Choosing Your Beach Volleyball Partner

What is the key in having a good partnership in beach volleyball?

One of the keys to having a good partnership on the beach is communication. You want to be able to communicate very well. And the more you play together, the easier that is done. Then you know what your partner's going to do, and sometimes without even talking to them. And that's very, very important, because things happen so quickly.

Would you compare a good volleyball partnership to a good marriage?

Some people feel like a partnership is like a marriage, that you have to get along all the time. But the reality is, you don't have to get along with your partner off the court. But you definitely have to get along on the court. You have to work together, you have to help each other, you have to support each other. But off the court, it's not critical that you even be friends.

How often do partnerships break up on the volleyball pro tour?

Partnership breakups happen all the time in beach volleyball, and the reason why is because one of the teammates thinks they can do better with somebody else. They get frustrated because they're not doing as well as they think they should be doing. They don't think their partner is working hard enough. They think there might be somebody else out there that can do better. But the reality is that the longer you play together, the better you will play together. Sometimes partnerships are broken up too early.