Playing beach volleyball barefoot at a certain level of intensity could feel somewhat intimidating for some beginners and even seasoned players who are more used to indoor volleyball …
That’s why protecting feet while playing is definitely a legitimate concern!
In this article I breakdown the best and easiest ways to help protect your feet while playing sand volleyball.
4 Feet Protection Tips for beach volleyball players.
Cool your feet in brakes
You can do that by simply applying water to your feet every once in a while, the water will make the sand stick to your feet, adding another extra layer between your feet and the hot sand.
Sand Socks
This is my favorite option. Indeed, there are some sand specific socks that you can use. They can even help you perform better as they make the feel significantly more comfortable.
If you are not sure what these sand socks look like, then you should have a look at this quality pair Here at Amazon.
Those socks can also protect you against sharp objects that might injure your feet.
Sport bandage
You can try bandaging your feet with white sports bandage that comes in a roll. It is used in a variety of purposes including burns and for the prevention of surface tension. Bandaging your toes and sensitive parts of your feet is a great idea.
Just give your feet the chance to adapt
Human feet are made by nature to be bare and to experience the ground. Your feet skin will get used to sand even if it is very hot. It will develop additional layers to get used to that.
Those protection tips will also help you while practicing in the rain …
What do beach volleyball players wear on their feet?
Again, some players might wear bandages, especially those who have sensitive parts on their feet. Yet the most common thing they wear is definitely sand socks …
The name ‘sand socks’ can be a little bit misleading. They are made out of a range of different materials and most of them are basically synthetic materials such as rubber, polyester and neoprene.
Sand socks are not just made for volleyball, but also for everyday use and a variety of water activities. They usually have the soles made out of different materials that are suitable for sand, and some of them even have shock absorbers for jumping.
There are some people who use shoes in sand volleyball. However, this is not something I would recommend …
Sand socks recommendation
One of the best sand socks out there are these sand socks (Check them Here at Amazon). They are made for beach volleyball, snorkeling and beach soccer, or sand soccer.
They have the ability to protect your feet from the hot sand, mud, dirt and sharp objects, such as sharp rocks, shells and other things, but not glass.
They have a great grip and can prevent slipping during your activities, mainly the watery ones, beach volleyball, that is the sand is a different story.
Can you play beach volleyball in shoes?
Beach volleyball cannot and should not be played in shoes. There are no strict rules for playing beach volleyball in shoes, sand socks or barefoot.
It is not practical to play beach volleyball in shoes. Shoes are heavier, cannot provide you with the same amount of comfort as bare feet or sand socks and can restrict your movement in the sand.
Wearing shoes in normal occasions while walking on sand can be a challenge, let alone playing beach volleyball in them.
Can regular socks help protecting feet?
Regular socks are not made for sand. Regular socks are made to be worn inside and while wearing a pair of foot wear.
Regular sock are usually made out of wool, or the wool makes about 70-80% of the material, while the other 30-20% being other materials, such as polyester, polyethylene etc. Wool has the property of warming the surfaces it is applied on, that too goes for socks.
Playing beach volleyball in regular socks can be a little bit painful since the wool will easily warm up and make your feet hotter than normal sand would in this case. So the answer is clear, regular socks cannot protect your feet in a manner similar to sand socks for example.
You can wear regular socks, but it would not be good for you or your feet in general, it would only get hooter in them.
How hot can sand get in general?
The sand on a „regular“ beach can get hot enough to cause first and second degree burns. It is not unheard of that sand can cause third degree burns, but that is rarely the case.
Let us first start with the world’s largest desert, in order to get a better understanding. The Saharan desert is a vast ocean of sand. The temperature of the Saharan desert has its average of 30+ degrees. In the hot summer days it can get up to 47 degrees Celsius, which is pretty hot.
The temperature of the sand is usually 16 to 22 degrees Celsius higher than that. So if the temperature is at around 35 degrees the temperature of the sand would be around 51 to 57 degrees Celsius, which is pretty damn hot.
Now, the Sahara was a radical example, but a good one, that demonstrates how hot the sand can get, and what the temperature differences are.
On a sandy beach, that is not a part of the Sahara desert, we can assume that the case would be similar, that is, we can assume that the temperature would on average be higher 14-16 degrees than the air.
It is know that sand on a regular beach can reach even 120 degrees Fahrenheit, that is it can reach 48 degrees Celsius when the temperature is about 35 degrees, so 13 degrees Celsius higher.
Can beach sand burn your feet?
Absolutely yes, beach sand can reach as we have seen so far a temperature much higher than that of the air, That is, it can get hotter that the temperature of the air by 16 to 24 degrees.
It is known that beach sand can give you first and second degree burns, it is also known, but that is rarely the case, that beach volleyball can give you third degree burns, which are pretty severe.
It is by itself uncomfortable to walk or run on the hot sand, but to play a game barefoot while the sand is scorching your feet is sometimes unbearable. That is where the sand socks come in. Using sand socks you eliminate the possibility of getting burns, but it still might be hot.
Are there beach sand types that do not get hot?
There are hardly any beach sand types that do not get hot. There are however regulations about the sand that is used by beach volleyball players.
The sand that is used for beach volleyball players is required to be of fine grain, without any traces of shells or rocks, because there is a need to avoid injury, that is small cuts and bruises.
Since there are no statistics about specific sand types that do not get hot, we can assume that there is no such type of sand that does not get hot. All things that get exposed to the sun rays get hot in more or less.
We can however say that the sand that is used for beach volleyball is finer in composition and in structure, it appears whiter than regular beach sand. Being whiter or more pale than regular sand allows i to reflect some of the sun rays away from the surface, but it will still get hot no matter the paleness.
So there is no type of sand that does not get hot, or that does not get hot, and there are no types of fake sand like there are fake snow and fake grass for other sports. The players have to play on a mild or hot surface anyway.
Final Thoughts …
If you are a total beginner, then I highly recommend you get started by using sand socks in the first weeks of practice and also try to play bare foot from time to time whenever you feel the sand in not that hot …
This will help you focus solely on your game and help improve your skills. Otherwise, you will always be distracted and won’t even enjoy the game.
To end this article, I highly invite you to check this complete list of beach volleyball equipment. I think you will find it very interesting …