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The Sizzlin' Pits Newsletter
May 2006
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Complete 2006 Event Schedule!
http://www.vh1vball.com/schedule.asp
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Join a mailing list and receive updates by e-mail
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From the Editor
May is fast approaching and with it comes a number of unique events including a special outdoor volleyball clinic for Juniors and our very first Juniors tournament! Throw in a K/Q grass tourney and a regular sand tourney and you've got a little bit of everything. Check out the May Events preview for more info.
Here's this month's highlights. Click on any of the links to read more:
Still looking for info on membership requirements this year? Answers to this question and others await in the Ask V column Ball Control! Ball Control!! Ball Control!!! Learn how to master it in our latest Tricks of the Trade column. ATTENTION JUNIORS: The following articles are just for you!
vh1vball hopes everyone can make it out to one of the May events! We are especially looking forward to getting the Juniors outdoor volleyball program rolling! Please continue to spread the word to friends and get them on the new 'vh1vballjrs' message board. A link is provided at the top of the newsletter and on the website.
Mark Nalevanko - mark@vh1vball.com
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Juniors, are you ready to learn more about outdoor volleyball? Beach Volleyball 101 (Sign-up Now!) kicks off our May events with two sessions. Session #1: Sat, May 6th at Green Hope Park from 1PM-5PM will be broken into 2 parts. The 1PM-3PM time slot will be devoted to learning skills. Part 2 of the clinic from 3:00-5:00PM will focus exclusively on doubles play in preparation of the tournament events later in the year. Players who feel like they know the basics can choose to only attend the second part. Session #2: Sun, May 7th at N. Cary Park from 1PM-4PM will be focused on learning outdoor skills and will end with a mini-tournament (triples and/or doubles). Proceeds from session #2 will go to NC Challengers. The price will be $15 per session. Additionally, the first 12 signups for each session get a free t-shirt. See t-shirt front here. The back will contain event information for Junior outdoor volleyball in the entire region. Like the Juniors tournaments later in the year, this event will require USAV membership so to ensure insurance coverage at the event. If you're not a USAV member, check out the Ask V column for more info.
The first vh1vball Junior tourney, the Triangle Junior Beach Open, will be held on Sat, May 20th at Jaycee Park in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Sign-up Now!) Players from around the region are invited and this event will serve as a qualifiying event for the AAU Junior Olympics in Virginia Beach (July 31-August 2). We are expecting several teams from Virginia Beach to come so this a great opportunity. While the Junior event is held in the sand, a King and Queen Grass Tourney will be held on the ballfields. (Sign-up Now!)
And finally, the month of May will wrap up with our May Melee Beach Open on Sat, May 27th. (Sign-up Now!) Since this is currently planned to be a single day event we will most likely combine divisions such that the 3-4 most popular divisions are played at Green Hope and North Cary Parks.
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 Sand Man: Karch Kiraly
Wearing his now famous pink hat, the best volleyball player of all-time continues to compete at the ripe old age of 45 against opponents half his age, and more times than not he's the one coming out on top. The man is pretty much the icon of beach volleyball. He's the Michael Jordan of the sport and responsible for drawing more people to the sport than any other person. Included in that list of people he's drawn to the sport is the editor of this newsletter. The accomplishments are incredible:
148 tournament victories (1st) $3.1 million in winnings (1st) 3 time Olympic Gold Medalist (only volleyball player to ever accomplish this) 3 time NCAA Men's Volleyball Champion at UCLA 6 time AVP Most Valuable Player
The man simply goes by Karch and he is truly a living legend. Introduced to the game of volleyball on the beaches of California by his father, Karch won his first beach volleyball tournament at the age of 18 in 1979. For the next twenty-six years, he would continue to win with his most recent victory being in 2005. He now starts his 28th season on the beach. When asked about his career, he simply states "It's incredible. I love my life". Karch goes on to add "We don't receive the compensation like other athletes in other sports, but it's so nice when I'm walking out the door and going to work and say to my family, `Good-bye. I'm going to the beach.' There's nothing wrong with that. I still have to pinch myself that I'm able to play a kid's game on beautiful beaches."
Excerpt taken from Kiraly headlines local AVP event by Jim Varsollone of the Miami Herald. Photo by Holly Stein/AVP.
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Tricks of the Trade
In this installment we'll
be highlighting how to improve ball control. It's a skill that becomes crucial while playing outdoors. It pretty much distinguishes good players from average players. Without it, the best hitter in the world won't have an opportunity to exhibit his or her ability.
It really all starts with positioning when getting ready to receive a ball of any kind whether it be a serve, spike, or dink:
Hand positioning - Are your hands in the typical dig position taught to players indoor? If so, you're NOT preparing yourself correctly. You really want your hands out to the side slightly so you can be ready to receive balls at all heights - low, middle, high.
Reading the shot - To be quite honest, this is a skill that takes practice. You have to repeatedly analyze the subtleties of hitters. No two hitters are the same. Does the hitter like to cut a lot or just bang away? Sometimes it's more valuable looking at your potential opponent play someone else in order to pick up things. One thing to keep in mind is if the set is tight, more times than not the shot will land close to the net on your side so move towards the net. The opposite could be said for sets that are off the net.
Stop at moment of contact - In order to chase down a shot, one needs to be centered and light on the feet at the point of attack. Otherwise, momentum going one way will prevent you from getting to a ball going the other way. Sometimes you can get lucky and guess the right way to go before the hit, but that should only be practiced in cases where the attacker is limited to hitting one particular way or likes a particular shot a lot!
Optimistic Mindset - All the great players go into a match thinking they can get to any ball. You too should think that if you can get to the ball then you can dig it!
Excerpt taken from Smarter Volleyball by Mark Tanner
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Q & A with Holly McPeak
vh1vball: How do you recommend introducing Juniors to beach volleyball?
Holly: Setup a few beach courts to play on and have a few clinics to teach them correct technique. Otheriwist just give them as many opportunities to play as possible and possibly roadtrip to an AVP event to show them what it is all about.
vh1vball: What pointers do you have for someone who's on the shorter side when playing against taller players?
Holly: I am a smaller player that always has to play against taller players. It is important to focus on your strengths and to put yourself in a position to hit around big blocks. Keep your set a little off the net and learn to hit over and around big blocks. Usually smaller players have better ball control and play better defense so serve the big players tough and make them work for a sideout. As a small player it is important to use the whole court and be able to hit all the shots, and to be able to put the ball away without a block.
vh1vball: What's your favorite beach volleyball event/tournament?
Holly: The Manhattan beach Open is my favorite tournament because it has so much history and is in my hometown.
vh1vball: Who was your favorite player(s) when growing up?
Holly: Growing up there were more male players that I watched then female, so some of my earliest memories were of Jim Menges and Matt Gage. Then came Mike Dodd, Sinjin Smith, Karch Kiraly, and many others who inspired me!
Note: Holly will be signing posters for us which will be given away at drawings during our Junior events. For a sneak peek at the posters, check the following links: Beach Volleyball Poster Holly McPeak Poster
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