Periodization Programme for Beach Volleyball

Ohio Masters in Coach Education Hayden Jones

HJ497714

           

Introduction:    This  periodisation  programme  consists  of  traditional  weight  training,  flexibility  and  mobility  sessions  and  more  sports  specific  ‘physical  technical’  training.    The  goal  for  this  program  is  to  develop  (and  maintain  thoroughout  the  season)  maximal  sand  based  power  endurance  while  placing  a  priority  on  injury  prevention.    The  schedule,  and  associated  calendar,  would  be  suitable  for  a  semi  professional/professional  athlete  that  is  playing  on  the  AVP  or  NVL  domestic  tours  but  could  possibly  be  modified  and  adopted  for  NCAA  colleigate  beach  volleyball.  In  2015  collegiate  beach  volleyball  was  structured  around  a  condensed  2  1/2  month  season  with  up  to  4  ‘matches’  per  week.  In  2016  beach  volleyball  will  switch  to  an  official  NCAA  National  Championship  sport  and  the  calendar  may  change.    If  the  2016  season  maintains  a  3-­‐4  match  per  week  schedule  then  this  program  would  not  be  ideal.  This  calendar  is  designed  for  a  competitive  schedule  that  has  6-­‐8  weekend  tournaments  over  a  period  of  4  months  where  teams  are  expected  to  play  4-­‐  8  matches  over  3  days  of  competition.    In  order  to  follow  this  training  program  athletes  would  be  required  to  dedicate  up  to  8  hours  a  week  at  certain  stages  of  the  season  and  the  program  also  assumes  that  the  athlete  is  familiar  with  Olympic  lifting.    If  an  athlete  was  new  to  the  program,  their  first  year  of  training  would  be  spent  developing  a  base  strength  and  correct  technique  to  enable  them  to  perform  the  activities  described  safely.    A  similar  situation  applies  with  the  strength  phase  of  the  program.  Because  of  the  low  rep  and  high  weight  nature  of  this  type  of  training  this  would  not  be  advised  for  athltes  with  minimal  weight  training  experience.    The  Programme,  and  associated  calendar  focuses  on  a  date  in  September  for  the  attainment  of  peak  performance.  If  this  was  adopted  for  collegiate  beach  volleyball  the  timing  may  move  to  early  May  as  this  is  the  proposed  date  of  the  National  Championships.  With  that  in  mind,  this  program  has  the  athlete  involved  in  their  most  intense  hypertrophy  /  muscular  growth  training  at  the  initial  stages  of  the  programme  working  towards  primarily  sports  specific  activities  at  the  end  of  the  season.    

One  consideration  to  keep  in  mind  is  that  this  programme  has  been  developed  purely  with  physical  conditioning  in  mind.    This  program  is  not  suitabe  for  all  athletes  and  depending  on  an  athletes  level  of  physical  conditioning  and  game  based  competence,  more  may  be  gained  from  focusing  on  development  of  game  skills.    

OVERALL  OUTLINE  OF  THE  TRAINING  YEAR    

   

   Phase  of  training  

General  Conditioning  Preparatory  Phase  

Specific  Conditioning  Pre  Competition  Phase  

 

Peak  Season    

Maintenance  during  the  competition  season  schedule.  

 

Trainings  Per  Week  

4   4   4   3  

Details    Day  1:  –  Traditional  weight  training  focusing  on  hypertrophy.  Squats  and  deadlift  for  the  lower  body.    Isolated  movement  exercises  for  the  upper  body.  Core  exercises.          Day  2:  –  Flexibility,  mobility  and  Stability  Training    Day  3:  –  Traditional  weight  training,  focusing  on  hypertrophy.  Squats  and  deadlift  for  the  lower  body.    Isolated  movement  exercises  for  the  upper  body.  Core  exercises.          Day  4:  Flexibility,  mobility  and  Stability  Training.      

 Day  1:  Traditional  weight  training  focusing  on  hypertrophy.  Squats  and  deadlift  for  the  lower  body.    Incorporating  cleans  within  the  power  training  cycle.  Compound  movement  exercises  for  the  upper  body.    Core  exercises.          Day  2:  Physical  Technical  combined  with  flexibility  /  mobility  and  Stability  Training.    Day  3  –  Traditional  weight  training  focusing  hypertrophy.  Squats  and  deadlift  for  the  lower  body.    Incorporating  cleans  within  the  power  training  cycle.  Compound  movement  exercises  for  the  upper  body.    Core  exercises.          Day  4:  Physical  Technical  combined  with  flexibility  /  mobility  and  Stability  Training.    

 Day  1:  Traditional  weight  training  focusing  on  the  Olympic  lifts  of  deadlift  and  cleans.      Day  2:  Physical  Technical  combined  with  Flexibility,  mobility  and  Stability  Training.    Day  3:  Traditional  weight  training  focusing  on  the  Olympic  lifts  of  deadlift  and  cleans.      Day  4:  Physical  Technical  combined  with  Flexibility,  mobility  and  Stability  Training.    

   Day  1:  Physical  Technical  and  Flexibility,  mobility  and  Stability  Training.    Day  2:  Deadlift  and  cleans.      Day  3:  Flexibility,  mobility  and  Stability  Training.        

Approx  hrs/wk   6   6   5   3  

 

Traditional  Weight  Training  Component  Details:    From  a  physical  perspective,  performance  in  Beach  Volleyball  is  greatly  enhanced  through  the  development  of  power,  which  equates  to  speed  over  the  sand  and  enhanced  jumping  ability.  The  ability  to  maintain  maximal  performance  over  a  45  minute  game  and  further  45  minute  games  as  a  tournament  progresses  is  vital.  This  capacity  we  will  refer  to  as  power  endurance.    With  muscular  power  being  a  factor  of  size  (cross  sectional  area  of  muscular  fibres)  and  speed  of  contraction,  this  programme  looks  firstly  develop  muscular  size  during  the  preparatory  /  general  conditioning  phase  of  the  off-­‐season,  working  towards  developing  speed  of  contraction,  with  power  and  sand  based  exercises  to  develop  power  endurance,  as  peak  events  approach.  During  the  developmental  phase  it  is  less  essential  that  exercises  mimic  movement  patterns  within  the  game  but  as  the  season  progresses  it  becomes  more  and  more  important  to  follow  the  theory  of  specificity,  and  move  towards  exercises  replicate  game  situations.    During  the  general  conditioning  (preparatory  /  off  season)  phase  at  the  beginning  of  this  programme  the  rep  range  required  to  be  working  in  is  12-­‐15.  As  soon  as  the  amount  of  reps  that  are  being  completed  rises  above  17  the  weight  should  be  increased  to  bring  down  reps  to  12-­‐15  again.    Reps  will  then  drop  down  to  below  8  during  the  strength  phases  and  rise  again  for  the  power  exercises  that  precede  competition.      After  several  months  of  hypertrophy  training  the  body  should  be  in  a  position  to  cope  with  the  additional  stress  of  a  strength-­‐training  programme.    Motor  patterns  of  each  exercise  should  also  be  familiar  by  now  which  should  ensure  risk  of  injury  is  not  increased  by  the  increased  weight  associated  with  this  type  of  training.    If  an  athletes  fitness  level  is  not  significantly  high  enough  to  cope  (for  whatever  reason)  with  strength  training  then  they  need  not  move  immediately  into  the  strength-­‐training  phase.  They  should  continue  with  hypertrophy  and  reassess  at  a  later  date.  

 The  repetitions  for  each  exercise  should  now  be  reduced  to  between  6-­‐9  for  the  strength  phase.  This  of  course  means  that  weight  also  needs  to  be  increased  accordingly.  Correct  technique  while  completing  exercises  is  very  important  in  this  phase  of  the  programme  to  reduce  the  chance  of  injury.  The  importance  of  having  a  training  partner  as  spotter  cannot  be  emphasised  enough.    The  warm  up  component  of  this  training  would  include  a  short  amount  of  time  on  either  a  bike,  rowing  machine  or  tredmill  (5  minutes)  before  moving  to  active  stretching  and  empty  bar  lifts    List  of  exercises  and  suggested  rep  range  for  the  hypertrophy  phase  of  training.    During  the  strength  training  phase  the  rep  range  would  be  6-­8.    During  the  power  phase  the  rep  range  would  be  15  -­20.    

Leg Exercises Isolated Back and bicep exercises Isolated Shoulder, chest and triceps exercises.

Upper body compound exercise

Leg Press 4x sets (12-15) Hamstring Curls 3x sets (12-15) Leg Extension 3x sets (12-15) Calf Press –opt 3x sets (12-15) Lunges (with dumbbells) 3x sets of 20

Lat Pull down (front) 4x sets (12-15) Choose one of; Seated Row 3x sets (12-15) Stiff arm Pull downs 3x sets (12-15) Dumbbell bicep curls (alt or conc) 3x sets (20-24 – alt; 12-15 conc) Back extensions 3x sets (12-15) Barbell curls (20 down with a partner) One arm bent over row. Concentration curls

Shoulder Press 4x sets (12-15) Bench Press 4x sets (12-15) Dumbbell flies 3x sets (12-15) Rear deltoid 3x sets (12-15) Triceps Pushdowns 3x sets (12-15) Bench dips 3x sets (12-15)

Pull up / presses 1/2 2/4 3/6 4/8…to fatigue then back down.

         

A  description  of  some  of  the  most  important  exercises  throughout  the  program.    Exercise:  Pull  Up  /  Press.  

 

Exercise:  Squat.  

 Notes:  1)  Don’t  bounce  at  the  bottom  and  lift  until  chest  touches  the  top  of  the  bar.  

Notes:  1)  Keep  head  up  and  touch  chest  to  the  ground.  2)  Keep  back  strait.  

Notes:  3  main  points  to  remember.  1)  Feet  should  be  shoulder  width  apart.  2)  Keep  head  up,  which  will  help,  maintain  a  strait  back.  3)  Movement  should  mimic  sitting  back  down  on  a  chair.  

Exercise:  Deadlift.  

   

Exercise:  The  Clean.  

 

Exercises:  Swiss  ball  sit  ups  for  core.  

 

Notes:  1)  Hold  on  to  the  bar  and  rock  back,  to  the  point  that  your  arms  are  forming  a  line  perfectly  perpendicular  with  the  ground  -­‐  Keep  your  head  slightly  up.  2)  Round  your  back  just  a  little  bit,  and  then  start  the  lift  by  first  starting  to  straighten  the  back,  and  then  extending  the  legs  while  finishing  the  straightening  of  the  back.    3)  During  the  lift,  do  not  allow  your  knees  to  buckle  inwards.  

Notes:  1)  Stand  behind  the  barbell,  feet  parallel  and  at  hip  width,  shins  touching  the  bar  and  pull  the  bar  from  the  floor  in  a  deliberate,  but  not  overly  rushed,  tempo.  2)  Once  the  bar  passes  your  mid-­‐thigh,  perform  an  explosive  pull  best  described  as  a  “jump  and  shrug”  motion.  3)  As  the  bar  approaches  its  maximum  height,  quickly  pull  your  body  underneath  it  and  catch  the  bar  on  the  fronts  of  your  shoulders.  

Notes:  1) Sit  down  on  the  ball  with  your  legs  in  front  of  you,  knees  bent  and  

feet  on  the  ground.  Walk  yourself  forward  so  your  back  is  leaning  against  the  exercise  ball.  Plant  your  feet  with  some  separation  between  them.  

2)  Bend  so  as  to  bring  your  upper  body  towards  your  knees  while  tensing  your  abs.  

3) Return  to  your  original  position,  with  your  back  arched  over  the  ball  and  your  head  closer  to  the  floor.  

 

‘Physical  Technical’  Component:    This  component  of  the  training  program  is  consistent  with  what  is  performed  by  many  elite  beach  volleyball  teams  from  USA  and  Brazil.    Game  like  movements  are  completed  on  the  sand  in  a  station  format  with  30-­‐45  seconds  on  and  20-­‐  60  seconds  off.  Movements  can  be  tailored  to  the  specific  needs  of  the  athlete.  For  example  if  your  athlete  needs  work  on  retreating  off  the  net  then  you  can  incorporate  a  number  of  retreating  movements  into  the  training.  Very  fit  athletes  may  be  able  to  complete  3  circuits  of  stations  with  a  45s:30s  ratio  of  exercise  to  rest,  and  not  so  fit  athletes  may  only  complete  2  circuits  with  a  30s:60s  ratio  of  exercise  to  rest.  Athletes  would  complete  a  6  -­‐  8  station  set  which  makes  a  2  set  training  last  approximately  16  -­‐  24  minutes  and  a  3  group  training  approximately  24  –  36  minutes.  Trainings  could  include,  but  are  not  limited  to  the  movements  listed  below.    The  warm  up  component  of  this  training  would  include  a  short  warmup  with  might  involve  3  -­‐5  minutes  of  running  on  the  sand  before  moving  into  active  stretching  and  finally  a  couple  of  maximal  jumps.                                    

Movement  Descriptions:      

1) Chase  and  hit  –  After  chasing  a  ball  down  run  up  to  the  net  and  hit  a  ball  thrown  by  trainer.  

2) Abdominal  medicine  ball  –  throw  the  medicine  ball  back  up  to  the  trainer  above.  

3) T  shuffle  –  Run  up  to  the  cone,  shuffle  left  then  to  the  right  then  back  to  the  middle  and  backwards  to  the  start.  

4) Elastic  jumps  –  jump  over  the  elastics  in  a  sideways  direction.  

5) Parachute  run  –  run  as  fast  as  you  can  down  the  beach  while  attached  to  the  parachute.  

6) Serve  and  block  –  After  serving  a  jump  serve  run  to  the  net  and  block  a  ball  hit  by  the  trainer.  

   

                         

 

Movement  Descriptions:    

 1) Seated  arm  drives  –  while  seated  try  to  bounce  as  

high  as  possible  with  alternate  arm  swings.  2) Up  and  runs  –  From  a  prone  position  jump  up  and  

sprint  to  touch  cones.    3) Back  shuffles  –  While  shuffling  backwards  between  

cones  move  to  the  side  pointed  by  trainer.  4) Block  and  press  –  Jump  up  press  a  ball  held  over  the  

net  by  trainer  then  move  sideways  and  jump  to  press  again.  

5) Drop  and  dive  –  Retreat  and  dive  to  the  side  that  is  pointed  by  the  trainer.  

6) Medicine  ball  throws  –  in  pairs  toss  the  medicine  ball  at  each  other  while  shuffling.  

         

                               

 

Flexibility,  Mobility  and  Stability  Component  (F,  M  &  S):    This  component  of  the  program  could  be  completed  both  in  the  gym  or  on  the  sand.  Many  of  the  exercises  are  derived  from  Kiraly  (1999)  and  the  Get  Set  app  produced  by  the  International  Olympic  Committee  and  the  Oslo  Sports  Trauma  Research  Centre.    The  details  of  this  component  of  the  program  will  be  expaded  on  with  the  team  project  of  Hayden  Jones  and  Travis  Billings  which  focuses  on  ‘Injury  Prevention  for  Beach  Volleyball’  Essentially  this  component  of  the  program  has  athletes  completing  a  series  of  activites,  designed  to  stabilize  and  increase  the  flexiibility  of  joints  prone  to  injury  in  the  beach  volleyball  athlete.    The  importance  of  a  flexibility  and  mobility  session  is  highlighted  by  Danalee  Corso  (2011)  in  the  article  entitled  ‘New  Conditioning  Challenges’    The  warm  up  component  of  this  training  would  include  a  short  amount  of  time  on  either  a  bike,  rowing  machine  or  tredmill  (5  minutes)    Two  examples  of  the  types  of  activities  involved  in  this  type  of  training  described  by  Kiraly  (2015)  are:    Side  lunges  –  Feet  shoulder  width  apart.  Step  sideways  so  the  leg  you’re  stepping  with  ends  up  bent  at  about  90  degrees  and  your  opposite  leg  is  straight.  Then  push  back  to  your  starting  position.  Go  the  other  way  to  complete  a  full  rep.  Do  two  or  three  sets  of  10-­‐12  reps.  To  make  it  volleyball  specific,  hold  your  arms  out  in  a  passing  platform  while  you  perform  your  lunges.  (Kiraly  2015)    Forward  lunges  –  With  your  feet  together,  step  forward  with  one  leg  until  the  thigh  of  that  leg  is  parallel  to  the  ground.  Push  off  with  that  leg  and  return  to  your  starting  position.  Switch  to  the  other  leg  to  complete  a  rep.  Do  two  or  three  sets  of  8-­‐10  reps.  You  can  make  this  one  volleyball  specific  too  by  holding  a  passing  platform  out  in  front  of  you  when  you’re  doing  each  step.    Several  examples  of  activities  described  by  the  Get  Set  app    IOC  (2015)  are  listed  below  along  with  a  picture  of  the  exercise  titled  Y-­‐position.  

 Drop  and  Catch  (shoulder)  y-­‐Position  (shoulder)  Archery  (shoulder)  Hitch  Hiker  (shoulder)  Stability  (shoulder)  Shoulder  Elevevation  (shoulder)    Single  Leg  Jumping  (leg  and  core)  Single  Leg  Balance  and  Thowing  (leg  and  core  stability)    Bench  and  Side  Bench  (core)  Side  Bench  and  Leg  raise  (core)  Wiper  (core)  Medicine  ball  rotations  (core)      

                                                         

   

References    IOC  (2015)  Get  Set  App.      Kiraly,  K.,  Sherman,  B,.  (1999)  Beach  Volleyball:  Techniques,  Training  and  Tactics  from  the  Game’s  Greatest  Player.  Human  Kinetics  Champaign  

IL.    Kiraly.  K,.  (2015).  The  Importance  of  Functional  Strength.  http://www.teamusa.org/USA-­‐Volleyball/USA-­‐Teams/Karch-­‐Kiralys-­‐Blog/The-­‐

Importance-­‐of-­‐Functional-­‐Strength    Sand  Volleyball  Roundtable:  New  Conditioning  Challenges.  (2011).  Performance  Conditioning  Volleyball.  17(5),  1-­‐3.