Beach Volleyball
David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig are only 22 years old but are already playing at the highest level and redefining the sport. We caught up with the Olympic Champions to find out how.
The Swedish power duo David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig have catapulted themselves onto the beach volleyball scene and have gone from newbies in elite to being ranked number one in the world, in only a couple of years. Olympic gold medalists and two-time European Champions, the young duo has had a quick rise to fame using a unique gameplay called Swedish Jump Set. Based on a two-touch game rather than the traditional three-touch technique, it’s revolutionising the sport from the ground up.
We caught up with the duo to find out more about Swedish Jump Set and how it came about that the young Swedish hopefuls started using it.
01
What is Swedish Jump Set?
Traditional volleyball is played with a three-touch game: a player receives the ball and plays it forward to their teammate who, in turn, sets it up so that the first player can spike it over the net. Reception, set, spike - three touches, always.
In Swedish Jump Set, however, the players can choose whether to spike on the second or third touch making their game extremely unpredictable. The players have adapted a fast gameplay where the serve receiver places the ball at the front of the net in one perfect pass. Then, by using something called a jump pass, also known as a jump set, his or her teammate then chooses whether to spike the ball over the net or pass it back again.
David explains: “The whole point is that the block player from the opposing team meets two offensive players, rather than just one. He then has to choose which one of us to block but has no idea who is actually going to spike the ball over the net”.
It adds an element of surprise as the opposing team's blocker doesn't know which one of us is going to attack.
02
Breaking down the technique
Breaking it down in simple terms, Swedish Jump Set uses two very technical passes: the serve receiving pass that has to be placed perfectly at the front of the net and then the subsequent jump set.
“A jump set is a technical move. To be able to do a vertical leap into the air and simultaneously decide whether to spike it or pass it back to your teammate whilst fooling the blocker in the other team, it’s not easy”, Jonatan explains.
The initial serve receiving pass is also extremely technical, where the player has to catch the serve and pass it all the way to the front of the net and place it so that the teammate can do a jump set.
The technique has completely turned the game of volleyball upside-down. It becomes faster, more unpredictable and opens to a broader range of players: “it means you don’t have to be over two meters tall and jump and hit high, you can utilise other strengths”, David says.
03
The only team in the world
David and Jonatan are not the first to use jump sets per se, however they are the first to use it as their gameplay, using it almost every single set. Their way of playing it is unique and has become known specifically as Swedish Jump Set.
Other teams are starting to adapt the technique but it’s extremely hard-to-master and no one comes close to David and Jonatan: “Teams are trying to incorporate in their play, but only really manages if they get an easy ball. We’re the only team who base our entire strategy on it."
To start playing jump sets you have to completely change the way you receive, pass and play the game.
“Basically, to start playing jump sets you have to completely change the way you receive, pass and play the game. This is why it’s taking the other teams so long to adapt: to master it they will have to become worse for some time before getting better again, and few teams are willing to sacrifice that.
04
The origin of Swedish Jump Set
The fact that it’s taking so long for others to catch on shows just how revolutionising it is. As for David and Jonatan, they have been training and learning Swedish Jump Set since they started playing together in 2018. The idea itself came from their coaches, Sweden’s head coach Rasmus Jonsson and legendary Anders Kristiansson.
Most likely inspired by a technique used by two Australian players, Rasmus and Anders started thinking outside the traditional three-touch-box and a brand-new way of playing volleyball started taking shape in their heads. “I think the Australian’s were the first to try out the jump sets” David says and continuous: “and that’s most likely where our coaches got their initial inspiration from”. When Rasmus and Anders then paired David and Jonatan together, the two coaches decided to go full steam ahead and see if their idea could work in real life.
05
Becoming Sweden’s golden hopefuls
Just teenagers at the time, David and Jonatan never thought about it as a risky move. To them it simply felt cool to be trying out something new. And it worked from the get-go. Their first tournament together was as big as they come, the Youth Olympics, and they won.
“In the beginning we obviously didn’t manage to do it all the time, but maybe once a set or once per game. And when we did make it work, we realized how cool and fun it was to play this way”, Jonatan says.
Big titles quickly followed, and the pair became Under-20 and Under-22 European Champions as well as Under-21 World Champions. And when they took the step up to elite, they kept bringing in the gold medals: European Champions in 2022 and 2023 as well as multiple wins in the Beach Pro Tour. In 2024 they climbed to the number one spot in the world ranking and have so far taken 4 our of 5 wins in the Beach Pro Tour. They cemented their winning streak by taking gold at the Paris Games.
Their success is much down to Swedish Jump Set, but also a testament to their raw talent and great teamwork: “We have a good gameplay of course, but we’re also extremely tight out on court and interact well. We easily find each other in different situations and know where the other player is. We play quick sets and run a lot sideways”, Jonatan explains.
We easily find each other in different situations and know where the other player is. We play quick sets and run a lot sideways.
06
Going forward
While both Jonatan and David have never doubted the idea, they’ve sometimes succumbed to the pressure during vital moments in big tournaments and played it safe and traditional. “But then our coaches are on us straight away telling us we need to believe in it, even in these high-pressure moments”, David says.
David again: “We’ve taken it onboard. At the European Championships 2023 for example, we had match point against us, but kept it cool, played our jump set and managed to fool the opposing team. It’s important for us to play like this in all kinds of scenarios and believe in it”.
With statistics as proof, they know they play the best when using Swedish Jump Set. As the duo continues to push, progress and refine their unique gameplay, they also keep challenging the status quo of beach volleyball.