The Brazilian sport of footvolley is a popular activity on sunny days along Rio de Janeiro’s coast. But, recently, people stopped to watch one especially exceptional player: a three-year-old named Floki. But the young player is not a child. Floki is a dog.
He is also very good at footvolley.
The rules of footvolley are almost the same as beach volleyball. However, the game requires a lower net and a soccer ball replaces the volleyball. Similar to soccer, the rules bar players from using their hands on the ball.
Not a problem for the four-legged Floki. He jumps up and hits the ball with his mouth.
Floki has become popular on social media in Brazil, with hundreds of thousands of followers on services such as Instagram and TikTok.
Floki’s owner, Gustavo Rodrigues, is a footvolley trainer, or coach.
Floki entered Rodrigues’ life as a puppy and demonstrated his sporty qualities early on. At just 2 months old, he started playing with small balloons. He would jump in the air to reach them.
Rodrigues started Floki out on an exercise called “altinha.” It involves a group standing in a circle and passing a soccer ball through the air for as long as possible.
In 2023, Floki started playing the complex, competitive game of footvolley.
Footvolley players need skills such as agility and timing. Just two people must cover an entire half court. This requires quick and surefooted moves on soft sand under the hot sun.
Floki was a natural. A star was born.
Rodrigues, age 26, said about Floki, “He does things that even some professionals don’t — like positioning on the court."
Rodrigues added that, during play, Floki always “turns toward the ball to always hit it straight on.”
It is clear this high-energy dog lives for this game. Even when resting on the beach, Floki was paying careful attention to a nearby footvolley competition.
When playing, he makes dog sounds to communicate with Rodrigues. Floki barks to let his human teammate know he is open for a pass. The dog appears to understand the basic rules of the game.
Sometimes, he surprises the other team with an unexpected drive of the ball over the net. He scores a point and then he jumps into Rodrigues’ arms to celebrate.
One of the watchers on a recent Sunday was Luiza Chioli, who had traveled to Rio from Sao Paulo. She already knew the famous Floki from TikTok. She said she was surprised that the real dog was as good at footvolley as the videos had suggested.
“Seeing social media, we had thought it was just cuts, that they used the best takes,” said Chioli, 21. “But we saw he played, performed the whole time, did really well. It’s really cool.”
Proposals for partnerships and business deals with Rodrigues and Floki followed the dog’s growing stardom. The two live in the capital Brasilia. However, they often travel to Rio and other Brazilian states for games, marketing appearances and social media work.
I’m Ashely Thompson.
