The opposite hitter carries the defensive workload for the team in the front row by putting up a well-formed block against the opponents' outside hitters.

Beach volleyball was introduced to the Olympic programme at the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics.

When a player on one team serves the ball over the net and it lands out of bounds, the receiving team is awarded a point.

The outside hitter in volleyball usually takes a longer approach before hitting the ball because most sets to the outside are high. Outside hitters, also known as power hitters, attack from near the antennas. Since most sets to the outside are high, the outside hitter may take a longer approach, sometimes even starting from outside the court sideline.

According to the rules of volleyball, a team is allowed a maximum of three consecutive touches of the ball before it must be sent over the net to the other team. The receiving team must not let the ball be grounded within their court. The team may touch the ball up to three times to return the ball to the other side of the court, but individual players may not touch the ball twice consecutively. Typically, the first two touches are used to set up for an attack.

When a team wins a rally in volleyball, they are awarded a point and continue to serve.

The outside hitter usually plays on the left side of the court and gets the most sets, while the middle hitter plays in the center of the court and is responsible for putting up a strong block.

The attack line in a volleyball court is a line 3 m (9.8 ft) from and parallel to the net, and it indicates the position from where a player can attack the ball.

The team that wins a rally is awarded one point.

A jump float serve is an overhand serve where the ball is tossed high enough that the player may jump before hitting it similarly to a standing float serve. The ball is tossed lower than a topspin jump serve, but contact is still made while in the air. This serve is becoming more popular among college and professional players because it has a certain unpredictability in its flight pattern.