This group is for all beach volleyball players within driving distance of Sebastopol, CA. Some of us play 3-4 times per week, and others have been playing here for decades once per week. The goal of this group is to maximize court usage and connect people- please schedule your events and be transparent about your intentions so we don’t have bottlenecks- there have been times where 40 people want to play at once on two courts, and communication could alleviate that! Some of us run tournaments, which are scheduled months in advance- please be aware of those plans, as well as designated court times for big recreational games, challenge court, etc. Note that ALL events will have a designated skill level and the community needs to abide by them. Please message event hosts if you are unsure if you’re welcome- some people only want a certain experience level at their event, and we should respect those wishes. If you’d like to host your own events, please be detailed and clear in the format and skill level, and whether it’s open to others or not. Please see below for general descriptions of levels, in addition to asking people you play with to rate you: Skill Levels: Developmental players know some of the rules, can pass a serve accurately less than 70% of the time, and are trying to place overhand serves in the court. When receiving serves, some don’t go forward, and instead go sideways or backward. Setting may be inconsistent and partners can rarely hit downward because of this. Recreational players know most of the rules and perform all the skills regularly, including overhand serving. They pass every serve forward and their sets are more consistent. They kill less than 50% of attempts. B level players are Rec level PLUS the following: know all the rules, consistently serve in bounds and can target a player. They can pass and set with 70% accuracy, and can hit downward with a perfect set. Some B level players can hand set well. Shot selection on offense is being developed, as power and accuracy improve. When playing B level players, it may not be necessary to block them. Hitting errors are common. A level: few players (10%) attain this level and it usually takes 3 years of doubles experience or more to reach. They are B level PLUS they can hand set regularly and the accuracy of passing is around 80-90%. They always target a player while serving. Hitting errors are rare and they can hit downward toward the back half of the court. They are developing shot selection instead of always hitting. They regularly implement defensive and offensive strategies with their partner and can adjust as necessary. On defense, there is always a blocker. Some A players jump serve. A players drill occasionally. AA level: very few players (1%) attain this level and it usually takes at least 8 years of experience to reach. It is A level PLUS: 90% of sets are great handsets, and 95% of serves are aggressive and difficult to pass. Many AA players jump serve. When attacking, they’ve mastered shot selection and can hit downward on the front half of the court regularly. On defense, there is always a blocker, who is adept at pulling quickly and digging most shots. Rallies are eventful and exciting to watch at this level. AA players regularly drill to master specific skills. AAA level/Open: these players can win on demand with almost any partner, and are in peak physical shape. They tend to drill very frequently. They are usually professionals or ex-professionals.