How Many Calories Does Playing Volleyball Burn?

Volleyball is one of those sports that takes a few basics--a ball and a net--and converts them into several different types of games. It's a popular team sport that can be played by as few as two players on a side to as many as eight. The number of calories burned by playing volleyball depend on where it's played, at what level and by whom.

Types

There are four basic types of volleyball: recreational, competitive, sand and water. Recreational games are played by six to eight players per team, competitive games are played by no more than six to a side, sand games are almost always played by two partners, and water volleyball can be played by as many as can fit in the pool.

For calorie-burning numbers, the following sections will identify Woman A as being 30 years old, 5'5 and 135 pounds, Woman B as 50 years old and the same height and weight, Man A as 30 years old, 6'0 and 170, and Man B as 50 years old and the same height and weight.

You can specify your own age, weight and height in the calorie-burning calculator at Fitday (see References).

Recreational

Recreational volleyball is played in a gymnasium with players who are often just learning the game, or have only rudimentary skills. There are fewer complete plays--bump, set spike--and sometimes score is not even kept.

Water volleyball is played in a pool. It is a much more casual game, with (obviously) no real jumping. It often consists simply of a ball being passed from one player to another and then over the net, hoping to land it in an unmanned area of the water.

One hour of volleyball either at the recreational level or in water will burn basically the same number of calories:

Woman A: 117 calories
Woman B: 109 calories
Man A: 153 calories
Man B: 142 calories

Indoor Competitive

Indoor competitive volleyball also takes play on a hard court in a gym. At this level, all players are highly skilled in at least some part of the game, whether it is bumping (passing) the ball, setting, spiking or strictly defense (known as a libero). Most players can do everything fairly well but excel in one area. In leagues, teams are usually matched against others of fairly equal caliber to make the competition fair. It also leads to longer games, since one team rarely beats another quickly.

One hour of competitive indoor volleyball burns:

176 calories in Woman A
164 calories in Woman B
230 calories in Man A
213 calories in Man B

Sand

Sand or beach volleyball burns the most calories, since you're not only covering much more ground than in any other version of the game, you're often playing in draining sun. Beach volleyball has gained huge popularity in recent years thanks to the gold-medal winning American teams, both men and women. Although anyone can play, the game requires both players to be able to do everything: serve, set, spike, block and play defense.

One hour of sand volleyball burns:

410 calories in Woman A
383 calories in Woman B
537 calories in Man A
497 calories in Man B

What to Eat

To prepare for competitive or sand volleyball, you should eat several small, nutritious snacks over the course of several hours or even a day in advance, if possible. Do not take in a large amount of protein or complex carbohydrates at any one time. Some good snacks are peanut butter and jelly, energy and granola bars, tuna, yogurt and fruit. You also should drink a lot of water beforehand, not just during a game.

References

• Fitday
• Nutristrategy