Volleyball Basic Rules
Volleyball Basic Rules
Volleyball Basic Rules
THE SERVE
( A ) Server must serve from behind the restraining line ( end line ) until after contact.
( D ) Served ball may graze the net and drop to the other side for point.
( E ) First game serve is determined by a volley, each subsequent game shall be served by the
previous game loser.
SCORING
A. Rally scoring will be used.
B. There will be a point scored on every score of the ball.
C. Offense will score on a defense miss or out of bounds hit.
D. Defense will score on an offensive miss, out of bounds hit, or serve into the net.
E. Game will be played to 25 pts.
F. Must win by 2 points.
ROTATION
( A ) Team will rotate each time they win the serve.
( B ) Player may not hit the ball twice in succession ( A block is not considered a hit ).
( C ) Ball may be played off the net during a volley and on serve.
( E ) A legal hit is contact with the ball by a player body above and including the waist which
does not allow the ball to visibly come to a rest.
( F ) If two or more players contact the ball simultaneously, it is considered one play and the
players involved may not participate in the next play.
( H ) Switching positions will be allowed only between front line players. ( After the serve only
).
BASIC VIOLATIONS
( A ) Stepping on or over the line on a serve.
( D ) Touches of the net with any part of the body while the ball is in play. If the ball is driven
into the net with such force that it causes the net to contact an opposing player, no foul will be
called, and the ball shall continue to be in play.
2 - When blocking a ball which is in the opponents court but is being returned ( the blocker must
not contact the ball until after the opponent who is attempting to return the ball makes contact).
Except to block the third play.
( F ) Reaches under the net ( if it interferes with the ball or opposing player ).
( H ) Blocks or spikes from a position which is clearly not behind the 10-foot line while in a back
row position.
THE COURT
PLAYING AREA
NET HEIGHT
Net height for men, co-ed mixed 6, & outdoor is 2.43 meters or 7'11-5/8".
Net height for women, 7'4-1/8".
BALL
The ball weighs between 9 and 10 ounces. Ball pressure is between 4.5 and 6.0 pounds
Playing Area
The playing area of volleyball consists of a court and a free zone. The playing court is surrounded by
the free zone. The playing court is rectangular in shape, 18 X 9 meters (60 X 30 feet) and the free
zone is a belt of 3 meters that surrounds the playing court from all sides. There are three types of
lines made on the court, which are the boundary lines, center line and attack lines, all of which are 5
centimeters wide. The center line divides the court into two equal parts and the attack lines are drawn
on both sides, 10 feet from the center line. The height of the volleyball net is 8 feet for men and 7 feet
4 inches for women. The ball used for the game has a circumference of approximately 26 inches and
weight of about 10 ounces. The pressure inside the ball should be 4.26 to 4.61 psi.
Libero
A Libero is a player specializing in the defensive skills of volleyball. In Italian, Libero means free. A
Libero has the right to replace any player during the game. Most Libero players are tall. Libero players
were introduced officially in a volleyball team in 1999, to increase the excitement of the game. The
Libero does not have to follow the rules of rotations as for the other players. A team has to choose the
Libero before the game and the Libero for a team has to be the same for the whole tournament. In
case of an injury, the Libero can be replaced. A Libero has to be good in all the skills required for the
game. He/she should be good at passing, quickness and handling the ball.
Serving
The player should serve the ball by standing behind the end line of his/her side of court. While
serving, the ball should be visible to the opponent team. The opponent team cannot block or attack
the serve. He/she should serve the ball in such a way (underhand or overhand) that the ball reaches
the other side of the court without touching the net. There are a number of ways to serve the ball that
include the top spin, jump float, hybrid service, sky ball serve and many more.
Scoring
The method used for scoring in volleyball game is 'rally scoring'. A rally starts when the ball is served,
and is a continuous passing of the ball from one player to another without the ball touching the
ground. Thus in rally scoring, a point is scored when the ball hits the ground. The team that wins the
rally gets the chance to serve. The game is of a total of 25 points and the winning team must score 2
points more than the opponent team. Usually five games are played during a volleyball match and
'best of three' rules are allowed.
Violations
The list of violations during a volleyball match is given below,