Players that do not make the elite travel training squads will automatically be placed in one of the regional training groups.  Our goal at seeding is to assess the skill set they have today, and place them into a training group of like-skilled players of similar age. Within each group they will be divided into groups on different courts by age and ability. Please note that initial placements are not permanent, players that work hard will earn the opportunity to move into a stronger, more challenging training group.

Shaka is our beginner training group with players having two or less years of volleyball (indoor and or beach) play experience. Many have participated in past summer camps or our Lil Diggers programs and are now looking for more consistent training. This training group is perfect for first time beach players or first time volleyball players.

Ohana is our intermediate training group, with players having on average two years of indoor experience and maybe some beach experience, but usually they are new to the beach game. Players in this group are familiar with all the volleyball skills, but are still inconsistent with execution. For many players the strategies of beach volleyball is new.

Surf is our more advanced training group, with most players having three to four years of indoor playing experience, and at least two years of beach volleyball experience. Players are familiar with all volleyball skills, and are more proficient in execution and are building on beach strategies. Many players from this training group will progress on to one of the Club Elite training squads within a year or two.

For the 2023 summer season, we are breaking the summer academy into 2, eight week training groups. The first session the practices will only be 90 minutes per practice in the evenings; the second session will be daytime for 2 hours per practice.

Athletes can, and are encouraged to participate in both sessions for the full length of summer, but are not required to. Athletes that do participate in both sessions for the full summer will receive a season discount on the second session of $100.

Schedule for Practices:

May & June Session- practices will be in the evenings. Young beginner and intermediate athletes will train on Mondays & Wednesdays, with beginners at 4pm and younger intermediates at 5:30pm. Older intermediate and advanced athletes will train on Tuesdays & Thursdays, with older intermediates at 4pm and the advanced players at 5:30pm.

July & August Sessions- with athletes out of school, practices will move to daytime. The groups will remain on the same days, but practices will be extended to two hours and move to 9am-11am and 11:30am-1:30pm.

Some tips on what to pack for practices:

1. Layers: the weather can change quickly, so wearing layers is ideal. Jacket or sweatshirt, sweatpants, shorts.
2. Water: at least two water bottles on Alki, at DaKine you can use our refill station on water breaks. Please remember that hydration starts well before practice, what you consume at practice is to maintain a healthy balance to what you sweat out. Be sure to be drinking lots of water all day long
3. Sunscreen: for the best sun protection, the first application of sunscreen should be done at home and the second should be applied at the beginning of practice. Always have sunscreen in your bag.
4. Sunglasses: you can sunburn your eyes, so let’s keep them protected. We suggest avoiding sunglasses that have nose pieces, as occasionally players do get hit in the face, and that can leave bad cuts when the nose pieces dig in.
5. Sandsocks: burning the bottom of your feet is incredibly painful, and players that are newer to sand, will appreciate the extra protection as they get used to moving and playing in the sand. (Sandsocks are available for purchase at DaKine for $20)
6. Snacks: Fuel like an athlete!!! Please make sure your athletes have breakfast or a snack before practice; and players should always have a little snack packed to get them through practice. Fruit makes a for a great quick pick me up to get them to the end of practice.

DaKine uses a communication platform called Team Snap to connect players, parents and coaches. Parent’s will receive an invitation to join the team snap after placements are made following tryouts & seeding. We’ll use the email address that was used to register your athlete for tryouts/seeding to invite families to the platform. *Parent’s can then add athlete contact information and any other family member they want to have access to team communication (you do not have to ask DaKine coaches or staff to add this information).

We also use Team Snap to track attendance for staffing purposes and the building of practice plans so please keep your attendance availability up to date; we understand things come up last minute and we have found this is the best way to keep an accurate count of players. With that said, if you already know of scheduling conflicts (family vacations, school events, etc) please look ahead and note future absences.

Registration is now open for DaKine Tournaments.

DaKine does not require any tournament participation and there is no required tournament attendance or schedule. We encourage the athletes to participate in local tournaments for the experience and reps, as competing is a great way to evaluate your progress and identify areas of improvement; in addition to increasing general volleyball strategy understanding.

DaKine will host junior’s tournaments at DaKine Sports Center in University Place year round, and on Alki Beach throughout the summer.  These are great opportunities to compete and become familiar with how tournaments are run and structured. Again, attendance is not required, but encouraged.

Partners

DaKine Coaches do not assign partners for tournaments, with the exception of the BVCA Challenges & Championships. We will create lots of options for the athletes to scrimmage and work together in practices to identify who they play well with. We don’t suggest partnering with one other player for every tournament; it is incredibly valuable to improving and developing their game to play with a variety of partners.

A seeding is similar to a tryout, but no one will be cut from the team; all athletes will be assessed and placed into a training group for the next 8 weeks.

If you cannot attend the seeding day or make up seeding day, please still register for one of the dates and leave a note indicating you won’t be in attendance, so we have you on our lists. If there are enough athletes, we will schedule an additional evaluation time, but if it’s just a few, we will place them in a training group to get started and move them as needed, until we find the best group for that athlete to train and grow with.