The 4 Sports To Bring To The Beach With You Before Summer is Up

By Christy Flom on August 7, 2015

Hanging out at the beach or pool with friends became the new American pastime for my friends and me during the summers of my childhood. From making sand castles to boogie boarding, there continue to be endless amounts of games and activities to bring to the beach.

While some of the best games can be the ones made up on the spot with your friends, there are several games that really stood out to me from different experiences down by the water.

The number one sport I love playing on the sand is volleyball. As mainstream as this sport is, it never gets old no matter how many friends are participating. It could be my best friend and I along with 10 Spanish-speaking natives in Cancun, Mexico, over spring break playing volleyball and it would be the highlight of our day.

Image via Pixabay

Or, it could be my sisters and I playing water volleyball at my grandparent’s retirement home playing against 15 plus retirees trying to keep up in the game. Either way, pick-up volleyball connects people all over the world and is the best way to meet new people wherever you may be that day.

Aside from volleyball, there is also Spikeball. This is still a relatively new game and the rules can be found here. The basic mechanics of the sport is that players have a trampoline set that acts as the net for the game. Players bounce a small ball against the trampoline back and forth until the ball hits the ground and a point is awarded to the opposing team that did not allow the ball to hit the ground.

Whereas for volleyball simply hitting the ball around with friends can be entertaining, Spikeball requires a specific set to play and enjoy a game. On the upside, the set is very small to set up and can fit easily in your bag or backpack if necessary. Because of the unique rules and aspects of the game, playing this sport in the sand will attract more attention from bystanders than a volleyball game. Striking up conversations with other beach-goers about the game can lead to bigger games and possibly beach tournaments of Spikeball with people from all over.

Rather than going to the beach and thinking of a game there, people go to the beach specifically to play Spikeball. This game can be played on grass or on a court, too, but it is most fun on the sand where players can dive on a soft surface and then run into the water afterwards to cool off.

A smaller sport that is popular on the beach is air scoop ball. This is the game where a whiffle ball is tossed back and forth using handles that are scoopers to catch the ball.

This simple game can entertain people of all ages for hours. You would be surprised at how long people can enjoy playing catch when scoopers are used instead of a baseball mitt or your own hands. The scoopers and ball are less than $10 on Amazon and I would highly recommend anyone who is a nanny or babysitter to invest in this game for the summer. It is a game that children and adults can find entertaining, which for a babysitter means playing one game and then letting the children take over while you supervise on the sand and simultaneously get a tan.

Image via Pexels.com

Yet another similar game to air scoop ball is velcro catch. Take the same idea of playing catch on the beach and add velcro catching boards into the mix. Players play catch while holding grips with the front side being completely covered in velcro. The ball is a beanbag that will stick to the velcro upon contact.

This game is fun because people can dive and jump to catch the ball on the grip without having to hold onto it like you must with a baseball mitt. All you have to do is throw up your arm and the grip will do the rest.

All of these games are feasible activities for all at the beach and a multitude of other places such as your backyard or a community barbecue. While it is necessary to have certain equipment for these games, the unique parts of the equipment make it more than worthwhile.

I have mentioned working at summer camp in previous articles in regards to the casual sports my coworkers would play each and every evening. From soccer and sand volleyball to larping (Live Action Role Playing) and euchre, we also incorporated a spew of these sports mentioned above. Several staff members had their own Spikeball sets and campers loved to join in on games or start their own games of catch on the beach during a hot afternoon.

The days of simply going to the beach to swim or tan are overrated; instead, go to the beach and start a volleyball tournament or turn velcro catch into a competition. Be creative during the summer and make these games your own by adding a unique spin!

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