Unlike indoor volleyball, where the two competing teams field six players each, teams in beach volleyball can only field two players per side on the court.
These two players can perform two positions during the game: Blocker or Defender.
The blocker is the player that guards the net and contests the opponent's spikes with his or her longer reach and quick reflexes.
The defender guards the rest of the court and digs out spikes or chases looped-up shots into the open areas of the court. The defender is usually the more agile of the two teammates since it takes tremendous acceleration to get across the court and keep rallies alive.
However, unlike indoor volleyball where each team has players with five defined roles, teams in beach volleyball usually use both their players as the blocker and defender based on whether the player is guarding the right-side or left-side of the court.
