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So you are a pretty talented college player who has a lot of years of learning how to improve your setting while training on your club volleyball team, right? You may not be the setter on your team but you’re good enough to run down a ball that your setter can’t get to and set the ball to any of your other teammates.

Now, you want to start playing sand volleyball and you see that your first challenge is to coordinate your upper body setting mechanics with trying to learn how to run in the sand and all of a sudden you seem to be getting whistled for double hits and lifts every time you touch the ball.

As a competitive athlete that can initially seem rather frustrating because it feels like you are just giving away easy points to the opposing team by committing errors while trying to use your hands to set which of course is something you’ve been training to do for years.

The good news is that everybody and I mean everybody including Olympians and very experienced indoor pro players who come out to learn how to play in the sand experience two things a) the initial frustration of deciding when not to hand set and b) realizing that bump setting is not for sissies.

I know this for a fact because it happened to me.

While training with various beach volleyball champions Nina Matthies and Elaine Roque and expert coaches like Pat Zartman and Mark Barber, I had to learn that until I got my “sand legs” (which happens when your leg muscles are strengthened by consistent exercising and playing in the sand) if I set the volleyball on the run while trying to use my hands, I was increasing my chances of being called for a throw or a lift because I hadn’t developed yet, the speed or the strength needed to have my body completely positioned underneath the ball to deliver a clean overhand set.

Since developing that leg strength takes time and consistent sand training, I needed to be able to perform beach volleyball skills in a way that would allow me to gain maximum control of the ball. So, instead of overhand setting I learned to bump set.

As soon as I got my ego out of the way and realized that bump setting was not a cop out but was one of the most important skills that almost all of the most experienced beach volleyball players used to control the ball, especially when the wind was a factor, the faster I was able to regain confidence in my playing ability and deliver a decent set to my teammate on a consistent basis, even on a windy day.

And now I would like to invite you to get Free video instruction directly from Olympic gold medalists and pro players on how to become a
You’ll get access to free videos with instructions for indoor and beach volleyball skills that you can use right away!

From April Chapple, creator of the volleyball news hub Volleyball Voices.com and author of the new ebook “86 Girls Indoor Volleyball Tips:How To Gain Confidence On the Volleyball Court.”

Swimming can give you lots of benefits both in your physical and mental condition. It can help you achieve a healthy body and a relaxed mental status. There are various ways that you can do while swimming but you have to avoid some things while swimming to get most of the benefits that this activity offers. Here are some things that you must avoid while swimming:

EXHAUSTION

Most swimmers quit swimming because they find it exhausting and tiring. They often get tired because of wrong techniques that they do. You must set a specific amount of time for your swimming routines so that you will experience burn out. You must stick to your plans and limits for you not to go beyond what your body is capable of. Always remember that you also need time to rest your body after swimming.

SWIMMING WITHOUT ASPIRATIONS

Your goals will serve as your inspiration and motivation to keep going. You will lose your concentration if you do not have goals why you are engaging in that activity. You must formulate specific and attainable goals before anything else. This is important to monitor how much you have achieved so far.

GOING FOR THE TRAINING EVEN WITH SO MUCH PAIN

You must remember that excessive muscle pains are signals that you are doing the wrong thing in the activity and you are pushing the limit. You must learn to take everything slow and sure. Damaging your body for the sake of doing your routines completely will not do good for your body. You must observe what your body is capable of doing.

REPEATING ROUTINES ALL OVER AGAIN

You must remember that you should not settle for one routine for your training. You must put variations for you to work on all the areas of your body that need improvement and exercise. You can either change the distance or the stroke that you use to be able to change your routine. You must remember that you need your whole body to function effectively.

HAVING BAD HABITS

You must keep yourself away from bad habits like smoking and drinking excessive alcohol. You should know that these things will affect your physical condition and your swimming performance. You also need to open yourself to possible criticisms by trainers for you to improve in your craft.

Swimming is an enjoyable activity that you can do with your friends and relatives. You can improve your health with swimming. You just need to avoid certain things in order to be successful in this physical activity. You must follow them so that you will achieve your goals.

Basketball and volleyball players have a common need in their specific sports: vertical leaping ability. An enhanced vertical leap will give the athlete the edge over his/her opponents. This is particularly true for basketball players. Basketball is a game that involves the most number of explosive moves and directional changes repeated over the course of a game. Any good Basketball Dunk training program should include Vertical plyometrics for faster results.

It is often said that basketball is one of the most strenuous sports when it comes to sheer physical ability. Strength plays second fiddle to speed, agility, quickness, and vertical leaping ability. An exercise called vertical plyometrics will help improve an athlete’s vertical leap by training certain muscle groups to develop explosive bursts of power that can be performed repeatedly whenever demanded. The basketball dunk training vertical leap is especially benefited using plyometrics.

Vertical plyometricsplay a big part for an athlete to have an added edge over other competitors. But plyometric exercises are not for everyone, even for the seasoned athlete. Certain factors should be considered before an athlete is to train using plyometrics. Weight plays a critical factor, as athletes over 240 pounds are advised to do mild plyometrics as the training may put too much strain on muscles and tendons. Basketball players, in particular, are required to have a very low fat index as common sense will dictate that the heavier the athlete is, the more difficult for the muscles to perform a higher vertical jump.

Only well-conditioned athletes with no history of any injury to the particular muscle group involved should perform vertical plyometrics, guided by a well-trained fitness coach. The exercises are very demanding and may increase the risk of injury. Mild plyometric exercises are often recommended for injury rehabilitation, but only under strict supervision.

An athlete who wants to have the edge in overall athleticism should consider vertical plyometrics to improve speed, agility and dunk training leaping ability.