Volleyball is a sport loved by many and can easily be played throughout the year. However, if you have the chance to get out on the court in the fresh air when the weather is nice, why not try to get some fresh air and sun while playing the game you love?
There are differences between indoor and outdoor (sometimes called “arena”) volleyball. These differences aren’t enough to be a true game changer, but there are a few things to keep in mind based on your volleyball environment.
The volleyball court
Sand volleyball courts and indoor courts are quite different in size. Beach courts are actually smaller than indoor courts. Indoor courts have a rule that back row players cannot advance behind a certain point on the court to hit the ball, while sand volleyball players can hit the ball from anywhere on their side of the court. network. The reasoning behind the smaller sand court size may be that getting traction and running in sand is much more difficult than on a hard surface. A smaller court keeps the ball in play for longer, making rallies more entertaining and dynamic.
Players per team
With the larger court size for indoor volleyball, it is reasoned that a larger number of people would be needed to cover the area. Indoor volleyball requires six players per team or side. Each player has a specialized position that rotates and changes throughout the game. Sand volleyball is usually played with two-person teams. One player hits from the left side of the court, the other hits from the right. The service is rotated between the two players. There are no specialized positions and each player is usually well versed in all strikes, blocks and digs. In competition-level sand volleyball, players may have dedicated positions, such as one can block and the other can dig, but both can still hit.
Volleyball
The ball itself is one of the differences between indoor and outdoor volleyball. Indoor balls are made of leather and are slightly heavier than outdoor balls. These heavy indoor balls can be hit harder and tend to move faster than an outdoor ball. Sand volleyballs are larger, softer, and less heavy than indoor balls. The lighter weight helps them float better in the air, allowing more experienced players to take advantage of the weather to their advantage.
keeping score
Indoor volleyball has matches made up of five sets or games. Games are played until the first team reaches 25 points and they are declared the winner of that game. Three sets win the match. If both teams have won two sets, a 15-point tiebreaker game is played. The teams change sides after each game.
Sand volleyball has matches made up of only three sets or games. Matches are played until the first team reaches 21 points, and if a tiebreaker is necessary, it is played to 15 points.
In both versions, a game must be won by a minimum margin of two points.
Keys
The way the players touch or handle the ball is different between the two types of games. Indoor volleyball allows players to block the ball without counting as one of the three allowed touches for each team. Sand volleyball counts a block as one of the three allowed hits.
Indoor volleyball also allows open hand spikes, or dinks, which send the ball slightly over the net, however sand volleyball does not allow these types of moves.
If you like volleyball, then it probably doesn’t matter if you play it indoors or out. In fact, you may find that you prefer one way over the other, but just being able to play the game you love at any time of the year is a huge benefit. Learning about both versions of the sport will help your game and hopefully your enjoyment of the sport as well.