9 Best Sports to Play on the Beach

©istockphoto/Wavebreakmedia

Summer is finally here and it’s time to hit the beach! Rather than just lie around soaking up some sun, why not pull out a ball and play a game while you’re out on the sand? Here are some great sports you can play on the beach this season.

Beach Volleyball
Probably everyone’s favorite beach sport, volleyball is a great way to get in some exercise without overheating yourself in the in the hot sun. It’s easy to set up and even easier to play. The best part is you don’t even have to have a team; plenty of beachgoers would be happy to join in as long as you’ve got a ball.

Ultimate Frisbee
Tossing a Frisbee around on the sand is a tried and true beach pastime, but why not up the ante a bit and put together a game of ultimate Frisbee? With a group of 8 or more you can lay out a perimeter and a couple of goal lines and put your disc tossing skills to the test. If you’re really feeling competitive, you could even move this one into the water.

Kadima
Over here in America we usually just refer to this game as paddle ball. It’s a simple game to play, only requires two people and is a ton of fun for all of twenty minutes. It’s probably the closest thing you can find to a beach version of tennis or Ping-Pong, so if that’s more up your lane than football maybe you should give it a try. Just try to keep the ball away from the water or you may never get it back.

Beach Football
Much like regular football, beach football is immensely more pleasurable because it doesn’t hurt nearly as much to be tackled on sand as it does on solid ground. Of course, if you’re afraid of a little pain you could always play the flag version. Put a couple of teams together, set up opposing goal lines and you’ve got yourself a game. You’ll probably have to forgo the field goal in this version, but nobody likes that part anyway.

©istockphoto/chameleonseye

Sand Soccer
Playing soccer on the sand is immeasurably more difficult, and fun, than playing on a traditional field. The ball has a tendency to fly in crazy directions, get stuck in a dune or end up in the water after a bad kick (bonus points if you can get it out without using your hands!). It’s also much easier to twist your ankle on the beach, so you’d better play with caution!

Beach Basketball
The rules for beach basketball are a tad different from the regular version, since obviously you won’t be able to dribble on the sand. Instead, the ball is simply passed from player to player as teams of three try and make shots into their baskets. If the ball does touch the sand it becomes a free for all for anyone who can touch it first.

Beach Rugby
Rugby is one of the roughest and toughest sports around, but it becomes a little toned down once you put it on sand. It still isn’t going to feel great to get tackled, obviously, but at least you have something softer to land on! There usually aren’t any goals in beach rugby but in Italy they like to draw five equal rectangles in the sand to serve as the in and out goals.

Beach Flags
Beach flags is sort of the sandy equivalent of musical chairs. Someone places a set amount of flags in a row along the beach, but always ensures there is at least one less flag than there are competitors. Upon the starting signal, racers rush to the flags and try and grab one before anyone else. Those left without a flag are eliminated. This sport tends to get pretty competitive and occasionally a little physical.

Beach Handball
If you’ve never seen a game of handball before, it’s essentially soccer without using your feet. Instead, players attempt to throw a ball into the opposing teams goal. On the beach it’s played exactly the same way just with the added difficulty of trying to run in the sand. You can make a goal out of pretty much any two items you have lying around, so place a couple of sand buckets on opposite ends of the playing field and you’re good to go!

Beach Polo
We’re not exactly sure how you’re going to get away with this one, but if you manage to have a few horses on hand and no police officers around to stop you we’re pretty sure it’d be a lot of fun!