Beach Volleyball » (1st Edition)

Karch Kiraly is the greatest volleyball player of all time. He has won more championships—indoor and outdoor—than anyone else. He is the only volleyball player to win three Olympic gold medals: two came with the USA national team indoors in 1984 and 1988 and the other came on the beach at the Atlanta Games in 1996.

Kiraly is easily the most recognizable player on the pro beach tour and not just because of his trademark pink hat. The six-time AVP MVP won his first tournament in 1979 and hasn't stopped since, accumulating 136 career victories through 1998. And as the all-time career earnings leader in beach history, he usually ends up on the winner's stand.

Besides being one of the best ambassadors any sport has ever known, Kiraly is also an accomplished writer. His book Karch Kiraly's Championship Volleyball has been very popular since its first publication in 1990. He is a contributing editor for Volleyball Magazine and he helped produce Strictly Beach, a video on winning sand volleyball strategies and techniques. He lives with his wife, Janna, and two children, Kristian and Kory, near his office—the beach—in San Clemente, California.

Byron Shewman also has a competitive background to go with his writing credentials, giving him a thorough understanding of the sport's history and subtleties. Shewman played on the U.S. National Men's Team in the early 1970s and played as an Open player on the beach when the game was still amateur. He also coached in the International Volleyball Association before turning his attention to writing and becoming a contributing editor to Volleyball Magazine.

He spent 13 months researching and writing the only comprehensive volume on the sport's history, Volleyball Centennial, The First 100 Years, published in 1995. He is also the founder and director of Starlings Volleyball Clubs, USA, a nonprofit junior volleyball program for inner-city girls. Shewman lives in Imperial Beach, in San Diego County, California.

To many players and fans, Karch Kiraly is beach volleyball. Now you can learn the game from the best there ever was with Beach Volleyball, the only book devoted exclusively to the sport.

Beach Volleyball will help you master the skills of the game. Kiraly explains and demonstrates every technique-serving, passing, setting, spiking, blocking, and digging. He also presents the 23 best practice drills to improve each of these important skills. You will learn Karch's special beach volleyball conditioning program for high-level fitness and performance, a regimen that has kept him at the top of the game for over two decades. More than 40 training exercises and drills will boost your flexibility, strength, speed, agility, and endurance.

The techniques, tactics, and training tips contained in Beach Volleyball , along with Karch's special insights and stories, will prepare you for even the toughest opponents. And you too might become the best on the beach.

About the Author

Karch Kiraly is the greatest volleyball player of all time. He has won more championships-indoor and outdoor-than anyone else. He is the only volleyball player to win three Olympic gold medals: two came with the USA national team indoors in 1984 and 1988 and the other came on the beach at the Atlanta Games in 1996.

Kiraly is easily the most recognizable player on the pro beach tour and not just because of his trademark pink hat. The six-time AVP MVP won his first tournament in 1979 and hasn't stopped since, accumulating 136 career victories through 1998. And as the all-time career earnings leader in beach history, he usually ends up on the winner's stand. Besides being one of the best ambassadors any sport has ever known, Kiraly is also an accomplished writer. His book Karch Kiraly's Championship Volleyball has been very popular since its first publication in 1990. He is a contributing editor for Volleyball Magazine and he helped produce Strictly Beach, a video on winning sand volleyball strategies and techniques. He lives with his wife, Janna, and two children, Kristian and Kory, near his office-the beach-in San Clemente, California.

Byron Shewman also has a competitive background to go with his writing credentials, giving him a thorough understanding of the sport's history and subtleties. Shewman played on the U.S. National Men's Team in the early 1970s and played as an Open player on the beach when the game was still amateur. He also coached in the International Volleyball Association before turning his attention to writing and becoming a contributing editor to Volleyball Magazine.

He spent 13 months researching and writing the only comprehensive volume on the sport's history, Volleyball Centennial, The First 100 Years, published in 1995. He is also the founder and director of Starlings Volleyball Clubs, USA, a nonprofit junior volleyball program for inner-city girls. Shewman lives in Imperial Beach, in San Diego County, California.

Acknowledgments
Part I: The Game
Chapter 1. The Evolution
Chapter 2. The Attraction

Part II: The Skills
Chapter 3. The Serve
Chapter 4. The Pass
Chapter 5. The Set
Chapter 6. The Spike
Chapter 7. The Block
Chapter 8. The Dig

Part III: The Training
Chapter 9. Flexibility
Chapter 10. Strength
Chapter 11. Plyometrics
Chapter 12. Speed and Agility
Chapter 13. Endurance

Part IV: The Play
Chapter 14. The Partner
Chapter 15. The Competition

Milestones
Index
About the Authors