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Our Club
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Who are we? What do we do?We take pride in being a beach-dedicated club and comprehensive beach volleyball program that specializes in offering complete and community-based instruction to achieve our goals in player development. We strive to provide the best training based on current techniques and strategies being used at the national level, emphasizing lifelong learning and fundamental values that help on the court and in life. We teach and promote confidence, integrity, responsibility, competitiveness, teamwork, communication and work ethic, among other intangibles. In doing so, our club has a tradition of producing college athletes playing for top NCAA programs. We host events and tournaments which give players and the community an opportunity to connect and compete. These events and tournaments are some of the best in the area and feature the best our club has to offer. Founded by Lucas Bol, Santa Cruz Beach Volleyball Club is the next progression in the development of beach volleyball in Northern California. Formerly Main Beach Sand Club, Santa Cruz Beach Volleyball Club is a stand alone beach volleyball program featuring some of the most experienced, innovative and skilled beach volleyball coaches in the area.
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How does the club work?We aim to keep our organization and programs as simple as possible, so we can focus on and emphasize the important stuff— teaching and learning. We split the year into four seasons- Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer. When doing this, we take into account school and sport schedules to make a calendar that makes sense and allows the greatest opportunities for our athletes to excel not just in our club, but in school and other sports. Fall: September, October, November Winter: December, January, February Spring: March, April, May Summer: June, July, August Each season has three main programs: Young Ones Program (YP), FUNdamentals, and Training Groups. Players sign up and tryout (if necessary) for their desired program each season. The three programs are all part of our development pathway.
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What is our Development Pathway for youth athletes?Our Development Pathway is the progression of programs we implement as a club to teach youth athletes the sport of beach volleyball. Our pathway is designed to prepare players for NCAA and professional competition. It is split into three distinct time periods: Elementary School (grades 2-6) First introductions to the game though our Young Ones Program (YP). During this time period we recommend playing multiple sports and not specializing in any one specific sport yet. Middle School (grades 6-8) Players move on from our YP to the more advanced programs of our Training Groups and FUNdamentals. We recommend narrowing down the sports being played and focus on just a few. We find 2-3 sports during this time to work out well. High School (grades 9-12) Players move on from FUNdamentals into Training Groups. During this time we find it beneficial for players to specialize more, and fully focus on 1-2 sports. However, we always encourage players to maintain other sports and activities as hobbies during this time.
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What is our Young Ones Program?Our Young Ones Program is a specialized program for grades 2-6. It is designed around shorter clinics and 4 week programs. The purpose of the program is to introduce the sport of volleyball to new players, and to begin to teach the basics in a fun environment. This program can implement special balls and equipment designed for players of this age group. The main program goals are for players to have FUN while also learning to serve, pass, set, spike, read the play, and move to the ball. General coordination and athleticism will also be trained. The purpose of this program at the club level is to get players ready for the more advanced skills and situations found in our middle school programs. This is a no cut program, all players are welcome to join. Sessions do have limited space, so registering early is a good idea.
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What is FUNdamentals?FUNdamentals (Elementary School, Junior High) FUNdamentals Training is geared to all players wanting to focus on the all important fundamental skills and strategies to be successful. In this program, we will focus on the fundamental techniques needed to play at a high level. This is the start of our training pathway, and new players generally begin in this program. The knowledge they gain will be utilized and expanded upon throughout their entire time with the club. We teach the same technique and skills as we do to our older players. For that reason, participation in FUNdamentals by a more experienced player can still be effective, and can reinforce and tune up the simple, fundamental techniques the game is based on. The main focus of the program will be to address the randomness, simplicity, and reactionary aspect of the game. Participation in FUNdamentals is a great way to increase a players overall volleyball ability and is great preparation for indoor volleyball seasons, as well as beach volleyball tournaments and games. As the name suggests, this program (and all our programs) are fun. It is important that the game is fun, and practice is fun.
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How do I join FUNdamentals?FUNdamentals is a no tryout program that allows beginning and intermediate players the opportunity to learn the game.
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What are Training Groups?Training Groups (Junior High and High School) We established the first Training Groups program in the Bay Area summer of 2013. Since then, we've continued to innovate and excel at providing the best training to our athletes using this model. Our Training Groups program has produced more NCAA DI beach volleyball athletes than any other program in northern California. Training Groups are the equivalent to a beach "team". In creating training groups, we are assembling groups of similarly skilled and like minded players to train together. Often times, Training Groups represent a higher level of play and experience, but can also be offered at beginning skill levels. Training Groups provide a platform and environment for advanced skill and game play development. Players and coaches are able to work closely with one another to develop, plan, and achieve goals. All aspects of beach volleyball are addressed by the coaches, and we go beyond teaching just the skills. Given beach volleyball is a player driven sport- during gameplay coaches often have little input, players must find and retain partners, players self manage their schedules and tournaments- we prepare our athletes to be self sufficient and confident in their abilities as a player, manager and communicator. A huge aspect of the success of our training group program is our coaching staff. The training group program has the best beach volleyball coaches available in the area, and players get the opportunity to work closely with them in a focused and fun environment.
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How do I join a Training Group?Each season (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) we will host a tryout. Players will be placed into groups and train together for that season based on their tryout. Each group will have a coach that works with them for the duration of the season. Each season will have a specific practice and tournament schedule associated with it.
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What makes Summer Flex different from the rest?Our Summer Flex program is a flexible week to week program to learn beach volleyball and have fun while learning. There are two Summer Flex options: Beginner; and Intermediate/Advanced. Lead coaches organize and prepare a thoughtful week of instruction tailored to the participants, taking into accounts the areas of instruction needing most attention. We feature a MAX 1-8 coach to player ratio per court. Each court has a dedicated coach overseeing and instructing players 100% of the time. In the framework of our club, camps are a first step in learning to play and love the game, and we teach all participants skills they will need to progress to the highest levels of the game.
Program Philosophy
Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide our players the opportunity for personal growth and development as an individual and athlete through providing excellent instruction and support in learning to play and compete in beach volleyball.
Philosophy
Our philosophy guides our process. We believe in teaching athletes strong fundamental skills, technique and strategy in order to provide a platform for discovery and learning. We support thoughtful experimentation with these skills and strategies, while using positive encouragement to promote player growth and development. We seek to inspire passion and enthusiasm for the game and beach culture, providing coaches who embody our philosophy and beliefs through their leadership and guidance.
Our players will gain the knowledge and confidence to manage a game or tournament as a team and individual. Players learn to work together to understand the game. By doing so, we emphasize communication and teamwork, providing our players with all the tools and knowledge they need to be self-managed athletes. This includes help and support finding partners, choosing tournaments, picking up games and court maintenance.
Our process employs current teaching techniques being used at the national level to promote efficient learning and growth. We encourage players to ask and answer questions, and understand the importance of fun and enjoying the game, using those feelings to help promote learning and competition. Our process also relies upon the strength of the community, and we strive to create a close-knit group of beach volleyball players and families that can provide support and a foundation for our club.
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