Beach Volleyball Rules. Everything You Need to Know

Beach volleyball is one of the most summer kinds of sport because it is played outdoor and on the sand. This sport is governed by general volleyball rules but also has a lot of peculiarities that make it quite interesting to watch. So, the given article is going to present the exhaustive information on beach volleyball, its rules, and the most peculiar moments.

Court, Net, and Ball

The beach volleyball court has the dimensions of 16 meters long and 8 meters wide limited by two sidelines and two end lines 5 cm wide each. All these lines are considered to be a part of the court. The lines should be of a particular color to clearly stand out against a background of sand. It should be surrounded by a clear space of no less than 3 meters wide. If there are any hindrances above the court, they should be at a height of 7 meters minimum.

The court should be covered with sand. The surface should be as smooth and homogenous as it is possible. In other words, there should be no stones, shells or any other items that can injure players.

A serving zone is an area outside the end lines. The zone is limited by the imaginary continuation of the sidelines and the end of the free space. If any beach volleyball competitions are held in the evenings, they should be perfectly illuminated.

There is no center line under the net. Instead, it is the net (9.5 meters long and 1 meter wide) that divides the court into two equal parts. The height of the net depends on the players’ age. With this, the official tournaments stipulate that it should be 2.43 meters high for men and 2.24 meters for women.

The beach volleyball ball should be spherical. It can be made from any material (leather, synthetic leather, and alike) that does not imbibe water. This is an obligatory requirement because matches can be organized even under rains. A rubber bladder is inside the ball. The ball should be of bright colors, such as orange, yellow, pink, white, and so on.

All the balls for a single match should have equal characteristics concerning color, size, weight, pressure, and so on and so forth. There is an official body that has the right to approve the balls. When it comes to official competitions, three balls are necessary for a single match. In this case, every event should be attended by six suppliers.

Players

A single match is played between two teams with two players in each. These two players alone may participate in a match, which means no substitutions are allowed. A caption of each two should be properly indicated in a formulary.

The players should wear shorts or a swimming costume. A T-shirt is not necessary unless otherwise stipulated by the official rules. Players of one team should have the uniform of the same color and style. The players should bear numbers 1 and 2 at their chests or thighs. The numbers should be perfectly visible against the background of the uniform, which is able thanks to contrasting colors of the two. No shoes are allowed, while a referee judge may let a player or players wear socks.

With this, the players may not have any items the can be dangerous to them, such as pieces of jewelry, badges, wristbands, and others. It is up to the players to decide whether to play in sunglasses.

Scoring System

A match is won by a team that manages to win in two sets. If a set score is 1:1, the teams are going to play a final set.

In order to win in a set, a team should be first to score 21 points with the margin of no less than 2 points. In other words, if the score is 20:20, a set is being played until the required margin is achieved (20:22, 23:21, and so on). There are no scoring limitations here.

The description above is suitable for the first two sets only. When it comes to the final set, the rules are a bit different. The 15th point is said to be deciding provided the margin of 2 points is preserved. To be more exact, a team can win in a final set with the final scores of 15:13, 14:16, 16:18, and so on. There are no scoring limitations here.

A point is gained by a team if their opponents fail to serve, fail to return the ball back or make any other mistake. In this case, if a mistake is made by a serving team, their opponents get a point and the right to serve. On the other hand, if a mistake is made by a receiving team, their opponents get a point and keep serving.

If a team fails to appear or refuses to play, it is said to lose in the match with the match score of 0:2 and that of 0:21 on each of two sets.

Elements of Play

Every match is preceded by a coin toss. Its winner can choose two variants: court end or serving. His opponent accepts the remaining variant. Prior to the beginning of the second set, the player who failed to win a coin toss chooses between a court end or serving. If the match has a final set, a new coin toss should be held.

When it comes to the beach volleyball rules, it is of key importance to understand when the ball is in play and when it is out of play. So, a rally starts with a referee whistle but the ball enters the play after a player serves it. It is also a referee whistle that ends a rally. However, if a whistle follows a mistake, the ball is said to be out of play immediately after the mistake was made.

The ball is said to be in the court when it touches the court surface including the lines. The following cases describe when the ball is out of play:

• the ball lands outside the court without touching the lines;
• the ball touches any objects or persons outside the court.

Any action that violates the rules is said to be a playing mistake. It is up to referees to record the mistakes and identify their consequences in accordance with the official rules. In fact, any mistake should be followed by a punishment: an opposing team gets a point and serves the next ball. If a player or a team makes two or more consecutive mistakes, the first one only is recorded.

Every team is able to take a maximum of three touches to send the ball back over the net. These touches include both intentional and unintentional touches. A player is not allowed to take two touches in a row.

With this, two players of the same team may touch the ball simultaneously. When it happens, they say two touches have just been taken. When two players of the opposing teams touch the ball simultaneously over the net, and the ball is still in play, the team that possesses the ball after it may take three more touches. If the situation above results in the ball being out of the court, it is the mistake of the team, a player of which was the last to touch the ball.

The players are free to touch the ball with any part of their bodies. With this, the ball should be obviously touched, rather than caught or thrown. The ball may touch different body parts simultaneously.

The following mistakes can arise when it comes to ball play:

1. Four touches – a team takes four touches before sending it back over the net.
2. Hit with assistance – a player is not able to enjoy the support of his partner or any other item to reach the ball within the game space.
3. Held ball – a player fails to take a clear touch.
4. Double touch – a player touches the ball two or more times in a row, or the ball touches his different body parts consecutively.

Players and Net

Every team should play within its own court end and playing space. The ball, however, can be returned in play from outside the free space.

While blocking, a player may touch the ball that is on the other side of the net if he does not prevent his opponents from making an attacking hit. After his own attacking hit, a player may cross the net vertical space with his hand provided he has touched the ball within his own playing space.

A player may enter his opponents’ court, space or free space if he does not prevent the opponents playing.

A player is not allowed to touch the net. If the ball reaches the net, and the latter touches a player, it is not a mistake. If a player accidentally touches the net with his hair, the mistake is not recorded.

According to the information above, the following faults can be recorded when it comes to the play near the net:

• a player touches the ball or an opponent while he is attempting to make an attacking hit;
• a player enters the opponents’ court, space and prevents them from playing;
• a player touches the net.

Serving

Serving is an action to introduce the ball into play. It should be made by a proper player who is to hit the ball with wrist or hand. The right to serve first in the match is determined by the coin toss. After the first serve is made, the next server is decided by the following:

• if a serving team gets a point, a serving is made by the player who has just served;
• if a receiving team gets a point, a serving is made by a player who has not made the previous serve.

A serving should follow referee permission after he makes sure a proper player is going to serve, he occupies a correct place, and the teams are ready to play.

A player is free to move through the serving zone. A very important requirement is that he should touch neither the court (including the lines) nor the surface outside the serving zone. He may not place his foot under the line. After the serving is made, the server may step within the court or touches the surface outside the serving zone.

A server has only five seconds to make a serving after a referee has blown his whistle. If a serving is made before the whistle, it should be repeated. A server should hit the ball after it is thrown up or released from a hand and before it touches the court. If the ball is thrown up or released from a hand and touches the court without a touch or a server catches it, the repeated serving is not allowed.

Attacking and Blocking

All the actions aimed at sending the ball back to the opponents except serving and blocking are said to be attacking shots. Such a shot is said to be over when the ball fully crosses the net space or reaches an opponent. Any player is able to take an attacking shot from any height provided he touches the ball within the borders of his playing space. With that, there is a limitation that a player may not take an attacking shot if the ball has just been served and it is completely over the upper edge of the net.

Blocking is the players’ actions near the net to stop the ball that comes from their opponents. For these, defensive players put out their hand or hands over the upper edge of the net. The first touch after blocking can be made by any player including one who has touched the ball during blocking. It should be mentioned, however, that blocking is included in team’s touches. In other words, a team may take two touches after the blocking.

Timeout

Timeout is a 30-second break that is allowed by the official rules. Every team may take up to two timeouts per set. A team can ask for a timeout with the help of an appropriate gesture only when the ball is out of play before the referee whistle to make a serving. A team can take two consecutive timeouts within a break between them.

Changeover and Intervals

In the first two sets, the teams switch their ends after every ten points being played. In a final set, the changeover follows every five points. There should be no intervals during the changeover. Here, the score does not change.

Intervals between parties last for only a minute.

Referees

Every official match should be served by the following officials:

• The first official;
• The second official;
• The scorer;
• Two (four) line judges.

Beach Volleyball Tournaments

The following competitions and tournaments are regularly held:

1. The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour;
2. The Summer Olympics;
3. The Asian Beach Volleyball Championships;
4. The Africa Beach Volleyball Championships;
5. The European Beach Volleyball Championships;
6. The NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit.