Beach Club

LATEST NEWS: Year-round (Nov-July) and Winter Seasonal (Nov-March) Program Registrations NOW OPEN. CLICK HERE FOR A QUICK OVERVIEW. If you’re new to our programs, want to try-out things or get placed into a particular program with a practice, and/or have questions about anything, please contact John. 

Join us at Southern Sand Volleyball Academy (SSVA) for a unique club experience focused on bringing the fast growing and exciting sport of beach volleyball to juniors. 

Click below for a slideshow introducing our beach club with a recap of activities from a past season and a reflections and testimonials video involving some of our program graduates.

What differentiates us from the others?

  • We are focused on beach volleyball
    While the basic skills relate to indoor volleyball, the reality is that indoor and beach are totally different sports. With beach volleyball now an official NCAA sport, the divide between beach and indoor is increasingly growing with many volleyball players across the US deciding beach is what they enjoy the most with some also looking to pursue playing in college and beyond.
  • We are a leader as one of the first major beach clubs in the Eastern United States
    With staff that has been involved in the establishment and growth of junior beach volleyball in North Carolina since the beginning, we have an unsurpassed understanding of where the world of junior beach volleyball has been, where it’s currently at, and where it’s heading. We are known by college beach programs and have successfully helped many of our athletes get recruited since the club’s establishment in 2014. (Click here for a current list). We also strive to create a club environment with player camaraderie.
  • Premier practice/local tournament venue.
    With 10 courts at our facility in Apex, NC, we offer athletes the best beach venue in the area. With lots of courts we can:
    • Spread athletes to maximize training reps and increase one-on-one type instruction
    • Offer several practices per week, and open court times for those in our club. the beach game
    • Host large tournaments at a central location
  • Extremely Committed, Caring, and Passionate Staff
    While we’re sure any club will say this about their staff, the difference here is that the priority is quality over quantity. We are not focused on being the biggest club possible. Instead we look to hire staff who understand the game and conditioning inside and out, while also being able to establish a fun environment for the athletes with little stress and drama. We’re about developing the player and the person with each athlete without egos and a bunch of empty promises. Ultimately, we want players to love and play the sport as adults. Unfortunately, many youth sport programs these days create an environment where players lose their love of playing sports. We look to buck that trend.

General Program Info

Who? Girls ages 10-18 (Note: Boys click here for info/registration)groupshot-sunset

Where? Our family friendly, alcohol free, 10 sand court facility in Apex – 6175 Old Jenks Rd

What? Junior beach volleyball club offering the following:

  • High-level training sessions and conditioning
  • Organized competitive play through focused play sessions throughout the year (aka Competitive Training Days) – at times mixing in with college level players (Southern Sand Alumni and other college players).
  • Tournaments (local and travel) including several national qualifier events.
  • Info sessions including video analysis, seminar topics, etc. (indoor sessions)
  • Assistance with college recruiting
  • Competitions: Regardless of the training option selected, we offer at least a once-a-month competition event (local and travel) for our beach club members.  Additional registration fees may apply and to cover coach pay, travel, lodging, meals, etc.

Program Details

Beach Club and Next Level – Year Round (Nov-July) – (NOTE: See further below if looking for Seasonal Program Options)

YEAR-ROUND PROGRAM REGISTRATION FOR 2024-25 WILL OPEN BY SEPT 1ST

These programs operate similar to Regional and National Indoor Volleyball Club programs with a season running from Nov-July. We do accomodate those that are away for extended periods over the Summer too. Those wishing to be part of our Next Level program must go through a tryout process when joining.

Practice Frequency Options:

  • Multiple-times-per-Week Option
    • Intended for those athletes looking to immerse themselves in beach as much as possible toward being the best beach player possible.
    • The intention is for athletes to attend 2 or more training events per week with attendance at any/all practices in a given week possible
  • Once-a-Week Option
    • Attend on average 1 training event per week. There is flexibility in which days the athlete trains
  • Cross-training/Remote Athlete Option
    • For players 2.5+ hours away or more, or with limited availability due to indoor national schedule. Email John for details.

Practice Times* (subject to change depending on the time of year)

For Beach Club participants:

  • Sunday afternoons – Currently 2-4PM
  • Monday/Tuesday/Thursday evenings – Currently 5-7PM
  • Wednesday (competition training) – Currently 5-7 (Saturdays also on occasion)

For Next Level Players Only (tryout required):

  • Sunday afternoons – Currently 1:30-4PM
  • Monday/Tuesday/Thursday evenings – Currently 4:30-7
  • Wednesday (competition training) – Currently 5-7 (Saturdays also on occasion)

*Refer to our online Juniors Calendar for practice times (“Beach Club” items). Depending on factors such as weather and the tournament schedule, there may not be 2 competitive training days each week – and why its important to view the online Juniors Calendar.

Conditioning and Jump Training vertimax

Some Next Level practices include a separate conditioning/jump training segment, which lasts 30 min to 40 min. Other practices will simply mix in conditioning items with the training.

Competitive Training Days

We will incorporate more competitive play throughout the season, and bring in competition – coaches, college players, adults, etc. We consider these training sessions a great way for our athletes to practice what they have learned, or things they want to try in a competitive setting.

After initial deposit, monthly payments will be charged from Dec to July. Tournament registration fees will be paid when registering for the tournaments attended. No fee for pre-season open court times (and throughout the year) will be collected from those who have already registered for the beach club.

Fiesta Seasonal Program – Nov-March, April-July and Aug-Oct

AUG-OCT SEASON PROGRAM REGISTRATION NOW OPEN – CLICK HERE

The information listed in the Year Round section above applies to our seasonal programs but things are structured over a shorter time-frame with a focus more on the introductory points to the game of beach volleyball. Those with ample volleyball experience (indoor and/or beach) may get invited to join the Beach Club or Next Level year-round training groups. The multi-season approach here is meant to be adaptable to those that have variable availability during certain parts of the year. We either hold Placement Clinics or allow athletes to try-out a practice towards helping with placement in a program. Those looking to be part of our elite player Next Level program will need to be evaluated. Email John for details.

Monthly competition events (local and some travel – subject to interest) are offered to the participants. Each training program includes coaching at local SSV hosted tournaments during the applicable seasonal program period. Any potential travel tournaments will be treated separately.

We do get questions asking how will playing beach only impact their ability to play indoor for their school. The truth is that playing beach doubles regular gives the athletes A LOT of reps involving a wide range of volleyball skills, and transitioning from sand to hard court is a rather easy one – as they will be quicker and jump higher from moving/jumping in the sand. Some of the SSV coaches have extensive indoor experience, and can certainly answer any questions about that transition, or potentially work with an athlete to prepare them.

Practice Times*

Will vary some from season to season based on the preferences submitted by registrants with both weeknight and weekend options possible.

Other Training Options

Although spelled out on other pages of the website, other training options to the Beach Club programs are:

    • Super Juniors – For younger and newer players to volleyball in general
    • League Play – A less-intensive training and league play program is also offered during April-July.
    • Private Lessons – One-on-one, paired or small group work arranged separately with the desired coach

Beach Club FAQs

  • Why play beach volleyball?
    Any of the following reasons might explain why a player would consider getting involved in beach volleyball at SSV:
    • Want to be an all-around skilled volleyball player with less focus on being a specialized position player.
    • Love the constant involvement in every play. One simply can’t beat the number of ball touches you get from playing doubles.
    • Want to avoid the stress that comes with the whole tryout process
    • Want to avoid injuries. Sand volleyball is a low risk sport when it comes to injuries.
    • Recognize the shot reading, quickness, jumping, and overall conditioning improvements made when training in the sand
    • Enjoy the outdoors and look forward to possibilities of traveling to other beach volleyball venues locally, regionally, and nationally
    • Recognize the lifelong opportunities to play in college and beyond. It is very practical to round up just 4 players for a game.
    • Want to consider a cost effective volleyball program option that also includes jump training / conditioning.
    • Looking for a club-like environment where everyone trains and competes together with a large team comradery at tournaments
    • Simply enjoy the beach game!
  • Who are the instructors?
    Refer to the Staff page.
  • Are there any participant requirements?
    • These programs are open to boys and girls, ages 10-18.
    • Everyone must be a USAV member. If not, sign-up here
    • Must provide a USAV medical release form to Southern Sand Volleyball, prior to attending your first practice. Note: The form does not need to be notarized for events in NC but may come in handy for outside of state events.
    • Agreement to all the policies outlined in the Southern Sand Volleyball Handbook.
  • What is the format?
    Unless specifically mentioned, all programming is designed for doubles (2 person) play which is the official format for competitive sand volleyball.
  • How are partnerships handled? Should I sign up with a partner?
    There is no need to sign-up with a partner for our beach club programs.
    • Players will have the opportunity to provide input on tournament partnerships for any event (i.e. pairs can request a partnership)
    • Under the following situations players are free to partner with any player of their choosing (club member or outside the club only if special permission is given by the club staff):
      • Events that offer bid divisions alongside non-bid divisions (examples: USA Beach Nationals, AAU Nationals, ESPL Series Finals)
      • Any tournament not conflicting with Southern Sand’s beach club tournament schedule
    • For all other events, coaches will have the final say on partnerships.
  • Can you elaborate a bit more on now many training events per week each program requires?
    The Southern Sand beach club programs may offer up to 5 training events in a given week. With that said, making every training event is not the intended purpose. Instead, the expectation is that a multiple-times-per-week beach program athlete attends 2 or more training events per week. If they make less one week due to weather cancellations and/or other scheduling conflicts, then they can make up by attending more in another week.
  • I can’t commit to the full training period. What are my options then?
    It is the expectation that athletes registering for the year-round program commit to participating from Nov-July. Similarly, those registering for a seasonal program are committing to an April-July program. If you have an exceptional situation that you wish to discuss possibilities, email John.
  • What if things change and we realize we committed to too much?
    When we have athletes sign up for our programs, there is administrative effort/costs that occur, hiring and scheduling of coaches, planning, etc. So in extreme cases we understand exceptions may need to be made (i.e. job loss, season ending injuries), but overall reasons such as vacations, other activities planned, etc. are not reasons we consider when it comes to athletes not fulfilling participation and payment obligations.
  • Are there tryouts?
    As interest grows we may introduce a tryout process for the year-round program. For the seasonal programs in April-July we utilize the placement clinics as a tryout process. Toward our Next Level program, which is a step above the beach club, there is a tryout process.
  • What are the age groups? Can I play up?
    If you are completely new to beach volleyball, the USAV outdoor volleyball age groups are defined in 2 year increments (12U, 14U, 16U and 18U). If playing in tournaments, a team must play in the age group that the oldest player is eligible for. However, a team can also choose to play in a higher age group if desired. For training, players of various ages will inevitable be mixed together with the focus more on players with comparable skill level training together.
  • Are there uniform requirements?
    • For training sessions, there is no minimum requirement. Please show up wearing comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting a little bit dirty/sandy and appropriate warm weather gear (hoodies, long sleeves, pants, sand socks) if necessary. All we ask is that our club athletes don’t wear competing sand club apparel during practices or tournaments. We do have an assortment of Southern Sand apparel that athletes can choose to purchase at the start of each training period.
    • For tournaments: Due to the changes in the USAV apparel policy starting in the 2018-2019 season, we will have a uniform requirement at tournaments. Per USAV, all athletes are REQUIRED to wear a top, for girls it must cover the midsection when standing, and bottoms such as spandex, shorts, or leggings. No bikinis will be permitted for any team. Matching tops and bottoms are encouraged. At the start of the season a welcome letter will be sent, which will provide uniform details.
  • What is the weather policy?

    Sessions will be postponed/cancelled under the following conditions with the website homepage and Schedules (Juniors Calendar) being your primary source for updates:

    • Prolonged periods of Heavy Rain prior to or during scheduled practice time that results in puddling and otherwise unsafe playing conditions in the sand.
    • Thunderstorms – if forecast to be imminent, and training will stop once lightning is seen
    • Tornado Watch or Warning
    • During the cold/winter months – snow/ice on the courts, or extremely low temperatures (ie: at/below freezing during most of practice time with windchill factor also considered).

  • How will playing year round beach impact my ability to make, and play for my school indoor team?
    Although SSV has some athletes who completely focus on beach, most of our club athletes still play indoor for their school team, and excel at it. Transition from beach to indoor is much easier than the transition from indoor to beach – why? Well, in sand your body adapts to jump higher, get quicker, be more explosive. Add our sand conditioning to that, and the results of what walks onto a hard court is a very strong and explosive athlete. Plus by playing beach doubles they naturally cover more court, have a no ball drops mentality, are not worried about whose ball it is, have served and received serve more during match play, and are smart attackers with multiple ways to beat a block/defense. Even setters improve their level of play, because with beach you learn to set no matter the situation (out of system), plus they have the ability to block/pull and play high level defense due to their doubles play.