Beach Volleyball Rules

BEACH VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE

Rules of the Game

Copyright 2017

The rules governing sand volleyball are basically the same as those governing indoor volleyball with a few small yet significant differences. Listed below are the rules of the game. Teams will play 3 games to 21 rally score with a cap at 23. Serves that hit the net and go over the net to the opponents side will be “live” and are good serves provided they are played by the opposing team or they land in bounds.

**New Rule: Setting the serve is legal in all recreational and intermediate leagues. Setting the serve is illegal at the COMPETITIVE and UPPER INTERMEDIATE levels.**

**New Rule: Open hand tipping or “dinking” is legal at the recreational and intermediate levels. Open hand tips are illegal in the competitive and upper intermediate levels. “Dinking” is legal in the competitive and upper intermediate levels, the fingers must be “rigid and together” or knuckles used to be legal.

BVB SPECIFIC RULES

• Coed 2`s (1 man and 1 woman); Men’s 2’s (2 men); Women’s (2 women)

• 4`s (2 men and 2 women)

• 6`s (3 men and 3 women)

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Two player teams must have two players (minimum one female) on the court at all times.

• Four player teams must have at least two players (minimum one female) on the court at all times and a Maximum of two men.

• Six player teams must have at least four players (minimum two females) on the court at all times and a Maximum of three men. Teams with less than six players may have to adhere to the ghost rule (see below).

• In the 4’s league you can never play with more than 2 men and in the 6’s league you can never play with more than 3 men.

• For the 6’s league only the opposing captain has the option of instilling the Ghost Rule: In 6’s, if a team has 5 players for example, they must forfeit their serve after every 5th rotation. This will allow the team with a full squad to serve back-to-back.

• Teams not able to field a “full” team, or the minimum number of players, may play with the consent of the opposing captain and/or league staff member.

• In 4’s you can never have more than 2 men on the court at any one time, but you can have as many women as you would like. In 6’s you can never have more than 3 men on the court at any time, but you can have as many women as you would like.

Teams have until ten minutes past the designated start time to field a full squad. If at that time one team is unable to field a full team (minimum number of players required according to the rules), it will result in a forfeit of the first game, if they are still unable to

field a full team by 20 minutes after the designated start time it will result in a Match forfeit. During the regular season, a team may play a legal game with less than the required number of players if the opposing team consents.

SERVICE POSSESSION & LINEUPS

• A team earns service possession for the start of the first game by winning a coin toss or a Rock/Paper/Scissors. The teams will then alternate service every other game.

ROTATION

• During fours team members do not need to rotate position on the court. They do have to rotate service. During sixes team members must rotate on the court and must remain in that position until the serve has been contacted. The player in the back right hand corner of the rotation will be designated to serve and continue to rotate clockwise.

• Coed formats may line up in any gender order. This means that males may be next to males and females next to females. It is NOT required to alternate males and females.

• In 6’s there must be 3 front row and 3 back row players.

• In 6’s players must rotate position in a clockwise order for each side-out for service.

• In 4’s or 2’s the lineup is not specified. All players are able to hit and block without 10 foot violation.

• In 4’s or 2’s players must keep track of server rotation but each player may maintain the same court position throughout the match.

SUBSTITUTIONS

• Teams are only permitted to substitute a player on their side-out.

• Side-out substitutions must enter the match into the serving position.

• Players arriving late to a game must wait for a side-out to fill a missing position.

PLAYING THE BALL

• SERVES – Server must announce the score prior to serving.

• LET SERVES – Serves that hit the net and go over the net to the opponents side will be “live” and are good serves provided they are played by the opposing team or they land in bounds.

• THREE CONTACTS – Each team is allowed a maximum of 3 successive contacts of the ball in order to return the ball to the opponent’s area. (Exception: In the action of blocking an attacking ball, the touch, or contact resulting from the block attempt does not constitute one of the three successive contacts.)

• ATTACKING THE NET-In two’s and four’s every player is eligible to attack the net. In six’s only the three players that are in the front row of the rotation are allowed to attack the net. Violation of this rule would include any hitting or blocking that occurs above the plane of the net.

• SIMULTANEOUS CONTACTS – When two non-blocking teammates touch the ball simultaneously, it is considered one contact, and any player may make the next contact in all recreational and intermediate leagues. In competitive and upper intermediate levels, if teammates touch the ball simultaneously this counts as TWO team contacts, and either player may make the 3rd contacts. When two blocking teammates touch the ball simultaneously, it is not counted as a contact, and any player may make the next contact.

-When two opponents simultaneously and instantaneously contact the ball over the net, the ball remains in play and the team receiving the ball is entitled to another three hits. If such a ball lands “out”, it is the fault of the team on the opposite side of the net from where the ball lands.

• CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONTACT – The ball can contact any number of body parts down to, and including the foot, providing such contacts are simultaneous and the ball rebounds immediately and cleanly after such contact.

• HELD BALL – The ball must be contacted cleanly and not held, lifted, pushed, caught, carried or thrown. The ball cannot roll or come to rest on any part of a player’s body. It can rebound in any direction.

• HAND SETS – A contact of the ball using the fingers of one or two hands to direct the ball toward a teammate is a set. The ball must come into contact with both hands simultaneously and leave both hands simultaneously to avoid a double hit call. A player may set the ball over the net in front or behind them only in the direction in which their shoulders are squarely facing. Rotation of the ball after the set may indicate a held ball or multiple contacts during the set but in itself IS NOT A FAULT. Setting the serve is legal in all recreational and intermediate level leagues. Setting the serve is illegal in all Competitive and Upper Intermediate leagues. EXCEPTION: In Competitive and Upper Intermediate leagues open hands may be employed and double contact allowed in the act of a “hard hit ball defense.”

• ATTACKING THE BALL OVER THE OPPONENT’S COURT– A player is not allowed to attack the ball on the opposite side of the net. If the ball is hit above the spiker’s side of the net and then the follow-through causes the spiker’s hand and arm to cross the net without contacting an opponent or the net, the action does not constitute a fault.

BLOCKING

• Blocking is the action close to the net which intercepts the ball coming from the opponents’ side by making contact with the ball before, during or after it crosses the net. In Competitive and Upper Intermediate leagues the block touch is considered one contact and the team has two remaining contacts remaining.

• MULTIPLE CONTACTS – Multiple contacts of the ball by a player(s) participating in a block shall be legal provided it is during one attempt to intercept the ball. Multiple contacts of the ball during a block shall be not counted as a contact, even though the ball may make multiple contacts with one or more players of the block.

• PARTICIPATION AFTER A BLOCK – Any player participating in a block shall have the right to make the next contact, such contact counting as the first of three hits allowed the team.

• BLOCKING A SERVE – Blocking or attacking a serve is prohibited.

• BLOCKING A BALL ACROSS THE NET – Blocking of the ball across the net above the opponent’s court shall be legal provided that such a block is:

(1) After a player of the attacking team has spiked the ball, or, in the referee’s judgment, intentionally directed the ball into the opponent’s court, or has exhausted their third allowable hit.

(2) After the opponents’ have hit the ball in such a manner that the ball would clearly cross the net if not touched by a player, provided no member of the attacking team is in a position to make a legal play on the ball

(3) If the ball is falling near the net and no member of the attacking team could reasonably make a play on the ball.

PLAY AT THE NET

• PLAYER CONTACT WITH THE NET – No part of the body may touch the net at anytime unless a ball or person driven into the net causes the contact. Player contact with the net in a manner not directly relating to or affecting the course of play is not a violation. Contact with hair or part of the uniform will not be considered a fault.

• SIMULTANEOUS CONTACT BY OPPONENTS – If opponents contact the net simultaneously, it shall constitute a double fault and the point shall be played over.

• INTERFERENCE – Beach volleyball allows any and all parts of the body to cross the center line as long as there is no interference with the opposing player.

TIMING

• LENGTH – Each match will be allotted 50/60 minutes (depending on facility) of playing time. Any warm up time used beyond the scheduled start time will cut into this match time. If the third game has yet to start and only ten minutes remain in playing time, all rally scored matches will end at 15 points with a cap of 17.

COURT SIZE

• 4’s & 6’s – The court size for 4’s and 6’s is 60 feet long x 30 feet wide.

• 2’s – The court size for 2’s is “short court” – 52 feet long x 26 feet wide.

LEAGUE POLICIES

GAMES:

During the regular season matches are to be played within time allotted (warm up time is included). The scoring format will be 3 games to 21 points using the Rally Scoring Format. You must win by 2 points, however, the score is capped at 23. If the third game has yet to start, and has only 10 minutes remaining in the hour, the third may be played to 15 (cap at 17).

REFS:

ALL GAMES WILL BE SELF-REFFED. THERE WILL BE NO OBLIGATION ON THE PART OF ANY PARTICIPANTS TO SEND REFEREES EARLY OR LEAVE REFEREES AFTER A MATCH.

Captains are responsible for recording the results of their game. Clipboards will be provided on each court to record the scores. Our staff will provide constant reminders with regards to this process.

In cases where teams fail to record their results, both teams will receive losses for the match.

The self-ref policy will continue throughout the preliminary rounds of the playoffs. Our staff will monitor all courts during the playoffs and will be available for any and all questions, concerns, or discrepancies that may arise. We will be able to provide referees for the finals in circumstances where both teams and staff deem necessary.

FORFEITS:

If your team forfeits a match during the season, the following rules apply:

First Offense: Loss of three games.

Second Offense: Three losses and staff reserves the right to remove team from playoffs.

Third Offense: Removal from the league.

Any team that forfeits more than once also forfeits any guarantee or right to a certain number of guaranteed games.

If you know in advance that your team is going to forfeit a game, we encourage you to call our office, at 312.850.8196, so as to help us schedule your opponent a game.

Teams have until ten minutes past the designated start time to field a full squad. If at that time one team is unable to field a full team (minimum number of players required according to the rules), it will result in a forfeit of the first game, if they are still unable to field a full team by 20 minutes after the designated start time it will result in a Match forfeit. During the regular season, a team may play a legal game with less than the required number of players if the opposing team consents.

STANDINGS:

The updated standings will be posted weekly, displaying each teams rank within its skill level. Rank is based on winning percentage.

PLAYOFFS:

Playoffs will begin immediately following the end of the regular season and will typically last between 2 and 3 weeks. After teams have been seeded according to their records all captains will receive an email with the 1st week of playoff game times roughly 3 days before their league playoff date. Teams will not receive a call for any other weeks of playoffs! It is the responsibility of ALL TEAMS to check the playoff brackets at the league or online to find out what time they will be

playing the following week if they win. In playoffs it is not uncommon, (and in some cases will be necessary), for teams to have more than one match in a given night. No substitutes will be allowed during playoffs. All players must have signed the waiver by the second week of the season in order to be eligible for playoffs. All eligible teams will make the playoffs. Playoff eligible teams will be determined on a league by league basis. Teams that have violated the forfeit policy during the course of regular season will not be eligible for playoffs. In certain situations teams at, or near the bottom of the standings may not advance to the playoffs. Check with the CSSC office to see if this applies to your league. Playoffs are single elimination.

Seeding: Teams are seeded based upon a winning percentage, head to head and strength of schedule. Teams may play more than one game per day/night, and/or play games on days/nights other than your regularly scheduled league day/night if necessary. CSSC reserves the right to schedule playoff games on days other than teams regularly scheduled league night. Any questions regarding rules, policies, or eligibility of players must be addressed before the start of the game. Any team that would like to challenge the eligibility of an opposing player must do so before the start of the game. No protests will be considered valid after a game has started.

-Speed scoring rules still apply during the playoffs.

-Teams may play more than one match per day.

In cases where several cancellations have occurred during the season, teams may be required to play on a different night of the week. (Example: Thursday semi-finals may be played on Thursday and finals held on Friday.)

If a team does not have a full squad (minimum number of players required according to the rules) by ten minutes past the designated start time, they will forfeit the first game of the match. At twenty minutes after the start time the match is over (per staff and opposing team’s captain request).

Any questions regarding policies, rules, or eligibility must be addressed before the start of the match.

WAIVERS:

In order to participate in the league, each participant must sign the team waiver. Waivers are provided and must be completed and handed in no later than the first night of play. Players not present the first week of play will still be required to sign a waiver with our staff before participating.

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY:

Players who have been placed on the roster and signed the waiver are eligible for playoffs. A formal protest may be filed before a game if an opposing player’s eligibility is in question. The player in question will be required to provide his/her player information (name, address, phone #, and signature) in writing to a CSSC staff member prior to the start of the game. This qualifies as an official protest. Any protest made during a game or after a game will NOT be considered a formal protest. The game will then be played in its entirety as scheduled. Teams will be notified of all rulings on the identified eligibility discrepancy by the following business day – decisions will not be made on site. If the protest is proven to be legitimate, it will result in the forfeiture of the game in question. Games subsequent to the protested game may be rescheduled. The above procedure will also apply for any other “logged” protests. All rulings by CSSC staff are considered final.

SPORTSMANSHIP:

The idea of CSSC is to have fun. We hope that all participants keep that in mind when becoming involved. Although the games may become intense, you still can be competitive while maintaining good sportsmanship. With this said, any behavior deemed unacceptable by staff may result in suspension and/or ejection from a game or the league. Abuse of officials/referees, and other staff will not be tolerated. CSSC reserves the right to remove a player from a game or a league if they are considered to be bringing down the quality of the league. CSSC will not tolerate fighting! Fighting will be an automatic ejection from any game and in most cases ejection from the league for the remainder of the season.

STAFF:

To coordinate and run the league, our refs and/or staff will be available at all times to help the league run as smoothly as possible. If you have questions regarding schedules, policies, rule interpretations, directions to the bar, etc. please ask.

LEAGUE CANCELLATION/RAINOUT:

Please call our weather hotline for the most up to date information on any cancellations (312.773.7100)

Leagues may be cancelled due to extreme weather conditions, dangerous or unplayable conditions in the facility, facility constraints, etc. CSSC staff makes every effort to play all scheduled games, thus we will not cancel games unless absolutely necessary. Therefore, if you are calling concerning a decision on a cancellation, remember we will not have an answer until close to the start of the league.

If the league is cancelled, CSSC staff will change the “weather hotline” immediately. If possible, the CSSC will then email all of the captains to

let them know. It is then the captain’s responsibility to inform all teammates of the cancellation. If a league is cancelled on site, CSSC staff will attempt to contact those teams still scheduled to play the remainder of the league day/night. Depending on the time of cancellation, some teams will have to be notified on site. If we do cancel, follow next week’s schedule (ex. If April 13 is cancelled teams should follow the April 20 schedule for their next game). The games that are cancelled will be made up towards the end of the season if time allows. In extreme circumstances, CSSC reserves the right to run a shortened season without a refund. CSSC reserves the right to move games or weeks to an alternative location when deemed necessary without compensation. CSSC also reserves the right to schedule games on days other than your regularly scheduled league day/night if necessary.

PRIZES/ JERSEYS: Each team will receive a pre-bundled set of colored jerseys with various sizes at the first night of the league. Additional shirts and sizes can be purchased from the CSSC for an additional charge. The top teams in each division will receive a prize of great emotional, spiritual, and most importantly, social value.

These policies are designed to make the league run as smoothly and safely as possible, and provide continuity for its participants. Each player in the league is responsible for this information: please advise your team of these rules and thanks for playing.