FIVB beach volleyball rules – three hits after block touch
Comparing beach volleyball rules and regulations to indoor volleyball is a widely discussed topic in the beach volleyball community. One of the differences in regulations between beach volleyball and indoor volleyball is the block touch rule. In indoor volleyball the block does not count as one of three hits allowed to return the ball. The FIVB has now announced to test this regulation for beach volleyball as well.
New block touch rule for beach volleyball allows four hits
The new rule to be tested complements the current regulation stating “The team is entitled to a maximum of three hits” by adding “in addition to blocking“. Additionally, the new regulation says “A block contact is not counted as a team hit“. The new block touch rule aims at increasing the rally length and making beach volleyball even more attractive.
Test will run until February 2018
The test phase will start with the FIVB World Tour Event in Qinzhou (China) from October 11-15 and run until February 25, 2018. The data gathered from the test phase will be complemented by a survey involving athletes, coaches, referees, media and event organizers. Results will be compared to data from the 2015 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in the Netherlands and presented to the FIVB Board of Administration.
Rally length presumably higher with new rule
At professional level most beach volleyball rallies are generally side-out situations. After the serve the receiving team makes use of its three allowed hits and most often ends the rally with a spike or cut. By allowing the defending team to have a block touch plus three additional hits, the probability of the rally to continue is presumably higher than with only allowing a maximum of three hits.
Passing by your nice site.
I love to watch beach volleyball.
Thanks for your nice comment, Angelina!
Hey so when exactly was the rule passed? Was it accepted as a rule in February 2018 or how long did it take to become a standard after the test?
Hey Taylor,
the rule has been tested until February 2018. After the test it has not been established permanently. We don’t know about the exact test results or what the FIVB is planning regarding the block touch rule.