Two-man volleyball, or "beach" volleyball, is played by two two-player teams on a sand court divided by a net. Beach volleyball became an Olympic sport in 1996. Official rules require players to wear shorts or bathing suits and go barefoot, but you can change the rules to suit yourself, as long as everyone knows about and agrees with the changes. The official rules are detailed and it's a good idea to look them over, but the basic game is played by serving a ball and rallying it across the net until it lands on the court or out of bounds, or a team fails to follow the rules. A point goes to the team that wins a rally. If the serving team scores, it continues to serve. If the opposing team scores, it wins the serve as well. Players take turns serving each time their team wins service rights.
Step 1
Flip a coin to decide which team gets the ball first. Ideally, a neutral person who is familiar with beach volleyball rules or your own interpretation can make judgment calls and keep track of the score. If you have one, the referee can flip the coin. The winner of the coin toss chooses whether to serve or receive.
Step 2
Serve by hitting the ball over the net from the service zone, behind your team's endline and between the sidelines. Other players can stand where they like as long as they're within the court boundary and on their team's side of the net.
Step 3
Receive the serve and play the ball. You and your teammate can touch the ball three times before you have to send it over the net, but one player can't hit the ball twice in a row and can't hold onto it.
Step 4
Attack your opponent. Typically, the order of three hits follows the format: Receive the serve or dig an attack -- you keep your opponent's serve or hit from touching your court and pass the ball to your teammate; set -- your teammate plays the ball so that it's in the best position for you to hit it over the net; attack -- you spike or pass the ball over the net, trying to score. Your opponent may try to block your hit with his hands, deflecting it back to your side of the court.
Step 5
Score points. Your team scores a point when you hit a ball into your opponent's court that is not returned back to you legally, or hits the ground inside the boundaries. Your team also scores when an opposing player's serve or hits the net and stays on his side of the court, or if an opponent commits another type of fault, such as a lift. The referee blows a whistle to signal a fault. Teams swap sides after 7 points in the first two sets and 5 points in the third set.
Step 6
Play until a team wins the match by winning two sets. Sets are played to 21 points, with a minimum 2-point advantage needed for the win. There is no point cap, so play continues until one team takes a 2-point lead. If both teams wins one set, a tie-breaking set is played to 15 points, with the same 2-point requirement. The winner of the third set is the winner of the match.
Things You'll Need
- Beach volleyball
- Volleyball net
- Sand court
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