March 3, 2026 | Storytime | ~4min read time
Once a No Blocker, always a No Blocker. Our middle blocker Ahmad moved from Deurne to Dubai in October. Here is how he kept his passion for volleyball and what has changed since his move.
Adapting to the weather
Firstly, Ahmad had to acclimatise to the desert heat during the day and the low temperatures during the night. Another change he made, very fittingly, was switching from indoor to beach volleyball. At this time of the year, Dubai sees around 30 degrees Celsius without a single cloud in sight. Playing at the shores of Dubai with sights like the Burj Al Arab nearby sounds tempting, given the sometimes depressingly grey winter weather here in Belgium.
Changing habits
Now, beach volleyball requires a different skillset than normal volleyball. Ahmad is using his experience as middle blocker to his advantage. With over 1.90m in height, blocking of course comes to him naturally and is his biggest advantage. Though he says that you need to be a lot more mobile and move around the field more when compared to indoor volleyball. It requires a certain “quick on your feet” mindset. He also says that you need to set a lot more, something middle blockers are acquainted to, but it is definitely not their core strength.
Beach volleyball in Dubai
Ahmad says that beach volleyball is pretty popular in Dubai. Most of the time he and his friends rent out a field privately. The are plenty of small private businesses that offer this service, but there are also publicly accessible fields. Sometimes, he just goes to the beach and finds people who are setting up their own net and then he joins the group.
A vigorous No Blockers supporter
Ever since he has moved, Ahmad is still supporting us and our mission in Antwerp. Our match livestreams, Instagram account and our WhatsApp community help him stay connected with the team and our challenges, wins and developments. Who knows, maybe one day we will open a subsidiary of No Blockers in Dubai!
First steps in the sand for No Blockers
On Saturday, March 7th, No Blockers will hold its first internal beach volleyball tournament in Leuven. Our players will have 4 hours of getting to know the basics and playing friendly matches against each other. Hopefully, this sets the first step towards 1 or 2 competitive beach volleyball teams for No Blockers in the next season, so stay tuned!
Edit March 2026
In light of the recent events in the Gulf region, Ahmad has let us know that he is safe and that life has somewhat adjusted to occasional alarms, strikes and interceptions. No Blockers wishes everyone who is affected by the conflict continued safety and a swift end to the violence.