Volleyball is considered to be one of the most popular summer sport games. The sport of volleyball is suitable for people of all ages and skill levels. Both beach volleyball and indoor volleyball are constantly gaining in popularity now. So, a great number of women and men across the world choose to play the game of volleyball these days.
It’s important to know that beach volleyball and indoor volleyba ll are two different sports. Despite the fact these two sports have many common things there are a lot of differences between beach and indoor volleyball. Would you like to learn about these two types of volleyball? Are you keen to figure out which sport fits your lifestyle best? In this blog, we’ll highlight the most important differences between beach and indoor volleyball.
Courts of Beach and Indoor Volleyball Have Different Sizes
It’s no surprise that athletes play volleyball on the court. Every team plays on its own part of the playing court. The playing court is divided by the net. However, it’s important to understand that playing courts in beach and indoor volleyball differ in size.
The playing courts in such sports as beach volleyball and indoor volleyball have the following sizes: 16 * 8 meters and 18 * 9 meters respectively. As you can see, the court in beach volleyball has much smaller sizes. The courts in the sports of beach and indoor volleyball have free zones as well. The width of free zone is 3 meters on all sides.
The FIVB rules say that the distance between free zone and the end lines (also known as side lines) has to be 5-6 meters for the court in beach volleyball and 5-6.5 meters for the court in indoor volleyball. The height of free zones in both sports has to be 12.5 meters. Such courts are suitable for organizing both world and official volleyball tournaments.
Beach and Indoor Volleyball Courts Have Different Playing Surfaces
Beach and indoor volleyball also differ in playing surfaces. Beach volleyball players have to play on sand surface (its height has to be over 40 centimeters). Fine loosely compacted grains are the key ingredients of playing surface in beach volleyball.
Flat and horizontal playing surface of light colors is used in the court of indoor volleyball. The surface is produced from either wooden or synthetic materials. Different colors are used for free zone and the rest of a playing court in indoor volleyball. Lines on the court of indoor volleyball have to be drawn with white colors.
FIVB representatives always carefully analyze playing surfaces of volleyball courts. This job is done to ensure that playing surface of the court doesn’t have any problems and doesn’t pose any risks of injuries to athletes. The match can take place on the courts only if its surface has been approved by FIVB representatives.
How the Weather Affects the Game of Volleyball
The game of indoor volleyball doesn’t depend on weather conditions. The optimal temperature for playing the game of indoor volleyball has to be 16° C – 25° C (61° F – 77° F).
On the other hand, the game of beach volleyball depends on weather conditions dramatically. Obviously, weather is critical factor in the sport of beach volleyball. The match is played only if the weather is comfortable. O f course, weather doesn’t have to affect the results of the game and create any problems for athletes.
Beach and Indoor Volleyball Courts Have Different Nets
In fact, the nets which are used for dividing courts in beach and indoor volleyball have the same height. However, nets of different heights are used for organizing men’s and women’s indoor volleyball tournaments. So, if the completion is organized for men the net’s height has to be 2.43 meters. When the competition is organized for women the net’s height has to be 2.24 meters.
Nets of different heights are used for the game of beach volleyball as well. There is the direct link between the net’s height and the age of beach volleyball players. If a beach volleyball competition is organized for athletes who are 14 – 16 years old the net’s height has to be 2.24 meters. If a beach volleyball competition is organized for athletes who are 12-14 years old the net’s height has to be 2.12 meters. If a beach volleyball competition is organized for athletes who are 12 years old and younger net’s height has to be 2.00 meters.
Different Balls are Used in the Game of Beach and Indoor Volleyball
It’s worth noting that there are many differences between balls which are used for the game of beach and indoor volleyball. You need to know that both balls have the same weight. Let’s compare these two different types of balls one to another. It’s important to know that beach volleyball is much bigger in size. Moreover, it is much softer comparing to the ball used in indoor volleyball.
Now, let’s talk about the sizes of the ball that is used for the sport of beach volleyball. The ball’s circumference has to be 66 – 68 centimeters. The ball’s weight has to be 260 and 280 grams. The ball’s inside pressure has to be 0.175 – 0.225 kg/cm2.
Another type of the ball is used for the sport of indoor volleyball. The ball’s circumference has to be 65 and 67 centimeters. The ball’s weight has to be 260 – 280 grams. The ball’s inside pressure has to be 0.30 – 0.325 kg/cm2.
When it comes to the sport of beach volleyball, it’s allowed to use 3 balls during the match. When it comes to the sport of indoor volleyball, it’s allowed to use 5 balls during the match. It’s important to note that all balls which are used for beach and indoor volleyball tournaments have to be approved by FIVB representatives.
How Teams in Beach and Indoor Volleyball are Composed
Beach and indoor volleyball teams are composed in different ways. Beach and indoor volleyball teams have 2 and 6 members respectively. Both beach and indoor volleyball teams have a captain. An indoor volleyball team also has a head coach as well as two assistant coaches, medical doctor and team therapist.
Different Scoring Systems are Used in Beach and Indoor Volleyball
Scoring systems are another big difference between beach volleyball and indoor volleyball. How to win a set in the sport of beach volleyball? In order to accomplish this goal a beach volleyball team has to earn 21 points. Moreover, it must have a minimum lead of 2 points. How to win the game in the sport of beach volleyball? A beach volleyball team will win the game only if it wins two sets. Sometimes, the 3-rd set (also known as deciding set) is played to determine the winner of the game. It’s good to know that the deciding set has different conditions. How to win the deciding set in the sport of beach volleyball? Actually, a beach volleyball team has to earn 15 points and must have a minimum lead of 2 points.
How to win the set in the sport of indoor volleyball? Actually, an indoor volleyball has to earn 25 points during the game and it must also have a minimum lead of 2 points. How to win the game in the sport of indoor volleyball? In order to become a winner an indoor volleyball has to win 3 sets. Sometimes, teams have to pay the 5-th (also known as deciding) set to finish the game and determine the winner. Different rules are used for the deciding set in the game of indoor volleyball. Thus, a team has to earn 15 points and must have a minimum lead of 2 points to win the deciding set and the game.
Beach and Indoor Volleyball Have Different Warm-Up Sessions
A beach volleyball team has to take advantage of so called official warm up sessions to prepare for the game. In the sport of beach volleyball the warm-up period lasts 3 minutes or 5 minutes.
The time of warm-up sessions in beach volleyball depends on the fact whether teams have already had another playing court at their disposal or not.
According to the rules of indoor volleyball, both teams can take advantage of official warm- up period and prepare for the game. In the sport of indoor volleyball the warm- up period lasts 6 and 10 minutes. The time of warm- up sessions in indoor volleyball depends on the fact whe ther teams have already had another playing court at their disposal or not.
Time-outs, Technical Time-outs, Interruptions and Substitutions in
Using a special hand signal the captain can request time-outs during the game of beach volleyball. O nly 1 time-out per set is allowed in the game of beach volleyball. Time-out can be requested only when the ball goes out of the playing court. Beach volleyball teams can also take advantage of a 30-second technical time-out that is applied automatically (if both teams have earned 21 points). It’s important to note that any technical time-outs are allowed during the deciding set of the game.
When it comes to indoor volleyball, only 2 time-outs per set can be requested by each of teams. In addition, a team can request 6 substitutions per set. Substitutions can be requested by teams during the game only. Time-out in the game of indoor volleyball is requested by a special hand signal. The requested time-out in the game of indoor volleyball takes 30 seconds. Two time-outs (which last up to 60 seconds) are applied automatically during the 1-st and 4-th sets when a winning team earns 8-th and 16-th points. Technical time-outs are not permitted during the deciding set of the game.
