Beach Solutions: Partner Pairing for Doubles Competition and Club Dual Events

Beach partner pairing can be a challenging part of playing beach volleyball. It is the #1 most intimidating task that new players must learn to do for themselves. “Can you help find a partner for my daughter?” is the most common ask directors and coaches get from young athlete’s parents. Ultimately, the goal is for two players to come together to form great team chemistry.

Here are some suggestions to make the process less challenging:

Doubles tournaments

For doubles tournaments athlete’s will typically find their own partners. Here are two ways coaches and beach directors can make it easier:

• Help the athletes find their voice!
  We can help our athletes find their voice by letting them know how important is is to FIND THEIR VOICE in the sand. Asking another athlete to play in a tournament can seem like an impossible task to a shy 13 year old. There are times when a coach will need to bring two young players together, have them shake hands and ask each other if they want to play together to break the ice. COMMUNICATION is one of the biggest differences between beach and indoor. As important as this skill set is on the indoor court, it is multiplied exponentially on the sand both in actual play and before/during/after matches. In indoor, most of the strategic communication is done by the coaches. However, on the sand, unless there is a coach on the sidelines during play, the communication is done entirely by the players. Therefore help your athletes early with how to communicate with their teammates both on and off the court. It’s one of the most important life skills we can help young athletes develop!
• Run Queen of the Court tournaments during practice
  This is the best way we can get players together for new partnerships because it is doubles competition, and the team that wins more is on the Queen side of the court more. Explain to the athletes that if they find someone especially easy and fun to play with, by all means ASK THEM TO PLAY!  For older players, try running a Bjerring tournament. Although the sets are usually timed and short, you’ll get everyone on the court together at some point.

Sometimes the relationship between parents along with their ability to coordinate schedules can become an obstacle, so coaches and directors may need to step in.  However, coaches and directors will typically allow the players to take the lead and register for tournaments on their own. It allows the athletes to develop their voice and their people skills,…