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Beach volleyball is fairly similar to regular volleyball, as you can see in our blog post on the rules of the sport. However, aside from the surface you play on, there are several other differences as well. It is not surprising that there are similarities between the two since many ball handling techniques and skills are shared. As a result, lots of indoor volleyball players play beach volleyball in the summer.
Here are some of the biggest differences:
Two against two and no center line
The biggest differences are that beach volleyball is only played in two-on-two competition and the players do not have set places on the court. Additionally, there isn’t a central line underneath the net, therefore line mistakes are impossible here.
Overhand plays of the ball over the net are not permitted
In beach volleyball, it’s also possible that there won’t be any soft or long contact when the ball is played to the opposing side. Therefore, it is prohibited to play the ball overhand over the net. It could only be a hard contact (think of a smash or with your knuckles). In an overhand setup, there does not have to be short contact.
A block counts as contact
Slightly different rules also apply to blocks. For example, a block counts as contact and so the ball may only be played twice afterwards on the same side of the net. However, the ball may be played again by the same blocker after the block. However, this is then seen as the team’s second contact.
