Will sand volleyball improve your indoor game?

Yes. The advantage of playing sand volleyball is that a player must be able to perform every skill. To be successful at sand volleyball a player must be able to pass, set, hit, serve, and play defense.  It forces the players to develop their weaker skills. It also requires players to cover more of the court on serve receive and on defense and this teaches players to read the hitter and control the ball. 

How does sand volleyball improve your physical attributes and make you a better indoor player?

Moving in the sand and jumping in the sand is much more difficult than in indoor, so playing sand volleyball can help you develop a stronger jump and make you quicker on defense because you’re under constant resistance in the sand.

Do indoor college coaches look for athletes with sand experience?

Yes, for several reasons. If the university has a sand team and an athlete receives an indoor scholarship, under current NCAA rules, the player is eligible to participate on the sand team, meaning that anyone with sand experience is a huge asset. This will allow the sand coach to use an indoor player without using a sand scholarship.  Additionally, if a college coach has to choose between two athletes and one has sand experience, they are going to be a more valuable recruit. Even if playing collegiate sand volleyball is not your goal, playing sand volleyball will improve all aspects of your indoor game and can improve your indoor resume.

What do college coaches say?

Former Stanford head coach, John Dunning, was asked about indoor players playing sand volleyball. He responded saying that sand volleyball helps a player not only to increase their skills (passing, setting, etc.), but in development of other skills required in a 2-person team, like mental toughness, as well as enjoying the game for longer.  

"Beach volleyball is one of the most interactive games going. It is a game of intuition, imagination, improvisation -but most of all, of reciprocity of team work. There is no way to free-lance in (beach) volleyball." -Marv Dunphy, former Head Coach of Pepperdine's Mens volleyball team & 5-time NCAA Division I champion.

"What's great about beach volleyball is you can always find something to get better at." -Misty May-Treanor, current Head Coach at Long Beach City College & 3-time Beach Volleyball Gold Medal Olympian