JULY/AUGUST 2019 112 SHAPE.COM
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ILLUSTRATION BY SEAN McCABE
O
n weekends my friends and I head to a Santa Monica beach, with
Wilson volleyballs and canvas strips to outline our court. It may look
as if we randomly lunge at the ball, but there’s a lot of strategy in
volleyball, and every game is diff erent. The scenery takes your mind
off all that running in the sand. Key skill to perfect? Your arm positioning—
what’s called the passing platform—has to be completely even. When you
clasp your hands, the thumbs should be pressing down and forward; rotate
your elbows out, so your forearms form a cushion for the ball. What got you
hooked? I started playing at age 3 with my dad, who announced pro
games on TV. When is the best time to play? As an assistant for
a Hollywood studio, I go to work when it’s dark and leave when it’s
dark. But Saturday or Sunday, I put on a bikini to be at the beach by
8 a.m. The payoff? It’s a social game, since it forces you to interact
and cooperate with your teammates. Plus, you’re in a dreamy ocean
setting, and that’s so good for your headspace. —As told to Molly Longman
“Playing
volleyball in the
sun and sand—
it just FEEDS
YOUR SOUL.”
—Grace Marlowe, 23,
Los Angeles
