Beach Volleyball

It wasn't all that long ago you never went to the beach without a frisbee, a tennis ball or cricket bat. But now something new has washed up on our shores. You only have to be at Glenelg or Semaphore on a weekend to see that Beach Volleyball is booming. And this is serious stuff - because Adelaide has been named as the new home for the National Olympic Program. So for athletes like Andrew Schaat Glenelg beach is the training ground for Sydney 2000. "It's great for me I get to come down here and train, there's more money behind the project, dedicated coaches now, players coming from interstate, so we'll have a good core group of players so we can progress through to the next three years and hopefully medal in Sydney".

The competition this summer is hot ... if it wasn't for the sand and the sun you'd forget you're at the beach - this is supposed to be a place to relax! "It takes a lot of time you've got to train three to four hours a day at least on the sand and time in the gym but the rewards are you get to travel the world and see the beaches of the world, you can't ask for much more than that to cruise around the world and play beach volleyball". Beach volleyball made its Olympic debut at last year's Atlanta Olympics where the Australian Women's pair won bronze. But Volleyball isn't just for the elite even someone like me can play, all you need is a ball, some sand, a net and a really good partner. It's not that hard to pick up, really you just need to know some basics and it pays to have a good sense of humor.

I had the help of one of South Australia's top players, Tania Gooley as partner and coach, "A basic skill would be the dig that's where you receive off the serve, so you want to have your hands together, cross them over, put your thumbs together . You want to keep your arms pretty straight, shoulders out in front all you do is bend your knees, the ball must contact you on the forearms". "That's all there is to it? You'll make a volleyballer out of me yet". The beach volleyball season is drawing to a close but recreational four and six-a-side tournaments are played all year round. Don't worry if you don't have your own team, because Volleyball S.A. can find you one. You'll even get a lesson before your first hit-out. For information on how to join, ring Volleyball SA on 8221 5991 or email or email: info@postcards-sa.com.au