Beach volleyball and grass volleyball are played by many of the same rules. Volleyball enthusiasts who do not have easy access to a gymnasium setting or who prefer the fresh air and sunshine of an outdoor court enjoy playing outdoors. The outdoor game is governed by an official Outdoor Volleyball Rulebook.
Playing Area
The court is shaped like a rectangle, or two adjacent squares, measuring a total of 59 feet by 29 feet, and 6 inches along the boundary. The free zone around the court is a minimum of 9 feet, 10 inches wide. Sand courts are made of fine sand, whereas grass courts are covered in trimmed, uniform grass. The court’s surface is flat, even and free of puddles or holes. If there are any hazardous areas within the court’s boundaries, they are designated out of play. The boundary lines are marked by rope or tape. These boundary lines are considered to extend indefinitely for the purpose of marking service zones. The ball is served from the team’s service zone, which is the free zone at either end of the rectangular court. The net is 7 feet, 11 5/8 inches high at its middle for men and 7 feet, 4 1/8 inches for women’s play.
Teams and Equipment
Volleyball is played by teams playing doubles, triples, four-on-four or six-on-six. Up to six members can be on the roster of a four player team, and up to twelve can make up the roster of a six player team. In doubles play two players per team fill the team roster, three players fill each team roster in triples play, four-on-four games have four players on the court, but may have up to six on each team roster, and six player teams may have as many as twelve. Mixed teams contain equal numbers of male and female players unless it’s triples play. Each team designates a captain, who will represent them when dealing with officials. There are no specific uniform requirements, but players must be presentable and dressed appropriately for the competition. Players are strongly cautioned against hats, visors and sunglasses. Jewelry, pins, casts and other objects that might cause injury are forbidden. Players may be barefoot, in socks or booties, or wear shoes without nonflexible cleats or spikes.
Scoring and Winning
A point is scored when a ball from the serving team hits the ground within the other team’s boundary lines. When the serving team scores a point, they continue to serve until the ball touches the ground within their boundary lines. At that time, the receiving team wins the right to serve the ball. Points are also scored when the ball lands inside the opposing team’s court or when a team hits it out of bounds. Points can also be awarded against a team when a penalty is called. Penalties can be called for visibly holding a ball after it is served, stepping over the line during a serve, touching the net while the ball is in play or committing a contact fault. A contact fault can be called when a player touches the ball twice in a row, or if they touch the ball to assist it in clearing the net on a serve.
A match can be a single game or a two out of three bout. In a single game match, the match is won when one team reaches 15 points with at least a two-point lead. If a team’s lead is less than two points, the game continues until one team leads the other by two points. In three game matches, the first two games are played to 11 points and a two-point lead is required. If a third game is played, the first team to reach seven points wins and a one-point lead is sufficient to win.
About this Author
