Beach Volleyball

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Beach Volleyball - fast and physically demanding. While height is a distinct advantage, players also need to have speed, strength, stamina, excellent technical skills and the ability to think on their feet and play tactically as a pair. Unlike indoor volleyball (which has six players per team), teams of two serve, bump, and spike their way toward the win. It's one of the most watched spectator sports in and out of Olympic competition, even to the point of bringing in sand to create a temporary beach in beachless communities. Loading

What to watch out for:
The object of the game is to hit the ball over the net so it lands inside the oppositing team's court. Each team is given three hits to return the ball to the other side of the net. Except on a serve, players can use their head, arm, hands or any other part of their body to bump the ball. But don't let the same player hit the ball twice in a row! That is against the rules.

Points are scored in a variety of ways:

When the ball touches the court in bounds
When a ball is hit out of bounds
When a player makes an un-returnable spike, among others

Matches are the best two of three sets, with 21 points needed to win a set - 15 if it's a 3rd deciding set.

Beach Vollyball jargon:

Spike – to smash the ball overarm into the opponent's court
Block – preventing the attacking ball from coming over the net by forming a wall of hands at the net
Dig – a defensive passing shot from close to the ground, usually following an opposition spike
Setter – the player who sets the ball for the attacker, usually on the second of the team’s three permitted shots
Wipe – to return the ball off an opposing block so it lands out of bounds

What the Referees look for

Two referees oversee each game. One sits on an elevated chair at the side of the court and the second is positioned on the other side of the court. They are assisted by scorers and line judges. Infringements that result in penalties and lost possession include:

Assisted hits
Serving faults
For a serious offense a player can be excluded for the remainder of the set – rendering the team incomplete for that set
On rare occasions a player can be excluded for the remainder of the match – leaving the team incomplete and unable to finish the match

More... if you'd like to hold some mini events that mimic the big Olympic Games try these gymnastics in your own backyard or game room. We found some great infographics for the summer games (as shown) to give some you visual insights. For many of the winter games, you'll find in-depth explanations at this site with more fun visuals.

CHART BELOW: We added these winter "one-pagers" to our Sports Know-How category in time for the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) that were held in January 2012. We got inspired by the 2012 London Summer Games to add to our Summer Sports category. We'll be adding sports periodically so keep checking back. If the titles are shining brightly in white text, they're ready for you to click on! ^.^

Summer Sports
Archery	Water Sports ( + Triathlon - Pentathlon)	Barrel Racing	Trampoline - Artistic - Rhythmic	Martial Arts
Athletics	Beach Volleyball - Table Tennis	Equestrian	Soccer	Cycling

Winter Sports

Curling Long Track Speed Skating Luge Ski Jumping Cross-Country Skiing

Figure Skating Short Track Speed Skating Bobsleigh Alpine Skiing Nordic Combined Skiing

Ice Hockey Snowboarding Skeleton Freestyle Skiing Biathlon

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