The overhead pass in beach volleyball is one of the most difficult technical elements…

I send the wall of text down - watch the video, and if you want to read, scroll down!

Attacking effectively, accurately receiving a good serve, setting up a scoring block are also not easy tasks ... But the situation is still different with the transfer from above “ more fun- just think, beach volleyball professionals who train several times a day and compete in the World Series, not all pass from above! And these " Not all"- this is 50 percent of the entire" beach volleyball» Elites of the world!

Why? It so happened historically in this sport that judges closely monitor the quality of this element, and if they see the slightest flaw, a whistle immediately sounds ... And the criteria for these whistles are constantly changing! Previously, about ten years ago, between the transfer in classic volleyball and beach volleyball, it was just abyss…Quick Contact « hall» volleyball - and on the other hand, a huge long catch of the ball in beach volleyball! Where did this difference come from?

Everything is quite simple here - in classic volleyball there are three blocks, and the main task of the passer is to get rid of at least one blocker with a good reception ... In beach volleyball, no matter how you pass - one block ( although if you pass 3 meters from the grid, then most likely there will be no block at all, but still you shouldn’t do that). The passer's task here is not to break the block, but to give the best possible transfer. Due to the longer contact of the hands with the ball, the transfer is much more balanced ( the ball moves slower). The striker has more time, it is easier to reach the ball with his feet, there is time to assess the situation on the opposite site. And thus attack becomes more effective.

Recently, the rules have changed somewhat. In the past, referees have looked critically at the quick contact of the hands on the ball when making a pass and any spin on the ball. If the ball made at least one revolution in the air after the pass, it was a mistake. They tried to change the rules of beach volleyball in order to make this sport more like classic volleyball. So, for several seasons, the rules allowed touching the net, but not the upper cable ( just imagine all these disputes - “well, I touched the grid not here, but there!"). But after several years of experiment, the touch of the grid was removed ( often at the beginning of the World Series season, the organizers and referees held meetings with the players, and there was a lot of indignation on the part of the girls about the too low safety of this rule - the players flew into the net and could simply collide).

Now grab the ball with your hands ( make the movement of the hands with the ball first down and then up) forbidden. Yes, and small rotations of the ball after the transfer were also allowed. The overhead pass in beach volleyball is closer than ever to the classic. But still, I’ll immediately note that in the beach transfer, the contact of the hands with the ball is much longer, and the legs work differently here.

So why don't all pros pass from above? One of the reasons is that often the host country provides the majority of judges, and in all countries the judges judge the program slightly differently ( you come to China for competitions, and then a series of surprises begins). Also for experienced players high level allow some flaws, and new players from the qualification whistle any flaw ... So many sacrifice quality ( because the transmission from above is much more convenient than from below) and pass from below ...

Those players of the World Series who pass from above constantly devote a lot of time to this element ( I remember when we first came to the training camp in Brazil, looked at the top players with surprise - they passed and received every day during all morning training). When teams fly in for competitions and go out for tryouts, what do you think they spend their time on in particular? Right, pass a lot!

It is necessary to pay at least 10 - 20 minutes this element at every workout. Muscle memory in this case remembers the correct movements for a very long time, and, unfortunately, forgets everything at once!

You watched the video - I will summarize everything we have said above:

The main work on the transfer is done by the legs! ( And 80 percent, but we'll talk about this in our next video)

The hands and fingers simply wrap around the ball and try to work in sync enough to prevent unnecessary rotation of the ball.

We pass due to the extension of the legs, shoulders and elbows

There should not be any gripping and lowering of hands down with the ball ( if not us, then the judge will definitely take care of it)

Hand movements should be as smooth as possible, we should see off the ball for as long as possible and fully extend our arms after the ball!

P.S. The pass from above in beach volleyball is very important - the quality of the removal is increased, and the amount of energy consumed is reduced! So start making the right moves and you'll be fine! And - we will show you everything, we will tell you much more and teach you!

14/01/2011 10:30

Krasilnikov: classic "beach" or beach "classic"

Text: Viktor Nikolaev. Photo: FIVB

Vyacheslav Krasilnikov joined the Energetik volleyball team (Krasnodar) in the middle of last season, immediately becoming one of the leaders current champion Kuban. However, this should not be surprising, because he spent the first half of the year in the camp of the Krasnodar GUVD-Dynamo (now just Dynamo), at that time the Premier League club A. Today, as you know, Dynamo play in the Super League. In addition, 19-year-old Krasilnikov is quite successful in beach volleyball. But, according to the athlete himself, he prefers the classic version of the game.

- I ended up in Energetik after two years spent at GUVD-Dynamo. Above offer from new team didn't think for a long time. There is a good team here, I have known all the guys very well for a long time, so I joined without any problems. I'm comfortable here, Krasilnikov talked about how he became a "power engineer".

– By the way, about the training at the GUVD-Dynamo. How did you work under the guidance of Yuri Marichev?

“At times it was difficult, but interesting. Probably, it could not have been otherwise - after all, a professional level. To train under the guidance of such a specialist as Yuri Nikolayevich is great experience For young player. And the whole team has noticeably improved in the course of the championship. Now my training is not so intense, but Energetik is playing in a championship of a different caliber. Although I am not averse to work in the rhythm of professionals.

- Beat all opponents. We are, perhaps, despite our age, the most experienced and well-played team. This is what we take. But to be honest, there is still much to add. The quality of the game can be improved. The only thing left is to train, train and train again.

– What, in your opinion, is the level of the regional championship?

– It is difficult to judge objectively. All opponents are well known, they played with everyone and defeated everyone. Most of the teams are objectively inferior to us in class, but among them there are a couple of worthy ones. Although we have to beat them. The main thing is to show your volleyball, and not to rest on the site. To be honest, I would like to play in the First League of the Russian Championship. There the level is higher and the competition is much stronger.

–Vyacheslav, you are pretty good, judging by the results, you can play beach volleyball ...

- From what you can bring to your asset on the "beach" - this is participation in the Junior World Championships in 2009 in Turkish Alania. The tournament was very serious, both in terms of the level of organization and the composition of the participants. The strongest couples from all over the world came to Turkey. On group stage we performed well, in one of the matches we beat the future finalists of the championship 2:1, also a couple from Russia Andrey Bolgov / Ruslan Bykanov. We stopped at the semi-final stage, where we lost to the future champions - the Ukrainian duo Sergey Popov / Valery Samoday. It's a shame that they stopped a step away from the fight for medals. On the outskirts of the podium, they stumbled at the European Championship among students, which was held this summer in Kazan. Although our couple was considered one of the favorites, but, as in Antalya, we were content with only fifth place.

- In the domestic arena, the results are probably higher?

- For juniors - yes. I rarely go below the second meta. According to the results of the main championship of the country, do not believe it, he also became the fifth. IN decisive match again lost 2:1. I was especially upset that I was a little short not only to medals, but also to fulfill the standard of a master of sports. To get the title of master, it was necessary to get into the top four. By the way, they would have gone to the semi-finals, there they would have met with a duet Dmitry Barsuk.

– Have you ever competed with the legend of Russian beach volleyball before?

– Yes, against Badger this season. True, he did not perform with his usual partner. Igor Kolodinsky, and with Latvian Alexander Samoilov. It was hard, to be honest, it was. The first minutes we fought on equal terms, and then the opponent's experience took its toll. But such defeats are also useful.

- With whom will you play in pairs in the new season?

My partners are constantly changing. Performed with a young guy Artem Kucherenko, then with Viktor Kharchenko. We played well with him and began to show results in adult competitions. This year I want to try Max Purin from Energy. I think we will play a couple of stages, and if things go well, then we will start at full program train.

- Preparing for an interview, I learned that at the competitions in beach volleyball you imagined sport Club"Volei Grad" (Anapa) ...

- This club has the best infrastructure. It is located in Vityazevo on the basis of the modern center of the All-Russian Volleyball Federation. All training conditions have been created there, and the coaching staff is in order. So I took advantage of the invitation to play for this club with pleasure.

- Where do you like to perform more: in the hall or on the sand?

– To be honest, I prefer the “classics”. But my results are better in the "beach". Yes, and the coaches tell me that I'm doing well on the sand. There is an opinion that those who did not succeed in the classic go to beach volleyball. Maybe this one is true, but I still like regular volleyball even more, so I'm not going to leave it anywhere. Well, I always have time for the "beach"!

All the strongest masters of beach volleyball have gathered these days on the Pacific coast in the US state of Florida. In Fort Lauderdale, the first round of the World Series of the season kicks off. Among the participants are five Russian pairs, three of which will start the fight from the group stage, and two will have to make their way through the qualifications.

Two "failures", not counting the "beachers". Results of the year in volleyball

Mistakes of mentors, the Olympic "drought", judicial lawlessness and new main ones - what happened in 2016 in volleyball.

Best Statistically

Almost six months have passed since we last wrote about beach volleyball. These were my reports from Rio de Janeiro, where all three domestic duets performed above all praise, although they did not win awards. It is no coincidence that the reporting and election conference of the All-Russian Volleyball Federation, followed by the Supervisory Board of the All-Russian Volleyball Federation, recognized the performance of Russian couples at the Olympics as worthy. In contrast to the teams in the classic version of the popular game, whose performance in Brazil did not satisfy anyone.

I have already written about judicial lawlessness at Copacabana, when, to please the hosts, the Brazilian referees impudently, defying the rules and common sense, dragged the Italian couple to the final, which was more convenient for the Brazilian duo, - Konstantin Semyonov With Vyacheslav Krasilnikov the owners were frankly afraid.

Over the past six months, the FIVB has changed the system of holding the World Tour, distributing all tournaments into categories, like hotels.

But he did not write that in almost all technical indicators, our “beach players” were indeed among the best - either the first or in the top three in almost all positions. The same Krasilnikov was recognized as the best defender, and in a pair this duo was the second. In team attack Nikita Lyamin And Dmitry Barsuk- the first, our other couple - the 6th. And according to individual indicators, Lyamin is 3rd. In the command block, Semyonov and Krasilnikov are second, and Semyonov is second in the individual standings. In the team service, our first duet is in 3rd position, and Semyonov is second in the individual standings and the first among the servers in terms of speed - 102 km / h. Nice numbers, right?

Wind from the Atlantic in their sails

It was hard to believe that the best Russian couple in beach volleyball would outplay the ex-world champions. But they were close to it.

Star categories

Over the past six months, the FIVB has changed the system of holding the World Tour, distributing all tournaments into categories like hotels: a five-star competition (Fort Lauderdale, Rome, Porec, Gstaad and Hamburg) is the most significant with the largest prize fund, three four-star (Rio de Janeiro, Lucerne and Olsztyn), four tournaments marked with three stars, including Moscow (May 29 - June 4). In addition, the 2017 calendar includes the World Championship in Vienna from July 28 to August 6 and the European Championship in Jurmala from August 16 to 20.

Immediately after Florida, the men will go to Iran for Kish Island. And then there will be almost a two-month break. Strange, agree. And the next big one international competition will be held only at the end of April in the Chinese city of Xiamen. The last starts of the international season will take place in mid-October in China and Thailand.

Head coach Russian men Vyacheslav Nirka united Vyacheslav Krasilnikov and Nikita Lyamin into one duet.

As for domestic competitions, this time there are more of them, and the geography of tournaments has become wider: Lipetsk, Ryazan, Kazan, Samara, Kaliningrad, Anapa, Sochi…

Nirka: you really understand the Olympics only from the second time

The head coach of the Russian "beach players" Vyacheslav Nirka summed up the first results of the performance of his wards at the Olympics.

Faces are familiar, couples are new

Well, now about those who start the season in Florida today. These are all well-known masters of sand play, Olympic champions and prize-winners of different years, repeated winners of the World Tour tournaments. And they start the competition not from scratch, but with the points already available in the asset for previous merits.

The first in this list are well-known Latvians from repeated performances on the sand in Anapa, Sochi and Moscow. Janis Smedins And Alexander Samoilov with 3940 points. Brazilian duet Alison And Bruno Schmidt(3780) and Americans Phil Dahlhausser And Nicholas Lucena (3720).

Agree, and really cool and eminent. Moreover, which happens not so often, all the first numbers have kept their duets in the same form as in the previous season. The notorious Italians did not change themselves either. Paolo Nicolai And Daniele Lupo(2740) - ninth position.

There are two domestic couples in the main draw of the first tournament. After Barsuk completed his performances and decided to try his hand at classical volleyball Semyonov, Main coach Russian men Vyacheslav Nirka united Krasilnikov and Lyamin in one duet (2200). Today it is our really strongest couple. They are in 14th position. The first Olympic champions among youth in Nanjing are quite a bit inferior to their compatriots Oleg Stoyanovskiy And Artyom Yarzutkin (2170).

Of the 24 pairs included in the main draw at the end of last year, only one Russian duet - Anastasia Barsuk -.

Among the participants of the first tournament, I did not see only the Dutch, who, it seems, decided not to “shine” ahead of time. Our youth couple will break through the qualification to the main draw Maxim Sivolap And Igor Velichko, who won one of the tournaments of the Eastern European Volleyball Association last summer. They have only 816 points, and this is their first performance at a tournament of such a high rank. There is also a list of reservists, the first in which are Grigory Goncharov And Ruslan Bykanov. They will qualify if one of the participants withdraws from the competition.

In the women's part of the tournament, again, there are many well-known names. No only German Laura Ludwig, Olympic champion paired with Kiroy Walkenhorst. The latter has a new partner today - Julia Grossner. Of the 24 pairs included in the main draw at the end of last year, only one Russian duet - Anastasia Barsuk- , which looked good on the eve of the Olympic Games and managed to earn 1519 points in this way.

Not thick compared to the leaders - Americans April Ross And Kerry Walsh with 4180 points. But even this was enough for our girls to get into the number of “chosen ones” with 22nd indicator out of 24 selected by points. However, they have good chances to qualify and be in the main draw with Nadezhda Makroguzova (1418).

Summer is the time to relax and have fun on the water. Gathering in large companies, people come up with different ways to have fun. Who sings songs with a guitar by the fire, who plays football, and who just basks in the rays of the summer sun. But an undoubted attribute of beach pastime for each of the groups will be volleyball, or rather beach volleyball, which has been keeping coastal vacationers and not only them bored for almost a century.

California is the birthplace of beach sports

There are a lot of versions about where the ball game on the sand originated. However, they lean towards California. But in Europe this game was introduced by nudists from France. The officially recognized first match was held in 1927 in State Beach, California, under the auspices of Holzman.

1965 was marked by the creation of the first association, which came up with and approved the rules for playing beach volleyball. Albeit unofficial, but still the first world-scale competitions were held in the 76th year. And in July 1983, the Association of Professional Volleyball Players was founded. In 1986, the World Volleyball Federation approved this sport game.

Albeit as a demonstration sport, but still on the sand in the 92nd entered the Olympic program. And already in 1997, the official world championship was held. The teams from America and Brazil are considered the most successful in the beach game.

Classic and beach volleyball: similarities and differences

This sport originated as leisure based on the classic game of volleyball. However, over time, undergoing changes, the rules of beach volleyball competitions began to differ significantly. For the players, such qualities as jumping ability, excellent reaction, power of delivery and feeling of the game and the ball remained important, but some other requirements were added. The game takes place on the sand, and this requires a certain level physical training from athletes. Like many sports, volleyball is played regardless of the weather, while the possibility of substitutions during the game is not provided, respectively, considerable endurance is required from the players. And perhaps the most striking difference from classic volleyball is required amount players. According to the rules of beach volleyball, there are only 2 players and therefore they must be universal.

Signals and gestures

Despite all the differences of this sport from other team games, it is distinguished by one interesting feature These are signal gestures. According to the unofficial rules of the game, members of one team agree on tactics for carrying out further actions on the playing field. One player gives such a signal behind his back to another, who is standing in the far half of the field. Each hand corresponds to a certain side of the attack. And the gestures themselves are:

• 1 finger (strike block directed in line);
• 2 fingers (diagonal lock);
• fist (player will not block);
• open palm (blocking the strike "into the ball").

There is also “flashing” - alternately clenching and unclenching the hand into a fist, which means the requirement to serve to the corresponding player.

official rules

There is a whole volume of sand rules created by the FIVB. Let's consider the most basic of them.

Following the rules of beach volleyball for professionals, each team has two players, and there are no substitutions. The site is located on the sand, hence the name. The size of the area for each team is 8 by 8 meters, and it is divided by a stretched net. The height of the net for men and women is different (respectively, 2.43 and 2.24 meters). The main goal of the game is to strive for each team to ensure that the ball falls into the opponent's court, while you need to make sure that this does not happen to you. It is allowed to hit the ball not only with the hand.

The ball is allowed to serve from behind the court line to the opposite part of it. The opposing team is allowed to touch the ball up to three times, while each of the players can hit the ball during its draw no more than once in a row. The exceptions are the first touch and the moment of blocking the blow.

The next serve is carried out by the team that won the rally when the ball was served, but by another player. To do this, it is necessary that the ball fell to the opposite court, went over the line, or one of the teams made a mistake. The couple receives 1 point for each win in the rally.

During the match, according to the rules of beach volleyball, two games are played, and in order to win, the team must win both. In the event of a tie, a third, additional set is played. Athletes must receive at least 21 points in order to earn the title of winner, however, the difference in the score must be more than 2 points. Otherwise, the game continues until the desired score. As for the additional game, it provides for the need to get 15 points under the same rules as during the main game.

It is worth noting that the rules of beach volleyball 2014 have undergone some changes, which will be tested in July-August. Block taps no longer apply to the team's three-touch rule. Therefore, in addition to touching the block, athletes are entitled to 3 more touches before the ball returns to the opposite side.

Exceptions have also been removed regarding extending finger contact time on an overhead first touch, which includes receiving a serve, contact after blocks, and contact from an opponent's attack.

Forbidden tricks

The beach volleyball competition rules also govern the players during the competition. It can be intimidation, arguments, and the like; rude behavior, such as a contemptuous attitude; insults, including gestures; and physical attack.

Between sets or even before a game, any misbehavior also results in a penalty that will be applied in the next game.

1. In 1948, Pepsi became the official organizer of the tournament.
2. Unlike classic volleyball, according to the rules of beach volleyball, there are no temperature restrictions during games.
3. The longest game and the match as a whole took place in 2005, when the additional game ended with a score of 33:35.
4. Records for the speed of the ball: for men - 114 km per hour, for women - 86.5 km per hour.

Bronze medalists of the European Youth Beach Volleyball Championship Victoria Secretova and Victoria Shalaevskaya will move to adult sports from the new season. In an interview with SPORT.TUT.BY, the future tourism specialist and programmer spoke about dangerous sparring with men on the Minsk Sea and grueling workouts with the Brazilians, sunstroke during the match and the exclusion of beach volleyball from the program of the European Games in Minsk.

“In the quarterfinals of the World Youth Championship, I received sunstroke. I was shaking after the game."

In the best Belarusian pair of beach girls, the girls are namesakes. Victoria Secretova plays the role of a blocker, Victoria Shalaevskaya is a defender. Secretova is 20 years old, she is from Minsk. Shalaevskaya from Molodechno, she is 19.

One name for two does not interfere with girls in everyday life and in training. They understand which of them the mentor Sergei Danilov is addressing, as soon as he raises his voice.

After all, it is always connected with a mistake or a successful action of the one of us who touched the ball last, - the defender explains. - But we turn around at the shout of the coach all the same together. Sergey Viktorovich considers Vika secretive, therefore he sometimes commands: “Vika, declassify, in the end!” And he teases me, remembering how hard it was for the announcer to read my name at the European Youth Championship in 2014: “Shalalaevska!” I prefer to be called "Shalvi".

The duet of the girls was formed just in 2014. In 2015, they became fourth at the European Championships under 20, and a year later they won bronze medals at a similar start. These were the first medals for Belarus in the history of women's beach sports. It received development in the country only in 2011, although it was presented in the competition program at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

In 2016, Secretova and Shalaevskaya attended the tournament of the series " Grand Slam” in Moscow, where they played in the same quartet with the participants of the Games in Rio de Janeiro from Canada, Switzerland and Brazil. By the way, the last team included the reigning world champions and future Rio 2016 silver medalists Agata Bednarchuk and Barbara Seixas.

Agata and Barbara after the meeting said to our coach: “Sergy, congratulations! Your young girls are good." He heard the same from his Brazilian colleagues, who invited him to train together after the match with the Canadians. In it, we fought for the right to leave the group. We won one set against the Canadians, and in the third decisive one we lost the victory due to inexperience. We were upset, but we still had a lesson with the Brazilians ahead of us. They saw their benefit in it: they collected a dossier on us. Frankly, we were already exhausted after the warm-up, that is, 10-15 minutes of running in a circle with different tasks, - says Shalaevskaya.

In 2017, Vika and Vika competed at the U21 World Championship, where they retired at the quarter-final stage, finishing fifth in the protocol. The executive committee of the volleyball federation put "bad" for such a performance. The girls were surprised.

Them " youth world” was remembered, first of all, by difficult weather conditions. The fact is that matches in beach volleyball are canceled in rare cases. Heavy rain without lightning will not be the basis for interrupting the fight. Like the sizzling heat. Belarusians faced such weather conditions in Nanjing, China, where the planetary championship was held.

You make one acceleration, and the feeling is that you can no longer play, you are suffocating, - Shalaevskaya recalls the sensations. - In conditions of high humidity and high temperatures, the sand on the site was watered during each time-out, it was so hot. In a meeting with the Czechs in the 1/8 finals, which lasted more than an hour, I received a sunstroke. When I got to the toilet after the game, I threw up. I left for a very long time after the match, I was shaking all over.

Photo from the personal archive of Victoria Shalaevskaya

Fundamental to Belarusian couple is the rivalry with the Russians Nadezhda Makroguzova and Svetlana Kholomina. They stopped the Belarusians at the European and World Youth Championships in 2015 and 2017 in the semi-finals and quarter-finals, respectively. The last time the Belarusians managed to win one set against sworn friends for the first time, and with a big advantage - 21:15.

Against the backdrop of anger, they managed to do this, - Shalaevskaya believes. - There was a lot of negativity, but not in relation to the opponents who are preparing in good conditions- Rio de Janeiro, Sochi and Tenerife, but to the environment in which we are. It would seem that we have everything to grow into serious players: physical data, talent, motivation and a competent coach. The only question is how to manage the opportunity to reach the top level and gain a foothold in the elite of the world beach volleyball. A couple of years ago, this was out of the question. We were kids when we got into this sport.

“I plan to play beach volleyball, but I can write in programming languages”

Secretova and Shalaevskaya call each other sisters - they are so close, and they remember with a smile how they competed in classic volleyball in their teenage years.

We often met in the finals of the republican competitions, - says Victoria Shalaevskaya. - Both were leaders of their teams, participated in the awards ceremony as best players commands. They did not experience antipathy, but, on the contrary, admired each other. Vika was well physically developed and had a high gaming intelligence. It was nice to compete with her. At that moment, I could not imagine that together we would play for the national team, and even in beach volleyball. Now Vika is the only person I can fully rely on. After all, if we do not hold on to each other, we are unlikely to fulfill our dreams. They are associated with the adult world championship and the Olympics.

Coach Sergey Viktorovich just found us at one of the youth championships, - adds blocking Vika. - We were at the stage when it was necessary to decide on the future in sports. Personally, I had no desire to engage in “classics”, but I responded to the offer to try myself in beach volleyball. Since then, we have experienced many happy moments.

After a long pause, in 2017, the girls again played against each other, however, at the level of university competitions. Secretova, a gold medalist on the results of secondary education, represented BSEU, and Shalaevskaya represented BSUIR. She is preparing to become an economist in the field of programming.

I plan to play beach volleyball, Shalaevskaya clarifies. - Nevertheless, as a second-year student at BSUIR, I can write in C#, Java programming languages. I pass all the tests and exams myself. It's in my interest to learn something new and not follow the easy path.

Representing their universities, the girls competed at the group stage of the interuniversity championship - Shalaevskaya and her partner won here, and in the final - the victory went to the Secret team.

There was no one to give us worthy resistance, - Secrets admits. - We understood that we would play each other in the final. In it, our amateur partners have already found out among themselves who is stronger, since with our actions we practically could not influence the course of the fight. After winning the Universiade, I took the Cup to the Vice-Rector of the Belarusian State Economic University and asked for help with passing the exam, which I missed.

Body shapes like physical form, do not make girls complex when they go to the court in a tank top and slips. For example, Shalaevskaya performs a leg press with a weight of 220 kg. On Instagram, she congratulated men on Defender of the Fatherland Day with the help of a video in which she lifts two men of 95 kg each with a weight on the simulator.

Strong hips allow you to jump higher, - explains the defender. - My position also implies the need to run a lot, and running on the ground and on the sand are not the same thing. Legs should be well pumped. Vika must strengthen the muscles in such a way that they remain elastic. She serves and runs under the net - on the block ... It turns out that in the gym I train like a weightlifter, and she like an athlete.

Beach volleyball is associated with the naked bodies of girls, bizarre signs behind their backs and the overall atmosphere of a party, Shalaevskaya admits. - In Belarus, unfortunately, there are few sports bases for holding tournaments: they are in Molodechno, Minsk and Mozyr. Stadiums are usually empty, but not because Belarusian men are not attracted to swimsuit girls. They just don't know where and when beach volleyball competitions take place. But this is a question for the federation. As well as why beach volleyball was excluded from the program of the second European Games, which will be held in Minsk in 2019 ... Only after the performance at the World Youth Championships did we learn that it would not be at our home mini-Olympics. Although ours was in the first published list of approved sports. Survived the shock! How so? Building four courts on the basis of the Olympiysky SOK would not require large expenditures. Judge for yourself, beach soccer and beach volleyball competitions all over the world are held on the same venues, and since there will be football at the European Games, why was volleyball excluded?

“We sparred with amateur men on the Minsk Sea. I broke two fingers

In the season that ended, Victoria Secretova and Victoria Shalaevskaya won medals in an adult tournament for the first time, even if we are talking only about the satellite category. In the world ranking (FIVB World Ranking) they are on the 115th line, which is called a “rollback” from the previously won positions. In 2015, they overcame the bar of 1000 points. In 2017, the number of training camps abroad (they were replaced by training in Minsk and Raubichi) and trips to competitions decreased along with a decrease in sponsorship.

This was reflected in the preparation in a direct way, - Shalaevskaya believes. - If last year we had ten tournaments, now we spent seven months in Belarus before going to youth championship peace. They ran up the stairs and trained in the gym, not on the sand. Between the last exit to the start and the championship, they had almost a month's pause in performances and then finished fifth in the "world". Agree, doesn't it deserve attention? In the meantime, our rivals spend three months at the training camp, some in Egypt, some in the USA, some in Brazil.

Our fourth and fifth tournaments of the season were separated by almost two months! During this period, they practiced mainly on the Minsk Sea, sparred with amateur men. And in these matches, everything is different. The speeds are higher, and we have to adapt to what we may face in games with girls. Sometimes the body suffers. So they broke two fingers of my hand when I tried to repel a blow performed by a man. The ball flew in the face ... Yes, tennis players often spar with men, but there is a simulation of the game to solve certain problems. Our amateurs are not coaches in order to calculate the impact force, adjust to the capabilities of the weaker sex.

Analyzing the recent successes of the girls, the Ministry of Sports and the Volleyball Federation are simultaneously developing a training plan for the next year. In the off-season, Lithuanians, Poles and Czechs want to play with Belarusians. Everyone is calling for training camps in their countries. The coach of Secret and Shalaevskaya Sergey Danilov is happy with this situation and is looking for resources to finance trips from private individuals.

Next season you need to play as many tournaments as possible in order to have good starting positions during selection for Olympic Games 2020, which will take place a year earlier. A high rating will allow you to go to top competitions and win points, but in another way you won’t be able to win a ticket to Tokyo 2020, says Shalaevskaya.

Most of all, the girls are worried because of the threat of a transition from the practicing Danilov, who made a downed team out of children, to another coach. Vika and Vika are ready to put their careers in sports on the line, if only the mentor would stay with them.