GAMEPLAY RULES

Keep that contact percussive! You can poke with knuckles, smack and hit, but you cannot push or direct the ball with your finger tips.

In Olympic beach volleyball, the block DOES count as a touch, but for the sake of extending the rallies in this league, we’re not going to count blocks as touches. So, if your teammate makes a sweet contact off the block, you still have 3 touches remaining.

No sneaky sideways sets! Your shoulders and hips have to face to where you are intending to place the ball.

When setting your teammate, if you are not square, the ball must be clean. Minimal spin. If there is noticeable spin - say from 2 courts away - and you are not square to your teammate when setting them, it is a fault.

A good sign of an obvious double would be poor set location (ball travels sideways, ball does not go as high as intended)

If your intent is to set your target, and the ball drifts slightly (ie wind takes the ball over the net) - within a 1m radius - it is acceptable and the ball is live.

You cannot volley the ball off of a serve. You can bump it, pokey it, tomahawk chop it, hit it off any other part of your body, but volleying off of a serve is not allowed. This applies on any free ball as well.

🆕 On a team first-contact, if a player makes one motion to the play the ball - without their fingers - and it happens to bounce off of multiple body parts, no foul has occurred.

*If you see the line jump, it’s very likely that the ball has landed in. Respectfully check the ball mark - both teams can engage in a respectful conversation about the mark. Do not touch that ball mark evidence! If you can’t come to an agreement, smile nicely, and re-serve the ball.

*If the ball touches the wire or the wood doweling that’s attached to the wooden pole, the ball is out. If the ball travels over the wire (as in, not across the net) the ball is out.

*You are not allowed to touch the net in any circumstances. Call yourself immediately if any part of your body makes contact with the net.

• There is no centre line in beach volleyball. On the beach, you ARE allowed to step underneath/around the net. If you make contact with your opponent, or affect their ability to play the ball, call yourself immediately and award the point to your opponent.

⚠️: This is how most injuries occur. Please be careful at the net, and try to avoid contact with others at all costs.

Cool?

If there’s a disagreement or question at any point during your game, please seek out Dave - your beach volleyball butler - for clarification. We think it makes everyone a better player, teammate, and competitor to have a good grasp on knowledge of the game, and we’re here to help you with that.

We’re all out here to have a great time. #beagoodhuman