Each team is allowed three hits to return the ball and no player can hit the ball twice in a row. But despite their similarities, the two games are very different beasts, and the most obvious differences are the most telling. Obviously, beach volleyball is played on sand, which must be at least 40 centimetres deep, and it is played outdoors, making the elements an important consideration in play. By definition, beach volleyball players need to be all-rounders. They also need to be acrobats.
Sand provides a soft landing enabling players to throw themselves around the court.
History Beach volleyball is regarded as having begun in Santa Monica, California, in the 1920s, less than a quarter of a century after the indoor version of the game was invented on the other side of the United States in Massachusetts. The sport was given a boost by the Great Depression. Starved of cash, Americans in their hundreds flocked to the beaches to take part in what was virtually a no-cost pastime and a free source of entertainment. By the 1950s, tournaments were being held in California. Included on the program were beauty contests and other forms of entertainment.