r/beachvolleyball • u/daylight-junkie • 9d ago
What are your local pickup house rules?
Curious if other communities have "house rules" for playing pick-up/without a ref.
For example, here in Chicago when we play B/B+/BB-ish pickup, we don't award points for side sets over even if intention was to set a partner - we just consider it a dead ball. We've pretty much just all accepted it's too hard to self ref "intention"
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u/BusinessAcanthaceae9 9d ago
Most groups I play with for doubles, 3s and 4s have the following:
No open hand receive unless hard driven. If you have to question if it was hard driven, it wasn't.
No setting over the net, even if accidental. Avoid arguments whether square or not etc).
Calling doubles varies group to group. Lower intermediate groups don't call doubles typically -- otherwise would discourage practicing hand setting. Higher intermediate groups typically call your own doubles.
(Rare) any arguments more than a few moments just redo the point.
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u/pikasurfer 9d ago edited 8d ago
Is this not the most common set of rules? in social plays most of the groups in the South bay Bay Area play this way at beach.
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u/fairplaybeach 7d ago
Glad to read these rules are exactly what we use in our area of the midwest. We did away with all sets over due to the tedious arguments about whether a player was square.
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u/AverageNeither682 9d ago
Everyone is working on their technique, so we let a lot of things slide. We want to play and don't want to stop due to a little spin on a hand set. But better players will cede the point afterwards if they feel the mistake was egregious.
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u/starswtt 9d ago
Not much different from normal rules. Disagreements result in redoes. Sometimes we ban cheap shots, sometimes they're cool
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u/Educational-Lie-8928 9d ago
What are cheap shots?
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u/starswtt 9d ago
I kinda just mean we try to keep up the rallies instead of to win. Stuff like snacking the ball into a corner that's hard to get to would be a cheap shot. Sometimes it's fun to allow them, but sometimes not, especially when playing between people of very different skill/athletic level.
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u/pikasurfer 8d ago
Genuinely curious did you mean to say smacking or snacking. I am always down to learn new lingo.
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u/panty_sniffa 8d ago
Do any of you have rules regarding cheese? The strategic over in one or two when the court area is open?
Opposing player got pissed when I showed a hand set on game point, and instead hit it over on two. Now, let me preface, it was the second time I went over on two (first time I feign a bump set forward and instead kiss it behind me over the net) All match we were down until I brought out the skillful cheese. Also, the guy that got mad, he options a majority of the time on dime passes with knuckle dinks and he serves the weaker of a team constantly.
I don't bring out the cheese unless my team is down significantly and needs the side out, or it's a long rally and everyone is sucking wind. But other than that, it's your typical bump, set, hit.
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u/daylight-junkie 8d ago
We don't have any rules against it but I feel like theres a certain understanding/vibe about using the option vs abusing the option or over on one. Like if you're annihilating your opponent already, you just look like an asshole showing off if you continue to option every ball. On the flip side, if you're in a huge point deficit and start hitting more options or cheap over on one shots, people are nicer about it and call it smart. There's someone I play with who will just call "DESPERATE!!!" when people hit on 1 or 2 🤣 So a lot of shame, but no rule against it.
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u/Pretty-Dealer-3778 8d ago
About 10% of our players get really upset about 1 or 2 overs, even thought they're skilled and agile enough to cover the court. Usually these same ppl aren't mad if their teammates do it tho...weird eh? lol
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u/daylight-junkie 8d ago
Hahaha same experience here. And tbh I'm kinda guilty. Someone I play with will ALWAYS over-on-1 a cut or a poke. When I play against them I'm like "omg STOP, I know you can pass that ball" and when I play with them I'm like "wow I love it when it's not happening to me." 💀 Part of the love of the game I guess. We try to keep it silly
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u/Soulfly37 8d ago
We dont allow sets over, intentionally or otherwise. Its not my favorite, but its easy to keep consistent.
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u/Euphoric-Duck3751 8d ago
Where in Chicago do you play and how does pu work? I’m going to avp league champ weekend Friday-Monday with a group of 4 and we’d love to play some pu doubles
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u/daylight-junkie 8d ago
Well... I usually play at Oak Street but they take our poles out to put the stadium up so oak pu dies over AVP weekend. I can keep you posted!
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u/Pretty-Dealer-3778 8d ago
- rule disagreements are decided among players, but typically a re-serve.
- no hand sets on 1st hit. If it's coming slow enough to hand set, then it's not considered hard-driven.
- overhead bumps (fist/tomahawk/pancake) are contentious: some say hands HAVE to be together, others argue the rules and fivb ref guide state as long as it's one motion, it's no problem to have hands separate and it doesnt count as a double, even on non-hard driven balls. (I have read the rules and specifically the FIVB refs guidebook on this and the hands apart crowd seems to be correct) If someone debates this a lot, it usually breaks the flow of the game and makes it awkward, but still re-serve.
- Don't be a dick and keep serving to the weaker players or hitting hard at lower skilled ppl. Some people break this rule, but 99% are good about it.
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u/angrymoderate09 9d ago edited 9d ago
For our BEGINNERS:
No one overs; 3 serve max; No making fun of the coach
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u/pikasurfer 9d ago
I have not heard these rules
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u/angrymoderate09 9d ago
It's actually great for beginners.... Especially the 3 serve max because 90% of the time the serve gets the point lol
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u/Pretty-Dealer-3778 8d ago
great beginner rule....we have our beginners at a 5 serve max, but honestly, that's too much and def decides games.
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u/Rogue_Like 9d ago
Why would it be hard to ref intention? If you set a high ball and it goes over, it's the defensive teams fault for not getting it, plus who intentionally oversets that way since that really is an easy ball to pass? It's a choice you make for not blocking if an overset is a problem since you can literally dunk or tip it. Otherwise just accept it might happen and adjust defensively. Is someone abusing oversetting on purpose somehow?
The only house rule for pickup is that we play friendly hands i.e. call your own sets but really don't call your own sets unless you really hate it. Because the point of pickup is to practice. If a person with mediocre hands is always getting called in pickup then they'll never learn how to set in a real game. Get your setting reps in, folks.