| About
the Sport
The basic skills of beach volleyball are the same as
for volleyball, and the flow of play follows similar
lines: one team serves, the other tries to win the rally -
or 'side-out' - with a pattern of dig, set, spike within
the requisite three touches.
Having only two players on a team leads to differences
in offence and defence. There is more shot variety (with
half-speed, finesse and placement shots); blockers take
more risks (deciding where to block and when to pull off
the net or back-pedal to play defence); there is greater
mobility in the backcourt (players are not so bound by
'positional' convention - they are free to move to all
areas of the court); and players need to be adept in all
the basic skills.
On the beach, there is no such thing as 'calling subs'
if you're having a bad day. And there are no court-side
coaches - players decide tactics during time-outs.
-
Because
of the many difficulties of playing outdoors, such as
the sand, the sun and the wind, beach volleyball
players must have outstanding ball skills and court
speed. Partners must be well matched or opponents will
win easy points by exploiting the weaker player.
-
At the
Atlanta Olympic Games, the United States' Karch Kiraly
and Kent Steffes and Brazil's Jackie Silva and Sandra
Pires won the first Olympic gold medals awarded in
beach volleyball. Kiraly, regarded as the greatest
volleyballer ever, had previously won two Olympic
Games gold medals as a six-a-side volleyballer in Los
Angeles in 1984 and in Seoul in 1988.
-
For
beach volleyball, matches are played best of three
sets using the rally point system. The first two sets
are played to 21 points, with the final tie-breaker
set being played to 15 points. A team must win a set
by two points. There is no ceiling, so a set continues
until one of the teams gains a two-point advantage.
-
At
Sydney 2000, preliminary matches were one set played
to 15 points, with a ceiling of 17 points (i.e. a team
could win a set 17-16). The medal games were best of
three sets to 12 points, with the first two sets
having a ceiling of 12 points. The third set to 12 was
rally-point, whereby teams score a point for every
rally, regardless of which team served. As well, the
third set has no ceiling - a team had to win by a
two-point advantage.
-
Sydney
2000 - There was a men's and women's volleyball event
and a men's and women's beach volleyball event. In
volleyball, 12 men's teams of 12 players and 12
women's teams of 11 players competed. In beach
volleyball, 24 men's and 24 women's pairs competed.
Righty
or lefty?
The entire 81sq m of sand is shared by only two
players, so teams tend to divide the court evenly and
specialise in playing left or right. This gives greater
consistency in receiving serve and shot selection. It's
also easier to spike a ball that hasn't passed across the
line of your body, which is why left-handers like to play
right side and vice versa.
Frontcourt
or backcourt?
One player will often take care of all the frontcourt
blocking, while the better defender keeps to the backcourt
making digs.
Ways
and Means
All players at the elite level carry a 'bag of tricks'
to help get them through every game. Teams that come out
and simply blast away at every ball soon find themselves
worn out in the sand and the heat, and quickly outsmarted
by more experienced players. This is why you'll see such a
wide range of shots. Disguised shots, off-speed spikes,
'going on two' (hitting the second shot over), cut-shots,
pokies, chops, rainbows, loops, jousts - all are part of
the beach volleyballer's offensive repertoire. As for
defence: pulling, holding, faking, chasing, diving, juking
… the list goes on. These terms are explained under
'talk the talk'.
Talk
the talk
Ace - Also called a
'spader', this is when a serve hits the sand without your
opponent touching it. Easy to understand; harder to
produce. See also 'hubby wife'.
Block - Beach
players must be creative when blocking, often faking one
way and reaching the other to fool their opponents into a
poor decision. Watch for the impressive cat-and-mouse work
of Brazil's Jose Loiola, at the net.
Cut shot - A soft,
spinning shot intended to drop close to the net and the
sideline. An intelligent player has a wide range of cut
shots to keep opponents guessing. Sinjin Smith of the US
owed much of his brilliant career to developing cut shots
that looked identical until the moment of contact,
frustrating those who played against him.
Dink or pokey -
Since using the fingertips to 'tip' or push the ball is
not allowed in beach volleyball, players use their
knuckles instead. This is usually a soft shot played just
over the net or blocker's hands.
Faking or 'Juking' -
A backcourt strategy whereby players show they are heading
in one direction by moving or stepping that way, only to
change direction at the last moment and, hopefully, lure
the spiker into playing a shot directly to them. Sometimes
a defender will fake several times before committing to an
area of the court.
Hubby Wife - And
you thought your relationship was in trouble! This is a
form of ace that occurs when a ball is served between two
players and indecision causes them both to leave it. As
in: "You've got it - I don't want it - Ace!"
Australia's Julien Prosser loves the hubby-wife, and tells
younger players: "When you're in a fiddle … go down
the middle."
Loop or Rainbow -
Ideally, this shot will look the same as the cut shot, but
at the last moment is delivered not soft and short, but
high and deep to land just inside - or, preferably, on -
the baseline. The idea is to draw the defenders in short,
then 'loop' the ball over their heads.
On Two - When a
player unexpectedly hits the ball over the net on the
team's second shot, rather than setting his or her partner
as expected. If well disguised, 'going on two' can be very
effective.
Pulling - Sometimes
a blocker will elect not to block and will 'pull' back
into court to help play defence instead. This usually
occurs when the spiker is not in a position to spike the
ball effectively. All great blockers must be aware of
what's happening through the net to react quickly.
Roof - Forming a
strong, roof-like block in front of a hard-driven ball
will result in the intended spike being delivered sharply
toward the feet of your opponent. A much sought-after
result.
Shank - When
forearm passing goes bad. A 'shank' is the act of trying
to pass the ball well, but sending it off into the crowd,
instead.
Six-pack - A ball
smashing into your opponent's head is a 'six-pack'
because, traditionally, it meant they had to buy you one
after the game.
Skyball - A
tremendously high (usually underarm) serve that moves in
the wind and hides in the sun, causing difficulty for the
receiving team. |
