Beach Volleyball vs. Indoor Volleyball

    Do you like that power and drive you feel when you get an ace? Do you like the feeling of having an amazing victory over your rivals? Do you like the feeling of getting a ground shaking kill? But do you hate being inside a gym all the time? If you do, then beach volleyball is a great sport for you to play.
    Beach volleyball was first played in Honolulu, HI in 1915. It was first played at the Outrigger Canoe Club. The most famous player was a man named Duke Kahanamoku. The sport began to spread all around the county and eventually became popular around the world.
    Indoor volleyball was first invented on February 9, 1896 in Holyoke, Mass. by William G. Morgan. He was a Y.M.C.A. physical education director and he created the game of volleyball which was originally called mintonette. He invented it by the characteristics of tennis and hardball. It then became very popular and teams began playing it all around the world.
    There are some similarities between indoor volleyball and beach volleyball. First of all, they are both played with a ball called a volleyball. During the actual game play, both teams play up to 25 points with no cap. Some other teams will both play up to 21 with no cap. One of the teams has to have a victory by more than 2 points. Both teams will also play a 3rd match to 15 points if the 2 previous matches were split.
    There are also a lot of big differences between beach volleyball and indoor volleyball. First, indoor volleyball is played indoors and beach volleyball is played outside on the beach. It is sometimes also called sand volleyball. Second, the size of both courts are different. The beach volleyball court is 16x8m which is smaller than the 18x9m court that is used for indoor volleyball. The weight of the volleyballs are also different. The volleyball used for beach volleyball is 171-221 grams. The weight of the volleyball for indoor play is 260-280 grams. This volleyball is heavier because during indoor volleyball, the ball needs to travel quicker and faster so it is more challenging to dig the ball.
    There is also a big difference between the uniforms that the players wear. In beach volleyball, the girls wear bikini bottoms or board shorts. For their tops, they wear sports bras. The guys wear no shirt and a pair of shorter swim trunks. In indoor volleyball, the girls wear spandex, also called bikers, for their bottoms and wear either a long sleeve or short sleeve shirt for the top. For indoor volleyball the guys wear just about the same thing but they wear longer shorts. The biggest difference between the two sports is in how many players each team has. Indoor volleyball has 6 players. They also have a special rotation that they have to follow. If they happen to get out of this rotation, the ref gives the other team a point and they also get the ball to serve. In beach volleyball, there are only 2 players. They don't have a special rotation. They just have a left and right side of the court.
    So in the end, there are some great similarities and differences between indoor volleyball and beach volleyball. They are also both really fun games to play. But, beach volleyball is a little more fun and challenging.