Volleyball Camps and Training Vacations

This is one of the most common questions we get, and don't worry - we've got you covered! We use both descriptive names and level numbers to help you find your perfect fit.

Here's our complete skill level breakdown:

🔹 BEGINNER (Level 1)

Who you are: Brand new to the sport, still learning the rules, footwork, and basic court awareness

🎯 Skill Profile:

• Serving: Underhand or basic overhand
• Passing: May know how to build a platform, but lacks control; footwork is undeveloped; most passes go anywhere
• Setting: Only bump sets; no hand setting
• Hitting: Can swing, but aim and timing are inconsistent
• Defense: Usually stationary; limited reading ability
• Blocking: Rarely jumps; unsure of what to do
• Game IQ: Learning positions, calls, and rotation
• 3-Block / 4-Block: No knowledge

🔹 INTERMEDIATE (Level 2)

Who you are: Plays rec ball or local leagues, may have strong athletic background in other sports, starting to get reps and take the game seriously

🎯 Skill Profile:

• Serving: Overhand with some placement
• Passing: Still learning platform angles and footwork; occasionally gets solid passes, but lacks control and consistency; most serve receive and free balls float off target
• Setting: Developing bump setting; attempts hand setting on clean passes
• Hitting: Can hit with some control off good sets
• Defense: Learning angles and adjusting to hitters
• Blocking: Inconsistent timing; working on jumping
• Game IQ: Starting to understand roles and in-game decisions
• 3-Block / 4-Block: No functional knowledge

🔹 B / BB (Level 3 - Low-Mid Competitive)

Who you are: Plays tournaments semi-regularly, has technical knowledge, but execution is inconsistent, starting to play with intention

🎯 Skill Profile:

• Serving: Zone-targeted overhand or float serves
• Passing: Struggles with perfect passes on both free balls and serve receive; may be able to get the ball to the setter, but not consistently to the same spot; footwork is improving but still reactive vs. proactive
• Setting: Fairly consistent bump setting; attempts hand sets
• Hitting: Can hit hard off clean sets, some directional control
• Defense: Reads basic swings, moves to dig line/angle
• Blocking: Attempts to block; timing still improving
• Game IQ: Communicates, targets, and adapts strategy slowly
• 3-Block / 4-Block: Has heard of them; not using effectively

🔹 A (Level 4 - Advanced Club-Level / Competitive)

Who you are: Regularly competes in competitive local and regional tournaments, strong technically, but execution fluctuates under pressure or in tough conditions

🎯 Skill Profile:

• Serving: Aggressive float or topspin; zones with purpose
• Passing: Solid on free balls when tempo is slow or controlled; inconsistent vs. good servers; doesn't always reset platform; gets in the right spot, but doesn't always produce a clean, in-system ball
• Setting: Confident bump/hand setting on good passes
• Hitting: Controls both power and shots; developing versatility
• Defense: Reacts to different styles and shot selections
• Blocking: Solid timing; communicates calls; pulls off well
• Game IQ: Adapts game plan, runs some offensive options
• 3-Block / 4-Block: Has tried it, but feels awkward or ineffective

🔹 AA (Level 5 - High-Level Competitive / Semi-Pro)

Who you are: Trains seriously and competes in top-level amateur or semi-pro divisions, has the tools and tactical awareness to play consistently at a high level

🎯 Skill Profile:

• Serving: Consistent jump serve or hybrid serves that challenge opponents
• Passing: 8–9/10 free balls passed perfectly; 5–6/10 serve receive passes are clean/in-system; adjusts platform and footwork well under pressure
• Setting: Clean, confident bump and hand setting even under pressure
• Hitting: High-level execution from multiple angles and tempos
• Defense: Reacts early and positions well; digs tough balls
• Blocking: Reads attackers; adjusts calls; works well with defender
• Game IQ: Thinks like a coach; adjusts match strategy mid-set
• 3-Block / 4-Block: Knows what they are; uses them sometimes, but lacks consistent timing and purpose

🔹 Open (Level 6) / Pro (Level 7 - Elite Level)

Who you are: Competes on the AVP, FIVB, or other top circuits, trains year-round with purpose, precision, and data

🎯 Skill Profile:

• Serving: Pressure-driven jump serves, float-short, and hybrid variations
• Passing: 10/10 free balls passed perfectly to the target; 7–8/10 serve receive passes are clean, in-system, and allow full offense; adjusts to tough serves with speed, angles, and elite composure
• Setting: Can set in rhythm from almost any location or pass
• Hitting: Scores from all angles and broken plays; full shot arsenal
• Defense: Reads hands, hips, and tendencies; moves early and digs with purpose
• Blocking: Disciplined and deceptive; master of call timing and press
• Game IQ: Executes advanced systems, baits opponents, coaches on the fly
• 3-Block / 4-Block: Fully understands how and when to use them; executes them strategically and effectively

Don't Stress About It:

We initially sort courts by your self-assessment, then our coaches observe and may move players between courts starting around the end of the first day to optimize everyone's learning.

When in Doubt: It's better to start one level lower - you'll build confidence and solid fundamentals!

What is included in the Camp Cost?

5 Lunches (Sandwiches/Wraps available to all Campers)

5 Dinners

There will be Daily Breakaway Strategy/Growth/Networking Sessions 

You also get:
BAB Swag Package

What's NOT included in the camp cost?

Hotels, Flights, and Transportation are not included in your booking on our site. 

Hotels run between $150-$250 a night.

We are excited to announce that we are partnering with Dolphin Beach Resort, the most popular beach volleyball hotel in St. Pete!  

YOU MUST USE THE LINKS SENT TO RESERVE YOUR ROOM.

DO NOT WAIT TO BOOK!

There is nothing better than waking up steps away from the courts and the pool. Make sure you use our BETTER AT BEACH hotel block. If you have any issues or you have problems with the booking window, please contact the Dolphin Beach Resort and make sure you tell them you are with Better at Beach. (727) 360-7011

If you have any questions or concerns with your accommodations, please contact the Dolphin Beach Resort or call  727.360.7011.

Make sure to tell them you are with Better at Beach. 

Hotel:

Dolphin Beach Resort
4900 Gulf Blvd,
St Pete Beach, FL 33706 

The best airports to fly into are:

PIE airport - 20 mins away

Tampa International Airport  - 30 mins 

Orlando International Airport - 60 mins 

Hotels, Flights, and Transportation are not included in your booking through our site. You must book your rooms and transportation separately. Make sure you use our links that will be sent after purchase!

We have set up a Facebook group for our athletes.  The purpose of this group is for us to post information regarding camp/answer your questions, allow you to communicate with other athletes about rides or possible room sharing, and allow us to get to know each other a bit before camp begins.  Please join this group now!

Click Here to Join Our Camp Facebook Group

No, but we do most of our activities on site and don’t want you to miss out on the fun! If people don’t stay on-site their first trip, they almost always stay on their second trip.

Most of our 3 Day Camps don't have a designated hotel but once you sign up and join the Camp WhatsApp group, you can ask the coaches and other campers where they are staying to keep that community vibe!

We always have players looking to share rooms and split the cost of accommodation and transport.

Join this Facebook Group just for players from our camps and start posting!

Once you sign up we will also put you in a camp specific WhatsApp group so you can communicate with other campers going to the same camp

Group Rate Discounts: Bring Your Crew and Save Big!

Gather your squad and get ready for an unforgettable beach volleyball adventure - with a special discount just for you!

Round up at least 8 of your friends and score a 15% discount on any of our Better at Beach Camps.

Here’s how it works: Email us at [email protected] with a list of names for your group (minimum 8), and we’ll hook you up with an exclusive discount code for your entire crew. Let's hit the sand and have a blast together!

Cancellation Policy

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing via email to [email protected].

7 Day Camps & Training Vacations:

• 60+ days before start date = 90% in refund or credit
• 60 to 31 days before start date = 75% in refund or credit
• 30-15 days before start date = 50% in refund or credit
• No refunds for cancellations that happen with less than 15 days notice

For 3 Day Mini Camps & 1 Day Camps:

• 15 days before start date = full refund or credit
• No refunds for cancellations that happen with less than 15 days notice

Our coaches will make themselves available for private training at our 7 day camps. We will send an email with their schedules to camp participants.

But it's too difficult to change travel and accommodations for private lessons at our 3 day camps unless you have can have a large group for a full extra day and can reserve courts at your cost for a coach or if we are running at one of our main locations, Hermosa Beach or St. Pete, Florida.

If you are planning on booking privates, you must download the BAB Hermosa App! 

Also, you can book private video analysis sessions at www.betteratbeach.com/filmsession if you want to get a head start on your camp or you want to work with a coach one on one afterwards

On Saturday, we will still have access to the courts and encourage people to play pick up and private lessons if available.  We are also waiting on local tournament organizers to see if there are any close tournaments that you could play easily.  If there aren't any options of local tournaments, we will run a King/Queen of the Court style tournament on Saturday depending on interest.

Sometimes yes. Sometimes no.

In general, when we reserve venues with fewer courts, we do not allow day passes.

For our 7 day camps we usually won’t open day passes this about 2 weeks out from camp. If our camp sells out we will not be accepting day passes. We expect all of our camps to sell out so if you want a guaranteed spot please book today!

Check the individual camp pages for details and make sure you are on our email list to receive updates!

Absolutely no problem!

If you have a plus one that won't be training, they are more than welcome to hang out at whatever beach, facility or hotel we are at.

If you want your young one to participate in the volleyball training, then of course!

We train more and more juniors and teenagers every year. Just know in advance that while we do have some teenagers, the majority of the campers are adults and no matter what age, we group players by skill. Some work well when surrounded by adults. Others, maybe not. Be aware of your child's maturity level because this is not a juniors specific camp.

You don't HAVE TO partner with them but if you have a child that you want to stick with in training, it would be OK to bring them to a lower level court with you but it wouldn't be fair to the other campers to bring a lower level player UP to a high level court just for partnering reasons.

If you want to bring a group of kids and have them train together on the same court, we can do that! Just email [email protected] so we can talk about it. We will remind you that a chaperone will be required and our coaches are not there to supervise players outside of the on-court training time.

We usually split up men's and women's courts. 

Our job is to recognize the best split of skill level and gender and then to make sure everyone gets challenged appropriately and learns a lot.

Sometimes we'll ask players who are clearly outpacing their gender if they want to try another court regardless of it being a men's or women's net.

Sometimes we get a group who wants to play co-ed or it's just a better fit in terms of skill level and we are happy to do that if it's appropriate and there's enough players who want to.

If you REALLY want to play a lot of coed, please tell us before or at the beginning of camp so we can TRY to make it happen if it fits.

What to Bring:

CLOTHES - Pack enough athletic wear for a minimum of 2 changes per day.  

(It gets hot and sweaty in each session, & people have found themselves needing more clothes than planned.  Laundry services are off premises, a few miles from the hotel)

THEME NIGHTS - Pack something to wear for our White OUT night.  It doesn’t have to be fancy but something to go out to Skidder's and have a BLAST! 

Check out the other theme nights in your camp emails, as well. 

FOOD/SNACKS - this is a pretty big topic to cover.  You will need more snacks and food than you can imagine.  You are training 3-6 hours A DAY.  The amount of calories you are burning need to be replenished to keep you healthy and performing at your peak.  If you have any other dietary concerns, please let me know.

Some ideas that we love are: 

• Applesauce packets
• Jerky
• Energy Chews
• Berries/Apples/Bananas
• Almond/Peanut Butter Packets
• Almonds/Cashews/Nuts
• Protein Bars/Shakes
• Trail Mix
• Deli Sandwiches (I cut them into quarters and wrap them up individually)
• Crackers
• Deli Meat
• Pickles
• Mustard Packets

You can also check out the Tournament Nutrition Checklist and Nutrition Guide at this link. https://www.betteratbeach.com/nutrition

This is a full course with printables, worksheets and interviews of Nutrtition and Hydration experts. It has great INCREDIBLE information on how to be well prepared for this camp and any volleyball lesson, camp or tournament.

HYDRATION - You will be drinking copious amounts of water during your training sessions. Bringing electrolyte replacement powders/stick packs/pedialyte are a game changer.  Bringing a soft sided cooler or packable cooler has helped many campers keep their goodies cold while on the courts. Refillable Water Bottles are a MUST!!

RECOVERY - your body will thank you for bringing some recovery tools.  If you have a lacrosse ball, small foam roller, resistance bands, leg bands, massage gun, etc.  Also, remember to bring some sore muscle ointments for those of you that might need them.  I buy stock in Biofreeze!

SUN PROTECTION - Sunscreen (most people are bringing around 2-3 bottles), Hats/Visors, Sunglasses (bring two pairs), Lightweight Long Sleeve Shirts/hoodies, Sand Sox, Beach towel, umbrella, etc

ODDS AND ENDS - Leave in Hair Products, Small Towels for cleaning balls/sunglasses, flip flops, sandals, biofreeze roll-ons, extra hair ties, extra phone/tablet chargers and battery packs, drybags for phones/personal items, chapstick/lip protectant, pain relievers, first aid kit, eye wash/visine, headphones/airpods, headbands, etc. 

Want Better at Beach to come to you? You just need courts that can be legally reserved. 

Email us today at [email protected]

Send your phone number, the website and contact information of the facility or courts and how many people you know would be interested off the bat.

We hire and send new coaches all the time. But you CAN expect your favorites to return! Mark, Brandon, Matt, Logan, DJ, JM, Ali, and more!

Mark Burik

Mark is the Founder and Owner of Better at Beach (formerly VolleyCamp Hermosa), where athletes can stay and play in sunny Southern California. He's an accomplished entrepreneur, an exceptional teacher, and one of the most recognizable personalities in the world of beach volleyball. Mark is a certified strength and conditioning specialist, certified personal trainer, and performance enhancement specialist with an exercise science degree from George Mason University.

Brandon Joyner

Brandon has also been a coach for more than 10 years.

During his playing years, Brandon was also a coach. Brandon has coached for 10+ years. He has coached volleyball camps as a head coach since 2008 and was the assistant coach for George Mason university from 2011-2013.

Matthew Hazle

Matt Hazle is a distinguished athlete and coach in beach volleyball, known for his outstanding accomplishments as both a player and a mentor. He is a highly skilled coach, who is dedicated to helping athletes of all levels achieve their goals and reach their full potential.

Logan Webber

AVP and FIVB Pro

Finished second in AVP Rookie of the Year votes in 2019

Won 3 AVPNext Gold Series events in 2021 including New Orleans, Oshkosh, and Seaside, Oregon

One of the top AVP up and coming players and Olympic hopeful.

We strive to have all levels at camps and cannot guarantee any specific percentage of leveled players.

We do suggest that if you are an AAA or Pro / Open level player, that you bring a group of people to ensure that you have the appropriate amount of competition that you desire and can receive the most from your training. You can also email us to see who else is signed up and we can work on recruiting enough players at that level.

We can make sure your group gets its own court. If this is something that interests you, please email [email protected] so we can give you the best information.