Difference Between Indoor & Outdoor Volleyball

Many of the aspects of a volleyball match depend on whether it's played indoor or on a beach court. The game's variables that change with the location include the court and ball size, the number of players and even the rules on tipping the volleyball. For outdoor volleyball, many of the factors are based on the wind, sun and temperature.

  1. Court Sizes

    • Beach volleyball court sizes are smaller than the standard indoor volleyball court. According to the Active website, an outdoor volleyball court measures 16 meters by 8 meters, with no attack line. The game rules allow for players to hit the ball anywhere on their side of the net. Indoor volleyball courts are 18 meters by 9 meters, with an attack line 3 meters from the court's center line. Back row players must stay behind the court's attack line when they hit the ball.

    Balls

    • Indoor volleyballs are made of leather and weigh more than outdoor volleyballs. A heavier ball results in a quicker speed and harder hit, according to the Active website. The indoor ball's pressure is between 4.3 and 4.6 pounds per square inch.

      Beach volleyballs are both softer and lighter, and are larger than indoor balls. The pressure for outdoor volleyballs ranges between 2.5 and 3.2 psi, according to Volleyball Ref's website.

    Players Per Side

    • A indoor volleyball match requires six players on each side of the court. Every player has a certain position, and to keep those positions, there are many rotations that happen during the match. Outdoor volleyball typically has two players on each side. Beach volleyball players need to be skilled in digging, hitting and blocking because there are not six players on each side of the net like indoor volleyball, according to Active's website.

    Scoring

    • The scoring system for indoor volleyball is five games or sets. The first team to score 25 points wins the set. The team who wins three games wins the whole match, according to Active's website. Beach volleyball is set up with a series of best-of-three, with each game played to 21 points.

      A team, whether indoor or outdoor, must win by two points every game. Also, rally scoring is sometimes used in both types of volleyball. A team does not have to serve the ball to win a point in rallying scoring, as the team that wins the rally wins the point.

    A Few Rules

    • The rules of the game vary if the match is indoor or outdoor. Tipping (using fingers to tip the ball over net) is illegal in outdoor games; players can dink the ball over the net if they use their palms, locked, straight fingers or the heel of the hand, according to Stack's website. Players can tip the ball during an indoor match.

      Also, in outdoor volleyball, players can hit the ball even if it's out of the court boundaries. With indoor volleyball, players cannot play a ball that has been hit across the net or over the antennas.

      With setting the ball, no restrictions exist for indoor volleyball. Outdoor rules require a set to be perpendicular to the setter's body, according to Volleyball Ref's website. An exception to this rule is if the wind blows a ball set for a teammate over the net.