Volleyball - Beach


Background
Over 1 billion people play volleyball throughout the world, making it the #2 participation sport behind soccer.

Athlete Development
The BC Summer Games provide a starting step for volleyball athletes to be introduced to the competitive stream of the Volleyball BC development model.  Many athletes who have competed in the Games, strive towards provincial team and national team involvement.  Within BC, the Team BC program for the Canada Games is the next step after the BC Games.

During the BC Summer Games years (even calendar years), Volleyball BC sees double the number of athletes experiencing competition through the summer months.  Athletes, who may not have the same access to the club system of play due to their geography, are identified for future programs and development.

Volleyball - Beach
There are conflicting reports on the origin of this sport.  It began either in Hawaii in 1915 or Santa Monica in the 1920’s.  Originally this sport gained popularity because it was low cost family fun at the beach.

In the late 1970s beach volleyball was introduced to the Canadian West Coast.  During the late 70's and early 80's, the champions of the BC tournament would win trips to California to play in what was then known as the "World Invitational".  The Canadians were not overly successful in these U.S. competitions, which proved to be the impetus for a new wave of intense and competitive players honing their skills on Canadian soil.  Beach volleyball was first introduced to the Olympics during the Atlanta Summer Games in 1996.  At that event Canadians John Child and Mark Heese won a bronze medal.

How to Watch Volleyball - Beach
Rules of the Game

• There are 2 players on the court per team with no substitutions.
• Only three touches of the ball per side.
• Player may not hit the ball twice in succession (A block is considered a hit).
• A player must not block or attack a serve.
• Players are penalized for:
  • Stepping on or over the line on a serve.
  • Failure to serve the ball over the net successfully.
  • Hitting the ball illegally (carrying, palming, throwing etc.).
  • Touches of the net with any part of the body while the ball is in play
• Teams play “rally point”, where the winner of each rally, irrespective of which team served, scores a point.
• Teams must win 2 of 3 games with games to 21 points.
• The Standard Beach Volleyball Court size is 8m x 8m.

For more info on Volleyball, contact Volleyball BC at www.volleyballbc.ca or (604) 291-2007.