The outdoor program is growing at an unbelievable rate. To ensure court availability and a spot in CBVA tournaments, we get started early. Vibe has already reserved court time, secured qualified coaches, and will start getting players registered and signed up for CBVA events immediately.  

Go to the link below and sign the player up for a youth membership.

https://cbva.com/Home/PlayingJunior

After you have a membership number you can register for a tournament. Tournament sign-ups should be done as soon as registration opens for all CBVA events you want to play in. Space will be very limited for all Santa Cruz tournaments.

With the growth of beach volleyball, there are now multiple organizations providing opportunities to play. We will keep everyone informed of anything that pops up.

Players: The most obvious difference is there are 2 players per team in beach and 6 players per team in the indoor game.

Court: The court size for indoor and beach volleyball are very different. Indoor courts are 18m x 9m, with a parallel attack line that is 3m from the center line. Back row players must stay behind this line when hitting the ball. Beach courts are smaller—16m x 8m and there is no attack line; a player may hit the ball from anywhere on their side of the net.

Ball: An indoor ball is heavier and usually made of leather or durable plastic. They are also smaller and harder which allows them to move quicker than beach volleyballs. Beach volleyballs are softer, lighter, and a bit bigger than indoor balls. The indoor ball’s pressure is between 4.3 and 4.6 pounds per square inch. The pressure for outdoor volleyballs ranges between 2.5 and 3.2 psi. The lighter weight allows them to float more in the air, allowing good players to use the weather to their advantage.

Games indoor are played to 25 while sand games are played to 21 or 28, depending on the event. A minimum of 3 games are played indoor to determine a winner, while outdoor only uses 1 game to determine the winner. Indoor, teams change sides of the court after each game and after 8 points during the third game. Sides of the court are exchanged every multiple of 7 points during sand games.

Setting: Most sets in sand volleyball are made using underhand setting techniques. Overhand sets at the beach come off with little to no spin because the ball is allowed to be held a second longer. You can overhand set the serve indoor but you are not allowed to overhand set the serve when playing sand volleyball.

Tipping: Open hand tips or quick tips are not allowed in beach. In beach, when a ball is blocked it counts as one of the hits whereas in indoor it does not.

The players are given the first opportunity to select their partners. In beach volleyball, size doesn’t make a big difference, so it’s not essential to have a tall player teamed with a smaller player.

If a player doesn’t have a partner, we will select one for them during the practice sessions.

This year, for both CBVA and NCVA, teams can change partners before every event, so a player may have multiple partners during the summer.

We’ll be using a common set of court hand signals to make changing partners easier without disrupting team communication.

Parents are responsible for transportation to and from events; we highly recommend carpooling, when possible. Several team parents have already volunteered to fill this role.

The following items should be part of every beach player’s backpack:

1. Water

2. Sunscreen

3. Lip balm

4. Sports sunglasses (polarized)

5. Sand Socks (we recommend Vincere (blue lightning) )

6. Visor or hat

7. Energy snack (nothing that can melt)

8. Sandals/flip flops

9. Water, Water, Water

Most beach players will pay the price ($40-$60) and buy the AVP ball of choice, which is a Wilson yellow-and-white-striped official game ball. A Wilson official tournament game ball (yellow/white) will be provided to each player at the start of the season. Players should bring their ball to all events to use during warm-ups. At all CBVA events, a court ball will be provided by the event director for game play.

All beach players will need to be very versatile being able to serve, pass, hit, dig and block. With only two players to cover the court, no specialization can be done effectively. Initially, the most common positions used will be a left or a right side.

Coaching during a game is strictly prohibited and in most cases a coach will be in the area but not actually at the court. The coach is allowed to talk to players during the one time out per game. The coaching rule also includes parents or spectators on the sideline.

Some of the most common rules are with tipping, as it is illegal in outdoor games; players can dink the ball over the net if they use their palms, locked, straight fingers, or the heel of the hand.

Indoor players have a limit as to how far they can pursue and play a ball off the court. In beach, the player can hit the ball even if it’s out of the court boundaries. This includes a ball that has been played across the net or over the antennas to the other side of the court.

In outdoor, a set over the net can only be made directly in front of or behind the player making the set. An exception to this rule is if the wind blows a ball set for a teammate over the net.

In beach, player’s often ref their own games. It’s important that players know and understand the rules and are on the honor system as far as calling the game.

Balls and uniforms are provided by the club. Vincere blue lightning socks can be purchased on Amazon or EBay for about $20. (Recommend two pair). If you want to purchase your own ball we will be using the Wilson official AVP team ball with the yellow strip. These balls are expensive and not much different than the Wilson replica ball for half the price which can also be purchased on Amazon. One of the most important pieces of equipment a player can have is their sunglasses. The glasses need to be a high quality impact resistant sports type. They should be polarized and fitted to the players face. Not wearing sunglasses during an event can be harmful so please take the time and get a pair of quality sunglasses it will be worth it!