The basics of beach volleyball
Learn about beach volleyball.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzLearn more about beach volleyball.
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Transcript
NARRATOR: Beach volleyball is volleyball played at the beach with a ball and net. The game was invented nearly 100 years ago in the United States. In the meantime, beach volleyball has become a very popular sport and is now an Olympic sport with its own world championships.
In contrast to normal volleyball, there are only two players on each team. Six players take the court for standard volleyball played in the gym, but the other rules are the same. Each team can only touch the ball three times before playing it over the net. If a team makes a bad hit or the ball touches the ground the other team is awarded a point. The first team to reach 21 wins the set. Two sets are played. If one team wins both, a third tie-breaking set is played. In this set the first team to reach 15 wins. When children are playing too and the court is too large for them you can play three players a side. There are various hitting techniques and very important hand signals. These are used to trick the opposing side.
VOLLEYBALL PLAYER: "You can do things like showing one finger behind your back. That means the person hitting should the ball should hit it straight. Two fingers mean to hit it on an angled line, so you hit it so it crosses the playing area. It is a way for the person in the front to direct how to best put the ball over the net."
CHILD: "Wow, we've learned another trick, and we'll use it in a bit too."
NARRATOR: These gestures were thought up as a matter of necessity. This is because the rules stipulate that the team's coach cannot give his team instructions during the match, so the players had to find another solution and thought up these signals. Beach volleyball is loads of fun. The game is played outside on the beach when the weather is nice, and it doesn't even hurt when you fall.
In contrast to normal volleyball, there are only two players on each team. Six players take the court for standard volleyball played in the gym, but the other rules are the same. Each team can only touch the ball three times before playing it over the net. If a team makes a bad hit or the ball touches the ground the other team is awarded a point. The first team to reach 21 wins the set. Two sets are played. If one team wins both, a third tie-breaking set is played. In this set the first team to reach 15 wins. When children are playing too and the court is too large for them you can play three players a side. There are various hitting techniques and very important hand signals. These are used to trick the opposing side.
VOLLEYBALL PLAYER: "You can do things like showing one finger behind your back. That means the person hitting should the ball should hit it straight. Two fingers mean to hit it on an angled line, so you hit it so it crosses the playing area. It is a way for the person in the front to direct how to best put the ball over the net."
CHILD: "Wow, we've learned another trick, and we'll use it in a bit too."
NARRATOR: These gestures were thought up as a matter of necessity. This is because the rules stipulate that the team's coach cannot give his team instructions during the match, so the players had to find another solution and thought up these signals. Beach volleyball is loads of fun. The game is played outside on the beach when the weather is nice, and it doesn't even hurt when you fall.
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