At first glance, volleyball looks pretty simple. Two teams line up on either side of a net, which divides the court in half. Each team tries to score a point by hitting the ball over the net so that the other team can’t return it. The team with the most points wins the set. The team that wins the most sets wins the match. Like any sport, however, indoor volleyball has its own rules, terms, and strategies. Here’s a guide to help you understand the basics.
First, let’s take a look at the volleyball court.
How big is an indoor volleyball court?
Indoor volleyball courts are shaped like a rectangle and measure 18 meters by 9 meters (about 59 feet by 29 ½ feet) .
Court conditions are tightly controlled. Lights, temperature, and the court surface are carefully checked and maintained throughout the match.
What do the lines on an indoor volleyball court mean?
Lines on an indoor volleyball court
The lines on indoor volleyball courts set the boundaries and also mark sections that define player positions. Each line is 5 cm (about 2 inches) wide.
Two sidelines and two endlines mark the edges of the court.
A center line splits the court in half, running under the net from one sideline to the other.
Each half-court includes an attack line, placed 3 meters (9’10”) back from the center line. The attack line separates the front of each court (the front zone) from the back.
Players serve from across the end line.
Substitute players wait to enter the game in the substitution zone, formed by the extension of both attack lines up to the scorer’s table.
How high is a volleyball net?
Volleyball nets, measured at center court, sit 2.43 meters high for men (nearly 8 feet) and 2.24 meters high for women (about 7 feet 4 inches) Some leagues adjust the height of the net for different age groups.
Volleyball nets stretch 1 meter wide (about 39 inches) and 9.50 to 10 meters long (approximately 31-33 feet). They include a top horizontal band (7 cm/2 ¾ inches wide) and netting (made of square black mesh). Cables or ropes keep the net’s top and bottom taut across the court.
Posts support the net on either side of the court. They are placed well beyond the sidelines and shaped for safety.
How big is a volleyball?
An indoor volleyball weighs about 260-280 g (about 9 to 10 oz) and measures 65-67 cm (about 25 1/2-26 1/3 inches) around its circumference. Volleyballs have smooth surfaces and are usually made from leather panels that are glued together.
Now that we’ve set up the volleyball court, let’s take a look at how the game is played.
How many players are on a volleyball team?
Indoor volleyball teams consist of six starting players and usually 6-8 substitutes. Players line up in specific positions and have skills best suited for their role.
Indoor volleyball players can warm up on the court for up to six minutes if they’ve already started loosening up elsewhere. If not, they get up to 10 minutes.
Volleyball players and coaches follow a dress code. Players must wear volleyball shorts or spandex, and a top jersey. Coaches wear nice shirts and slacks.
Starting the volleyball game
Before the match begins, the coach or game captain submits their team’s starting lineup to the 2nd referee or scorer.
The lineup shows each starting player’s location, the serving order, and how players will rotate on the court throughout the match.
At the start of play, three players position themselves in the front of the court, and three in the back.
The team that wins the opening coin toss serves first.
How do you serve in volleyball?
Servers begin a rally by hitting the ball over the net to the opposing team.
Servers can hit the ball with one hand or any part of their arm after they toss (release) the ball.
Servers can only toss the ball once, but they can dribble or move the ball in their hands before they release it. One service toss error is allowed for each service in lower age groups (14-under and below).
Servers cannot touch any area of the court outside of the service zone until they launch the ball. After that, they’re free to land outside the service zone or inside the court lines.
If servers hit out of order, hit a player on their own team, or fail to get the ball over the net, they commit a fault and lose the point.
How do you score points in volleyball?
After one team serves, the receiving team can touch the ball up to three times before returning the ball back over the net to the serving team.
The teams continue hitting back and forth until the ball touches the ground. The team that lands the ball inside the opponent’s court wins the point. A team loses the point if they hit the ball off the court, or if the ball deflects off their player and goes out of bounds.
The team that wins the rally scores the point, regardless of whether they served or received.
If the serving team wins the point, they “hold serve,” and the same player (or her/his substitute) serves again. A team keeps serving until they lose a point.
The serve then passes to the other team, which rotates their players before they start serving. They continue to serve until they lose a point. The serve then returns to the other team.
In most rallies, teams use their first two touches to set up an attack, trying to place the ball in the best possible position to score a point.
Winning the match
Teams need to score 25 points (with a two-point advantage) to win a set. Indoor volleyball matches are played best-of-five at the high school, collegiate and professional level, which means the first team to win three sets wins the match. Club and younger school-aged programs are best-of-three.
However, if a match is tied 2-2 after four sets, a team needs only to score 15 points (again, with a two-point margin) to win the fifth and deciding set and clinch the match.
Switching sides
Indoor volleyball teams change sides after each set. If a fifth set becomes necessary, the teams switch sides after eight points, about halfway toward the 15 points needed for victory.
The team that received the serve in the opening set now gets to serve first in the second set. Teams then alternate first serves for each set that follows.
What is “in” or “out” in volleyball?
A volleyball team scores a point when the ball touches the ground inside the opponent’s court.
The ball is considered “in” if any part of the ball touches the court, including the boundary lines. The ball is “out” if it lands entirely outside the lines, or if it touches an object or person outside the court.
Volleyball players must stay “in bounds” (inside the court lines) during rallies, and they can’t touch the ball when it’s outside the court.
What does it mean to “touch” a volleyball?
Players “touch” a volleyball when it contacts any part of their body.
Players usually hit volleyballs with their hands or arms.
Players are not allowed to catch or throw the ball, but legal touches include any other contact.
Indoor volleyball teams can touch the ball a maximum of three times during a rally before returning it over the net.
If two or three players touch the ball at exactly the same moment, it only counts as one hit.
A volleyball player cannot hit the ball twice in a row (referred to as a double-hit) except:
If the ball hits two parts of the player’s body at the same time, or,
After or during a block, if the block is judged to be only one action.
How do you attack in volleyball?
Volleyball players “attack” the ball when they direct it toward the opponent, unless they’re serving or trying to block.
Front-row players can attack when the ball is at any height, as long as they contact the ball in their own playing space.
Back-row players can also attack from behind the front zone at any height, as long as they don’t cross over the attack line before they hit the ball. They can also attack from the front zone if at least a part of the ball is below the top of the net.
The receiving team can’t attack an opponent’s service if the ball is in the front zone and entirely above the top of the net.
What does blocking mean in volleyball?
Players can try to block the ball by reaching above the net to contest a spiked ball from the opponent.
Only front-row players can block, and at least part of their body must be higher than the top of the net.
Blockers are allowed to position their arms beyond the net, as long as they don’t interfere with the other team. That means you can’t try to block beyond the net before the opponent tries an attack of their own.
The receiving team also cannot try to block an opponent’s serve.
Indoor volleyball doesn’t count blocks as touches.
Can players touch the net in volleyball?
If a ball touches the net while it’s crossing over, play continues.
If a team drives the ball into its own side of the net, they can recover it and hit it again, as long as they don’t touch it more than three times before returning it.
When a player attempts a block, they can touch the ball beyond the net as long as they don’t interfere with the opponent.
After an attack hit, players can pass their hand beyond the net as long as they first contact the ball on their side. In other words, players can’t reach over the net and hit the ball with their hand on the opponent’s side.
If two opponents touch the ball simultaneously over the net and the ball stays in play, the team that receives the ball gets another three hits.
Indoor players must stay on their own side of the court during play and can’t cross into their opponent’s side of the court. Players may not come into contact with the net with any body parts unless the force of the ball causes the net to make contact, or they are turned away from the net after making a play.
Can volleyball players replace a teammate during a set?
Indoor volleyball coaches get very involved with their teams. They can shout instructions and call timeouts at any time.
Coaches and game captains can request pauses in play for timeouts and substitutions.
Each team may request a maximum of two timeouts and 12 substitutions per set (this rule may vary depending on the league and level of play).
Substitutes are players (other than Liberos) who enter the game to replace another player.
Two or more players may be substituted at the same time.
How many officials control an indoor volleyball game?
There are typically six officials in a volleyball game:
The referee (or 1st referee) is in charge of the match. Referees control the game and enforce the rules. They stand in an area opposite the scorer with a view above the net, which allows them to see all the action.
The 2nd referee assists the 1st referee but also has specific duties, including supervising the scorer and authorizing game pauses such as time-outs.
Line judges (usually two, but sometimes up to four) judge whether balls land inside or outside the court and if players commit faults. They stand at the corners of the court where they can see the endline and sideline of their side, and they use flags or hand signals to make their calls.
The scorekeeper (or scorer) keeps track of the points and sets for the match. The scorekeeper sits at the scorer’s table and faces the 1st referee from the opposite side of the court.
The assistant scorer sits beside the scorer at the scorer’s table, assisting the scorer and tracking substitutions, particularly the libero.
Do other types of volleyball use the same rules as indoor?
For the most part, indoor volleyball follows similar rules across all versions of the sport, from college and high school to the Olympics and international competition. Some procedures may vary, including player substitutions and the number of officials, but basic play remains the same.
One major exception? Beach volleyball differs from indoor volleyball in so many ways that some people see them as separate sports. (See the differences between indoor and beach volleyball here).
