Written By: AVP Academy
The beach… a fun and relaxing vacation spot for people of all ages and cultures worldwide. Adults get to retreat to their youthful mindset and be kids again. Their kids can be free of school and responsibilities, as well as play in their large sandbox until their hearts are full. Amongst the warm soft sand and crashing waves, the accompanying sounds of soft leather balls colliding into the forearms of nearby people can usually be heard. The beach, although a vacation spot for many, has quickly become an office for athletes who seek out to compete in the sport of beach volleyball.
Beach volleyball has hit the record books the last few years as the fastest growing sport in NCAA history. Data from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association reported a huge growth in the number of youth and junior athletes participating in beach volleyball during Team USA’s gold medal run between 2007 and 2013. During that time, the sport reported 1.4 million participants, and among that number, were girls ages 6 to 24, which increased total participation by 45%.
With young kids dreaming of gold, and 50 new programs being added yearly at the collegiate level, beach volleyball is increasing across the country as an organized youth sport. Ultimately, with more NCAA programs emerging, more training is needed to build young athletes from youth sports to collegiate sports, and eventually into professional athletes. More importantly, the demand for a more advanced type of youth training is at an all time high.
The AVP Academy is here to answer that demand. Creating, developing and embellishing the total beach athlete is our intent, thus, providing a higher level athlete into the secondary level of collegiate competition. Combining programs such as sports psychology, sports nutrition, superior fundamental training, game theory/systems, as well as sport specific strength and conditioning, allows for younger athletes to implement a healthier lifestyle earlier in their career. The sooner healthier habits are formed, the more likely that lifestyle will be a permanent fixture moving forward.
Why should any athlete wait until they are in a secondary training program to receive the lifestyle components needed to become a complete, elite athlete? The bottom line is: they shouldn’t. No athlete should. That is why AVP Academy is dedicated to growing the sport of beach volleyball the correct way- creating a new generation of #AVPStrong athletes with long careers in the AVP.