Okay, so today, I decided to hit the beach for some volleyball. It’s been a while, and I figured it’d be a fun way to get some exercise and enjoy the sun. First things first, I gathered my gear. This meant digging out my old volleyball, finding a decent pair of shorts, and making sure I had sunscreen – gotta protect that skin!
Next up, I headed to the beach. I live pretty close, so it was just a short drive. Once I got there, I had to find a good spot. I wanted somewhere with relatively flat sand and not too close to the water (didn’t want to lose the ball!).
Setting Up
- I started by scoping out the area, looking for a relatively empty patch of sand.
- Once I found a spot, I tried to flatten the sand. Kicked at it and stomp a bit to make a basic court shape.
- No net, keep it simple, just a good old imaginary line!
Now for the actual gameplay. I was by myself, so it wasn’t a real “game,” more like practice. I started with some basic serving drills. Just tossing the ball up and trying to hit it over that imaginary net with some decent force. My serves were, uh, inconsistent, to say the least. Some went way too far, others barely made it a few feet. But hey, that’s what practice is for, right?
After serving, I worked on my bumping. Just tossing the ball up and trying to control it with my forearms. I focused on keeping my platform steady and aiming the ball in a specific direction (mostly just straight up!). It’s tougher than it looks, especially when the wind picks up.
Then I moved on to setting practice. Again, just tossing the ball and trying to get a nice, clean set with my fingertips. I visualized a teammate there, ready to spike it. It felt a little silly, setting to nobody, but it was good practice for getting the feel of the ball.
Finally, I tried some spiking (or, well, hitting, since there was no net to jump over). I’d toss the ball up, take a few steps, and try to hit it downwards with some power. Most of the time, I ended up just slapping the ball in a random direction. It’s hard to get the timing and coordination right when you’re doing it all yourself!
I spent about an hour just going through these drills. Sweating, a little sandy, but feeling pretty good. It wasn’t the most exciting volleyball “game” ever, but it was a solid workout and a fun way to spend some time outdoors. Definitely need to work on my skills, though! Maybe next time I’ll try to drag a friend along for a real game.
