At the Olympic level, participants playing two-man volleyball on a beach must follow the rules set forth by the FIVB. These rules include an overview of the court's dimensions, regulations on scoring points, rules on contact with the ball and information on rule violations. All participants in Olympic events must learn these rules before they take the court.
Court Dimensions and Composition
Olympic beach volleyball uses a 16 m long and 8 m wide court, with a 5 to 6 m free zone around the court. Organizers must also ensure that no obstructions exist for a height of 12.5 m above the court. The court will use two sidelines and two end lines of between 5 and 8 cm in width to signify these boundaries. The court must have a sand composition with a depth of at least 40 cm. Organizers should sift this sand to ensure that the sand does not have any rocks or other debris in it.
Scoring
To win a rally, your opponent must fail to return the ball to your side of the court. Only the serving team can score points however, so you must win one rally to gain the right to serve and win another rally to score a point. Once you have control of the serve, every rally won while you have this control count as one point. To win a set, you must gain 21 points before your opponent does. In the event of a 20-20 score, a team must win by two points to win the set. The first team to win two sets wins the match. If teams split the first two sets, the final set goes to 15 points, although the winning team must still win by two points.
Contacting the Ball
Each rally begins with a serve, at which time the player must send the ball over the net by throwing it into the air and knocking it over the net with one arm. Players must complete this action from behind the service line at the back of the court. Attack hits include any contact with the ball that sends it towards the opponent, and finishes as soon as the ball crosses the net. Blocks occur when a player near the net reaches up and prevents the ball from landing on his side, without interfering with his opponents.
Faults
Whenever a team commits a fault, that team immediately loses the rally. Faults include playing the ball more than three times per sequence, catching or throwing the ball, double contact or reaching over the net to make a block.
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