Tourney Rules
N Ave Beach Club 2's v-ball Tourneys in the Chicago Region
2023 Age Divisions: 12, 14 & 16:
12U: 12 & Under - Born on or after Aug. 1, 2011
14U: 14 & Under - Born on or after Aug. 1, 2009
16U: 16 & Under - Born on or after Aug. 1, 2007
Our age divisions follow the USAV & AAU classifications.
Please note, athletes may always play up an age division.
We follow USAV beach v-ball rules modified by our "Beach Ball" local rules, as follows:
The BEACH BALL Rules of Play
The Chicago Region Standard: USAV Beach Rules of Play govern w/modifications. Modifications to the USAV rules are based on our belief they enhance play. We constantly evaluate our rules; feel free to make suggestions.
Officiating: Teams self-officiate their games. Players are on the honor system; players call their own faults, not the opposing team or the score keeper. If a dispute arises, a team could appeal to the scorekeeper who has the power to demand a replay, but could never call a fault.
Special Safety Rules:
1. In order to avoid injury, a player may never touch the net when the ball is in play (except hair).
2. In order to avoid injury, a player may not enter another court, if occupied, to chase down a ball that's in play.
3. In order to avoid injury, when a ball enters the court and poses a safety threat to a player (good faith belief), anyone (players, parents, coaches, spectators, etc.) can and should call "ball on," thus ending the rally. The result is a replay.
Specific Rules of Play: As noted, USAV Beach Rules of Play govern, with the following changes, clarifications and modifications:
1. The winner of a game of chance chooses side or serve.
2. Switch sides at each 7 point interval.
3. Teams get two 60-second timeouts per game.
4. A block counts as a hit.
5. Open hand dinks/tips are faults. Fists, knuckles and rolls are legal.
6. Servers get one toss per serve.
Key Rules Highlighted:
1. The Successive Contact Rule: On a team's first hit, the ball may contact various parts of a player's body consecutively, provided that these contacts occurred during one action. The contact must be a ricochet/bump; fingers/open hand action can not be involved. USAV R.9.2.3.2
2. The Sand Dig. A hard driven ball (defined in our tourneys as any hit using the spiking motion, regardless of speed) may be momentarily held and/or doubled with finger action. USAV R.9.2.3.2.
The BEACH BALL Hand Set Rules:
1. We encourage hand sets. As such, our guidelines are looser than USAV standards. In our tourneys, sets must be made from in front of the player's head and above the chin.
2. Players may not hand set the ball nor contact the ball with finger action when receiving the serve.
3. If setting the ball over the net, the player must set the ball in the direction she's facing, or directly behind, w/shoulders square to the body (perpendicular to the line of one's shoulders) and w/out twisting the body.
4. Players may set a free ball (an off-speed attack hit), but it must be clean. USAV R.9.2.3.2
5. An inadvertent set, a hand set to your partner that drifts over the net, is a fault.
Click here for an instructional video on beach hand setting guidelines.
The BEACH BALL "No Hands" Rule: Under this optional rule, hand sets are banned in a given match – that means all hand sets are faults. A sand dig, a defensive maneuver, is still allowed. This rule can be implemented for a given match by either team at any time (before or during that match). It's designed to prevent arguments over bad sets; it cannot be used to prevent good sets. For a more complete explanation of this rule, click here.
Coaches & Spectator Code of Conduct Summary: Parents, coaches & spectators may cheer, but not interfere, and must be courteous to others. Derogatory comments directed towards anyone are of course banned. Violations can result in the ejection of the offending party/s, and possibly a loss of points or even the match.
To view our detailed spectator code of conduct, click here.
Remember, we encourage coaching; after all, these tourneys are a learning experience. But it must be done at the proper time - between games and during timeouts. (That's why teams get 2 timeouts per game.) Coaching is not allowed when players are switching sides.
Sometimes the line between cheering and coaching become blurred. Here are some guidelines to help distinguish between the two:
Cheering: Positive, abstract comments to motivate the players:
“Stay focused.”
“Forget that mistake.”
“Be aggressive.”
Coaching: Specific instructions:
“Guard the line.”
“Put up a block.”
Note on Jewelry: For safety reasons, players should never wear jewelry during a match. If the item/s must be worn during a match (such as a recent piercing), the item must be covered with tape.
If you have questions about these events, please visit our FAQ's section.
We follow the USAV gender competition policy of permitting athletes to compete in the gender with which they identify, while minimizing any competitive advantage which may accrue.
Our Playoff Rules are on the Tourney Details page, click here
Our material (the above rules, documents and our tourney details), may be used in whole or in part by any organization running beach volleyball events. In fact, we encourage it.
