Beach Volleyball Hand Signals Meaning for Blocking Call

Beach volleyball hand signals are blocking signs that players use to indicate to their partners which area of the court they are going to block. These calls are important because there is a lot of area to defend with one player blocking at the net, and the other player defending the attack behind the blocker.

The player defending at the net signals the blocking call by putting their fingers behind their back for their partner to see before the ball is served. The fingers on the blocker’s right hand are used to show what the blocker is going to do against the player across the net on the right side. The fingers on the blocker’s left hand are used to show what the blocker is going to do against the player across the net on the left side.

There are five common beach volleyball hand signals used by most professional players today. For each of these blocking calls or signs, the blocker makes sure to get in position by moving to the area where the hitter is going to approach the net and attack.

1. One finger- this means that the blocker is blocking the line area. The blocker starts in front of the hitter’s line of approach, then takes a small step to the line and jumps with the outside hand blocking the ball and the inside hand blocking the seam (or middle of the court). With this call, the blocker is responsible for sealing the line so the opponent cannot hit the ball in that area. The opponent can shoot the ball high over the block or hit in the angle area, but the line hit should not be an option.

2. Two fingers- this means that the blocker is blocking the angle area. The blocker starts in front of the hitter’s line of approach, then takes one small step into the court and jumps with the inside hand blocking the angle and the outside hand blocking the seam (or middle of the court). With this call, the blocker should take away the opponent’s option of hitting angle. The opponent can shoot high over the block into the angle area, or they can hit down the line.

3. Three fingers- this means that the blocker is blocking the line area, but deceptively. The blocker starts in front of the hitter’s line of approach, then takes one small step into the court (as if they are going to block angle), and then jumps back toward the line to block the line area. So, this three finger signal indicates the same line block as the one finger signal, but it makes the opponent think that the blocker is blocking angle because of the sneaky step to the inside of the court.

4. Four fingers- this means that the blocker is blocking the angle area, but deceptively. The blocker starts in front of the hitter’s line of approach, then takes a small step to the line (as if they are going to block line), and then jumps back into the angle to block the angle area. This four finger signal indicates the same angle block as the two finger signal, but it makes the opponent think that the blocker is blocking line because of the sneaky step toward the line.

5. Shaka (thumb and pinky finger)- this means that the blocker is putting up a split block, both arms independently moving to the right and to the left. This block is used when a hitter is approaching from the middle and the blocker decides to try and block two areas at the same time.

A few other beach volleyball hand signals to be aware of are the fist, the booty tap, and the blinking signal. The fist signal just means that the blocker is going to read the hitter and try to block the ball. Instead of blocking an area, the blocker will start in the hitter’s line of approach and jump straight up toward the ball.

The booty tap is what the blocker does in transition to show a last minute call. Usually while running to the net, the blocker will tap the left side or right side of their booty to indicate which side of the court they are going to block.

The blinking signal, bending the fingers on the right or left hand, is used to tell the server where to serve the ball. Lastly, the blocker is not the only player that gives the blocking calls. When the blocker is serving, the defender stands on the court and shows the blocking calls that they want the blocker to follow. It is important for the blocker and defender to communicate constantly and agree on the best blocking strategy. Beach volleyball hand signals are an integral component of this communication.