swva newsletter – issue 296 – 2015-May

Good luck to all our Inter Regional Championship (IRC) teams (players, coaches and supporting staff) this weekend as they head off to the University of East London for this years event.

The squads have been training all season and were in action at the Exeter Challenge for their final match training session against a number of our regional teams.

The SWVA U17 Boys squad with coach Kyle Mitchell and Anthony Roberts.

The SWVA U16 Girls squad with coach Paul Locke

It was another successful year for the Exeter Challenge with a sell out program once again in both the Ladies and Men’s events. The challenge brings together a number of our lower National League, Regional, local league and Crown Service teams into a single event.

This years Exeter Ladies Challenge winners were Torexe Topcats with Plymouth Mayflower in second place and Yeovil in third.

In the Men’s event, the Royal Navy came out on top, with Kernow in second place and Bemi Bristol in third.

As well as an unfortunate injury delay during the event, play was also interrupted by a pigeon that had made its way into the hall via the roof and took to flying around the courts before disappearing back up into the roof.

More info plus a few video clips on the Exeter Challenge web site.

HAPPY 21ST
Sandbanks Beach Volleyball Festival 4th & 5th July

This year the Sandbanks Beach Volleyball Festival will be celebrating its 21st year and will be including some additional competitions to compliment this fantastic event.

Once again Sandbanks will be part of the Junior VEBT (Volleyball England Beach Tour) with under 14’s, 16’s & 18’s competing for the title of British Junior Open Champions, and the Division 2 competitions for less experienced players. The under 12’s have their own Div 1 & 2 events. After last year’s amazing success we expect places will fill up quickly with returning teams.

The usual adult 4 a-side competitions will also take place and we are pleased to announce that this year an elite adult competition will run alongside the Sandbanks Festival, organised by Chris Gregory and Jake Sheaf, the GB Men’s No. 1 Beach Volleyball Pair, who have qualified for the European Games in Baku.

This year the organisers are also proud to announce an exclusive as we will also be hosting the UK’s first ever UK Beach Paravolley (Sitting) Competition.

This event is free for spectators to come along and support the UK’s finest young volleyball talent and experience world class volleyball from the fantastic elite players.

For further details and entry forms go to www.wessexvolleyball.com

THE BEACH SEASON IS APPROACHING! ARE YOU READY TO TAKE YOUR TEAM TO THE SAND?

Volleyball England is pleased to announce its latest coaching course for beach volleyball.

Beach Volleyball coaching clinic: Saturday 23 – Sunday 24 May 2015, National Volleyball Centre, Thurston Drive, Kettering, NN15 6PB.

Price: £120

This two-day coaching clinic is a must for any beach or indoor coach who wants to improve their technical and tactical knowledge of the beach game.

Led by a top coach and former GB beach player, Denise Austin, the course will delve into how to coach successful teams through greater awareness of the technical and tactical aspects of beach.  The course is also ideal for experienced players who have never been coached on the beach and want to gain coaching insight to improve themselves and their team.

The course will cover:

A) Adaptations of the serve for beach volleyball, tactical considerations
B) Service reception positions and options, passing and adjustment for wind effects
C) Setting and the range of sets
D) Attacking using hard and soft shots, adaptations for beach volleyball
E) Blocking technique; defending an area of court
F) Defensive systems: blocker and defender; individual defensive skills
G) Transition play

NOTE: Having passed the course, all coaches at L2 or above, will be accredited a beach coaching qualification. Level 1 coaches will receive a certificate which will be upgraded to an Award once they pass their level 2 coaching course

To book onto the clinic, please visit our Course Finder

If you require any more information on the clinic, please email:coaching@volleyballengland.org or call Roman Neveykin on 01509 227730

A new event will be hitting our calendar this summer, with the 1st European Games in Baku, 12 – 28 Jun.

• http://www.baku2015.com/beach-volleyball/index.html
• http://www.baku2015.com/volleyball/index.html

The president of Europe’s volleyball ruling body CEV has praised the preparations for Baku 2015.
Mr. Meyer recently visited the facilities for the Baku 2015 European Games and was impressed with the standard of the venues in the Azerbaijani capital.

“The local Organising Committee has been working really hard since the last time we were here back in November,” Mr. Meyer said on the CEV website.

“I am particularly impressed by the quality of the venues that will be hosting our events as well as, more in general, all competitions on the programme of this inaugural European Games.”

Mr. Meyer said Baku had evolved into an international hub. He said he expected the European Games to assist long-term in the development of both Volleyball and Beach Volleyball in Azerbaijan and the region.