Although volleyball may seem like the same sport whether it’s played on an indoor volleyball court or an outdoor sand volleyball court, there is actually a big difference between the two. Some people prefer sand volleyball over court volleyball, but I prefer court volleyball. Both courts are the same size (18m x 9m (29'6" x 59')). When it comes to having all of the positions covered, court volleyball is superior; with six people on the court, it is much easier to defend the entire area.
The positions required for court volleyball are quite different from beach volleyball. Court volleyball requires there to be six people on each side of the court. The players wear knee pads and ankle braces to protect their bones and joints, and they wear tennis shoes for traction and foot protection. Each player has a specific job. There are passers, blockers, hitters, setters, and defensive specialists; generally there is one of each, with an additional hitter, although everyone on the court can play almost any role at a given time. Since there are so many people on the court, there is a higher chance of one of the players touching the ball and keeping it in play than it hitting the floor and becoming a dead ball.
Beach volleyball has two people on each side of the court. The players wear goggles to protect their eyes from sand, and they don’t wear shoes of any kind. The sand causes resistance and doesn’t give a firm surface to push off when jumping, so the players are not as quick moving around the court, and must use a greater effort when jumping to block or spike the ball. As a result, they tire much more quickly. The smaller number of players makes the game move faster, since each individual must cover a much larger area of the court. Often times, the players are not able to move fast enough and get to the ball, causing the ball to drop and giving the point to the other team.
Court volleyball matches are