Unlike indoor volleyball, played with 6 players on each team, beach volleyball is played with only 2 players on each team.
In this article I breakdown the main reasons why volleyball has only 2 players as well as some interesting facts on how the sport has evolved to this number players. I also discuss some beach volleyball variations that involves more than 2 players.
Reasons why beach volleyball has only 2 players …
Court Size
First reason is related to the court size. Indeed, indoor volleyball has a big court, usually 52.5X26.25 meters, while beach volleyball court is significantly smaller, usually 16X8 meters. By just looking at the size of the court, you can easily see why there is the need for fewer players on court.
Lack of people
The second reason is more historical. At the period of time when beach volleyball was not yet invented, there was a shortage of people willing to play on the beach.
It was more practical and easier to find 2 people for each team, than to assemble a group of 12 people in order to have a friendly beach game of volleyball. We will dive into the history of sport later in this article.
Keep in mind: Some local leagues around the world can be flexible when it comes to the number of people on beach court. One good example of that is co-ed volleyball, which is played 4v4 (we will dive into it later in this article)
Nature of the court
Since the court is sand so the ability to move faster is significantly diminished compared to a wooden soft court. In fact, 2 people can coordinate their actions more efficiently than 6 people on the sand.
Is there substitution for beach volleyball players?
There are no substitutions in volleyball, at least in professional, high ranked games. In the Olympics for example, a beach volleyball team has no substitutions, not even one.
If a professional player gets injured during a game, he can be treated by the coach or the medics to get better, but if that does not work out and the player cannot continue playing, the team forfeits.
However, in the low ranking leagues there are substitutions. A game is played by two people on a team, as we have seen already. The two players have substitution players which can enter the game at any time.
The substitutions in lower league beach volleyball are unlimited. Yes, unlimited.
The substitution must be done in a manner that does not interfere with the flow of the game. Meaning, the substitution must be fluent.
A player that is waiting to get in the game as soon as possible is required to be ready to immediately enter the court to not interrupt the game flow.
Important Tip: If you are an amateur and not used to hot sand while practicing, the you definitely need to use sand socks. They will also give you a more stability and strength when jumping which would results in better performance overall. For example, these quality sand socks are reliable and will help in that regard.
Did beach volleyball started with 2 players at the beginning?
Beach volleyball started back in 1915. when a member of the Outrigger Canoe club, David „Dad“ Center put a net on one of the Hawaii beaches. That beach was Waikiki beach in Honolulu.
As its mother sport (indoor volleyball) beach volleyball started with 6 players. It evolved basically spontaneously in private and public circles. Nets began to pop up on nearly every California beach form 1920. onwards.
In 1920 a coach named Paul Johnson was waiting with four of his players for his other players to arrive on the practice, and decided to start the practice without the late team mates.
That is when beach volleyball began to look like the sport we know today. Johnson realized that playing with two players is more effective than to play with six.
He realized that a tall player’s height can be neutralized by a short player’s mobility and speed. Even his players liked the idea of a two man team, since it was and still is easier to navigate when there are two players rather than six.
The idea that Johnson had that day did not spread like wildfire, it spread rather slowly, but efficiently. The version of beach ball that we know and love today became popular after the 60s.
I highly invite you to learn more about beach volleyball positions …
How much coaching is involved during beach volley games?
Beach volleyball regulations do not allow coaches to interact with their teams, which is a complete opposite to indoor volleyball, where coaches are a part of the game.
In beach volleyball coaches are usually found in the first row, sitting and cheering like a normal fan, they can still yell like normal fans, which is a plus.
In indoor volleyball coaches have the role of a puppet master. They tell their players what to do next, how to improve and what they should watch out for. That behavior is essential because there are 6 people that require good coordination.
In beach volleyball the situation is not the same. The two players that are on the field are usually better coordinated by themselves than six people would be. There is no need for a coach to coordinate two people, it is better if they are left to coordinate themselves.
We have seen the example of the substitution regulations in higher ranking and lower ranking leagues. Coaching is no exception to that. Higher leagues do not support the role of a coach, while lower ranking leagues are flexible in that regard.
Lower ranking leagues give the opportunity for coaching to be done during a game because of the, so to say, underdeveloped play style or skills. The coaching in lower ranking games is allowed in order to enhance the player’s ability for coordination.
Young players, and kids may find it difficult to navigate through a game without a guide, and that is why coaching is allowed in lower ranking games. Professional players are expected to be autonomous in that regard.
Beacause of all those elements, many people consider beach volleyball as a hard sport …
Another beach volleyball variation (4 vs 4)
Nearly all sports have some variation that is practiced recreationally or on a professional level. Beach volleyball is no exception to that.
Beach volleyball is, as we have seen so far, a variation itself, but co-ed is a sub-variation of volleyball.
Co-ed is played by 4 players on each side, meaning that there are eight players on the court.
Co-ed can be played in a mixed variety, meaning that there can be 2 women and 2 men in a game. Or it can be played men v women, there are many possibilities in co-ed.
Co-ed provides the players with a possibility to play a good and more exciting game, while it simultaneously gives more options for socialization.
It can be seen as a friendly, yet competitive game. It is just as aggressive as regular indoor volleyball, since it involves more players.
Co-ed gives more room for strategy and practice. It forces the players to cooperate and navigate more efficiently through a game.
Final Thoughts …
The great thing about beach volleyball is the ease to organize games and competitions. The low number of players, the court availability (beach) and the limited number of required gear (only ball and a net) are all reasons that made from this sport popular and practiced by many …
It is also a great start for people who want to dive later into indoor volleyball as the latter usually requires a club subscription and some gear upfront which is not possible for everybody.