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Directions to Breakwater Beach, Mattituck 11952
Take Sound Ave to Cox Neck Rd in Mattituck, NY, at the corner of Wendys Deli>
If coming from the West make a left at the new traffic light. If from the East make a right on Cox Neck Rd.
Take Cox Neck for approx. 8/10ths of a mile to Breakwater Rd and make a left. Follow Breakwater for about
another mile and find the courts on the left side of the parking lot at the beach. For more detailed directions,
please click on the Yahoo Map links located on the left hand side of this page.

Rules of the Game
All 2's tournament play conforms to FIVB/AVP rules and play is on short court (26' x 52').

Please bear in mind that NFBV league play is intended for intermediate to advanced level players who should
be already familiar with the rules of the game. The major exceptions for NFBV are to adjust for 4's instead of
2's play, most notably the court size and the contact after the block.
NFBV follows the most latest version of the AVP/FIVB international beach rules.
Follow the links to the FIVB beach volleyball page & click rules.
To download a copy of these rules, please go to :http://www.fivb.org

Notable AVP & NFBV rules & policies :

Coed rule states that 1 (at minimum) member of opposite gender is mandatory in tournament play.
Players may play regular season games with a max of 3 players of same gender minus a 4th player.
League Tournament player eligibility is contingent on meeting minimum participation level of 50% of
league games for season.
Let serves are in.
No open hand dinks.
Hand sets. If the ball is obviously spinning coming from ones open hands, then it's more than likely
a throw or a double contact. The spin is usually considered the evidence of an illegal hand contact .
It's also important to note that the tradition of hand setting calls are tighter on the beach than indoors.
Different rules for a different game. Also consider that the higher level of competition, the tighter the
calls on hand fouls. Please go to the links listed below for more detailed educational information.
Ball may not be carried, thrown or double contacted, except in the case of a hard driven ball. Then the
ball may be temporarily lifted, carried or doubled, when attempting an open handed "beach dig". This
is usually a self defensive motion when attempting to return a ball coming on a downward trajectory at
a high rate of velocity. Not good when returning a softly hit ball.
No open hand setting of a serve.
Serve may not be attacked above the net.
Block does not count as a team contact in 4's.

A complete list of NFBV rules, policies and code of conduct guidelines are contained in the hard copy of
the league manual annually made available to all players at registration.

From FIVB Rule Book:

13.4 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HIT

13.4.1 The ball may touch any part of the body.

13.4.2 The ball must be hit, not caught or thrown. It can rebound in any direction.

Exceptions:
a) In defensive action of a hard driven ball. In this case, the ball can be held momentarily overhand with
the fingers.

b) If simultaneous contacts by the two opponents leads to a “held ball”.

13.4.3 The ball may touch various parts of the body, only if the contacts take place simultaneously.

Exceptions:
a) At blocking, consecutive contacts (Rule 18.4.2) by one or more blockers are authorized, provided that
they occur during one action.

b) At the first hit of the team, unless it is played overhand using fingers (exception Rule 13.4.2 a), the ball
may contact various parts of the body consecutively, provided that the contacts occur during one action.

NFBV interprets this rule as being OK to double contact the first ball over, (including a service return), as
long as the attempt is not made with an open handed setting motion. Setting motion being considered
"using fingers".

More from the FIVB Rulebook:
1 3 . P L A Y I N G T H E B A L L
1. A team is entitled to a maximum of three hits for returning the ball over the net. If two players contact the ball
simultaneously it is counted as two hits (except at blocking), and either player may contact the ball for the third
hit.
2. If simultaneous contact by opponents occurs over the net and the ball remains in
play, the team receiving the ball has three more hits.
3. If the ball goes out after the simultaneous contact, the fault is charged to the team on the opposite side. If
this simultaneous contact causes the ball to directly hit the antenna, there will be a replay.
Note: This situation must be examined very carefully, as simultaneous hold over the net is not a fault and after
this contact, the ball may land outside the court or contact the antenna.
4. If simultaneous contact by opponents occurs over the net and both opponents hold
the ball, play can continue after this action.
5. The ball must be hit cleanly and not held or carried. It can rebound in any direction. Exceptions: See Rules
13.4.2 a) - b).
Note: There are various unique methods of setting and passing the ball in Beach
Volleyball. A REFEREE must understand the nature of these shots concentrating on the initial point of contact
and then the release point therefore establishing the shots length of time of contact (e.g.: deep dish set) and
how technically correct or clean the contact was (e.g.: double contact).

In defensive action of a hard driven attack, the ball can be slightly
held, overhand with fingers. A good indication of a hard driven attack
is the time in which the defensive player had to react to play the ball.
If the defensive player had time to make a decision or to react by
changing, their technique as to how to play the ball it was probably
not a hard driven ball.
Note: This may apply to the second touch of a team if the block
contact was slight and the ball is still a hard driven attack.
Note: A hard driven ball by the offensive player may occur from a
player standing on the ground. It is not necessary that they jump and spike the ball in all circumstances.
REFEREES must be consistent in their application of the hard driven ball criteria clearly understanding the
nature of the attack as it passes over the net, after it contacts a block or net etc.
6. There may be consecutive contacts, provided it is one attempt to play the ball when it is the first contact by a
team. The exception to this is the overhand finger action.
Exception: Hard driven attack (Rule 13.4.2.a).

Interesting to note that one of our local AVPNext affiliates utilizes a 1 1/2 revolution rule on hand sets
in their "B" divisions. For more details please visit Hudson Valley Volleyball: http://www.hvvolleyball.com

Please check out the following links or publications for detailed rules interpretations
and more instructional info:
Skill Instruction: learn the basics of hand setting and other tips from the pros:
http://www.ehow.com/how_17295_set-volleyball.html
http://www.volleyballmag.com/archive/instruct/
http://www.avp.com/news/article.jsp?id=6913

Or reference these books or dvds:
"Smarter Volleyball" by Mark Tanner
Pat Powers: books, clinics or dvds @ http://www.vbclinics.com
"Beach Volleyball" by Karch Kiraly & Byron Sherman
The following are some insightful excerpts from the book entitled "Beach Volleyball" by Kiraly & Sherman.

"Throw: the common infraction of setting. It's a subjective call, so it depends on who's reffing. But if there's a
lot of uneven spin on the ball, or it goes in a different direction from where your hands and arms are pointing,
expect a violation".
Hand setting techniques: "When setting, contact the ball with the pads of your fingers and thumbs. The ball
should never touch your palms-that would be an illegal contact. As the ball falls into your hands, receive it with
loose wrists and rather stiff fingers, with your elbows outside your body line. Your fingers should guide the
ball in the proper direction while your wrists propel it back out with a trampoline effect.
Beach players tend to hold onto the ball longer to take the spin off it. Sometimes it looks like they're spreading
their elbows way out, but you don't want to do that. What's really happening is that the weight of the ball is
pushing their wrists back a little before the ball is launched back out".

Hand setting history: "The tight setting rules in American beach volleyball have historically confused the rest
of the world-and have become a source of controversy for the international game. Other countries want the
FIVB rules to be as loose as in the indoor game. They contend that the American rules are far too demanding
and in effect eliminate a basic skill of the sport. AVP purists argue that top players should be held to a higher
standard. They point out that if the rules allow a player to throw up any kind of set on a bad pass, the
advantage of a tough serve is diminished-unfairly, they believe. Furthermore, they feel that loose setting
decreases the number of rallies, which is something the sport needs." "In fact, the AVP polled it's players
recently ('99), and they voted overwhelmingly in favor of the tight standard, so it's board voted to retain it. It
seems that our American traditions die hard".
"So if you're going to use your hands on the beach, be prepared to undergo countless hours of setting. Also
be prepared for hair-splitting arguments over what is a throw and what isn't".

"Deep Dish: Not just a culinary term. It's also a setting technique that evolved in the 80's in which the ball was
held onto longer, dropped deeper into the hands and pushed out with absolutely no rotation-aesthetically
pleasing but hard to do. The net effect was that only a few pros would dare use their hands to set the ball"

Quote from Dec 15, 2006 AVP web article, with AVP Tour Pro Jeff Nygaard:
"Beach sets have to have no spin which is not required for the indoor. Even though I was a good indoor
setter, I need to develop beach hands with a deep dish. That took awhile".