The inception of Beach Volleyball
Beach volleyball is not such an old fad but it has been able to gain such popularity that the game is played in almost every country that boasts a beach.
Beach volleyball is not just a holiday recreation, it has acquired the status of a internationally recognised sport. There are tournaments and competitions both for men and women that take place all over the world.
There is some dispute as to when the game first started. Some people believe that beach volleyball was first played in Hawaii in the year 1915. The reason behind this believe is the fact that Hawaii is the place where a volleyball court was set up by the
Outrigger Beach and Canoe Club. Those who disagree with this notion profess that beach volleyball actually took root in the 1920s as this was the period of development of indoor volleyball that began in Massachusetts. According to this theory, beach volleyball
was first started in Santa Monica.
Whatever place it was first started in, we know that the game was initially played as a casual sport. People were familiar with the rules of indoor volleyball, so they just improvised them to suit the beach and themselves. All it took for people to start
playing beach volleyball was the beach, the net and a ball. As the game did not call for a lot of investment and gave people ample opportunity to enjoy themselves with family and friends, beach volley ball gained popularity like fire.
The Great Depression proved to be a significant era in the development of the sport. As America, along with the rest of the world was suffering financially, beach volleyball became a much appreciated form of sport. Gradually, it became noticeable as a distinct
form of sport.
An International Volleyball Federation was duly established in the 1970’s. But it was not until 1986 that beach volleyball was officially recognized by the Federation. This status brought it more into the limelight and gave it a much needed platform from
which it could project itself in the global arena. From that time on, beach volleyball has been able to establish itself in Asia and Europe.
In the year 1999, beach volleyball was able to gain considerable achievement. A total of 18 tournaments of beach volleyball took place the world over, 12 of which were men’s and six were women tournaments. The sum of prize money allocated for all 18 tournaments
was 0.6 million dollars. The number of spectators and fans that were generated during the year was a sound figure of 460,000.
Before that, in 1993, beach volleyball had become a sport that could be played in the Olympics.
Like indoor volleyball, beach volleyball also has a court divided into two parts. The court as a whole, measures sixteen by eight meters. The height of the net can vary between two to 2.5 meters above the ground. Unlike indoor volleyball that has six players
on each side, beach volleyball consists of two players in each team. The scoring is simple. The player either has to hit the ball so that it touches the ground on the opponent’s side or a point can also be scored if the opposing team commits a fault. Similar
to indoor volleyball however, each team is allowed a maximum of three contacts with the ball before throwing it over to the opponent’s side but a player is not allowed to touch the ball consecutively.
Tags: