Jumping on sand like you do in the gym — the tricks you didn't know

Going from indoor courts to sand costs everyone some vertical. The ground gives way under the drive, your feet are bare, the court two of you have to cover is huge and the ball behaves differently. It's another sport, even if the net is the same.

Below you'll find five concrete adjustments to limit how much jump you lose on sand, and at the end, the way to measure exactly how much you're losing.

1. Give your body time to adapt to the surface

The neuromuscular system has to adapt to the sand, and it does so quickly: it's normal to jump better at the end of a session than at the start, because the body has learned to handle a surface that gives.

That holds both over the long run and within a single day. Which is why it's always worth doing a warm-up set on the sand before playing: you reach the first rally already loose instead of using the opening points as a run-in.

2. Load deeper before the takeoff

On sand you want to look for maximum leg flexion during the loading phase. That lengthens the push and lets you deliver more power, offsetting the energy the ground absorbs.

Watch a professional beach volleyball match: the players bend their legs going even below a squat position, precisely to make the most of the explosive strength they can generate.

3. Plant the whole sole of your foot

In indoor volleyball the approach step starts at the heel and rolls to the toes. On sand that makes you sink.

To avoid it, plant the whole sole of the foot at once on every step, as if you wanted to flatten the ground. Picture your foot as a shovel: you compress the sand, increase the contact surface and make it more even — and that's where you get some drive back.

4. Train the muscles the takeoff needs

Three exercises that work directly on the jumping chain. If you can do them on sand, even better:

• Wall ball — bend the legs and drive with the arms using a 6 kg medicine ball
• Box jump — to train how effective your takeoff is
• Burpees — for the ability to get back up off the sand quickly after a dive

They're a good starting point, but on their own they don't make a program: without load progression across the weeks, the body stops adapting.

5. Don't neglect the cardio

Sand has a higher metabolic cost than an indoor court: the stimulus your body has to handle goes through heart and lungs. Add at least two 40-minute cardio sessions a week and you'll feel far less fatigue in long rallies, which in beach volleyball are the norm.

How much are you actually losing on sand?

Everyone says they jump less on sand; almost nobody knows by how much. You can find out in two minutes: do the JHP jump test in the gym, then redo it on the beach. The difference between the two numbers tells you exactly what the surface is costing you, and how much margin you have to claw back with takeoff technique.

The test is free: you upload a two-second video of yourself jumping and get the height in centimeters, calculated from flight time. The video never leaves your phone.

➡️ Measure your jump, free

The program built for sand

Beach Volley Pre-Season is a 4-week plan with 12 sessions of 45-60 minutes, all designed for sand: mobility, explosive strength, agility, reactivity, plus the Power Spike Workout bonus and WhatsApp support. It costs €45.

If beyond the sand you also want weight room and plyometric work, the JHP subscription includes this and 12 more programs at €99/year.

You might also like: the free beach volleyball conditioning plan.