Volleyball with a Twist
By Hilda Monica Cao-Naval

Warm evenings... warmer days. Scorching heat during noontime. Sunblock demand curve dramatically shifting rightwards. Colorful swimwear on the ads. Rubber flip flops piling up on the stores. March has just started. April is fast approaching.

Upon the observation of the occurrence of these warning signs, I therefore conclude that it’s summer already. After enduring the long-drawn-out agony over the acads and all the excruciating final exams, I would be enjoying a much-awaited vacation. It’s coming soon.

Really soon.

One of the common activities during summer is having a tour at the beach. There swim, sun bathe, and play volleyball. Yep you heard that one right. Play volleyball—one that’s much like the indoor volleyball, only with several alterations. One major difference is that it is being played barefooted sand courts usually located by the beachside. For this very reason, it has been called Beach Volleyball.

This sport started as early as 1920 in Santa Monica, California. By the 1930s, its popularity has reached the domains of Europe, and by 1940s double tournaments were being played on Sta. Monica Beaches. A group of people from that part of California tried to start a professional volleyball league two decades after. After undergoing many obstacles along the way, it became an exhibition sport in the 1992 Olympics. Finally, it became a separate Olympic event four years after (1996). The sport has been introduced to us Filipinos through the many tournaments being organized by various groups. One of which is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

As mentioned before, beach volleyball is much like the indoor volleyball. They are both played by two teams facing each other divided by a net placed at the middle of the court. Furthermore, it abides by the same objective which is to send the ball over the net for it to reach the opponent’s side, and prevent the opponent from achieving this same effort. It also makes use of the Rally Point System, that is, the team winning a rally scores a point.

This sport, however, has been modified to fit into the beach setting. Instead of teams composed of six members (in the indoor volleyball), the beach volleyball teams consists of only two players. It also makes use of a ball which is softer and slightly bigger than that of the indoor type. Each of the half court measures relatively smaller, 8 by 8 meters, compared to the 9 by 9 size of the indoor volleyball. There are many other minor differences between the two mentioned games. For comparison (or for more information for that matter), the complete rules for both games can be read at website of Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). Read well enough for who knows, you could be the next beach volleyball star of the country.

Until then, see you at the beach!