is shared by only two players, so teams tend to divide the court evenly and specialise in playing left or right. This gives greater consistency in receiving serve and shot selection. It's also easier to spike a ball that hasn't passed across the line of your body, which is why left-handers like to play right side and vice versa.
Frontcourt or backcourt?
One player will often take care of all the frontcourt blocking, while the better defender keeps to the backcourt making digs.
Ways and Means
All players at the elite level carry a 'bag of tricks' to help get them through every game. Teams that come out and simply blast away at every ball soon find themselves worn out in the sand and the heat, and quickly outsmarted by more experienced players. This is why you'll see such a wide range of shots. Disguised shots, off-speed spikes, 'going on two' (hitting the second shot over), cut-shots, pokies, chops, rainbows, loops, jousts - all are part of the beach volleyballer's offensive repertoire. As for defence: pulling, holding, faking, chasing, diving, juking … the list goes on. These terms are explained under 'talk the talk'.
Talk the talk
Ace - Also called a 'spader', this is when a serve hits the sand without your opponent touching it. Easy to understand; harder to produce. See also 'hubby wife'.
Block - Beach players must be creative when blocking, often faking one way and reaching the other to fool their opponents into a poor decision. Watch for the impressive cat-and-mouse work of Brazil's Jose Loiola, at the net.
Cut shot - A soft, spinning shot intended to drop close to the net and the sideline. An intelligent player has a wide range of cut shots to keep opponents guessing. Sinjin Smith of the US owed much of his brilliant career to developing cut shots that looked identical until the moment of contact, frustrating those who played against him.
Dink or pokey - Since using the fingertips to 'tip' or push the ball is not allowed in beach volleyball, players use their knuckles instead. This is usually a soft shot played just over the net or blocker's hands.
Faking or 'Juking' - A backcourt strategy whereby players show they are heading in one direction by moving or stepping that way, only to change direction at the last moment and, hopefully, lure the spiker into playing a shot directly to them. Sometimes a defender will fake several times before committing to an area of the court.
Hubby Wife - And you thought your relationship was in trouble! This is a form of ace that occurs when a ball is served between two players and indecision causes them both to leave it. As in: "You've got it - I don't want it - Ace!" Australia's Julien Prosser loves the hubby-wife, and tells younger players: "When you're in a fiddle … go down the middle."
Loop or Rainbow - Ideally, this shot will look the same as the cut shot, but at the last moment is delivered not soft and short, but high and deep to land just inside - or, preferably, on - the baseline. The idea is to draw the defenders in short, then 'loop' the ball over their heads.
On Two - When a player unexpectedly hits the ball over the net on the team's second shot, rather than setting his or her partner as expected. If well disguised, 'going on two' can be very effective.
Pulling - Sometimes a blocker will elect not to block and will 'pull' back into court to help play defence instead. This usually occurs when the spiker is not in a position to spike the ball effectively. All great blockers must be aware of what's happening through the net to react quickly.
Roof - Forming a strong, roof-like block in front of a hard-driven ball will result in the intended spike being delivered sharply toward the feet of your opponent. A much sought-after result.
Shank - When forearm passing goes bad. A 'shank' is the act of trying to pass the ball well, but sending it off into the crowd, instead.
Six-pack - A ball smashing into your opponent's head is a 'six-pack' because, traditionally, it meant they had to buy you one after the game.
Skyball - A tremendously high (usually underarm) serve that moves in the wind and hides in the sun, causing difficulty for the receiving team.
Playing area
The playing area includes the playing court and the free zone.
DIMENSIONS
The playing court is a rectangle measuring 16 x 8 m, surrounded by a free zone with a minimum of 3 m wide and with a space free from any obstruction up to a height of a minimum of 7 m from the playing surface.
For FIVB World Competitions, the playing court is a rectangle measuring 16 x 8 m, surrounded by a free zone with a minimum of 5 m and a
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