Have you ever wondered about those numbers athletes hold behind their back in beach volleyball? I know I have. So, here’s a quick rundown of the five most common hand signals used to communicate defensive strategies in beach volleyball.
Before we get started, let’s get familiar with the terms.
Hitter – the opponent player that hits the ball across the net
Blocker – the player that blocks the ball from passing across the net
Defender – the player that is positioned away from the net in case the ball makes it past the net
Line – ball travels in line with the blocker
Angle – ball travels across and at an angle to the blocker
So, as promised, here are the top five common hand signals in volleyball.
| 1 | The blocker is going to block line and the defender takes the angle. |
| 2 | The blocker is going to take angle and the defender takes line. |
| 3 | The blocker pretends to take angle but dives to line in the last minute. Simultaneously the defender pretends to take line but switches last minute to angle. |
| 4 | The blocker pretends to take line but dives to angle in the last minute. Simultaneously the defender pretends to take angle but switches last minute to line. |
| Closed fist | It’s an offensive play. No specific strategy as such. Blocker will read and block the hit. Defender will read and dig. |
I hope now it’s clear that those are not gang symbols or peace signs and mean quite a lot. Now you can enjoy the games even better. Happy viewing.
Still confused? For a more visual representation check out this youtube video.
