The history of the sand volleyball is dated form the 1920s and the place where it emerged was California, more specifically Santa Monica. The beaches of this city were the first to get courts for beach volleyball and members of families played with six members on each team. In 1927 sand volleyball was established in France in a camp for nudists. There was the escalation of popularity of this sport during the 1930s.
California was the place where everything happened for the first time regarding sand volleyball where the first match between two men was played. Sand volleyball appeared in France, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Latvia. Throughout the 1940s there were official matches organized within a tournament and this spread to Los Angeles as well. Sand volleyball was entertaining and there were also Miss pageants as a part of the show. During the 1950s, Brazil embraced sand volleball as well and it was more of a spectacle than a sports event. There were more and more tournaments in the 1960s and there was also a prize in money in the French tournament. In 1965 the rules of sand volleball were officially established in California. The financial prizes became greater during the 1970s and the 1980s which countinued in the 1990s. There were the Olympic games held in Atlanta in 1996 and “24 men's teams and 16 women's teams represent their countries in the first ever Olympic Beach Volleyball Tournaments“ (Volleyball World Wide). The popularity of sand volleball has been increasing with the course of time and it is still a popular Olympic sport which generates profit. Both men and women participate in sand volleball and there are also national teams for this sport. It is exciting to watch the rise of popularity of this sport and it began with amateuts playing it for fun.
There are two team members in sand vollebayll and they have a set of rules and skills they need to master. The difference between indoor volleyball and sand volleyball is related to tipping with the open hand and setting. In sand volleyball, a player is not allowed to attack with the hand open and fingers should not be used. Also, “Rules for setting are much more strict on the beach. When setting, the player must release the ball with very little spin, or incur a violation” (Strength and power for volleyball). Players are allowed to go below the net between the opposing teams but they should not affect the play of the other team. The ball which is used for sand volleyball is bigger than the ball used for indoor volleyball and it is not so inflated although it is heavier. The natural elements affect the play outdoors which is why such a ball is easier to play with. Serving is very important because there are only two players on each team. A spin should be used for serving because it makes the ball move more precisely. The skills of passing the ball are important because there is a big area to cover since there are only two players. Sand can also make movement harder than other surfaces: “When sprinting through the sand, the plant foot (front) sinks into the sand instead of using normal ground reaction forces to stabilize the body“ (Santana, 2006, p.20). The hardest skill is setting because of the sand which makes movement difficult. Also, spin should be reduced when setting and hands have to be tight. Spiking is also hard to learn when playing on sand because it is more difficult to reach the ball as well as to hit it. The steps need to be fast and physical strength is of the utmost importance. It is essential to jump high and to hit the ball hard. Blocking in sand volleyball means individual work because the player who blocks does it on their own. The court on the sand is not very big and it is hard to play defense at the beginning. It is essential to learn how to anticipate the destination of the ball and the course of the game because there are two players who need to cover their area.
Sand volleyball is and exciting sport both to watch and to play because of its dynamics. It is fun to play in the sand, but it is also hard because of the sand as the surface which prevents the body from moving freely. However, this sport has impact on the muscles of the whole body and people become stronger and well-balanced because of the effects of the sand volleyball.
Works Cited
History of Beach Volleyball (n.d.). In Volleyball World Wide. Retrieved May 31, 2016, from http://www.volleyball.org/history_beach.html
How to Play Beach Volleyball (n.d.). In Strength and power for volleyball. Retrieved May 31, 2016, from http://www.strength-and-power-for-volleyball.com/how-to-play-beach-volleyball.html
Santana, J. C. (2006). Movement in the Sand: Training Implications for Beach Volleyball. National Strength and Conditioning Association, 28(5), 19-21. Retrieved May 31, 2016, from http://www.strength-and-power-for-volleyball.com/how-to-play-beach-volleyball.html
