Sports Recommendation

 

Beach Volleyball

The hot sun and rolling waves usually come to the mind of people when beach volleyball is mentioned. Beach volleyball, a summer pastime in the eyes of ordinary people, has now become a formal sport. The FIVB has even created a set of rigorous competition rules for this sport, and professional athletes of this sport are now emerging everywhere

Historical origin

Beach volleyball, as its name suggests, evolved from volleyball, which was invented in 1895. At that time, someone who wanted to design a sport with less physical contact than basketball mixed the elements of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball with the gameplay of hitting a ball back and forth over a hanging net, and this eventually developed into volleyball. Beach volleyball gained popularity in the 1920s in the United States and was mostly played in two teams of six. In 1947, the first official two-man beach volleyball tournament was held in California and was spread around the world after that. Beach volleyball was even made an Olympic sport for the first time in the 1996 Olympics.

Introduction of the court

The court is rectangular and includes a 16m by 8m playing area and a free zone of at least 3m wide on each side of the court. The minimum height clearance, which is referred to as the free playing space, is 7m. The surface of the court must be covered in a flat layer of fine sand without any gravel, shells, or other impurities mixed in it to avoid causing injuries to players. According to the official competition requirements of the FIVB, the free zone must be 5m to 6m wide and the free playing space must be at least 12.5m away from the ground with the sand being 40cm deep. The sand must also be sieved to ensure that they are about the same size and won’t be so fine that they stick to the skin.

The court is only marked with four lines and has no centreline. Each line is 5cm wide and is made of a soft, flexible material that can be anchored to the sand. The lines should be of a colour that contrasts sharply with the colour of the sand. The net made of 10cm square mesh should be 8.5m long and 1m wide, and it should be placed over the long axis. The height of the net from the ground can be adjusted slightly according to different age groups.

Age Group	Net Height
	Women	Men
Open	2.24m	2.43m
16 or under	2.24m	2.24m
14 or under	2.12m	2.12m
12 or under	2.00m	2.00m

Sports Equipment and Clothing

	Beach volleyball ball The ball is of a spherical shape and made of genuine or synthetic leather or a similar material which does not absorb moisture.  The inflatable bladder of the ball is usually made of rubber. Colour: Usually light-coloured, and can be either mono-coloured or multi-coloured Circumference: 66 to 68cm Weight: 260 to 280g Inside pressure: 0.175 to 0.225kg per cm2
	Apparel Shorts or sports swimwear can be worn, as well as tights or a vest.  Sunglasses or a hat may be worn during a match, and the game is played barefoot.

Rules

Two teams compete against each other in a beach volleyball match.  The sport is played by hitting the ball over the net with hands, and points are scored by successfully landing the ball on the opponent’s court.  However, the ball must be prevented from landing on one’s own court.  When the game begins, one of the teams serves, after which each team is entitled to a maximum of 3 hits for returning the ball to the opponent’s court.  The match is played by the rules of Point, Set and Match.  The following is a basic explanation of the rules:

Point
A team scores a point by successfully serving and landing the ball on the opponent’s court.  If the server fails to hit the ball into the opponent’s court by making a mistake with the serve or mishits; or when a member of the team commits a fault, the opponent’s team scores a point.

Set
A set is played to 21 points and is won by the team which first scores 21 points with a minimum lead of two points.  In the case of a 20-20 tie, the game will be continued until a two-point lead is achieved, except for the deciding set.

Match
The match is won by the team that wins two sets.  In the case of a 1-1 tie, the deciding set will be played to 15 points.  The deciding set is won by the team which first scores 15 points with a minimum lead of two points.

The following are the differences between the rules of beach volleyball and those of volleyball:

	Beach volleyball	Volleyball
Court	16m x 8m	18m x 9m
Players	2 players with no substitutes	6 players with 6 substitutes
Clothing	Tights, vest, shorts or swimwear; barefoot	Sportswear, shorts and sneakers
Coaching	No coaching from the side	Coaching can be given from the side
Key to victory	Best 2 out of 3, with 21-point sets and a 15-point deciding set	Best 3 out of 5, with 25-point sets and a 15-point deciding set

The fun of beach volleyball

You don’t need much equipment to play beach volleyball as all you need is a volleyball and ordinary sportswear – you can even wear swimwear in summer. You need four people to play a beach volleyball game.  In traditional volleyball, players assume different positions in the court and it is mainly the players who pass the ball to the net so that the attacker can smash the ball to score points.  In beach volleyball, however, players need to be good at everything.  As the two players don’t have any fixed roles, they can both smash and slap the ball.

This sport is one that trains the tacit understanding of the two players and requires the two players to communicate and cooperate well.  The loose sand makes it easy for players to lose their balance and requires players to have more physical strength to jump or move.  It is a great sport to strengthen your leg muscles.  In addition, players should be careful when the opponent attacks and be prepared to pass, strike back, or even stop suddenly at any time.  Compared to volleyball, players of beach volleyball need a higher level of personal skill.  One good thing about beach volleyball is that it is an outdoor sport so players can go outside and enjoy the sun.  The LCSD has several beach volleyball courts in the districts, which offer comprehensive facilities such as men’s and women’s changing rooms, toilets, showers and barrier-free facilities.  The courts are available for hire.

Development and promotion of beach volleyball in Hong Kong

The Volleyball Association of Hong Kong has always been committed to promoting beach volleyball and has organised various types of events, including the Hong Kong Tour Beach Volleyball, Hong Kong Youth Cup Beach Volleyball Competition, Hong Kong Junior Beach Volleyball Open, and LCSD Cup Beach Volleyball Open, etc., to provide athletes with a competitive platform.  It also actively promotes the events to attract enthusiasts to watch the competitions or even take part themselves. The joint school beach volleyball training program is an important part of the School Sports Programme, which promotes beach volleyball among students.  In this programme, senior coaches guide students in systematic training to teach them skills while developing new talent for Hong Kong’s beach volleyball scene.

For more information about beach volleyball, please visit the website of the Volleyball Association of Hong Kong: