Rules that differ from indoor volleyball:

1. You can’t set the serve. In indoor volleyball you may be able to set the serve all day but outdoor volleyball is different, you can’t double contact the serve. You may pass the ball with your hands above your head but your hands must be touching each other.

2. You can’t open hand tip the ball. This ugly practice that you may have developed playing sloppy indoor volleyball is a no no in the sand. You can shoot the ball gracefully but nothing with an open hand.

3. Your set has to be clean. Indoor sets look very ugly to an outdoor player because they spin a lot and just don’t look clean. The actual rule doesn’t count how many rotations the ball spins after the set but if it is spinning the ref will naturally assume that you doubled the ball on the set and it will not be good. Super clean looking sets are key. I say “looking” because they have to look clean to the ref.

4. You can’t set any ball that’s not hard driven unless the set is very clean.

5. You can’t side set over the net. When setting over the net you must set directly in front or behind you.

6. There are no rotation rules.

7. The block counts as one of your 3 hits.

8. You can double the ball when it’s a hard driven ball (spike). If someone spikes at you double it all you want.

9. This isn’t really a rule but something good to know if you are making the transition from indoor to outdoor volleyball. The ball is not going to feel like a rock because it’s so pumped up like an indoor ball. The ball pressure is supposed to be less in outdoor volleyballs, so don’t try to pump up all the balls or complain that they need more air. That’s the way they are supposed to be.

10. The court is smaller.  This means that if you are use to hitting the ball on the back line it will be a few feet out so you need to work more on hitting straight down and using shots.  The outdoor court measures 8 meters by 8 meters on each side.

Beach volleyball is very similar to the indoor style of volleyball. Basically, you have two teams on each side of the net. These teams consist of two or more players.

The biggest difference between beach volleyball and regular volleyball is the setting. Obviously, beach volleyball is played on a beach. This makes for a big difference in the attire you wear while playing. Often, people who play beach volleyball play in their bathing suits, shorts, tank tops or other common beach attire. Also, in beach volleyball, players don’t wear tennis or athletic shoes, they usually were nothing on their feet. In regular volleyball, you must have shoes on while playing or the hard and probably hot pavement or court surface could hurt your feet. In beach volleyball, the court is also slightly smaller than indoor volleyball, where the court is 8 x 8 meters on each side, as opposed to the 9 x 9 meters in indoor volleyball. In addition, the beach volleyball is softer and slightly larger than an indoor volleyball. You can also cross under the net to hit a ball as long as you don’t interfere with the opponents attempt at hitting the ball. In beach volleyball, the block also always counts as the first contact of the ball. In beach volleyball, players are not actually required to rotate or change positions during play. Also, the standard for double hitting while employing overhead or overhand finger passes or hand sets is stricter than in the rules of indoor volleyball. These are the major differences between indoor and beach volleyball.

History Of Beach Volleyball

Beach volleyball was invented on the beaches of Santa Monica, California in the 1920′s. By the 1930′s, people on European beaches were also playing beach volleyball. In the 1940′s, tournament play had begun, with tournaments being held in the Southern California area for trophies and awards. In 1996, the Olympics made beach volleyball an official Olympic sport. The teams of Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes and Brazilian women Jacqueline Silva Cruz and Sandra Pires Tavares each won the inaugural gold medals for beach volleyball. While the United States remains a force in beach volleyball, Brazil and Australia also have strong teams. Currently, the most prestigious tournament in beach volleyball is the Manhattan Beach Open, also one of the original tournaments. This tournament is considered by players to be the beach volleyball equivalent of Wimbledon.

Beach volleyball rules can be quite intricate. It seems like just a fun game on the beach, but there is much more to it than that. Here are some of the most common beach volleyball rules:

You can actually go all the way under the net to your opponent’s side as long as you do not have any contact from the other team.

Even if a ball has gone over or under the net or outside the antenna, you can play it back to your side as long as your team has a contact left and the ball is played back under the net or outside the antenna.

If the ball is a hard driven spike, you can double hit the ball to dig it out. An open hand is allowed in this case.

Except in the case of a hard driven spike, you can never double hit a ball on the first contact.
You can use all parts of your body to play the ball.

If you are serving you have to toss the ball before contacting it to serve it. If you toss it, consider it served.

You cannot move the court boundaries during the serve. This is even true if the sand shifts during serving.

Each team in college volleyball is allowed three contacts. If you touch the block it is considered to be one of your contacts.

If you are using a setting motion to hit the ball over the net, you have to hit the ball in the direction that your shoulders are facing. This can be to the front or the back. The exception would be if you were side setting to your partner.

You should switch court sides. If you are playing to 15, switch every five points. If you are playing to 11, switch every four points.