Beach Volleyball Rules (Revised for 2005)

The following is based upon the California Beach Volleyball Association's (CBVA) rules of play for beach volleyball. Special thanks to Steve Lawton and Mark Hull.

A. Net Play

·         1.You may go completely under the net into your opponent's court to play a ball as long as there is no interference with the opponent.

·         2. A ball can be played back to one's side of the net if it has crossed over the net, under the net, or outside the antenna as long as a team has one or more contacts left and the ball is played back under the net or outside the antenna (new for 2005).

·         3. The "let" serve is now played on the beach (new for 2005.)

B. Playing the Ball 

·         1. Soft dink (open hand, finger tip) is not allowed. Ball must be cleanly hit or "pop" off the hand.

·         2. When digging a hard-driven spike it can be double-hit and momentarily lifted. Open hand digs are okay.

·         3. With the exception of the hard-driven spike or block, you can never double-hit the first contact. If you receive the serve open handed (the serve is never considered a hard-driven spike regardless of its velocity), expect it to be called illegal. The tradition of the beach game does not allow the double hit on the first contact as does the indoor game.

·         4. A touch on the block will now count as one of the three contacts allowed per team.

·         5. Both indoors and outdoors, the ball can be played with all parts of the body.

·         6. When using a setting motion to send the ball into the opponent's court it must be released in the direction in which the shoulders of the player are facing either front or back. Side-setting is allowed when attempting to set your partner.

·         7. Recently changed, beach rules now require the server to clearly release or toss the ball before contacting it for serve.

·         8. A player may only have one toss per serve attempt.

·         9. It is illegal to move the court boundaries during the serving motion, even if the movement is caused by sand.

·         10. The server's teammate must not prevent the opponents, through screening, from seeing the server or the path of the ball. On an opponent's request, a player must move sideways, bend over or bend down.

·         11. No replay for "joust" above the net.

·         12. "Continuation" still exists in the beach game, meaning that, for example, if you touch the net after spiking a ball it is still a "net" even if the spike hit the sand before you touched the net (This rule may change in 2009).

C. Protocol

·         1. If there is an official he calls mishandled balls (sets, dinks, digs, etc.) Traditionally, judgment of setting is tighter on the beach but each year the move is to let players have more latitude with hand sets. Players call their own nets and ball in or out.

·         2. Rotation of players is not required and no substitutions are allowed.

·         3. Switch sides with opponent every 5 points in a game to 15 and every 4 points in a game to 11 to equalize the advantage of sun, wind, etc. Some competitions, mostly women's play, will use rally scoring.

·         4. Each half of the court is 8 by 8 meters (26' 3").

·         5. Net height is 7'4 1/8" for women and 7' 11 5/8" for men

For the upcoming season we will be playing by the rule changes approved by the California Beach Volleyball Association. Major highlights include the short court (8x16 meters), net antennas, and "let serve". Traditional scoring to 15 (win by two) will remain in effect. No Attitudes Allowed participants are free to determine the type of ball used in match play.

Also for the 2007 season we will be trying an experimental rule change concerning "former" or "previously" CBVA-rated players. With prior approval from the tournament director, one previously-rated player will be allowed to pair up with a very inexperienced or novice level player. The intent is to provide an opportunity for friends and family members to play together when one of them may have had a rating in the past but has not competed at that level in some time. Pairing up of two very strong players will be strictly prohibited. Without prior approval, teams containing a previously-rated player will not be accepted. The one exception is the August Fundraiser for the Spinal Cord Society where a previously-rated player will be allowed to pair up with a stronger player if that player has never been rated.

Special Note: Sand socks are highly recommended for tournament play as Main Beach typically gets very hot during the summer.