In beach volleyball, players are not allowed to open-hand tip or over-hand pass — so players got creative and invented the “pokey.”

While born in the sand, the pokey is a useful technique for indoor players to have in their toolkit. Here are two examples the pokey can help you “better the ball” in your next indoor practice or tournament:

  1. You must get the ball over the net, but it’s a super low set… so low, if you tipped the ball it’d be a “lift.” A pokey gets the ball over the net or block (bonus points if you tool the block!).
  2. It’s a wild play, and the ball is zooming high over your head. A pokey gives your teammates time to use their contact to keep the ball in play.

In this video, former professional beach volleyball player and SoCal Beach Director Eric Sato shares how to execute a pokey and a quick juggling drill so you can practice at home.

If you found this drill useful, check out Coach Sato’s beach training at Mission Hills Church. Active SoCal Local and Travel Team Members save 25% on beach training with code: gt25