Characteristics of the Sport

Beach volleyball’s fundamental aim is to score a point by grounding the ball on the opponents' court, or you can also score a point when the opposition team commits an error.  Teams can contact the ball no more than three times before the ball crosses the net (a block is counted as a contact), and consecutive contacts must be made by different players. 
Major characteristics of beach volleyball are:
• Playing surface: Sand, which can vary greatly from tournament to tournament, in depth, consistency, colour and softness/hardness.
• Team size: 2 players per team (no substitutions).
• The beach court measures 8m x 8m by playing area, and in total 16m × 16m.
• A match consists of three sets. A set is won by the first team to reach 21 points. The first team to win two sets wins the match, and a third set, if necessary, is won by the first team to reach 15 points. Teams must win sets by two points.
• There are no substitutions.

Training

The AIS Beach volleyball athletes train 30+ hours per week. Training includes skill development, tactical development, strength and conditioning sessions, mental and emotional sessions and athlete development sessions. A typical training day for these athletes involves a 90 minute strength session in the morning followed by a 90-150 minute sand session late morning or afternoon. 

Competition

Beach Volleyball for the AIS scholarship holder is a year-round sport. It is played in two distinct sectors; the Australian domestic tour in our summer (December – March) and the International season during the northern hemisphere summer (April – October).
Elite Beach Volleyball athletes play between 20 – 25 week long tournaments a year all around the world. Every four years the best 24 teams in the world aim to qualify for the Olympics. World Championships occur every two years and annually for Junior (U/21) and Youth (U/19) players. The International season usually runs from April – November, with the Australia Domestic tour January – March.

Physical Characteristics

Height is an obvious advantage for beach volleyball players along with long levers, which help to play high above the net. Low to moderate body-fat levels can help optimise speed and agility, jumping ability, reduce risk of injury and handle the rigours of playing up to 4 matches a day. In addition, beach volleyball players need powerful legs to assist with jumping and strong upper bodies to develop power for spiking, serving, blocking and playing defence in the sand.

Common Nutrition Issues

Training Nutrition

Beach Volleyball athletes need to consume adequate carbohydrate to maintain energy levels to support heavy training demands.  For some adolescent beach volleyball athletes experiencing growth spurts, this can further add to the requirements for both carbohydrate and protein.  However, being a predominantly anaerobic sport involving high intensity activities interspersed with rest intervals, carbohydrate intake should be adjusted depending on daily training load. The training diet needs to contain sufficient nutrient-dense carbohydrate and protein foods along with well-timed snacks to fuel training and support recovery. This is best achieved by incorporating a variety of carbohydrate foods such as wholegrain breads and cereals, rice, pasta, fruit and vegetables along with moderate intakes of protein rich  foods such as  lean red meat, chicken, fish, low fat dairy products, eggs and legumes.

Body Composition

The physical demands placed on beach volleyball athletes requires a considerable focus on building lean muscle mass, whilst addressing the need to maintain low body fat levels, as previously mentioned. Where greatest emphasis is placed will vary on the specific physique goals for each individual athlete and their current training phase.  Another reason for the pursuit for low body fat levels, particularly for female beach volleyball athletes, is the clothing worn (Bikinis) during training and competition. In this instance it is largely driven by aesthetic reasons.  Refer to AIS Fact Sheets on Increasing Muscle Mass and Weight loss for more detailed information on addressing specific physique goals.

Hydration during Training and Games

Whilst beach volleyball athletes train outdoors all year round, national and international competition is usually scheduled in the summer months.  A combination of high temperatures, high intensity activities, large bodies and duration of training sessions can contribute to large sweat losses.  Competition matches are shorter in duration and have scheduled breaks offering athletes more opportunity to consume fluid compared with training.  Consequently, greater levels of dehydration are often seen in training as athletes are not prompted to drink during scheduled breaks as they are in games.  The table below demonstrates the sweat losses and fluid intakes of two elite male beach volleyball athletes in training and competition.  This data, demonstrates the importance for coaches to provide regular drink opportunities during training, particularly in warmer conditions.

Hydration tips for beach volleyball:
• Ensure you have your own individual drink bottle(s) court side in the shade!
• Use pre and post weighing activities to monitor the match between your fluid intake and sweat losses during training.
• Keep track of the amount of fluid consumed during training/games to assist in matching sweat losses. Adjust your intake in warmer conditions, as you will need to be more aggressive in meeting your sweat losses.
• While water can be adequate to replace sweat loss, a carbohydrate electrolyte formula such as Gatorade should be consumed to further aid hydration in warm conditions and extended high intensity sessions.  Sports drinks offer the added benefit of providing carbohydrate which can assist in maintaining both physical performance and mental function.  Furthermore, sports drinks have also been shown to encourage greater fluid intake.
• The use of electrolyte replacements supplements i.e. Gatorlytes, or Gastrolyte may also be useful to further aid hydration. Specific advice from a sports dietitian is will ensure these products are used effectively.
• After training or matches, replace any remaining fluid deficit to ensure you start the next training session or game is commenced in a hydrated state.

Recovery Post Training and Competition

Elite beach volleyball athletes are often required to train or compete at least twice a day.  Therefore, recovery nutrition strategies should be implemented as soon as possible after the first session or game.  This requires planning and organization to ensure appropriate options are on hand and incorporated as part of other post training/game activities (i.e. stretching, team meeting).  The key nutrients involved in the recovery process are carbohydrates for restoring muscle glycogen levels, protein to assist the muscle repair process and of course a fluid option to replace sweat loss.  Practical recovery options include; PowerBar Protein Plus Powder + water/milk, Powerbar Performance Bar/Sports Bar, Gatorade, sandwiches, cereal bar, or fruit.

Travel and Tournament Nutrition

The idea of travelling to beautiful beaches all around the World would sound very enticing to most athletes.  However, the number of tournaments a year and the unpredictable daily schedule, coupled with the challenges of travel in a foreign country pose numerous obstacles for elite beach volleyball athletes in meeting their daily food and fluid needs. For further information on travel refer to the Travel Nutrition Fact Sheets on the AIS website.
During tournaments, the main draw lasts for four days.  On any competition day, athletes could be required to play between 2-4 games, with breaks between games being as short as one hour.  During these tournaments all meals are provided for the athletes up until when the team is knocked out of competition.  Outside of the main draw tournaments, athletes are required to organise their own meals and snacks.  In some countries self-catering is an option, however for the majority of the World Tour, athletes are required to research appropriate restaurants or cafes for meals.
Whilst elite beach volleyball players need to be organised and plan ahead to ensure they are adequately fuelled and hydrated for each game, the unpredictable nature of the daily competition schedule requires the athletes to be flexible with their eating plan.  For this to be achieved they need to have a good understanding of their competition nutrition goals.  Therefore, it is essential that each athlete carries a supply of appropriate fluids, carbohydrate snacks and protein options for recovery, to optimise performance in all matches played throughout the day.

This fact sheet is based on AIS / National team athletes and is therefore specific to these athletes. Written by AIS Sports Nutrition, last updated April 2009. © Australian Sports Commission.