RULES OF THE BEACH
Bumpy Pickle Beach wants to make sure you have fun, but we do have a few rules that everyone who enjoys our courts must follow. Please handle all violations in a respectful manner, and revisit these occasionally as updates and revisions may be made to address issues as they occur.
- No glass bottles or containers – ever – no exceptions. Bare feet and broken glass do NOT mix.
- No pets. You will be asked to leave if you bring a pet.
- Age requirement for leagues and ‘open court’ nights is 17+. Any under this age needs to be supervised and kept off the courts. The intent is to avoid injuries. Players are focused on their game, not monitoring children who may wander into court.
Overview:
- 4 player teams must have at least three players on the court at all times. One must be female.
- 6 player teams must have at least four players on the court at all times. One must be female.
Teams shall determine first choice (usually captains play rock/paper/scissor or odd/even etc.). The winning team will have one of two options: choose to serve first or choose which side they prefer to play on. Each match will consist of three games. Each game will count in the overall standings for regular season standings. Matches will be played within the allotted time of 50 minutes. If the third game has not been completed at the end of the allotted time, then the team with the most points wins that set. If there is a tie then the next team to earn a point wins. First two games are played to 21, win by 2, or first to 23. The third game is played, regardless of the outcome of the previous two games, and the first to 15 is the winner. One timeout per game is allowed. This scoring format is being used in an effort to keep the match within the 50 minute time slot, and to keep the next team’s match on schedule.
Forfeits
Teams will forfeit 1 game for every 10 minutes past the designated start time that they do not have the legal amount of players.
Substitutes
TBD
Game Times
Teams will receive a schedule that will list when their team will play each week. Teams will be given an allotted amount of time to play 1 match, (3 games) 45 minutes. This includes a 5 minute warm and setup time.
Rules of Play
- In 4’s, team members do not need to rotate position on the court. They do have to rotate service.
- In 6’s, team members must rotate on the court and must remain in that position until the serve has been contacted. The player in the back right hand corner of the rotation will be designated to serve and continue to rotate clockwise.
Attacking
4’s – Every player is eligible to attack the net.
6’s – Only players in the front three positions may attack the net.
Hand Sets
A contact of the ball using the fingers of one or two hands to direct the ball toward a teammate is a set. The ball must come into contact with both hands simultaneously and leave both hands simultaneously to avoid a double hit call. A player may set the ball over the net in front or behind them only when their shoulders are squarely facing the net. Rotation of the ball after the set may indicate a held ball or multiple contacts during the set but in itself IS NOT A FAULT. A player may overhead pass or “set” any driven ball. A driven ball is defined as “an attack on a hit or blocked ball traveling at a high rate of speed with no arch in the air.”
A serve, dink, or roll shot can be hand set but must not be held or have multiple contact with hands.
Serving
A serve that makes contact with the net and lands on the opposition’s side will remain in play. The width of the service area is from sideline to sideline. The depth of the service area is the boundaries of the sand. The server may not step on or over the end line until the ball has been contacted.
Blocking
Blocking of the ball across the net above the opponent’s court shall be legal provided that such a block is:
- After a player of the attacking team has spiked the ball, or intentionally directed the ball into the opponent’s court, or has exhausted their third allowable hit.
- After the opponents have hit the ball in such a manner that the ball would clearly cross the net if not touched by a player, provided no member of the attacking team is in a position to make a legal play on the ball.
- If the ball is falling near the net and no member of the attacking team could reasonably make a play on the ball.
Note: A single player blocking contact is counted as a team hit. The blocking team will have only two more hits after a single player blocking contact. Multiple contacts of the ball by players participating in a block shall be legal provided it is during one attempt to intercept the ball. Multiple contacts of the ball during a block shall be counted as a single contact, even though the ball may make multiple contacts with one or more players of the block.
Blocking the Serve – The serve may not be blocked or attacked.
Returning the Serve
Players can return the serve by:
- Bump pass
- Clasping their hands together
- A closed fist
Note: Since a serve is not classified as a “driven ball,” a player may not receive a serve with an overhead pass or “setting.”
Player Contact with the Net
A player touching the top band of the net or the antenna during his/her action of playing the ball will result in a violation. Player contact with the net in a manner not directly relating to or affecting the course of play is not a violation. Contact with hair or part of the uniform will not be considered a fault.
Attacking the Ball
There are no male/female hitting rules. Contact of the ball when attacking is legal only if a portion of the ball is in contact with the plane of the net or on the spiker’s side of the net. Spikers may follow through over the net after legal contact. The ball must be cleanly hit when attacking with an open hand. Guiding or carrying is illegal.
Note: A carry is any use of an open hand(s) while making contact with the ball that is not in a firm manner. Additionally, open hand dinks are not allowed.
Out of Bounds
Out of bounds is the area outside the designated court line, (some facilities may also have antennas attached to the net, at these facilities the antennas will be considered out of bounds as well). A ball hitting the line is in bounds.
Center Line
Sand volleyball allows any and all parts of the body to cross the center line as long as there is no interference with the opposing player.
Characteristics of the Contact
The ball can contact any number of body parts down to, and including the foot.
Boundaries
A player may not enter a neighboring court in pursuit of a ball. It is acceptable to enter any surrounding boundaries of a neighboring court or the opposing side.
Reffing
All games are self-reffed. Teams are responsible for their own reffing and calls are to be made in a consistent and good sportsmanship manner. Bumpy Pickle Beach Staff will be made available to help interpret rules if there are any discrepancies between the two teams that need to be addressed. Captains are responsible for recording the results of their game. Clipboards or folders will be provided on each court to record the scores.
Sportsmanship
Bumpy Pickle Beach Volleyball League is all about having fun. We hope that all participants keep that in mind when becoming involved. Although the games may become intense, you still can be competitive while maintaining good sportsmanship. With this said, any behavior deemed unacceptable by the league may result in suspension and/or ejection from a game or the league. Abuse of staff/members will not be tolerated. Bumpy Pickle Beach reserves the right to remove a player from a game or a league if they are considered to be bringing down the quality of the league. Bumpy Pickle Beach will not tolerate any physical contact towards any player with malicious intent and will be an automatic ejection from any game and in most cases ejection from the league for the remainder of the season.
We also understand that our playing venue may allow alcoholic beverages and we ask that each playing member be cognizant of their behavior. Any behavior deemed to be dangerous due to alcohol will be addressed.
League Cancellation/Rainout
Leagues may be cancelled due to existing weather conditions, dangerous or unplayable field conditions, facility constraints, etc. Bumpy Pickle Beach makes every effort to play all scheduled games, thus we will not cancel games until absolutely necessary. Therefore, if you are calling concerning a decision on a cancellation, remember we will not have an answer until close to game time.