Image: Paul Bradbury/OJO Images/Getty Images
About This Quiz
Alright, it's time to dig deep into your beach volleyball knowledge to see if you can ace this quiz. There's nothing better on a hot summer day than driving to the beach with a couple of friends and hitting a ball back and forth.Â
However, if you ever want to get into competitive beach volleyball and win some prizes on the sand, you'll have to know the official rules. Luckily, most of the rules of beach volleyball are relatively intuitive and similar to regular volleyball.Â
It's thought that beach volleyball originated about 100 years ago in Waikiki, Hawaii. In the early days of the sport, teams played with six players a side like in indoor volleyball. It began to gain popularity in the 1980s and it was added to the Olympics in 1996. Nowadays, professional matches consist of two players per side.Â
Do you know which nations have been most dominant? 30 medals have been awarded at the Olympic level, and 20 out of the 30 medals have gone either to America or Brazil.Â
Are you ready to see if you're as well-versed in the rules of beach volleyball as you think you are? Spike the ball, it's time to put your knowledge to the test!Â
3.00m (9' 10" 1/8)
2.00m (6' 6" 3/4)
2.43m (7' 11" 5/8)
The regulation height of the net for men is 2.43m. The world record for the high jump is 2.45m by Javier Sotomayor. Only one other man in history (Mutaz Essa) has jumped 2.43m.
2.24m (7' 4" 1/8)
Advertisement
25
19
21
The first team to 21 points wins the set. However, you need to win by at least two points. If you take a 21-20 lead, you'll need to win a 22nd point in order for the set to be over.
17
Advertisement
The higher seed
The lower seed
The winner of a coin toss
The team that serves first is chosen randomly based on a coin toss. The coin toss is performed by an official with both team captains present. The winner can choose to serve or defend first.
The team listed as the home team
Advertisement
Both players in the front half of the court
Both players in the back half of the court
Both players on either the left or right of the court
None of these are illegal.
Unlike a sport like pairs tennis, both players are free to wander anywhere on the court. You probably wouldn't want both of your players standing in the same back corner, but in theory you could if you felt it gave you an advantage somehow.
Advertisement
3
If a team makes a fourth consecutive hit, it's considered a foul and the other team gets a point. Even unintentional hits are counted. So if you get a ball in the face, that still counts as your first hit.
2
4
1
Advertisement
It's a foul.
It counts as one hit.
It counts as two hits.
If two players both hit the ball at the same time, the ball is still in play but the contact counts as two hits. If both players reach for the ball but only one player hits it, it's counted as a normal one-contact hit.
There's no rule specifying what happens.
Advertisement
Nothing happens.
Both teams have to change.
There's a coin flip to see who will change.
Rule 4.4 in the FIVB handbook states that if two teams arrive in the same color uniform, there will be a coin toss to determine who has to change. Is there anything more awkward than that?
The lower seed changes.
Advertisement
Barefoot or any slip-on shoe
Barefoot or sandals
Only barefoot
There are many sports in the world where it's mandatory to be barefoot, but beach volleyball is one of them. Maybe wearing running shoes is the beach volleyball equivalent of taking performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.
Any footwear
Advertisement
260-280g
A regulation beach volleyball must be between 260-280g, which is a little over half a pound. The balls are made of either leather or synthetic leather with a rubber bladder on the inside to keep out moisture.
400-450g
100-120g
50-70g
Advertisement
3.00m (9' 10" 1/8)
2.24m (7' 4" 1/8)
The regulation height of the beach volleyball net for women is almost 7.5 feet. It sounds high, but if you watch Olympic beach volleyball, you'll see that some of the women can jump much higher than the net!
2.43m (7' 11" 5/8)
2.00m (6' 6" 3/4)
Advertisement
Having a player step out of bounds when serving
An intentional game delay
There are many ways for a team to get a game delay warning or penalty. Even if they legally request a time-out, if a team intentionally prolongs the time-out after time has expired, they may get a warning.
Touching the net during a block
Repeatedly faulting serves
Advertisement
Every 10 points
Every 5 points during set one and two and every 10 points in set three
Every 7 points in set one and two and every five points in set three
If the match goes to a third set, the frequency of court switches increases to every five points. This is to ensure that one team isn't getting an advantage due to environmental factors like wind or sand conditions.
Every 8 points
Advertisement
Touching the net
Stepping out of bounds
Yelling at a member of the audience
The official FIVB rulebook states that incorrect conduct toward fans, your opponents, or your teammates can all lead to penalties or sanctions. Of course, any physical altercations could lead to getting expelled from the game.
Touching both knees to the ground
Advertisement
Yellow
For a warning, a player receives a verbal warning from the referee as well as a yellow card. If they get expelled from a game, the referee will raise the yellow and red card together in one hand.
Red
Green
Blue
Advertisement
They're in charge of the entire referee group.
There is no third referee.
The third referee has no responsibilities because we made them up. There's a first and second referee at all official matches as well as scorers and line judges, but never a third referee.
They're the official scorer.
They are the head line judge.
Advertisement
1st referee
The first referee stands so that their view is at least 50cm over the top of the net. They're essentially the head honcho of the referees and have the final ruling over all other officials if they notice a mistake.
Scorer
2nd referee
3rd referee
Advertisement
The scorer
The scorer sits at the scorer's table on the opposite of the court as the 1st referee and can interrupt the game with a buzzer sound. They're also responsible for dealing with protests and time out requests.
The line judges
The head official
The assistant scorer
Advertisement
By raising a flag
Whenever there's a close call, the line judge raises a flag to announce if the ball landed in or out of bounds. In case you're wondering, the official size of each flag is 40cm by 40cm (about 1'4").
By raising their arm
By announcing it like a baseball umpire
By pointing
Advertisement
2
3
4
At all FIVB World and Official competitions, it's mandatory to have four judges watching the lines to monitor when balls hit out of bounds. At smaller competitions, there may only be two judges.
6
Advertisement
Raises both cards together
Raises both cards in separate hands
If your team has been playing by the rules, it's possible that you've never had to see a disqualification in a game. If you see the ref holding up both cards in separate hands, one team must have really been cheating.
Raises just the yellow card
Raises just the red card
Advertisement
You're not allowed to block in beach volleyball.
It's not legal.
It's legal if you don't interfere with the other team.
Your hands can cross the net when you make a block, but you can't interfere with the other team making their shot. For instance, if you knocked the ball away from the other player's hand, it would be an illegal play.
It's a legal block and you can interfere with the other team.
Advertisement
The rally continues as normal.
The rally is replayed.
It doesn't happen often, but if the nets tears down, the rally gets canceled and no point is awarded. Maybe a good strategy would be to purposefully knock the net whenever you're losing momentum. But then again, maybe not ...
The team that knocks the ball out loses the rally.
The serving team loses the point.
Advertisement
Yes, it can.
The ball is allowed to touch the net without any penalty. For instance, if the ball came down on the top of the net and then came down on your opponents' side of the court, you would score a point.
No, it can't.
If it touches the net, the rally is reset and no point is awarded.
If it touches the net and scores a point, the other team can challenge the play.
Advertisement
The play continues but that player isn't allowed to touch the ball for the rest of the rally.
The referee will blow the whistle and you'll lose the point.
The referee will blow their whistle but no point is awarded.
Nothing happens and the play continues.
Even if your amazing diving play causes you to slide under the net, it's legal as long as you don't interfere with the other team. However, you may want to stay on your feet in case the other team takes advantage of the opportunity!
Advertisement
Whenever the leading team has a number of points that's a multiple of 7
Whenever the leading team has a number of points that's a multiple of 14
Whenever the total number of points by both teams adds to 21
A timeout is called when there's 21 points between the two teams. For example, the timeout would be called when one team has a 16-5 lead over the other. A 17-4 or 11-10 score would also signal for a timeout.
Every 10 minutes
Advertisement
Slang for scoring a point
Saving the ball from a spike attempt
When your opponent spikes the ball, your first move is usually to "dig" or set up the ball for your teammate. Even if you were able to directly return their spike, it would be almost impossible to get a good shot off.
Slang for blocking
Another name for a spike
Advertisement
The part of the court just outside the boundaries
Everything out of bounds is part of the free zone. If you hit the ball into the free zone without your opponent making contact, you lose the point. The free zone also includes the scorer's table and everything around the court that's considered to be out of play.
Everything in bounds
The first three feet in front of the net
The back half of the court
Advertisement
When one player double hits the ball
When you dive in the sand to get the ball
When two teammates fight over the ball
When two players on opposing teams reach for the ball at the same time
When two players on opposite teams both grab the ball at the same time, it's known as jousting. Usually in this situation, the player who's able to push the ball into the other team's zone wins the point.
Advertisement
Spiked the ball by a player's armpits
Every sport has a few expressions that are unique to that sport. Sizzling the pits is volleyball slang for spiking the ball by a blocker's armpits. Contrary to popular belief, it's not when you get a sunburn from playing beach volleyball all day.
Tipped the ball with their fingertips
Took a timeout
Scored an ace
Advertisement
Yes, it's legal.
No, it's an illegal move.
It's always illegal to screen the other team during a serve. Arm waving, jumping or moving side to side while the serve is happening can all be considered screening and can result in losing the point.
It's legal if the serve is started before the front player screens.
It's legal if the front player stops screening when the ball crosses the net.
Advertisement
The balls are the same size but the pressures are different.
The balls are the same size.
Beach volleyball uses a larger ball.
The balls used in an official beach volleyball match are larger than the balls used in indoor volleyball. The balls are also rougher and have a lower pressure, which better fits gameplay on an outdoor court.
Beach volleyball uses a smaller ball.
Advertisement
Blocker & defender
Generally, teams have one player who specializes in blocking balls at the net and one player who specializes in defending the backcourt. However, there are no mandatory positions so some teams don't assign specific roles.
Blocker & digger
Digger & defender
Defender & server
Advertisement
The number of players was reduced
The ball pressure was reduced
In the 1990s, the ball pressure was reduced by about 30%. At the same time, the size of the ball was made a centimeter wider. The court size did get smaller, but the change wasn't implemented until 2001.
The net got higher
The court got smaller
Advertisement
In the middle of the court
In the back of the court
On either side of the net
The antennae are located on either side of the net and act as the borders. If the ball passes to the inner side of the antennae, the ball is in play. If the ball passes on the other side, it's out of bounds.
By the first referee
Advertisement
1992
1996
Beach volleyball made its debut in the Olympics in 1996. The sport didn't begin to gain mainstream attention until the first professional tournaments were opened in the 1980s. Nowadays, USA and Brazil dominate the world stage.
2000
2004
Advertisement
1
2
4
6
It's thought that beach volleyball originated in Waikiki, Hawaii. In the original version of the game, each team played with six players like in indoor volleyball. Teams have been made up of two players since it was added to the Olympics.
Advertisement
15
During the final set of the match, you only need 15 points to take home the win. However, just like in a regular set, you need to win the final set by at least two points, so the winning team might end up with more than 15 points.
12
21
29
Advertisement
You're not allowed to block in beach volleyball.
No. It doesn't count.
Yes. It counts as a touch.
Blocking a spike doesn't count as a touch in indoor volleyball. However, in beach volleyball it does count as a touch. So if you're going to try to block at the net, you better be confident that you're going to stop the ball!
It counts as two touches.
Advertisement
0
In indoor volleyball, each team has six players on the court and can have six players on the bench. In beach volleyball, each player is expected to play the entire game without a substitute.
2
4
6
Advertisement
10m (32.8ft)
16m (52.5ft)
A beach volleyball court is slightly smaller than an indoor volleyball court. An indoor court is 18m (59.1ft) wide. However, beach volleyball teams only have two players so each player has more ground to cover.
5m (16.4ft)
20m (65.6ft)
Advertisement
You Got:
/40
