In case you didn’t realize, we’re about to get our dig on as the Poreč Major springs into action on Tuesday!

It’s our second time here in this idyllic Croatian hotspot and, while there will be plenty of familiar faces from last year, there will be plenty of first-time beach volleyball fans rushing to Center Court this week.

With this in mind, and if you’re new to the wonderful world of beach volleyball, we’ve opened our bountiful beach volleyball encyclopaedia in order to give you the lowdown on all the weird and wonderful phrases you might hear.

Ace. We’ll start simple. A serve that scores a point without the other team touching the ball. How to use: “I think that’s Alexander Horst’s fifth ace this set already!”

Approach. Still quite simple: this is the period of play the teams make in the lead up to attacking the ball. “Ah, trademark approach play from Bawden and Clancy.”

Attack. Pretty straightforward this, once the approach is made there’s an attack – a shot of some sort, usually hit by a specified attacker. “Wonderful attack from Reinder Nummerdor!”

Bambi. This term is reserved for a player who tenses up and does not play aggressively. “Marnin, stop being such a bambi out there!”

Bang. Also known as a thump, this is a hard attack shot hit hard and at a steep downward, angle that also lands inside the 10-foot line.

Block. A phrase you’ll know and love by the end of the week. A block is what it is: when a player blocks an opponents’ attack at the net by springing into action at the net. Watch out for top blockers, Brazil’s Alison Cerutti and Germany’s Kira Walkenhorst. All together now… “Mein block! Mein block!”

Break. Commonly this word is used for when opposing teams win a point off the serving side. But it’s also reserved for a swift and sudden change in the direction of an attacker’s attack.

Bump. You’ll see plenty of bumps throughout the week. This is a passing move used when both arms are used together. The ball ‘bumps’ off both the player’s forearms. It’s also known in the game as a forearm pass or bump pass. “A classic bump pass from Larissa won that.”

Butter. This is used when a player sets-up his or her teammate with the perfect opportunity to attack. Players also refer to this as ‘nectar’ or ‘sauce’.

We hope that’s cleared a few terms up for you – we’ll deliver our next instalment soon. Let us know and get in touch with us via our social media channels.

Enjoy and see you @ the beach!