Beach Volleyball Rules and Scoring: The Complete Guide
Beach volleyball rules explained: sets to 21, side switches every 7 points, no open-hand tips, blocks count as a touch, and how it differs from indoor.
Beach volleyball looks like indoor volleyball on sand, but the rules are different in ways that change how the game is played. Here's everything you need to play, referee or keep score of a beach match.
Teams and court
- Two players per team, no substitutions, no coaching during play at official events.
- The court is 16 m × 8 m (8 × 8 per side), smaller than indoor's 18 × 9, and there is no attack line.
- The net is the same height as indoor: 2.43 m for men and 2.24 m for women.
Scoring
| Set | Points | Switch ends |
|---|---|---|
| Set 1 | 21, win by 2 | Every 7 points combined |
| Set 2 | 21, win by 2 | Every 7 points combined |
| Set 3 (if 1–1) | 15, win by 2 | Every 5 points combined |
Beach uses rally scoring, so every rally wins a point. Matches are best of three. Teams switch ends whenever the total points in the set are a multiple of 7 (5 in the third set), for example at 4–3, 6–1 and 10–4. This keeps sun and wind fair for both teams.
Serving order
There are no rotation positions, but serving still alternates between the two partners. When your team wins the serve back, the partner who did not serve last time serves next. Servers can serve from anywhere behind the end line.
Key differences from indoor
The block counts as a touch
Indoors, a block doesn't count as one of the three contacts. On the beach it does, so a team that blocks has only two more touches to get the ball over.
No open-hand tips
You cannot dink the ball over with your fingertips. Attackers must use a "cobra" (knuckles), a "poke" or a controlled roll shot with the heel of the hand.
Stricter setting
Hand sets must be clean, with no visible spin, and a set straight over the net must go square to your shoulders. Many players bump-set to avoid faults.
Hand signals
Before each serve, the net player shows block signals behind their back: one finger to block the line, two to block the angle, a fist for no block.
Timeouts
Each team gets one 30-second timeout per set. In FIVB sets 1 and 2 there is also a technical timeout when the score totals 21.
Keeping score on the sand
The hardest thing to remember on the beach is the side switch. Count the combined score after every rally, or let the app count for you. Choose Beach in Volleyball Scoreboard: Keeper and it plays sets to 21 and 15 and tells you when to change ends.