Jumping exercises are now widely known by the term plyometrics. The actual words plyo and metrics stand for measurable increases.
Plyometrics links strength with the speed of the muscle to produce power. Plyometrics are exercises designed in a way to enable a muscle to reach maximum strength in the shortest time possible.
When you want to move a muscle, your brain sends a chemical reaction to the muscles. Some movements occur without any conscious effort on your part.
The greatest jumpers actually don't spend much time on the ground. They realize that the longer they are on the ground the more energy is lost and that same energy could be used to jump higher.
So to teach people how to jump higher you must focus on being in contact with the ground for a shorter period of time. This is why plyometrics exists, to teach muscles a faster reaction time.
A muscle has more energy if it is stretched immediately prior to it contracting. This is why dropping down before you jump will actually cause you to jump higher.
Muscles behave in many ways like a rubber band. The more you stretch a rubber band the more power it will have when you let go.
An example of how our muscles react to stretching is the knee test. When the patella tendon under the knee cap is tapped, your muscle will react with power with no conscious thought on your part.
A muscle contraction is always fastest if stretched prior to contraction. Sadly, training does not increase the speed of the reaction, but it does increase the strength that the contraction will have.
So whether you play sand volleyball, basketball, or any other sport you need the power you develop from plyometrics.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Beach Volleyball Rules You Must Know
Indoor volleyball and beach volleyball are much different. You can't just assume that you can play beach volleyball because you play indoor volleyball. Here are some differences between beach volleyball and indoor volleyball
1. The serve is the best place to start with our rules. A tossed ball that isn't contacted is a lost point.
2. You might wonder why players are always switching sides during a game when playing beach volleyball. These side switches occur every 7 points if you go to 21 and every 5 if going to 15. This happens because one side is always better than the other.
3. You are allowed to go onto the opposing side to retrieve a ball. This is only if the ball was hit outside the antennas.
4. A beach volleyball is not an indoor volleyball. Beach volleyballs are much softer because the psi is always below 4 psi.
5. In beach volleyball you are allowed to double a hard driven ball. Indoor volleyball does not allow a double to occur on a hard driven ball.
6. Never take the serve with you fingers. Serves can't be doubled in beach volleyball so if you take it with your hands it must bounce off your palms and your hands must be touching each other.
7. Chances are if you learned volleyball by playing indoors you will get every set called by the ref. An outdoor set is much cleaner than indoor and shouldn't spin.
8. You can't just set the ball over the net sideways when playing beach volleyball. You must be perpendicular to the ball if the ball goes over the net.
9. The block counts as a hit in beach volleyball. So if you touch the ball on the block you have 2 more hits to get it back over the net.
1. The serve is the best place to start with our rules. A tossed ball that isn't contacted is a lost point.
2. You might wonder why players are always switching sides during a game when playing beach volleyball. These side switches occur every 7 points if you go to 21 and every 5 if going to 15. This happens because one side is always better than the other.
3. You are allowed to go onto the opposing side to retrieve a ball. This is only if the ball was hit outside the antennas.
4. A beach volleyball is not an indoor volleyball. Beach volleyballs are much softer because the psi is always below 4 psi.
5. In beach volleyball you are allowed to double a hard driven ball. Indoor volleyball does not allow a double to occur on a hard driven ball.
6. Never take the serve with you fingers. Serves can't be doubled in beach volleyball so if you take it with your hands it must bounce off your palms and your hands must be touching each other.
7. Chances are if you learned volleyball by playing indoors you will get every set called by the ref. An outdoor set is much cleaner than indoor and shouldn't spin.
8. You can't just set the ball over the net sideways when playing beach volleyball. You must be perpendicular to the ball if the ball goes over the net.
9. The block counts as a hit in beach volleyball. So if you touch the ball on the block you have 2 more hits to get it back over the net.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Beach Volleyball Shorter Court
A beach volleyball court is a meter shorter and narrower than an indoor volleyball court. This means that the court measures 16 meters by 8 meters. This is the case with any court where there are only 2 players, whether it be sand volleyball or grass volleyball. If there are 2 players per team then the size of the court is smaller. I know shorter and older players hate this, but that's the way it is. It's not 1982 anymore which means that the points are always rally scoring and the court is smaller when 2 people are playing. It's too easy for unskilled players to win points and even games when the court is huge like an indoor court. Playing on a smaller court means you have to be better in every aspect of your game. You have to be able to serve better because there is a meter less on each side of the net. You have to be able to hit (spike) a lot better because you will most likely hit too wide or too long on a shorter court. It just takes a different skill level to play on a smaller court, but the adaption has to take place.
There are too many tournaments that i've seen where people are still using the big court size to play doubles. This makes no sense. I see tournaments where the highest division (open) is played in sand on smaller courts while the rest of the people play on grass with huge courts the size of football fields (the indoor court size). It's time for all the old folks and players with no hops to suck it up and start playing the sport how it's supposed to be played.... on smaller courts. I know you learned how to play volleyball indoors and you feel comfortable with all that extra area for your shanked or spatched balls to land in on the other side. But, this is outdoor volleyball now so you have to abide by all the rules. It's like being a great tennis player and then trying to transition over to ping pong but you want to play it on a table the size of a tennis court. It takes all the skill out of the game because the ping pong player now has to play on an oddly sized playing area.
There are too many tournaments that i've seen where people are still using the big court size to play doubles. This makes no sense. I see tournaments where the highest division (open) is played in sand on smaller courts while the rest of the people play on grass with huge courts the size of football fields (the indoor court size). It's time for all the old folks and players with no hops to suck it up and start playing the sport how it's supposed to be played.... on smaller courts. I know you learned how to play volleyball indoors and you feel comfortable with all that extra area for your shanked or spatched balls to land in on the other side. But, this is outdoor volleyball now so you have to abide by all the rules. It's like being a great tennis player and then trying to transition over to ping pong but you want to play it on a table the size of a tennis court. It takes all the skill out of the game because the ping pong player now has to play on an oddly sized playing area.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Beach Volleyball Tips
Sand volleyball is an increasingly popular sport. It can be called either sand volleyball or beach volleyball but either way it is the same sport. It is played in the sand with 2 people on each team.
When watching beach volleyball you might wonder why the teams switch sides mid game. The games are played to 21 and the switches occur every seven points so that the sun isn't in one teams eyes more than the others.
There are many differences from indoor volleyball and beach volleyball. The hardest thing to get used to is jumping in the sand. An outdoor approach is usually just a 3 step approach where you jump straight up instead of going forward when you jump.
Beach volleyballs do not feel the same as indoor volleyballs. The first time you feel a real beach volleyball you will think it needs more air, but that's how it's supposed to feel. Save yourself the embarrassment of telling everyone that the ball needs more air, because it doesn't.
The rules vary quite a bit between sand volleyball and indoor volleyball. In beach volleyball you can't set the serve like you can in indoor. Also the set has to be very clean and not spin in beach volleyball.
Don't even think about tipping the ball over the net with an open hand when playing beach volleyball. This is not allowed in beach volleyball and who wants to do it anyways?
Another rule change to be aware of is that you can't side set over the net. This means that if you are going to set the ball over the net for some odd reason, you have to do it directly in front of you or directly behind you.
One more rule that you must be aware of is that the block counts as a hit. Once the ball is touched by the blocker in beach volleyball you only have 2 more hits to get it back over.
These tips should help you make a smooth transition from indoor to beach volleyball.
For more on men's beach volleyball and sand volleyball tips, click either link.
When watching beach volleyball you might wonder why the teams switch sides mid game. The games are played to 21 and the switches occur every seven points so that the sun isn't in one teams eyes more than the others.
There are many differences from indoor volleyball and beach volleyball. The hardest thing to get used to is jumping in the sand. An outdoor approach is usually just a 3 step approach where you jump straight up instead of going forward when you jump.
Beach volleyballs do not feel the same as indoor volleyballs. The first time you feel a real beach volleyball you will think it needs more air, but that's how it's supposed to feel. Save yourself the embarrassment of telling everyone that the ball needs more air, because it doesn't.
The rules vary quite a bit between sand volleyball and indoor volleyball. In beach volleyball you can't set the serve like you can in indoor. Also the set has to be very clean and not spin in beach volleyball.
Don't even think about tipping the ball over the net with an open hand when playing beach volleyball. This is not allowed in beach volleyball and who wants to do it anyways?
Another rule change to be aware of is that you can't side set over the net. This means that if you are going to set the ball over the net for some odd reason, you have to do it directly in front of you or directly behind you.
One more rule that you must be aware of is that the block counts as a hit. Once the ball is touched by the blocker in beach volleyball you only have 2 more hits to get it back over.
These tips should help you make a smooth transition from indoor to beach volleyball.
For more on men's beach volleyball and sand volleyball tips, click either link.
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