Sand volleyball, most commonly called beach volleyball, has gained increasing credibility among volleyball players in recent years and was included as a Summer Olympics sport for the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Whether played on a beach or in a sand court away from water, sand volleyball has many advantages for a volleyball player. These advantages span from technical to tactical to physical.
Technique
In beach volleyball, because there are only two players on each team, athletes touch the ball every other hit on your side. This means that you have more touches on the ball and, therefore, can improve your technique. Moreover, because it's more difficult to jump off sand, it is harder to simply overpower your opponent with spikes. Instead, beach volleyball relies on angles and consistent hitting. More specifically, because the sand makes it harder to move, you have to become accustomed to hitting balls for which you are not totally prepared.
New Positions
Similarly, with speed mostly negated and only two players on the sand, larger players who play at the net in indoor volleyball have to learn how to play farther from the net in beach volleyball. They not only improve their technique, but also see the game from a different angle. On the other hand, smaller players who play farther from the net in an indoor game have to learn how to play closer to the net. Likewise players who are used to standing on just one side of the court indoors likely will find themselves in positions all over a sand court. All this moving around helps develop a more thorough understanding of the game and can help athletes anticipate shots better in indoor volleyball.
Muscle Strength and Toning
As mentioned, sand volleyball involves a lot more hitting than indoor volleyball. All the hitting helps tone your volleyball-related muscles. Similarly, you have to cover much more ground in sand volleyball, so you are doing more digging and developing the muscles necessary to dive and get up quickly. Playing on sand adds another dimension, too, because it is so difficult to move quickly comfortably on sand. You expend a lot more energy moving on sand and, therefore, become tired more quickly. This helps develop endurance and lower-body muscle.
Change and Fun
It is important that volleyball players, especially those who take the game seriously and want to play competitively, never lose the enjoyment of playing volleyball. Especially for young athletes who play for intensely competitive and stressful club teams traveling near and far, constantly practicing and playing in intense situations, playing volleyball on a beach can be a refreshing change of pace. As is evident, though, playing on sand is just as much a bodily and technical benefit as it is something fun to keep the sport fresh.
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