How to Play Beach Volleyball

All right, well, a little bit later on Mark and John are going to come back and outfit me for some beach volleyball. But, right now we’re heading back to the beach to learn a thing or two about how the game is played.

Beach volleyball is different from its indoor cousin. At the events level, the game is played with two people on each side of the net but for a beginner or intermediate games, it’s good to start with four to six players per side. The equipment less assembled, all you need is a beach, a net, a few lines to designate the playing area, some posts, a ball and a lot of sunshine which also means lots of fluids to stay hydrated.

The game is played until the first team scores 21 with the minimum lead of two points. Official matches are usually the best two of four set with the third set being played to 15 points. Rally points scoring is used so that means points will be scored evety play regardless of who served it.

The strategies are simple enough. Don’t hug the ball, play your position, exploit your opponent’s weaknesses and maximize your strengths. The skill you most need to make it to the top is solid ball control like excellent passing, setting and attacking. Excellent defenders and blockers would win the game.

Skill is only half of the battle. To truly succeed take physical training to develop speed, strength and stamina and remember, it’s important to train in the same.

Volleyball, it’s a perfect balance and technique, teamwork and training. That’s a lot of T’s!