Don’t worry, summer is coming

We know that it’s going to happen but it is still devastating every year… the season ends. After a few glorious months of sunshine, seasonal fruit and veg (that we actually enjoy eating), warm rain with short sleeves and rainbows, gentle breezes, shorts and bikinis, golden brown tans, long days, summer nights, life outside in general and an assortment of beach volleyball events that you can attend until your hearts content – everything changes.

It’s a long, long (long pause) long, long, long, cold, rainy, windy (not the good kind) indoor training session filled stretch of time. For us beach fans it brings about a sense of despair, hopelessness, helplessness and unhappiness about the wait until beach volleyball can be played where it’s meant to be… outside, that is. But guys, please don’t worry, it is our mission to get you through this. As always, we have nothing but your best interests in mind - so we’ve come up with 10 ways to help you deal with the off-season.

1. Cry

This is important as we’ve all heard that the bottling up of emotion is a surefire way of making sure those feelings aren’t dealt with. So let it out, while chopping an onion, at work, so you don’t look like you’re just crying for crying’s sake. We’re not satisfied until you’ve wailed.

Let it all out. Photocredit: Bernhard Horst

2. Hug

Seek solace in those close to you, those who know and can empathize with how you feel. We know it ain’t easy, but nothing is better than two, loving, good-intentioned arms giving you a much-needed squeeze. Hug like you’ve never hugged before.

Hug is all you need. Photocredit: Joerg Mitter

3. Get Angry

Go through all five stages of grief here guys. Even though you knew the season end was coming, it is completely rational to still feel angry about it. Stomp your feet, storm out of a room, scream into a pillow (slamming a door is an oldie but a goodie) but basically, what we are trying to say here is feel the feels.

Aaaah. Photocredit: Bernhard Horst

4. Accept it

Guys, remember – five stages of grief. The beach volleyball season is over. There is no other way to put it. We don’t mean to be blunt here, but the sooner you realize it, the sooner you can accept it. Acceptance is very important, because after you accept it, then and only then can you look for solutions that will help you feel better.

We know girl, we know. Photocredit: Dave McMahan

5. Realize there’s BeachStream and rewatch your favorite matches

Yes, you read right. What if we told you that you could have access to a library of video footage of all the matches played in Fort Lauderdale, Gstaad, Vienna and Hamburg?

BeachStream is not just a streaming service (we knew this would happen so we planned ahead) it is also your ticket to reliving your favorite matches, experiencing your teams in action all over again. Just click here. 

You can say that again YEAH! Photocredit: Mihai Stetcu

6. Watch beach volleyball video anecdotes

The perfect medicine for your ailing beach volleyball addiction during the off-season is entertaining yourself by watching beach volleyball video anecdotes. Stretching those laughing muscles is quite important after all that crying and upside-down duck-facing (see points 1 – 4). Seeing your favorite beach pros mixing it up with other athletes, eating, massaging one another, taking road-trips and just general chit-chatting will make you think that there is a reason for living and that you can finally smile again.

Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series

Dance off with Flying Steps vs Brunner/Patterson #BeachMeets

7. Keep abreast with current affairs

Now stop laughing because we used the word abreast. And by current affairs we mean all the latest beach volleyball news right here on beachmajorseries.com. We will keep you updated with breakups and makeups, new teams, new players and everything linked to your favorite beach volleyball athletes. Following us on our social media channels and signing up to our newsletter will also help #justsayin.

Can I get an amen? Photocredit: Samo Vidic

8. Binge-watch our top rally playlist

The action doesn’t have to stop just because the season has. Rewatch all those nail-biting, match-point top rallies that will have you sitting at the edge of your seat again. This will get your adrenalin pumping and release some of those beach volleyball endorphins. Click here immediately.

Fav. Photocredit: Martin Steinthaler

9. Practice and work-out

It’s not ideal to practice/work-out indoors but remember practice makes perfect and that a little snow never hurt nobody. This will ensure that you are ready and well prepared for the 2019 beach season. Work on that signature move that you didn’t get around to during summer – could it be your very own sky ball? Or getting more air in your jumps? (Side-note: if you do do some cools tricks – take a video and tag us – we could love to see it). Anyway, now’s the time to not wallow, get the right mindset and get out on the sand.

Now that’s a squat! Photocredit: Martin Steinthaler

10. Summer is coming

Winter is here (well, in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway) Luckily there are no White Walkers, we digress, but winter is here and no, we are not happy about it either but Mother Nature, what can you do?

Anyway, the most important thing to remember is that even though it’s cold, this too shall pass and not last. Summer and the 2019 Beach Major Series will come again and it’s going to be flame hot. We've got Olympic qualification to concentrate on and, of course, a little thing called the World Championships.

See you in Hamburg!