Beach vs. Court

Beach and court volleyball bear both differences and similarities.

FIVB

Beach and court volleyball bear both differences and similarities.

Makenna Bizzack, Columnist

Indoor volleyball and beach volleyball have the same objective, to be the first to reach a set score. However, there are a few differences between them.

The score cap of the game is one minor difference. Beach volleyball is first to score 21 and indoor volleyball is first to 25. However, if teams tie, they both have a third set of 15. According to AVP, the ball weight also changes. Beach volleyball has softer and lighter volleyballs, while an indoor volleyball is firmer and denser. The consistency of sand makes beach volleyball a lot more challenging in the movement aspect, but the court size is the same in both beach and indoor.

Perhaps the most noticeable difference in the way the game is played between both indoor and outdoor is the number of players. In beach volleyball, there’s only two players on the court at a time. Those two players play all positions. The position they play depends on how the rally is going. For example, a player could be a setter one moment, and a passer the next. However, during indoor volleyball, there are six players on the court at a time, and they all have their own position. The six positions are setter, middle blocker, outside hitter, right side hitter, libero, and defense specialist.

The rules of the positions themselves also change between beach and sand. One example is setting. Setting is very different in beach volleyball than it is indoors. An indoor set occurs faster and is set up a lot higher. However, in beach, the ball is hit slower and more predictably, since the server must immediately play multiple positions, writes AVP.

Beach volleyball and indoor volleyball have the same objective, but different means of play. Beach volleyball is a partner game, and indoor volleyball is about group work. Teamwork aspects change through numbers, and the atmospheres of the types of games vary. Both beach and indoor volleyball will give you an experience that you will never forget.