A:   Compared to some of my competitors that is not saying much but it is true that I partied less and worked out more than the average 1980’s player.  Too be honest I was not drunk on Friday and Saturday night and that stood me out in the crowd (it apparently still draws attention today!).  As I mentioned, when I first started playing we were predominately the Spring Break promotion for Miller Brewing Company and there was always a huge party on Saturday night with lots of drinking and lots of girls.  I would show up, have a few beers and then go home for the night.  I was usually the first to leave.  By the end of my career not only was there no Saturday Night Party (Miler even complained that the players wouldn’t show up) but the players were more organic with more modern work out philosophies.  There was just too much competition, money and prestige on the tour to screw around at that point.  I was glad that I straddled the two generations.

Keys to my success-

First– would be 10,000 hours, Outliers sort of stuff. I played a lot of volleyball.  And when I say I played a lot I PLAYED A LOT.  With and against all types of partners, in the heat, in the wind, in the dark on bad beaches and good beaches.  It gives you experience.

Second– I was always trying to improve not just play.  You can play all day but if you are not striving to get better you won’t (Note: this is a bit controversial see Carol Dweck’s research on the topic).  If every year you improve only 10% at one thing and then work on a couple of small improvements like say just improving 2% on five things, you will get 20% better per year.  And it adds up over time. Works in life as well as in volleyball.

Third– I recognized early that to be professional you have to act professionally and that means getting professional advice.  There is a lot of advice out there and most of it sucks.  It’s usually worse than worthless and can be quite counterproductive.  Getting good advice is as hard as winning volleyball tournaments.  Someone sent me a video with some beach volleyball game tips and I thought “that is the complete wrong approach” but the guy sounded good and so there you have it.  I have stood listening to volleyball coaches give the exact wrong advice to players, advice that is counterproductive to their future success in the sports.  And don’t get me started on youth coaches (I have coached my children a lot).  Most kids are handicapped before they even start because of bad coaching.  Good Advice Example- I was lucky to have run into Bob Alejo (a training guru) at UCLA who was able to shape a perfectly tailored workout regimen that took my passion for playing and honed it into a powerful strong machine.  Again, just playing isn’t enough if you aren’t working on getting stronger, faster, etc.  There were many others that helped me professionally (such as Track Legend John Smith) but Bob is just such a clear example.  Before him I was having trouble finishing tournaments with Karch because I had to jump serve, run to the net to block and I usually received all the serves.  After working with him there was never a problem.  And it wasn’t some masochistic ritual or Bataan Death March routine.  It was just doing the right things in the right way.

Fourth– I watched a lot of tape of the other players.  I watched A LOT.  Would chart their tendencies and stuff.  Sport is about repetitive motion training so all athletes have tells that give away what they are going to do.  Whether or not you can stop them is another story but they all signal what they are going to do before they do it because that is how they train.  Sinjin would pitter patter his feet before he hit line, Karch always cut from the left in transition from off the net, Randy had an imperceptible hitch in his swing that threw off most guys block timing and most players almost always look at the spot they are trying to serve.  Stuff like that.  Doesn’t matter the sport.  When victories are measured in one or two points, any advantage helps.

Fifth– Competitiveness.  I have discovered that I am a rare individual that believes that competitiveness can be trained just like jumping, serving, blocking, etc.  If you practice competitiveness you will improve just as if you lift weights you will get stronger.  Most practices are filled with dull drills that lack anything resembling what an athlete will face in competition.  In the heat of a competitive match, say the Olympics when you are down badly and your dream of a gold medal seems lost, do you get nervous or do you relish the challenge because you have practiced it over and over again?  Unless you are working something highly specific, every practice and every drill should be predominately about competition, with a winner and a loser.  I have read many biographies of great coaches in many different sports and they all have competition at the root of their practices (Phil Jackson, John Wooden, Pete Carroll, Anson Dorrance just to name a few.  Also every practice from legendary coach Al Scates was dominated by competitions, he has the most NCAA championships of any college coach.  It is not an accident).

Sixth– Focus on the Mental.  As the old saying goes sports is 90% mental, 50% physical and 25% all the other stuff (I disagree with the “old saying” as it vastly understates the mental aspect of sport).  This is a complicated area.  Read “The Inner Game of Tennis” or “Golf is not a Game of Perfect” to get an idea.

And finally perhaps Seventh– you have to have a purpose to whatever you are doing, call it a love of the game or a passion for your profession. Something that’s makes it all seems worthwhile and noble and worth the effort.  An effort that raises you above yourself.  I really enjoyed being a professional beach volleyball player, I wanted to be a professional athlete when I was a kid.  I thought it was the greatest thing anyone could do with their life.  I enjoyed competing and playing in tournaments, I enjoyed entertaining the fans.  A lot of people go to work so they can make a living but in their free time they took the time to watch us and that was meaningful to us.  There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about my experiences on the court during my career.  It was a life well lived and I hope others can find that passion in their field of endeavor.

I’m sure there is more but this is a good start.