Find out what it takes to make this demanding sport rewarding, enjoyable, and safe for the 800 million people around the world who play it every year. Using simple advice on fitness training, equipment, and recovery techniques, this book will help you to get more out of volleyball by keeping yourself fit and injury-free. Whether you play weekend games with your family on the beach or are part of a top high school team and have hopes of getting a college scholarship, it is important to guard against injuries, which can range from inconvenient to permanently disabling. Find out about the injuries most commonly experienced when playing volleyball, how and why they happen, how you can get back into shape—and most important, how you can avoid them using mental and physical training techniques. This book provides a complete introduction to indoor and beach volleyball, including: • The game's origins. • How training both mind and body can help prevent injuries. • Why warming up and cooling down are so important • What safety equipment is available and who needs it • The importance of good nutrition. • The dangers of performance-enhancing drugs.