Beach volleyball is played on a beach or a sand court with teams of two players each. It is an Olympic sport and is played in the summer Olympic Games, which take place every four years. The object of the game is to serve the volleyball over the net and get it to land on your opponent's side of the court, while simultaneously preventing it from landing on your side of the court. Beach volleyball is a great game to play with a small group of friends and the rules are easy to learn!
- Play using the correct equipment.
Beach volleyball is played on a rectangular court and is divided evenly into two parts by the center line and net. For professional or Olympic beach volleyball, the court must measure 16 x 8 meters and the net must be at height of 2.43 meters for men and 2.24 meters for women.
Many local public beach areas will have nets set up for impromptu volleyball games. Depending on your area, court time can be reserved through the local Parks and Recreation Department.
Sand courts can also be found at parks and other recreation areas. Using a search engine to search for "sand volleyball courts" in your area should show some courts that are near you.
If you still could not find the suitable court, you could purchase a portable volleyball equipment set, such as with the pole, the net, the ball, and the guideline. You could set up your sand volleyball courts anywhere you want.
- Do not let the ball hit the ground
The objective in volleyball is to make the ball hit the sand on the opposing team’s side of the court while simultaneously preventing the ball from hitting the sand on your team’s side of the court. This can be difficult to do and many players will go to great lengths to be able to keep the ball from falling.
- Hit the ball only three times per side.
In beach volleyball, each team is only allowed three contacts with the ball before it must go back over net. Players are permitted to block the serve as it comes over the net, as long as they do not come into physical contact with the net. The ideal sequence is a dig (a pass in which the forearms are used as a platform to direct the ball), then a set (passing the ball over the head with your hands), then an attack, where the ball is directed over the net to the opponent’s side.