Footvolley rules are simple to understand, but they raise plenty of questions for people starting out or watching for the first time. This guide summarizes the main rules of the game: court dimensions, scoring system, allowed touches and the most common faults.
Court, net and ball
Footvolley is played on the same court as beach volleyball: 16 meters long by 8 meters wide, divided by a net. Net height varies by category, around 2.10 m to 2.20 m for men and slightly lower for women.
The ball is specific to footvolley: similar to a football in size, but with a softer touch and lower pressure, which makes it easier to cushion with the body.
Allowed touches
You can touch the ball with any part of the body except hands and arms. Foot, thigh, chest, head and shoulder are the most common touches.
Each pair is allowed up to three touches before sending the ball over, and a player cannot touch the ball twice in a row. The classic pattern is: reception, set and attack.
Scoring
Scoring follows the rally system: every rally scores a point, regardless of which side served. In amateur tournaments, matches are usually played as a single set to 18 points, with variations depending on the competition: some use sets to 21 points or best of three sets.
At the CT Riozinho Circuit, the format is defined per stage and announced to the pairs before matches start.
Serving
The serve is taken with the foot, from behind the baseline, with the ball resting on the sand or on a small sand mound made by the player. The ball must go over the net and land inside the opponents’ court.
The serve may touch the net and go over (a "let"), and play continues normally.
Most common faults
The most frequent faults are: touching the ball with a hand or arm, touching the net during play, crossing under the net into the opponents’ court and interfering with them, making two consecutive touches and "carrying" the ball (prolonged contact instead of a clean touch).
When a fault happens, the point goes to the opposing pair, which also takes over the serve.
Formats and categories
The official and most played format is 2v2 (pairs), but training sessions and rotations also use 3v3 and 4v4, great formats for beginners since they give more time on the ball.
In tournaments, categories are usually split by level (first-timer, beginner, intermediate and advanced) and by gender (men’s, women’s and mixed), as happens at the CT Riozinho Circuit stages.
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