[singlepic id=404 w=320 h=240 mode=watermark float=right] “Summer” might be over for our Laguna Beach visitors, but every Laguna Beach local knows that summer has just begun with the best weather months of the year – September thru November –ahead. What better way to get out in this great weather than with the best beach volleyball instructors around?

Given that Laguna Beach offers some of the finest sand courts in the L.A. Basin, it’s no surprise that it also offers highly touted beach volleyball instructors for both class settings and private lessons. This entry covers the beach volleyball classes … you can learn more about private beach volleyball instruction here …

For the record, outside of pool volleyball here and there, I thought I had to give up on real volleyball when everyone in my 7th grade class kept growing and I stayed right where I was – munchkin 5’3″.

It was a pleasant surprise, then, to come across Laguna Beach’s Kirk Morgan, who teaches beginner though advanced beach volleyball classes at Main Beach. Aside from the fact that volleyball folks here in town think Kirk is the Best Class Instructor for Beach Volleyball in Laguna Beach, he teaches lots of SHORT people! Hey, there’s hope! (Actually, he teaches all shapes and sizes, so if you’re some kind of lanky 6’6″, you’re still welcome at Kirk’s classes – you’re just not allowed to play against me.)

Now ranked in the hallowed “golden master” age class of volleyball players, Kirk Morgan played volleyball in high school and at SDSU, and has played beach volleyball for 38 years. He continues to play in tournaments up and down the coast, and organizes many of them himself. In fact, he’s behind the big Huntington Beach tourney coming up the weekend of Sept. 17th, and will be running the annual “King and Queen of the Beach” tournament in Laguna Beach in mid-October.

[singlepic id=403 w=320 h=240 mode=watermark float=left]Most of the beginner players who find Kirk through the City of Laguna Beach offerings, aren’t thinking of playing any kind of tournament … they rarely know how to bump a ball over the net. But with Kirk, people learn fast; rarely (if ever) drop from the ranks; and normally return to Kirk for more classes along the way.

“I started with Kirk 4 weeks ago, and I didn’t know a thing about beach volleyball,” says one of his students. “Now, I just tested into the advanced class. He’s  been a great teacher.”

Somehow, Kirk never tires of the “hobby” he’s had here at Main Beach on Saturday mornings since 2006. He touts the “volleyball lifestyle” that forges lifelong friendships, and says he prefers teaching Beach Volleyball as it’s a lower impact game in the sand for aging bones like, ehrm, his own.

For Beginners and Intermediates (ages 16 and up), Kirk teaches fitness, core strength and stretching along with all the basics of passing, setting, serving, hitting and defense. In just a week or two from start-up, you’re involved in class instruction, partnered drills, and one-on-one improvement with Kirk right by your side. Classes range across 5 to 8 weeks in duration, depending on holiday schedules, and many people return to the Beginner/Intermediate class to continue honing their Kirk-taught skills.

Kirk’s Intermediate-Advanced classes (ages 16 and up) offer conditioning and drills for advanced players with rigorous workouts that emphasize ball control, flexibility, tourney strategy and more for 4-man beach volleyball.

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Heck, if I’m actually thinking I can do this now, I don’t know what you’re waiting for! The multi-week series of classes with Kirk Morgan is just $50 – that’s $10 a week! – and begins on Sept. 10th. If you miss that deadline, he has another round that begins at the end of October. Check out the Laguna Beach City guide for more info and to register online or contact Kirk directly with any questions (or short-person fears) at KirkMorgan@cox.net .

One last note – The Huntington Beach tournament on Sept 17th is in honor of Ron Hanks, a great volleyball player and coach who recently passed away leaving a lovely wife and two young kids. The 4-person draw tournament is a charity fundraiser with all funds going to the kids’ college fund. Even if you don’t play volleyball yet, you might want to see how you can get involved or watch from the crowd in support of the Hanks family. You can contact Kirk at the above email address for more information.

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