Heading into the European Beach Volleyball Championships with the Wind at Their Backs – Louisa Lippmann and Linda Bock

The “Slam & Shine” team, led by Louisa Lippmann and Linda Bock, is considered the new hope of German beach volleyball. As they prepare for the European Championships on home soil, these two exceptional athletes share more about their special bond—both on and off the court—in this profile story. Here, you’ll learn how they reflect on their achievements so far, what they can still learn from each other, and just how different the two of them really are. And then, of course, there’s that big goal they always have in mind.

First Successes

The newly formed beach volleyball duo has had some intense weeks; the season’s schedule is packed. “The playing experience we’ve gained is very valuable to us. Although we’ve known each other off the court for quite some time, we still had to find our rhythm together on the court,” says Louisa Lippmann, a five-time Indoor Volleyball Player of the Year. Together with Linda Bock, she forms the newly formed beach volleyball team that will represent Germany at the upcoming European Championships in Düsseldorf from July 30 to August 3.

“We want to pick up the pace again now and show what we’re capable of. Our recent successes on the Pro Tour have us eager for more!”

With a silver medal from the Challenger tournament in Poland—their best result to date—the pair is arriving with momentum on their side.

Finding Their Stride in Their First Year Together

“When we played our first qualifying tournament, we didn’t know where we stood or how we could keep up with the other teams. We had no ranking points and really started from the very bottom.” After the five international tournaments the team has played so far, an initial positive assessment can be made. They’re also satisfied with the silver medal in Poland. “The first year is mainly about developing our technique and finding our footing as a team and growing together,” says Louisa.

At the same time, it’s clear that both are striving for more and that their development isn’t complete. Their expectations are high:

“We see that there’s always room for improvement and that we can go even higher; at the same time, we’re aware that we’re obviously not done developing yet and that we always want to squeeze out that last bit of performance.”

Connection on and off the court

To achieve great things, team chemistry also plays a major role. In beach volleyball, the duo must know each other inside and out to be able to react confidently even in stressful game situations. “We have an advantage because we already knew each other personally and had trained together indoors,” Linda comments. Both began their careers in indoor volleyball; Louisa made the switch to sand three years earlier, and Linda followed suit last year.

“Compared to indoor volleyball, there are only two of us on the sand, and communication is much closer during the game. Each of us is gaining important experience—both for ourselves and in our new roles on the team. How does the other one react under pressure? When should we keep quiet because the other one just needs to focus on her own game? But it’s also very important to talk to each other so we can adjust our tactics, read our opponents’ game, and find solutions during the match—such as in block defense.”

Finding and developing this coordination is especially important for both of them in their first year.

This also involves communicating openly with each other about what’s needed for optimal development and what steps are necessary to achieve it.

Two who can still learn from each other

As the “head” of the team, Louisa is someone who tends to think things through and mull them over a bit more, while Linda acts as the more emotional counterpart. They have different approaches to tackling problems and challenges. “Off the field, I can learn a thing or two from Linda’s tidiness. She makes her bed right after getting up in the morning, and her suitcase is always packed perfectly. My side always looks more chaotic when we’re on the road,” says Louisa with a hearty laugh.

Both have been through different journeys during which they’ve learned a lot about themselves. For example, Linda Bock suffered a serious knee injury in late 2023 and had to fight her way back. “When I tore my cruciate ligament and injured my meniscus, it was obviously a major setback at first.”

“I first had to learn that I couldn’t change my situation and that I had to accept it.”

During her seven-month rehab, Linda was then able to improve her condition through daily strength and athletic training. “During rehab, I often used the LOOP bands from BLACKROLL® to rebuild my hamstrings. The Recovery Balm also helped me a lot with the severe muscle soreness I often experienced right after training sessions at the beginning.”

Once Linda was able to play again, the 25-year-old made the switch directly from the indoor court to the sand. Easier said than done.

The Big Switch: From Indoor to Sand

Louisa made the switch to clay three years earlier and knows what matters and where the differences lie. “The biggest difference is that the clay is uneven and gives way when you generate power through your legs. That takes a lot more energy than on the harder indoor court. Moving quickly or jumping there is easier. We were both used to the hard floor from years of training, and our muscles were conditioned for it through constant practice and tens of thousands of repetitions. You first have to retrain yourself through many repetitions and endless sessions on the sand, get used to the new movements, and find your own stability.” In addition, the weather plays a role in the outdoor sport of beach volleyball.

When the sand is scorching under your feet in the summer or when it’s very windy, it costs the athletes more energy.

The breaks during the game also vary. “Indoors, you’re sometimes not involved in every rally if you’re left out of a few rotations because the setter isn’t passing you the ball. The coach can sub you out or give you instructions during timeouts.”

That doesn’t happen in beach volleyball—everyone is constantly involved in every rally. That makes it all the more important to focus on recovery after strenuous matches and training sessions.

Recovery Routines for the Necessary Freshness

For Linda and Louisa, the COMPRESSION BOOTS are a real game-changer when it comes to recovery. They always find a spot in their suitcases when they’re traveling. Mobility exercises and stretching are just as important as rolling on the fascia roller and the TWIN after practice. The BALL and the MINI ensure an optimal, pain-free footprint in the sand. To test themselves against the top international beach volleyball teams, the two cover many kilometers. To counteract the stresses of travel, Louisa and Linda also bring the RECOVERY PILLOW along for the best possible restful sleep.

Balance in Front of the Camera

To give their fans exclusive glimpses into their daily lives between training sessions, Linda and Louisa post their own vlogs on YouTube.

“We’ve gotten used to talking in front of the camera by now. We always have the camera with us on our trips, and we give our fans exclusive glimpses into our daily lives at tournaments and take them behind the scenes. We want to show, in an approachable way, how we deal with painful losses or share stories of euphoric victories.”

Excitement Ahead of the European Championships

For the upcoming European Championship on home turf in Düsseldorf, the two want to put their best foot forward in front of the German fans. “We’ll take the court and give it our all. We want to find our focus as quickly as possible and go all-in on every ball. We want to show that we can build on the strong performances we’ve delivered. Then we want to ride the wave of support from our home fans and play our best beach volleyball as a team. We always want to win,” Louisa says confidently.

The pair also receive support from their three coaches: Grzegorz Fijalek, Jürgen Wagner, and Finn Schwarmann. With a wealth of know-how and experience, they bring expertise to their respective areas of responsibility. After the European Championships, things will move quickly. Tournaments in Austria and Canada are on the World Tour schedule before they head to Timmendorf for the German Championships. Everywhere they go, the goal is to collect qualification points for the big highlight at the end of the year: the World Championships in November in Adelaide, Australia. “Our chances of competing at the World Championships in Adelaide, Australia, in November are good. We want to keep racking up wins on the World Tour to make that happen,” says Louisa.

Big Goals for the Future

After the World Championships comes the Olympics. With the big goal of competing in Los Angeles in 2028, Louisa and Linda then want to prove themselves on the world’s biggest stage.
Louisa Lippmann has already gained valuable experience playing alongside beach volleyball icon and former gold medalist Laura Ludwig at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“Our big goal is the 2028 Olympics in LA. Even though it’s still three years away, it drives us every day and pushes us to go the extra mile in training.”

Team Slam & Shine has big plans. The European Championships on home soil are just the first step. Stay tuned for all the others that are yet to come!