Volleyball
Beach Volleyball is Growing in Popularity
Once a purely Californian sport, beach volleyball is growing in popularity everywhere, and volleyball clubs are springing up across the country, challenging other youth sports like swimming and soccer. Girls volleyball is especially popular, with girls’ volleyball teams across the US having eight times as many players as boys’ teams on the high school level.
While the most famous volleyball beaches in the country are in Southern California, the designation of the first volleyball beach has to go to Waikiki, where the first recorded game of beach volleyball was played at the Outrigger Canoe Club.
One reason for the rise of beach volleyball’s popularity is its status as an Olympic sport since 1996. Women’s beach volleyball viewership numbers during the last Olympic Summer Games were quite high, which some ascribe to the revealing nature of the teams’ uniforms. Traditional volleyball actually has a longer record as an Olympic sport, making its debut in 1964.
Another reason for the increased popularity of volleyball in recent years has to be its relative affordability when compared to other sports. The individual player need only invest in a uniform and volleyball shoes while the rest of the expense of balls, a net, and a place to practice can be shared with the team. Economically, volleyball compares very favorably to sports with expensive equipment and practice spaces like skiing, football, golf, and tennis.
Volleyball is also relatively safe for a young player to participate in without threat of injury. It’s not a contact sport like football, soccer, or basketball, and it carries less of a threat of leg and knee injury than sports like running and tennis. Beach volleyball carries even less risk of injury, due to the forgiving nature of the sand. Traditional volleyball can also be practiced indoors or outdoors, making it the perfect all year sport in any climate.
While it’s fairly easy to translate traditional volleyball skills to beach volleyball and vice versa, there are differences in the games. Obviously they are played on different surfaces, and traditional volleyball is played with six players on each side, while beach volleyball is played with only two on each side of the net.
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