Marko Makaric: How to Win a World Tour Medal Without Federation Support

In this episode of Beach Secrets, DJ Klasnic sits down with his beach volleyball partner Marko Makaric to break down what it truly takes to win a World Tour medal without federation support, infrastructure, or a professional league at home. Coming from Serbia — a country with limited winter training facilities, no structured beach volleyball league, and minimal federation backing — everything depends on individual will, discipline, and passion for the game. No system. No safety net. Just commitment. Recorded at the end of the 2025 season, this conversation dives into their journey competing across the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour in Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, Latvia, and Greece. They reflect on the matches that defined their season, how they earned their medal, and what it takes to prepare at the highest level while living and training in completely different environments — Marko in Serbia with limited infrastructure, and DJ in the United States. They discuss building a partnership across continents, maximizing limited training windows, adapting under pressure, and navigating the realities of competing internationally when you come from a small country without structured support. This episode is a real look at resilience, ownership, and what it means to bet on yourself in professional beach volleyball. 🎧 Topics include: • Winning a World Tour medal without federation support • Training in Serbia with limited winter infrastructure • Preparing in different countries and syncing as a team • Competing in Turkey, Italy, Bulgaria, Latvia, and Greece • Managing travel, logistics, and finances independently • Building a partnership across continents • The state of beach volleyball in Serbia • Making the most of limited training time • Lessons from the 2025 Beach Pro Tour season • Why passion and discipline matter more than systems 📍 Watch or listen now and discover how to compete — and win — when everything depends on you. ➡️ Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. 🎧 Listen anywhere → https://linktr.ee/djklasnic 🌿 Sponsored by Polar Gold Extracts Huge thank-you to our partner Polar Gold Extracts, proud sponsor of the Beach Secrets Podcast. Their premium CBD products support recovery, mobility, and everyday wellness — trusted by elite athletes worldwide. 👉 https://shop.polargoldcbd.com/DJ ⚡ Supported by Bravo Health Founded by the team behind Spike N Go tournaments, Bravo Health creates clean, transparent supplements while reinvesting a portion of every purchase back into supporting U.S. beach volleyball athletes. 👉 https://bravobeach.org (use code BEACHSECRETS to get 20% BravoBucks Back!) 📌 If you enjoyed this episode: Subscribe / Follow for weekly episodes with top AVP, World Tour, and Olympic athletes. 🔖 Hashtags #MarkoMakaric #DJKlasnic #BeachSecretsPodcast #BeachVolleyball #BeachProTour #WorldTourVolleyball #ProBeachVolleyball #AVP #SerbiaVolleyball #AthleteMindset #HighPerformance #OlympicDream #VolleyballPodcast #BetOnYourself #SportsPodcast