The Sport

Beach volleyball is a quintessential summer sport played on sand by the sea — a discipline where competition and festival come together under bright sun, sea breeze and open sky. Unlike indoor volleyball, it has a free, dynamic spirit that goes beyond sport to embody culture and lifestyle.

Team

2 players (no substitutes)

Court

16m × 8m sand court

Net height

Men 2.43m · Women 2.24m

Match format

Best of 3 sets

Set score

21 points (15 in set 3), rally scoring

Governing body

FIVB · AVC · KBVF

Beach volleyball is a net sport contested two-against-two on a sand court. Though it grew out of six-a-side indoor volleyball, it has become a sport in its own right: two players cover every role, and the match plays out in the open elements. Fast rallies, explosive jumping and a stage close to the crowd make it hugely watchable.

Each rally begins with a serve and flows through reception, set and attack. The sand and the two-player limit test strategy, fitness and focus on every point.

Beach volleyball is played by teams of two, rallying across the net. The court is a 16m × 8m sand surface, and natural variables — wind, sun and the state of the sand — all become part of play. Sets are won at 21 points and the first team to two sets wins; if the teams split, a third set to 15 decides it. With no substitutes, each player's skill and chemistry directly shape the outcome.

Its defining traits are openness and festivity. Temporary courts can be set up on beaches, city plazas or lakesides, bringing the action close to the crowd, and with music, performance and events the venue becomes a festival. Because just two players must attack, defend, serve and receive, tactical flexibility and all-round ability are essential.

Beach volleyball holds great value as health, tourism and cultural content. Playing on sand carries comparatively low injury risk while delivering a strong full-body workout, making it well suited to everyday participation. Around the world it has become a local festival, a tourism asset and a global event, creating new value where sport and culture meet across cities and coastlines.

Because only two players run the game, each must master the full skill set.

· Serve — the only attacking start to a rally; float and jump serves disrupt the opponent's reception.

· Reception (pass) — the first touch on a serve or attack that sets up the offence; its accuracy decides the quality of the attack.

· Set — delivering the ball for the attacker to strike; on sand, hand-setting is judged strictly.

· Attack (spike / shot) — not just power, but precise cut shots, roll shots and pokes to find space.

· Block — intercepting or steering the opponent's attack at the net.

· Dig — floor defence that keeps falling balls alive, demanding agility on the sand.

The biggest variable in beach volleyball is the court itself. On soft sand, jumping and moving are far harder, draining energy and demanding quick changes of direction and balance.

Wind alters the ball's flight and strong sun hampers vision on high balls. Court switches (every 7 points in sets 1–2, every 5 in set 3) share these advantages and disadvantages evenly between the teams. Reading and adapting to the conditions is as decisive as technique.

They share a root but differ clearly.

· Players — beach is 2-a-side, indoor 6; beach has no substitutions, libero or fixed positions.

· Court — beach 16m×8m (no attack line), indoor 18m×9m.

· Scoring — beach to 21 (15 in the decider), indoor to 25 (15 in the decider).

· Rules — on the beach the block counts as a team touch, open-hand tips are illegal, and hand-setting is judged strictly.

· Setting — outdoors on sand, wind and sun, versus a controlled indoor hall.

Since becoming a full Olympic sport at Atlanta 1996, beach volleyball has been a marquee event of the Summer Games. Today the world's best compete on the FIVB Beach Pro Tour (Elite16, Challenge and Futures tiers), at the World Championships, and on continental tours such as the AVC's.

In Korea, the 2025 Busan Gwangalli international women's event and the K-Beach Series mark the start of a sustained push onto the world stage and a broadening of the sport at home.