Best Team Sports to Play at the Beach

For those of you who are beach enthusiasts, the summer is perfect timing to spend most of your time at the beach. However, it is definitely going to get boring if you overstay at the beach and run out of activities. It is, therefore, wise and rather smart to know about a couple of gaming activities that you can engage in while at the beach. We are keen to share ideas on how you can make your beach activities as fun as they can possibly get. Read on and find out about the best sports to play at the beach.

Top Beach Team Sports

Team sports, as the name suggests, are games that require the creation of formal teams to compete against each other. In general, the list of team games you can play at the beach is almost inexhaustible. Almost any game you can imagine has its beach-game variant. The most common ones include beach volleyball, beach football, paddleball, sand soccer, beach basketball, handball, and ultimate Frisbee among others. The best part about most of these games is the fact that you won’t necessarily need to come up with a complete team of players and even if you do, there are plenty of folks who would want to join in the game. Let us have a look at each of the above beach games individually.

1. Ball Sports

   The most common beach sports games include basketball, handball, rugby, soccer and football. Judging from the knowledge you already have about these games, you can tell that they are usually competitive in nature, which is the reason as to why they cannot be played in the absence of teams.

   • Beach Basketball:

     Beach basketball is played in the beach sand by a team of three players aside. For the obvious reasons, this version of basketball is quite different from the traditional game played on a basketball court. Since dribbling on the sand is impossible, beach basketball entails players passing the ball to their teammates in an attempt to make a shot into their respective baskets.

   • Beach Handball:

     This is arguably one of the most popular beach games in the summer. Perhaps it is because of the less stringent rules that apply to this type of beach game and the immensity of fun involved. The ease of setup is also another possible reason beach handball is such a popular game. It follows the same rules as soccer except that players use their hands instead of their feet. Of course, there is the inevitable challenge of running in the sand but that is to be expected. As a matter of fact, the resistance of the sand limits the players’ running ability thus making the game even more fun.

   • Beach Rugby:

     You’re already clinching your hands at the mention of rugby probably because you are imagining all the rugged tackles involved. Well, if it is any consolation, the sandy beach is ‘more cushioned’ compared to a conventional rugby pitch. If you are a huge fan of rugby, you can indulge at the beach, of course with the peace of mind knowing that the sand offers a softer landing ground in case of a rough tackle.

   • Beach Soccer:

     This sport is also called sand soccer. It is another one of the most enjoyable team sport at the beach. Unlike the conventional game of soccer, beach soccer presents a certain degree of difficulty. Here’s why. First, the beach tends to be windy and this causes the ball to fly in an unintended direction and if you’re unlucky, you can have the ball fly far into the sea/ocean. It is important to be cautious when playing beach soccer because other than losing the ball to the sea or having it stuck in the dunes from time to time, players also risk twisting their ankles.

   • Beach Football:

     Just like rugby, football is also characterized by quite a number of rough and tough tackles. Thankfully, the sand on the beach provides a soft landing in case of a touch tackle to the player. All things considered, beach football, just like beach rugby, is quite enjoyable. Therefore, the next time you find yourself in the company of football enthusiasts at the beach, do not hesitate to indulge in a match.

   

2. Net Sports

   There are four main net sports games that you can indulge in while at the beach. These include beach tennis, matkot, beach volleyball and footvolley.

   • Beach Tennis

     Beach tennis is a combination of tennis and volleyball that is only played at the beach. There are quite a number of similarities between beach tennis and matkot, which is a paddle game originating from Israel. Matkot is also referred to as Kadima in some parts of the world.

   • Beach Volleyball

     Beach volleyball is a game played by two opponents playing against each other on opposing sides of a high net. The player’s aim is to get the ball to land on the ground of the opponent’s side.

   • Foot Volleyball

     Footvolley,, is similar to beach volleyball except that players can only use their feet to drive the ball to the opponent’s side of the net.

3. Other Sports

   Apart from ball sports and net sports, there are other kinds of team games that you can indulge at the beach. For instance, you can compete in a frisbee game, running competition for short-range, tag-of-war etc..

Conclusion

In summation, there are a lot of games that you can play at the beach regardless of whether you are in a large group or just a handful of you. If you are a large group, you can select one of the team sports that you are familiar with and indulge but if you are a small group, it is recommended to select one of the net sports. Either way, fun will be the same.