Beach volleyball

A men's FIVB World Tour game in progress.
Highest governing body	FIVB
First played	1915 in Pacific Palisades California, United States
Characteristics
Contact	No contact
Team members	2
Mixed gender	Single and mixed
Categorization	Outdoor
Equipment	Beach volleyball
Olympic	1996

Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.

As in indoor volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent's court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent. A team is allowed up to three touches to return the ball. The ball is put in play with a service—a hit by the server from behind the rear court boundary over the net to the opponents. The rally continues until the ball is grounded on the playing court, goes "out", or is not returned properly.^[1]

The team winning a rally scores a point (Rally Point System), and serves to start the following rally. The four players serve in the same sequence throughout the match, changing server each time a rally is won by the receiving team.

Originating in the US states of California (Southern California) and Hawaii, beach volleyball has achieved worldwide popularity.

History[link]

In 1920, new jetties in Santa Monica, California created a large sandy area for public enjoyment, planting the seed for beach volleyball development in that region. The first permanent nets began to appear, and people soon began playing recreational games on public parts of the beach and in private beach clubs. Eleven such beach clubs appeared in the Santa Monica area, beginning in late 1922. The first inter-club competitions were staged in 1924.

Most of these early beach volleyball matches were played with teams of at least six players per side, much like indoor volleyball. The concept of the modern two-man beach volleyball game is credited to Paul "Pablo" Johnson, an indoor player of Santa Monica Athletic Club.^[2] In the summer of 1930, while waiting for players to show up for a six-man game, Johnson decided to try playing with only the two people present. The game was forever changed. Though recreational games continue to be played with more players, the most widely played version of the game, and the only one contested at an elite level, has only two players per team.

Beach volleyball began to appear in Europe in the 1930s. By the 1940s, doubles tournaments were being played on the beaches of Santa Monica for trophies. In 1948 the first tournament to offer a prize was held in Los Angeles, California. It awarded the best teams with a case of Pepsi.^[3] In the 1960s, an attempt to start a professional volleyball league was made in Santa Monica. It failed, but a professional tournament was held in France for 30,000 French francs.^[4] The first Manhattan Beach Open was held in 1960, a tournament which grew in prestige to become, in the eyes of some, the "Wimbledon of Beach Volleyball".^[5] In 1974 there was an indoor tournament: " The $1500.00 World Indoor Two-Man Volleyball Championship" played in front of 4,000 volleyball enthusiast at the San Diego Sports Arena. Fred Zuelich teamed with Dennis Hare to defeat Ron Von Hagen and Matt Gage in the championship match" Winston Cigarettes was the sponsor. Hare went on to write the first book on the subject: The Art of Beach Volleyball.

The first professional beach volleyball tournament was the Olympia World Championship of Beach Volleyball, staged on Labor Day weekend, 1976, at Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades, California. The event was organized by David Wilk of Volleyball Magazine, based in Santa Barbara. The winners, the first "world champions", were Greg Lee and Jim Menges. They split $2,500 out of a total prize purse of $5,000.

Volleyball Magazine staged the event the next year at the same location, this time sponsored by Schlitz Light Beer. In 1978 Wilk formed a sports promotion company named Event Concepts with Craig Masuoka and moved the World Championship of Beach Volleyball to Redondo Beach. Jose Cuervo tequila signed on as sponsor and the prize purse. The event was successful and Cuervo funded an expansion the next year to three events. The California Pro Beach Tour debuted with events in Laguna Beach, Santa Barbara and the World Championship in Redondo.

In following years the tour expanded nationally and was renamed the Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. It consisted of five events in California and tournaments in Florida, Colorado, and Chicago. Top players included Karch Kiraly, Randy Stoklos, Singin Smith, Andy Fishburn, and Steve Obradovich. By 1984 the Pro Beach consisted of 16 events around the country and had a total prize purse of $300,000. At the end of the year, however, Event Concepts was forced out of the sport by a players' strike at the World Championship and the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) was founded.

At the professional level, the sport remained fairly obscure until the 1980s when beach volleyball experienced a surge in popularity. Players like Sinjin Smith, Randy Stoklos, and Karch Kiraly became household names.^{[citation needed]} In 1987, the FIVB created the first World Beach Volleyball Championships, played in Rio Janeiro, Brazil won By Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos. The FIVB began organizing worldwide professional tournaments, and laid the groundwork for the sport's Olympic debut in 1996.^[6]

Despite its increased popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, American beach volleyball suffered setbacks. In early 1998, the American women's professional tour – the WPVA – closed its doors and filed for bankruptcy. Later that same year, the American professional men's tour – the AVP – also filed for bankruptcy, plagued by problems as a player-run organization.^[6]

In 2001, the AVP reemerged as a for-profit, publicly-traded company that combined the men's and women's professional tours, with equal prize money for both sexes. In 2010, the AVP shut its doors once again and filed bankruptcy.

Rules and gameplay[link]

Rule differences between beach and indoor[link]

Beach volleyball is fundamentally similar to indoor volleyball: a team scores points by grounding the ball on the opponents' court, or when the opposing team commits a fault (error or illegal action); consecutive contacts must be made by different players.

The major differences^[7] between beach and indoor volleyball are:

• Playing surface
• Team size
• Scoring system
• Overhand touches and tips
• Block counts as a team touch
• Coaching is not allowed

Playing area and ball[link]

The playing court is a rectangle measuring 16 by 8 m (52 by 26 ft) (smaller than the 18 by 9 m (59 by 30 ft) indoor volleyball court), surrounded by a free zone a minimum of 3 m (9.8 ft) wide and with a space free from any obstruction up to a minimum height of 7 m (23 ft) from the playing surface. The terrain must be composed of leveled sand, as flat and uniform as possible, free of rocks, shells, and anything else, which can represent risks of cuts or injuries to the players. Two sidelines and two end lines mark the playing court. Both side and end lines are placed inside the dimensions of the playing court. There is no center-line.

The ball shall be spherical, made of a flexible material (leather, synthetic leather, or similar) which does not absorb humidity, i.e. more suitable to outdoor conditions since matches can be played when it is raining. The ball has a bladder inside made of rubber or a similar material. Approval of synthetic leather material is determined by FIVB regulations. The colors shall be bright (such as orange, yellow, pink, white, etc.), the circumference slightly bigger than for indoor (66 to 68 cm (26 to 27 in) for FIVB international competitions), the weight shall be the same (260 to 280 g (9.2 to 9.9 oz)) and the inside pressure shall be slightly lower (171 to 221 mbar).

Skills[link]

Similar to court volleyball, there are several basic skills competitive players need to master: serving, passing, setting, attacking, blocking, and digging. However several of the skill break downs are different than in court volleyball.

Serving and passing are very similar to court volleyball, with the notable exception that the wind will significantly affect the trajectory of the ball.

Setting is a more complex skill that consists of four distinct actions: the release, the set, the call, and the cover; alternatively, the second contact can be used to attack the ball in what is called an On-Two attack.

Attacking breaks down in to several different skills, such as spiking, rolling, the pokey, and the cobra.

Players will often decide against blocking (if the pass and set are not in a good position to produce a spike attack) and instead opt to Peel off the net and dig. This peeling action is a skill almost exclusive to beach volleyball.

Digging differs from court volleyball as well, in that pursuits of four meters or more are common.

Participants[link]

A team is composed exclusively of two players, who must always be in play and who cannot be subjected to any substitutions or replacement. At the moment the ball is hit by the server, each team must be within its own court (with the exception of the server), but there are no determined positions on the court, such that no positional faults can be committed.

Scoring system[link]

The match is won by the team that wins two sets. A set is won by the first team to reach 21 points with a two-point advantage. In the case of a 20–20 tie, play is continued until a two-point lead is reached. If each team wins a set, the deciding set is played to 15 points, again with a minimum lead of 2 points. Whenever a team fails to execute a legal service or to return the ball, or commits any other fault, the opposing team wins the rally, scores a point, and serves to start the following rally.

Teams switch ends of the court after every 7 points (set 1 and 2) and 5 points (set 3) played. When the total points are 21 (adding the score of both teams) there is a technical time out.

Characteristics of the hit[link]

Hitting the ball over the net

The ball may touch any part of the body, but must be hit, not caught or thrown. In particular, in defensive action of a hard driven ball, the ball can be held momentarily overhand with the fingers.

When receiving a ball from a hit that is not hard driven, the ball must be contacted "cleanly"--if a player receives the ball open-handed, the contact of each hand with the ball must be exactly simultaneous. In practice, this means that serves are never received open-handed. When receiving an opponent's hard-driven attack, a double contact (provided both contacts occur in a single action) and/or a slight lift of the ball is allowed.

When employing an overhead pass as the second of three team touches (usually with the intent of "setting" the ball, so that the other player may make a more effective attack-hit), the standard for a double contact fault is lower than when receiving or attacking, though still much stricter than in indoor volleyball. The standard for a lift fault during an overhand pass is less strict than in indoor games—it is legal to allow the ball to come to rest for a small period of time.

Attack-hits using an "open-handed tip or dink" directing the ball with the fingers are illegal, as are attack-hits using an overhand pass to direct the ball on a trajectory not perpendicular to the line of the shoulders (overhand passes which accidentally cross over the net are an exception). These differences between the rules of indoor volleyball and beach volleyball strongly affect tactics and techniques.

Block signals[link]

A player indicating that she will block "line" on both sides.

Beach volleyball players use hand signals to indicate the type of block they intend to make. Block signals are made behind the back to hide them from the opposing team. They are usually given with both hands by the serving player's partner prior to the serve, with each hand referring to the type of block that should be put up against an attack from the corresponding opponent. A player may also "wiggle" or "flash" one block signal to indicate which opponent to serve to.

If the server is the designated blocker, he or she may run up to the net to block after serving. Otherwise, the signaling player will perform the block.

Block signals may also be given during a rally while the opposing team is preparing their attack.

Common block signals[link]

• Closed fist

No block should be attempted for the opponent on that side of the court, also known as "pull-off"

• One finger

The blocker should block an opponent's "line" attack, or a ball hit toward the nearest sideline

• Two fingers

The blocker should block an opponent's "angle" attack, or a ball hit diagonally from the net and across the court

• Open hand

The blocker should block "ball", deciding how to block based upon the opposing team's set, and the hitter's approach and arm-swing technique.

Note: In Europe closed fist and open hand signals have the opposite meaning of blocking. If the partner is showing the closed fist the blocker should block "ball" and open hand means that the blocker should "pull-off" the net.

Governing bodies[link]

The main international governing body for beach volleyball is the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). The regional governing body for North and Central America is the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA); that for South America is the Confederación Sudamericana de Voleibol (CSV); that for Asia is the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC); that for Africa it is the Confédération Africaine de Volleyball (CAV), and that for Europe is the European Volleyball Federation (CEV). In the US, USA Volleyball is the governing body for beach volleyball, as well as indoor volleyball.

The U.S. NCAA began sponsoring beach volleyball, which it calls "sand volleyball", as an "emerging" women's sport in the 2010–11 academic year. Initially, it was sponsored only for Division II, with Division I added the following academic year. NCAA competition follows standard beach volleyball rules, with competitions involving five doubles teams from each participating school.^[8]

This section requires expansion.

Uniform controversy[link]

Finnish beach volleyball star Riikka Lehtonen and opponent

In 1999, the FIVB standardized beach volleyball uniforms, with the swimsuit becoming the required uniform both for men and women.^[9] This drew the ire of some athletes.^[10]

According to FIVB rules, female beach volleyball players have the option of playing in a one-piece uniform: "A player’s equipment consists of shorts or a bathing suit. A jersey or "tank-top" is optional except when specified in Tournament Regulations. Players may wear a hat, but most prefer the two-piece bikini.^[11][12]

Indeed, notable competitors like Natalie Cook^[13] and Holly McPeak^[11] have confirmed the FIVB's claims, stating that the uniforms are practical for a sport played on a sand beach during the heat of summer, but British Olympian Denise Johns claimed that the regulation uniform is intended to be "sexy" and to draw attention.^[14]

Some conservative cultures have expressed moral objections to the swimsuit as a uniform. At the 2007 South Pacific Games, rules were adjusted to require less revealing shorts and cropped sports tops. At the 2006 Asian Games, only one Muslim country fielded a team in the beach volleyball series, amid concerns the uniform was inappropriate.^[15]

In early 2012, the International Volleyball Federation announced it will allow shorts (maximum length 3 cm (1.2 in) above the knee) and sleeved tops at the London 2012 Olympics. Richard Baker, the federation spokesperson, said that "many of these countries have religious and cultural requirements so the uniform needed to be more flexible".^[16]

See also: FIVB: Olympic Beach Volleyball Tournaments Specific Competition Regulations

Lifestyle and culture[link]

Beach volleyball culture includes the people, language, fashion and life surrounding the sport of modern beach volleyball. With its origins in Hawaii and California, beach volleyball is strongly associated with a casual, beach-centric lifestyle. As it developed nearly in parallel with modern surfing, beach volleyball culture shares some similarities with surf culture. The beach bum archetype is one such example.

Fashion often extends from the clothing worn during play, like the bikini or boardshorts. And much like surfers, beach volleyball players are at the mercy of the weather; patterns of play often develop based on weather conditions like sun and wind.

Beach volleyball is considered an important part of the local culture in many Southern California beach towns. Indeed, cities like Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Santa Barbara, and Huntington Beach maintain permanent poles and nets year-round.

References[link]

v t e International beach volleyball FIVB World Ranking Olympic Games World Tour World Championships World Youth Championships Pan American Games Central American and Caribbean Games Asian Beach Games Asia and Oceania AVC – Asian Championship Africa CAVB – African Championship North America NORCECA – NORCECA Circuit South America CSV – South American Championship Europe CEV – European Tour