Setting
Hand setting in beach volleyball is very different from indoor setting today. For beach volleyball there is usually a greater amount of contact, while for indoor setting it may be described as a quick push. Your wrists should tend to flex inwards towards your forehead just in front of you. This provides more control and cushions the ball through the continuous movement. To have your sets come out perfectly - often called 'butter' - you'll need to practice this daily at first. As you begin to learn to hand set, don't be too critical of yourself if you hold the ball too long. Get the proper hand formation on the ball and body position under the ball first. Having a quicker release can be taught over time and, in fact, I recommend that you first toss the ball up with one hand and catch the ball in the proper form - freezing in place to see what form you have. Then set the ball from that frozen position up about two feet and then set the ball fully. Repeat that process and get about 50-100 hand sets in a day. Now, go watch the videos below (from top to bottom) to learn more and ask any questions you have about this complex skill at practice. It's good to get feedback on what you can adjust and have live demonstrations to improve.
MINDSET
This video is mainly about your mindset when wanting to hand set on the beach. This is for anyone who has never played beach volleyball AND especially indoor players who have hand set and are transitioning to beach volleyball. I cannot stress this aspect for setting on the beach enough. Listen, watch, and then meditate on your own hand setting. Thanks to Riley McKibbin for reminding players that this game is as much about your mindset as it is your skillset.
Foundation
The first video is brought to you by the McKibbin Brothers with Casey Patterson, the sweet talking ("ice cream!") Olympian and retired pro beach volleyball player provides you with his top 5 keys to hand setting on the beach.
In the second video, Mark Burik, pro beach volleyball player and co-founder of Better At Beach, provides essential knowledge on how to make 'butter' sets, aka 'setting sauce'. Then join Mark in a group hand setting session for a few minutes in the third video. He includes things you can do daily on your own to improve your hand setting.
After you have watched these three videos, record yourself hand setting and compare. Take a look at what Casey and Mark do when setting: the position of their feet, where they contact the ball in relation to their forehead, how extended their arms are, and how the motion from their feet/legs/hips/core/arms/wrists flow in a great handset.
FIxing MISTAKES
Join Mark Burik and Brandon Joyner in their 'Seven Deadly Sins' video on hand setting. Mark and Brandon are entertaining as much as they are informative. These are definitely common mistakes, so don't be surprised if you are a beginner and find yourself doing one of them. It's all about learning and getting...Better At Beach.
Legal?
Hand setting can be controversial in beach volleyball. One reason is that setting for indoor volleyball has definitely changed over the years. But probably the main reason is that the rules around hand setting vary depending on the league or location you play. Even professional competitions can have controversy about hand sets sometimes (e.g. if the rules are altered in the middle of a season). Be sure to check with your league's rules so that you are clear what will or will not be called a fault. Here's Better At Beach's Mark Burik with his take.