Top 10 Health Benefits of Volleyball

Whether you play indoors, on the grass, or on a beach, volleyball can be a great way to stay healthy and fit. It’s also a great way to stay involved in social activities, as it can be played with a single partner or in a team. Get your game on with the Top 10 health benefits of volleyball from Health Fitness Revolution and author of the book ReSYNC Your Life Samir Becic:

• Burns calories and fat: One of the primary benefits of volleyball is that it helps you burn calories, which is an important component of a weight loss or maintenance program. Harvard Medical School reports a person can burn between 90 to 133 calories during a half-hour game of non-competitive, non-beach volleyball, depending on a person’s weight, while a competitive gym game burns between 120 to 178 calories. An hour-long volleyball game on a much less stable ground of sand can burn up to 480 calories.

• Tones and shapes the body: The physical activities involved in playing volleyball will strengthen the upper body, arms, and shoulders, as well as the lower body muscles. Playing volleyball also improves the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

• Increases metabolic rate: Playing volleyball enhances your energy level and improves your overall performance in other sports and workouts.

• Improves hand-eye coordination: Volleyball is all about hand-eye coordination. When you serve, you must follow the ball with your eyes and strike the ball at the right point. On defense, you must react to where the ball is going and get in position to make a play. While setting, your hand-eye coordination helps you see where your hitters are to give them a good set.

• Builds agility, coordination, speed, and balance: Due to its quick changes of pace and direction, volleyball places a large number of demands on a player’s technical and physical skills. During the play, players are required to serve, pass, set, attack, block, and dig the ball. These skills require flexibility, good balance, upper and lower body strength, and speed to be played effectively.

• Heart healthy: By increasing your heart rate, your body will circulate more blood and nutrients throughout your body, improving your overall health.

• Builds muscular strength: Volleyball requires strong chest and core muscles for nearly every play. When you pass, you mimic a squat and you must use your legs to generate power. When you set, you must use your arms, legs, and hands, especially your thighs. You must also load your legs and arms and push up when the ball is coming to you. Your hands need to be strong to prevent injury.

• Increases aerobic ability: According to Well Source’s Aerobic Mile Chart, you expend the same amount of energy playing an easy, slow-paced game of volleyball for 20 minutes as you would jogging one mile. You expend the same amount of energy spent jogging a mile by playing a vigorous 12-minute game of volleyball.

• Improves interpersonal skills: Volleyball requires that teammates work cooperatively, and move quickly.  A June 2008 study of adult men who engage in regular team sports found that team members developed better networking skills than men who were less involved in team sports, reports the Centre for Economic Policy Research. Leadership and cooperation skills provide valuable lessons that help us in other aspects of our lives.

• Boosts mood and increases drive to succeed: Your involvement in volleyball can improve your mood, reduce stress, and encourage pride in your accomplishments as a team member. The activity can also improve your self-confidence, self-esteem, body image and make you feel happier about life in general. Involvement in volleyball can also improve your motivation and ability to succeed. As a team player, your cooperative efforts lead to the success or failure of the team. Team members encourage one another during practice and in the game to give everyone the confidence to keep trying to master and perfect the necessary skills to win.

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