If you are into beach volleyball, you might have often seen the players hug quite often whether they lose or win a point. So, if you ever wondered why they do this, let’s address the reasons beach volleyball players hug.
Beach volleyball players hug for several reasons, such as:
- To maintain momentum and relax
- As an act of intimidation
- To reinforce the team members’ interaction
- To improve communication
Scroll down to learn further about this interesting behavior among beach volleyball and how it helps them keep going!
Psychological Aspect Behind Hugging
Have you ever wondered what this whole hugging thing really means? We bet most of you have caught beach volleyball players frequently hugging their teammates even if they lose a point. Frankly, before addressing the actual bases as to why they do this, we felt it would be essential to explain briefly what a hug could do to a person psychologically.
In fact, scientific data shows that things can be truly beneficial to human health. As the experts explain, hugging is associated with some neurochemicals, including the hormone oxytocin, which plays a significant role in slowing down the heart rate and receding stress and anxiety levels.
Consequently, the release of endorphins in the brain’s compensation tracks reinforces the rapid feelings of pleasure and relaxation. Therefore, although we see this action in beach volleyball as merely a cozy behavior, it is indeed. Still, it also has a profound psychological impact that would help all the players be in good mental health throughout the game.
So, Why Would Beach Volleyball Players Actually Hug?
There are a few psychological reasons why beach volleyball emphasizes this particular behavior. As mentioned earlier, beach volleyball is an explosive game, so physical rest is important, and so does mental health. So hugging can essentially help them with relaxing and assure themselves that they should keep going no matter what.
01- To Maintain Momentum And Relax
Volleyball players never fail to hug each other once they win a point. Winning a point can be so encouraging to go until they win the game, but at the same time, it is also crucial to maintain the energy. Therefore, volleyball experts say that hugging is a magical driving force that will help the players maintain momentum and relax their physically drained selves.
It is like a secret, non-verbal code that simply says, “Yuh mate, we gonna do so well, we gonna win this match.” But why do they hug even if they lose a point? Still, it reflects the importance of teamwork. Most of the time, it is just two players in one beach volleyball team, and they need so much energy to perform.
Thus, hugging even after they lose points brings reassurance to each other that they need to keep going and they should still look up to winning. So, keeping the momentum necessarily works in two ways: to keep up the ongoing winning mentality and fortitude to play well by not quitting until the end of the game.
02- As An Act Of Intimidation
Well, in volleyball, no one takes this whole hugging thing as something offensive, even though sometimes it is done as an act of intimidation. How things work here is pretty simple: if the winning team notices the losing team hugging after they have scored against them, they trigger to get startled up.
Mainly, hugging teammates heralding a win, but what is a losing team celebrating? The punch of the hug can actually rattle the opposing team and lower their confidence. This will exhibit to the other team that it doesn’t really matter what they achieved because the hugging team is still full of energy and hopes to win the game.
03- To Reinforce The Team Members’ Interaction
The interaction between the team members is vital in any team sport. In fact, as we mentioned earlier, beach volleyball is a strenuous activity that requires a lot of energy. Therefore, all the players in the team need to contribute with their utmost energy, especially if there are only two players representing a team.
Consequently, hugging can be defined otherwise as a behavior that could positively reinforce the interaction between the team members. This can also be a pat on the head to remind each player that “you are an important player to this team, so show your skills”. Once again, it is all related psychologically to how the way that human cognitive function works during an exciting, nervous, energy-consuming activity.
04- To Improve Communication
The few seconds taken by a beach volleyball team to hug really mean so much to them as it is considered a golden window for them to improve communication between the team players. In this small time frame, the players get time to share their ideas and express their happiness and feelings along with encouraging words to others.
Moreover, this verbal moment allows them to have a flashy discussion about the weaknesses of the opposing team, which will pave the way for them to victory in the game. And skilled players can uplift other slow-performing players to serve well by pacifying and suggesting to them what to do next.
Hugging Is Not An Intrinsically A Rule, But More Like A Tradition In Beach Volleyball…
Hugs virtually showcase the importance of being emotionally and mentally fit while being physically strong during a grueling game like beach volleyball. In essence, this activity that we often see among beach volleyball players is considered mandatory since it encourages the players while reinforcing the interaction between them, improving communication, and allowing them to relax and keep the energy within themselves.
