How Wide Does A Pool Need To Be For Volleyball

If you’ve ever attended a pool party, then you know how exhilarating a game of water volleyball can be. Slinging a ball over the volleyball pool nets to score a point is probably the best feeling for any water sports enthusiast!

But if you want to play water volleyball at home, knowing the size and shape requirements of the pool is important. So, let’s see how wide your pool needs to be for playing volleyball with family and friends.

Factors Governing The Ideal Water Volleyball Court Size

It goes without saying that a water volleyball court must match the players using it. That is to say if the players can’t play comfortably and have fun on a court, the court size is far from ideal.

So, here are the factors you should consider when sizing a pool up for a game of water volleyball.

1. Swimming Potential

Movement in water is slower and more tiring than on land, which makes it important to consider how well the players can swim. If the players are not experienced swimmers, a shallow pool that isn’t particularly large will do just fine.

At the other end of the spectrum, experienced swimmers may need more room to maneuver in, making a standard water volleyball court ideal.

As for people with moderate swimming experience, like me, they can play in a medium or standard-sized pool. The only point to note is that such people will receive quite the quad workout during play.

2. Player Age

Younger players will need a more shallow water volleyball court than older and taller players. As such, pool safety becomes a much larger point of concern for children than for adults.

Thus, water volleyball courts can be deeper for adults than for children, seeing how the former are typically taller and more experienced with swimming. For children, the upper limit of volleyball depth is around two feet.

3. Player Stamina

Water volleyball is a true test of how well your cardio exercises are working, as I found out during my first game.

People in strong cardiovascular shape will be able to perform well in shallow or deep waters, as well as larger volleyball courts. Such people have built their shape through daily exercises, be it on land or in water. Those who skip cardio exercises? Not quite so.

Those who are not in peak cardio shape will require a smaller or shallower pool for them to have fun with the game.

Water Volleyball Court Size

The standard water volleyball court size is 30 ft. x 60 ft., but it needn’t necessarily match for you to host a game comfortably. These measurements are similar to the sand court, but your pool needn’t be as large since movement is less in water than on sand.

That said, your pool needs to be large enough to accommodate all the players. You don’t need to follow the Olympic guidelines for a simple backyard game, and the court can follow suit. After all, it’s no fun if players don’t have enough room to maneuver around comfortably.

For a 3v3 game, your pool can be about 16 x 24 feet for each player to comfortably move around in. This size is also not so large as to become an issue when switching sides mid-match.

Water Volleyball Court Depth

Water volleyball courts are not particularly deep, being about four or five feet deep at most. Depending on the age and stamina of the players, this depth can be lower, with the shallowest water volleyball courts being about two feet deep.

The Ideal Pool Type For Water Volleyball

You can use in-ground or above-ground pools for water volleyball, so long as they are the right size. The only place where they differ is with the net installation kits, which affix to the pools differently. And if you want, you can make the volleyball net a permanent fixture.

Tip

You may want to note how you keep the pool clean, as certain cleaning compounds can corrode metallic mounting kits. This is particularly the case if you use salt water for pool cleansing, which can seriously damage an in-pool mounting kit.

The Best Size For A Water Volleyball Net

The standard net width for water volleyball is 24 feet, but it doesn’t necessarily have to match or exceed the width of the pool. Feel free to install a net that fits the best with your pool size and game requirements, provided that the net can be installed comfortably.

As for its height, a standard volleyball net stands at 7’11 ⅝” (seven feet, 11 and ⅝ inches) in a typical water volleyball game. You can also customize the net height so that players don’t have a tough time launching the ball over.

Pool Shape

The pool shape can make or break the possibility of being able to play water volleyball comfortably. Rectangular or oval pools face no issues, providing ample room for everyone involved to partake in the activity comfortably.

But dimensions alone don’t make for a good water volleyball court. There must be an equal amount of space on either side of the net, so neither team has their movements restricted. Hence, I do not recommend round pools and other abstract shapes, as they can hinder this equal playing field.

Setting Up Boundaries

If you have a differently-shaped pool with a large enough area to accommodate both teams in an equal capacity, you may want to establish boundaries. Indicators that float on the water can act as said boundaries, and if the ball lands outside, it can be considered out-of-bounds.

In case you don’t have such boundary markers, you can improvise and put chairs, shoes, or spare poles as visual indicators for the boundary.

Where Can I Buy A Pool Volleyball Net?

Sports stores typically have pool volleyball nets available for purchase, with a wide range of net types and sizes. You may also find nets in retail stores like Home Depot and Walmart if you’re looking for a quick purchase without worrying about pro-quality nets.

If you so wish, you can come up with DIY pool volleyball net ideas to serve as a makeshift net. This can be as simple as a pole on either side of the pool to something more elaborate, such as a suspended cloth mesh.

Warning

If you want to use a backyard volleyball net for water volleyball, remember that beach volleyball nets are differently sized. They are larger than what is needed in a typical game of water volleyball, making them unfit for the purpose.