Beach volleyball is a fun sport which is gaining more and more popularity as the years go by. So what are the court dimensions in this game? Let's have a look...
No more simply a fun for all game to play on the beach, beach volleyball, has, over the years, slowly become a widely competitive sport. It is a game which draws a lot of fans from all over the world, to an extent that it is now a major televised competitive sport played at all levels. And when competition comes in, formal rules and measurements become pretty crucial to maintain fair play and the spirit of the game.
Beach volleyball was played at the Barcelona Olympics of 1992 in Spain, as a demonstration event. It got official entry into the Olympic fold as a competitive sport at the 1996 games held in Atlanta, US.
The size of the court has been decided by the governing body for beach volleyball, known as the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). Official games are governed by FIVB, so all the rules, review of the rules, fixtures, and the results are organized by FIVB, which is the apex body for international beach volleyball games.
Court Size
A beach volleyball court has a length of 16 meters, and a breadth of 8 meters. FIVB rules state that there should be no obstruction of any sort till up to 12.5 meters of the playing surface, to ensure fair play. Behind the endlines of the court, there is an area which binds it, 5 meters from the endline, known as the free zone. FIVB also states in its rules that there should be no obstruction till up to 12.5 meters of the playing surface.
Since beach volleyball has only 2 players per team as opposed to 6 per team in indoor volleyball, the court size is smaller than that of indoor volleyball. But then again, sand on the beach being softer than the hardwood court, players can have better reach, and are able to dive, which improves their reachability.
The Net
There is a dividing net at the center of the court which acts as the center line. The net is 2.43 meters high for men, and 2.24 meters high for women, as measured from the center of the length of the net. There is no center line, and the net acts as the center line.
Playing Surface
The main difference between beach volleyball and indoor volleyball is obviously the playing surface. The playing surface should have sand of uniform sized granules which is 40 centimeters deep. Before the game starts, it should be ensured that the sand contains no dangerous particles such as glass or sharp metal, or anything apart from sand which could cause the players any sort of injury.
The Lines
The lines should be 5 - 8 centimeters wide, and should be in a color which can be distinguished from the color of the sand. They should be drawn with something that doesn't fade out, and remains visible throughout the course of the game.
As you can see, a beach volleyball court design is not too difficult to understand. So, the next time you go for a nice vacation on the beach with your friends, you can lay it out and have a lot of fun.
