SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Between the headaches of traveling domestically and internationally, playing with different balls, practicing during the middle of the week and also taking care of things at home, the professional beach volleyball schedule can be anything but a day of the beach. Instead, it is more like an episode of Survivor where it is all about how one can outlast all of the obstacles in the way and still maintain some sanity.

"It's easy to get burnt out while on the tour," said Matt Olson, who has been playing on the AVP Tour since 2000. "Luckily I think I've had more good wins than bad losses."

Even with all of the demands of the season, some players have found a way from getting burnt out during the six-month season.

"I don't go out during the week and play volleyball as much as I used to," said Olson. "I try to spread out my volleyball as much as I can because I know how intense and tough it is going to be on the weekends. I used to play four to five days a week and I think it helped me get to where I am now, but I can't do it now. My knees are feeling tired and my shoulders are banged up. I don't take any swings during the week. I hit the ball seldom during the week and save it for the weekend."

Along with knowing how to take care of their body in between tournament stops, players on the AVP Tour also know how to take care of the mental side of the sport.

"I spend a lot of time with my wife where we will go bike riding, cooking or barbequing," said Kevin Wong. "I like to hang out with her."

Whether it's mental relaxation or letting their hair down, AVP players know that you've got to let off a little steam when possible to stay strong during the season.

"We went to Six Flags Magic Mountain three weeks ago and it was amazing," said Jennifer Snyder, who is in her fourth season on the AVP Tour. "We were there for 12 hours, went on every ride three or four times, X2 was amazing and Tatsu was my favorite. We had a great time and there were six of us. I didn't think about volleyball once after leaving practice at 9 am that morning."

Along with enjoying some little things during the season, players have also figured out what to do during the offseason to prevent the sport from becoming a year-round activity.

"I don't touch a ball for three months after the season is over that is not in a family setting, seriously," said Todd Rogers, who is in his 13th season. "I don't watch or think about volleyball, but will drink football."

For some players, hitting the wall of burnout is not an issue.

"I've never been burnt out," said Angie Akers, who is in her sixth season. "Since I've started playing, this sport has been a year-round sport for me. For the last three seasons, I went to Australia during the offseason and played on their tour and last year I played in a couple of events in November and December. I've never really had a full offseason without playing. I don't feel like I need one. I just love working out and the challenge of it where it's always fun. My husband keeps me grounded for sure."

For others though, it's all about doing little things each week to not get overwhelmed by the season.

"April and I have a really good relationship where we laugh a lot, do fun stuff and try not to take ourselves too seriously," said Jennifer Boss. "We also don't think about volleyball when we are not on a beach. We may watch some videos, but we try to talk about other stuff. How do you not get burnt out doing the same stuff every day? You have to do other stuff."

Helping all of the players avoid burnout this season is the rare three-week break for the Olympics.

"I am going back home to Hawaii," said Wong. "It's been since March, so I am ready to sleep in my own bed, water my lawn and mow the grass. It's probably in pretty bad shape."

Yet no matter how long the season is, there are experiences that help some of the players avoid burnout.

"It was nice to take the week off two weeks ago and we are going to take the week off," said Sean Rosenthal, who will be participating in the Olympics for the first time after being on the tour for 11 years. "You can't get burnt out before the Olympics as that is what we've been looking forward to for three years. You just have to keep playing ball, siding-out and having fun. If you are having fun it makes the game a little bit easier."