjoy it. Like this causes me joy. Yes, I'm working more than this person, but I just enjoy it. So I just found a lot of joy in hard work. Not only as like sometimes like you work hard, but you kind of like have the martyr mentality or victimized that I'm putting all this work, you know, all this stuff. And you see that consistently at every level. Club, college, you know, high school pros, every, you know, just like that victim mindset that is not gonna take you anywhere. Mostly because like you don't live
Mark Burik (00:52:21):
Yeah. All or that work is the crappy part.
Majo Orellana (00:52:24):
Yeah, exactly.
Mark Burik (00:52:25):
Instead of like, look what you get to do.
Majo Orellana (00:52:27):
Like you get to
Mark Burik (00:52:28):
Like be in weight room. Some people don't love being in a weight room. Some people's like things could be worse than you getting to throw this weight up above your head right now. You know, it could be worse than you running on a beach, you know, and sprinting like, is this your bad? Really?
Majo Orellana (00:52:46):
It's your choice. We chose to be here like, like we could have done anything else, you know? And we chose to play and to train and to compete. So why not enjoy it? So yeah, the joy of effort for you know, undersized because you need to put a lot of work in a lot.
Mark Burik (00:53:05):
I love that. And I like that because even though we're talking about, you know, how to be successful is maybe a shorter player. That should be everybody. Oh yeah. Everybody should just love showing up. And if it's volleyball, like you don't have to put in the work. Look what you get to do. You get to play, you get to compete. Yeah. Yeah. I love the way you framed that.
Majo Orellana (00:53:27):
It is fun. . It's fun to practice. You know, I just love to practice and I'm like, you know, there's a lot of, so like we have a player, well she was a graduate for her name Q, we call her Qt, is some Tula. And she's undersized like me and she's just a beast, you know, you see her play and it's just like so much fun. And she knows, you know, she's sufficient. She knows the game, she loves the game and yeah, two time all American. And so
Mark Burik (00:53:56):
That's so awesome.
Majo Orellana (00:53:58):
Yeah. There's a lot of really, really good undersized. Yeah. We have less advantage. And we probably, like for me, like I wanted to come to college when I was in high school, but I was playing indoor. So when I played, when I was in high school, liber didn't exist. So I was an outside hitter, super undersized. Then you said like the internet, like it was like, you know, you don't remember when you connected by the phone and it like, just say like, there's no way you can send film. Right? So you had to send like your film, like on the mail. Oh yeah. Watch you. And as soon as they said like saw like five, four, there's no way, no libera. Like what are you gonna do? What do you think? So I'm like, okay. So I tried though, but yeah, , so then I just, you know, found other ways to play and to have opportunities to,
Mark Burik (00:54:49):
So what's your favorite footwork drill? Like, do you have a go to footwear drill because you announced the importance of footwork. So if you were to give somebody one drill right now that they should just go to the beach that would improve their footwork, what would we do?
Majo Orellana (00:55:06):
I like the star drill in the sense of like, you can make it smaller or bigger or, or more pivots and stuff and just train yourself to always turn to certain rounds and pivot work on your pivoting. Like kind of like change and modify stuff all around. So those
Mark Burik (00:55:23):
Listening, the star drill is when you place usually a ball in each corner of the court and a ball in the middle and you have to go corner, middle, next corner, middle, next, corner, middle. Okay.
Majo Orellana (00:55:34):
Yeah. Yeah. Cause the, the good thing about that, I think that it helps you work on acceleration, deceleration, pivoting, you know, everything. Right? And like, kinda like court awareness. Cause we wanna always like turn facing the net, stuff like that and pivot. So it could be, and you can do it smaller, you could, you can work on like a little bit of endurance too with it. So yeah, I would say that like nothing to complicate it. Mm. Yeah. Nice
Mark Burik (00:56:04):
Sprint, stop start.
Majo Orellana (00:56:06):
Yeah. Like I think it's super basic. Everyone knows how to do it. You just have to do it right. You know, stay low, you know, work on like that steps, the pivoting and all that. Yeah, I think that would be like my favorite.
Mark Burik (00:56:22):
And train yourself to do it at max velocity, like make your turns quicker. How quick can you make the turn the stop of the start?
Majo Orellana (00:56:29):
Yeah.
Mark Burik (00:56:29):
So that, that stopwatch is probably a real nice thing to have so that you can hold yourself accountable.
Majo Orellana (00:56:34):
Yes. True. Mm-hmm.
Mark Burik (00:56:36):
, are there any tests aside from let's say star drill and vertical jump, like physical tests that you think are really, truly important to the game that, aside from vertical jump and maybe a timed agility race, is there any stats or attributes that you think should, should be measured and worked on?
Majo Orellana (00:56:57):
Yeah, I think in the weight room, like the speed of the bar, how fast can move the bar, you know, like there's, I dunno how else to call, like when you can actually do it, you know, we do it here and it helps you to see how fast you're moving. If we have them like peak for competition or not, you know, like not only, or we hit competition like the week of playing or did they before you know how fast that bar is moving to see if we are actually hitting the right amount of load and lead load. So, So the players are explosive enough to play.
Mark Burik (00:57:31):
Do you have a measurement for that? Do you have a machine that does that?
Majo Orellana (00:57:34):
Yes. I can send you, I don't know how's it called? But yes, we do have a machine for that.
Mark Burik (00:57:37):
Okay. And uh, the one we had at Velocity, it just like sat on the ground, it was a magnet and then it tied like basically a Velcro strap to the bar and it just measured it. But I remember them being like, I don't know, a thousand bucks or two. I don't that.
Majo Orellana (00:57:56):
Yeah. Expensive. Maybe I can find out like some other ways to do it. Measuring that is good just to speak. Cause like back in the day too, like we used to overtrain you were not like deficient at all. Right? Yeah. So, so yeah, like training is good, but also smart, you know, being smart about your training and that's, you know, something that you learn with time, you know, and game changer. For me that was game changer to learn how to lift better and mobility and diet and all that stuff. Cues too.
Mark Burik (00:58:31):
Mm-hmm. people forget about that bar speed that when you are squatting and you're on your way up, it doesn't count or it doesn't matter as much. If you can get it up, matters how fast you can get it up. And even if you're, you are moving slow but you're moving as fast as you possibly can at each point in that move, you know, whether it's a, uh, a dead lift, uh, in rdl, you know, don't take it from a slack bar and then just try to do it like make sure your core's engaged, your lift the bar basically a millimeter off the ground and then fire. But the effort to move your squats at maximum speed pays off in such a huge way, you know, controlling how fast that you can actually fire. Because if you get it up, but you could have moved faster, guess what? You're gonna jump the exact same way. You're gonna jump in a way that you could have jumped higher with just the conscious effort of training that way.
Majo Orellana (00:59:30):
Mm-hmm. . Yeah. And like correct form, right? Like you said, like teaching the athletes how to engage the core, how to, you know, like use the right muscles, how to be aware of the muscles that you're using, like all that stuff, you know, like when you're, you can control it, right? Because once we're out on the court it's like, you know, you're focusing on your game, not how much and like what are you, you know, you're engaging your muscles or not. Yeah. Right.
Mark Burik (00:59:56):
My whole Is there anything that you guys are working on or any new, new projects or new companies or places that you're gonna speak that people can keep up with you?
Majo Orellana (01:00:05):
Well, for now, no. I'm working on, I wanna start a club or academy here at work. So I'm excited about that and I hope I can make it happen.
Mark Burik (01:00:16):
What's, could you say it again? There was a little feedback that,
Majo Orellana (01:00:19):
Oh, like I want to start a club or an academy here in Fort Worth where I live. So yeah, I'm excited about that. So I'm just trying to, you know, like there's a lot of compliance stuff now that, you know, I work here. I have run like three different clubs, which has been amazing. But you know, just with all this roles it's a little tougher but not impossible. So, you know, I've had some conversations with places that I could start and just, you know, I don't know, I just wanna reach more people. Right. And beach volleyball, one of the sports that we make tons of money, you know, I feel that I'm happy here and you know, the school is awesome and everything, but at the same time you're always like striving for a little bit more I think. And I can reach out to more, more girls or boys or
Mark Burik (01:01:09):
Nice. Cool. And what's the future, or at least maybe the next few weeks of TCU beach volleyball look like?
Majo Orellana (01:01:15):
Uh, right now girls are summer so we don't see them. So classes starts August. Uh, we're really excited about that next season. The season was awesome for us. We were two matches away from the old time record of most wins in season by anyone. We were down by two matches. Yes, we got to 39 wins this season, so that was pretty cool. That's wild. We had a pretty good season then the post season we didn't do as well, you know, things didn't turn out the way we wanted at nationals, but that is what it is. We'll come back stronger next year and we have a great group of girls that are coming back and new that are coming, so. Oh, just excited, you know, like working and seeing what this, you know, new group brings.
Mark Burik (01:02:07):
Are you allowed to tell us what you tell your girls during the off season? What they should be working on? You know, should they be on the sand as much as possible? Should they be in the weight room watching film as much as possible? Should they, They just decompress.
Majo Orellana (01:02:22):
I think like everyone has different needs something different. You know, some of them are like playing a lot internationally, have some international girls that are playing a lot on the tour and European championships and stuff like that. We encourage everyone to play as much as it can during the summer to get that, you know, like playing experience. Plus that we have such a long off season, you know, the fall and then our season is so sure that yeah, why don't you play during the summer? Right. , everyone, you know, like I think like I have a true believer that everyone doesn't matter what level you're playing at, should be working on their strength training regardless. Okay. All the time. You know, you really need to work on being strong, being mobile, being efficient, all that. Like that should be just must part of your really habits.
Mark Burik (01:03:16):
Do you guys utilize Olympic lifts with your team or is it Yeah. You do. Okay. Cause not a lot of teams do. Some strength coaches are like, yes, we could. Yeah. My strength of coaching college is that he, he wasn't willing to sacrifice the amount of time that would take to teach you to do it efficiently. So he just created high velocity movements without needing the actual technical coaching of Olympic lifting.
Majo Orellana (01:03:40):
Yeah. We don't, like, it's not the base of it, you know, they're incorporated but it's not the base on, you know, like we do cleans and, but it's not that, you know, like we always do that. You know, there's a lot of single like stuff, a lot of balance, a lot of body weight things, you know, like pullups and things a lot. We do a lot of, uh, I think like also when I was like working at Jackson's strength super big on shoulder strength and mobility, so making sure that your mobile, your sc you know, how to, you know, like how to move your scabs and fire up like all those muscles Yeah. Work on your laps, like all that stuff. It's mm-hmm. just things that, you know, like you learned as a player mostly having shoulder issues, Yep. Uh, going to PT consistently.
Mark Burik (01:04:31):
Yep.
Majo Orellana (01:04:31):
So just trying to make sure that you prevent injuries and prevent, you know, like chronic or how do you say, traumatic injuries. Yeah. For the most part.
Mark Burik (01:04:43):
Yeah. I like that for shoulder mobility plus strength, just the holding the plate. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. And then just doing the wrap around the head. I think for the people who can't do it, it's a big sign like, hey, mobility needs to be upgraded. Like, you have to be able to get your tricep behind your ear, you know, if you wanna swing hard ever. Yeah. . So that's one of my favorite shoulders just to wrap around the head. I think that's a nice calm, not crazy, but valuable exercise.
Majo Orellana (01:05:12):
Yeah. And then you, you also need to underst you're an overhead sport, right? Like you're doing train like football or other players, like, it's completely different. So if you can do more like single arm, you know, line my press, like working the press like that instead of like, like bench pressing or mm-hmm. , just making sure that you're really protecting your shoulder as much as possible and strengthening at it at the same time. So making sure that, I think like every program should have those like conversations with their strength coaches, you know, that if they know the difference of like how to train an overhead sport
Mark Burik (01:05:51):
Yep. Or they could just come to Better Beach and get our 60 day program and we'll cover it for you. .
Majo Orellana (01:05:59):
Yeah. You guys a little bit of everything or a lot of it.
Mark Burik (01:06:05):
We've got a lot of everything. It's uh,
Majo Orellana (01:06:07):
It's been Right. How long has it been or it's been a while right? That you,
Mark Burik (01:06:11):
So fol Camp Promosa started in 2015. That was when we were just doing like vacations and inviting players out to California and then, you know, I, I started looking at my hourly and how many players I could actually reach in one hour. And if I wanna pay attention to players and actually get involved in their lives, I can only have somewhere between eight and 12, you know, max per court.
Majo Orellana (01:06:36):
Mm-hmm.
Mark Burik (01:06:37):
, I was like, I have the ability to have a, a bigger, deeper reach into the sport mm-hmm.
(01:06:43):
to help way more people and teach way more people, you know, with that one hour. And so, like right now, this, each of our episodes right now gets about 600 downloads and I'm sure that'll keep, keep, keep growing. So in this hour, like how many athletes have I now coached or taught or presented more and better information to than I could in one hour of actual coaching. So I figured in, in terms of power per, per coach or power per hour, like I have the ability to affect more lives doing it this way. So now I coach coaches and soon hopefully I'll be able to, to coach like small business owners and things like that. But this has been, man, right at the start of Covid, we were working on stuff for like six months in advance of that. And so we were, we, we thought we were ready to be a fully online company and now three years later it's like, we're not even close to being done . Yeah. So, uh, it's been a, it's been a trip, that's for sure.
Majo Orellana (01:07:44):
But it's great, you know, you're like providing a lot of good content and Yeah. You, you are expanding to your audience, which is awesome. And then also I love the one on one face to face, but you know, like, I think like we are meant to reach out more. So I think you're doing, you're doing something really great.
Mark Burik (01:08:06):
Thank you
Majo Orellana (01:08:07):
Much appreciate it. I'm about you.
Mark Burik (01:08:11):
Oh, thanks Miles. Same back at you for sure. The way you handle obstacles, quote unquote . I did, yeah. Yeah. All right. We're gonna say goodbye to these lovely people, Maho and tcu. Thanks for your conversation, Tcu, thanks for sharing her and good luck this season. You know, I'll see you at coaching clinics on the beach, wherever, but best of luck in everything you do and, and thanks for your time and hanging out.
Majo Orellana (01:08:43):
Yeah, thank you so much. And hopefully I see you summer. I'll be up in California for like about 10 days, so,
Mark Burik (01:08:49):
Perfect. Yeah, we're here
Majo Orellana (01:08:52):
And thanks for having me. Like, oh my God. Like I went back and like
Mark Burik (01:08:59):
Trip down memory lane. Yeah.
Majo Orellana (01:09:00):
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Mark Burik (01:09:03):
All right. Cool. You have a great day. Everybody else will see you on the sand.
