2016-03-23 12:30:00 CEST
Beach volleyball is played everywhere, how does the climate affect the game?
It’s a question that has crossed the mind of literally every beach volleyball fan and is probably one of the best kept secrets between coaches and athletes – how do different climates and different environments affect the game of beach volleyball?
Since the next FIVB World Tour Open is set to take place in Doha, Qatar – a country known for a beautiful mixture between, desert and sea, modernity and tradition, and quite varied temperatures, it’s a good opportunity to investigate further.
Okay, first off – there have been no specific studies done to date concerning the beach volleyball discipline (anyone willing to undertake that? It is a great doctoral topic), but meteorologist: Allison Chinchar had something valuable to say on the topic.
She mentions that despite what many people may believe, which is that cooler weather is better and more comfortable to play in rather than the sizzling hot sand that could make your feet burn, its actually quite the opposite. She states that many players complain when it’s been too cold and that in reality, they are used to playing in the heat and hot conditions.
Sarah Griffiths quoted Samuel (2010) in her piece on `The effects of heat on Sport Performance` that “Heat stress from the environment can be detrimental to sporting performance, challenging the limits of the human cardiovascular system, temperature regulation and altering body fluid balance” and that athletes run a high risk of dehydration but all this can be avoided if an athlete is adequately prepared.
So it seems that this is no problem for our beach volleyball athletes who are of course used to the heat. They may run into a bit of difficulty if a tournament is scheduled in Siberia during the winter months, but other than that, they have it covered.
Brrr…. all dressed up at Stavanger Major 2015; Photo Credit: Samo Vidic
Burning up at Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals in Fort Lauderdale. Photo Credit: Tine