Foot volley

About

Footvolley (Portuguese: Futevôlei, IPA: [futʃⁱˈvolej] in Brazil, Futevólei IPA: [ˌfutɨˈvɔlɐj] in Portugal) is a sport which combines aspects of beach volleyballand association football.

Footvolley was created by Octavio de Moraes in 1965 in Brazil. Footvolley combines field rules that are based on those of beach volleyball with ball-touch rules taken from association football. Essentially footvolley is beach volleyball except players are not allowed to use their hands and a footballreplaces the volleyball.

History

Foot volley was created by Octavio de Moraes in 1965 in Rio de Janeiro‘s Copacabana Beach. The game of foot volley was first called ‘pevoley’, literally meaning “foot volley”, but that name was discarded in favor of”futevôlei”. Foot volley started in Rio de Janeiro, according to one player because football was banned on the beach, but volleyball courts were open. The sport had spread to Recife, Salvador, Brasília, Goiânia, Santos, and Florianópolis by the 1970s.

Teams of foot volley had five a side at first. Due to the skill level of the foot volley athletes (nearly all were professional football players), the ball would rarely drop. The players began lowering the number of players on each side, eventually settling on 2 versus 2, which is still in use today.

In recent years, professional football players have taken up foot volley in both promotional events and celebrity matches. Some notable Brazilian footballers who have played (or still play) foot volley are: Romário, Edmundo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Júnior, and Edinho (1982 & 1986 National Team)

The first International Foot volley event to occur outside of Brazil was in 2003 by the United States Foot Volley Association on Miami Beach at the 2003 Fitness Festival. This event led to international players and teams in pursuit of federation status. A tournament was held during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, as a demonstration sport.

Rules

Footvolley combines field rules that are based on those of beach volleyball with ball-touch rules taken from association football. Essentially footvolley is beach volleyball except players are not allowed to use their hands and a football replaces the volleyball.
International rules
Points are awarded if the ball hits the ground in the opponent’s court, if the opponents commit a fault, or if they fail to return the ball over the net. Scoring is done using the rally point system (new volleyball rules). Match scoring is usually up to the event organizer’s discretion. Generally speaking, matches are one set to 18 points; or best of three sets to 15 points (with the third set to 11 points). The court is 29.5 feet x 59 ft (old beach volleyball). The height of the net varies based on the competition. The Official International Rule for the net height set is 2.2 meters or 7 feet 2 inches for the men’s competition. For the women’s competition, the height of the net should be set at 2 meters or 6 feet 6 inches.

Equipments

The ball

The footvolley ball is heavier than a beach volleyball and a little different from a soccer ball. The extra weight and the fact that is has less air in it makes it more predictable in windy conditions. The most commonly used ball is the Mikasa FT-5 or FT-5 Pro Ball.

The court

Footvolley is meant to be played at the beach but it can be played anywhere and on most any surface. During winter some nations play indoor on hard court or sand. The size of a normal sand court in Europe is 8 meters x 16 meters. In Brazil and other countries, it is common to play 9 meters x 18 meters.

The net is normally 2.20 meters high in Europe, however, this varies from tournament to tournament and country to country. The most important thing is to agree on a hight and focus on playing footvolley.

Equipment

The only equipment you need to play footvolley is a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. You kick the ball barefoot. There have been observations of people playing with their socks on but this has not been confirmed 🙂

The body parts

The chest: One of the most important and most difficult part to use. The chest is used for receiving the ball and to lay up the ball. Takes some time to master.

The feet: You play barefoot so you are completely reliant on your technique. This is also the most used body part.

The head: This is your best attack weapon and also great to use to lay up the ball (if you do not master the chest yet). Attack long or short, and trick your opponent to think you are doing the opposite.

The knee/thigh: If you have to you can use the knee or thigh. Some people swear to it, but others don´t like it. It`s like religion.

The shoulders: A lot of players are really good at using their shoulders, either for laying up the ball or even attacking. If you struggle using your chest, the shoulders are a good alternative.

The bottom of your foot: To do a shark attack you have to jump with your feet above the net and strike the ball with the bottom of your foot. It is not recommended to try this the first time you play footvolley.

The hands and arms: This is a no no and you will loose the point. Using your hands is too easy.

The rest of the body: Be creative and you can use pretty much any part of your body (except hands and arms). How about using your back, your ass, your heels, your shins or even your face. Use it if it is necessary to win a point.

The serve

To be able to serve the ball from the ground you have to build a small pile of sand and put the ball on top of it. The most common is to kick it with the inside of your foot. Avoid kicking the sand first.

Associations

National Footvolley Association

Ghana Footvolley Association

Footvolley Association of India

HALL OF FAME

Ronaldo

Alex Oxlade Chamberlain

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