Volleyball

is a team sport played with a ball and a net.

There are teams on each side of the net. One
team hits the ball over the net and into the other
team's court, the other team must then hit the
ball back over the net and in bounds within three
tries without letting the ball touch the ground.
There are two main kinds of competitive
volleyball played in the world right now. They are
team volleyball and beach volleyball. Both are
Olympic sports and have competitive leagues.
Team volleyball is played indoors on a hard court
with 6 people per team. Beach volleyball is
played outdoors on the sand with 2 players per
team. The rules, strategy, and discussion here
will focus on team volleyball.
DESCRIPTIO
N
volleyball, Game played by two teams of six
players each, in which an inflated ball is
volleyed over a high net. Each team tries to
make the ball touch the court within the
opposing side’s playing areas before it can
be returned. A team is allowed to touch the
ball three times before returning it. The
team that first scores 15 points wins the
game. Volleyball was invented in 1895 by
William G. Morgan in Holyoke, Mass. It soon
proved to have wide appeal for both sexes
in schools, playgrounds, the armed forces,
and other settings. International competition
began in 1913, and volleyball became an
Olympic sport in 1964. Beach volleyball, a
variation with two players on a side, has
grown increasingly popular and became an
Olympic sport in 1996.

HISTORY OF
VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball was originally invented by

William Morgan in 1895. He was an
athletic director at the YMCA and was
trying to come up with a game that
would be fun, like basketball, but less
taxing. Of course the rules have
changed some since then, but it quickly
became a popular sport at the YMCA.
The name volleyball came about when a
man named Alfred Halstead noticed how
the game had a volleying nature. People
started calling it volley ball and the
name stuck.

Volleyball was first played as an official

Olympic sport in the 1964 Olympics.
Japan won the first gold medal in
women's volleyball and the USSR won
the first gold for men's volleyball.

Volleyball: Rules and Regulations

Basic Rules for Playing Volleyball

 6 players on a team, 3 on the front row and 3 on the back row

 There is a maximum of three hits per side
 Player may not hit the ball twice in succession (A block is not
considered a hit)
 Ball may be played off the net during a volley and on a serve
 A ball hitting a boundary line is ‘in’
 A ball is ‘out’ if it hits:
 an antennae,
 the floor completely outside the court,
 any of the net or cables outside the antennae,
 the referee stand or pole,
 the ceiling of the venue
 It is legal to contact the ball with any part of a players body
 It is illegal to catch, hold, or throw the ball
  If two or more players contact the ball at the same time, it is
considered one play and either player involved may make the next
contact (provided the next contact isn’t the teams 4th hit)
 A player cannot block or attack a serve from on or inside the 3
meter line
 After the serve, front line players may switch positions at the net
 If a team has five players they will have a ghost position and when
that position is serving the team will lose the point and serve.
 The referee/duty crew is made up of two refs, line judges and a
scorekeeper.

Basic Violations in Volleyball

Doing any of these results in a violation for your team and a lost point:

 When serving, stepping on or across the service line as you make

contact with the serve
 Failure to serve the ball over the net successfully
 Contacting the ball illegally (lifting, carrying, throwing, etc.)
 Touching the net with any part of the body while the ball is in play.
 Exception: 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.
 When blocking a ball coming from the opponents court, contacting
the ball when reaching over the net is a violation if both:
 1) your opponent hasn’t used 3 contacts AND
 2) they have a player there to make a play on the ball
 When attacking a ball coming from the opponents court, contacting
the ball when reaching over the net is a violation if the ball hasn’t
yet broken the vertical plane of the net.
 Crossing the court center line with any part of your body.
 Exception: if it’s the hand or foot, the entire hand or entire
foot must cross for it to be a violation.
 Serving out of order.
 Back row player blocking and spiking, back row players near the net
cannot contact the ball when part of his/her body above the top of
the net (an illegal block)

The six positions in volleyball are:

Libero
A defensive player who plays in the back row and wears a different color
jersey. They are responsible for serving receive, playing defense, and can
also be a backup setter.

Opposite hitter
Also known as the right side hitter, this player plays opposite the setter
and is often the team's main scorer. They are responsible for attacking,
blocking, and serving.

Defensive specialist

A back row player who is responsible for receiving serve and playing
defense.

Outside hitter

A player who is often one of the tallest and strongest players on the team.
They are responsible for attacking, passing, and blocking.

Setter

The offensive leader who controls the flow of the offense and runs the
plays. They are responsible for setting up the ball for an attacker.

Middle blocker

Also known as the middle hitter, this player is usually the tallest player on
the team. They are responsible for blocking attacks and completing attack
hits.

General Volleyball Gameplay

A point or rally is started when one team serves the ball. The
player serving the ball must stand behind the end line or
restraining line at the back of the court until after they have
contacted the volleyball. To serve a player hits the ball with
their hand over the net and into the opposing team's side. If the
ball doesn't go over the net or hits the ground, the point is over.
The opposing team must now return the ball without letting it
hit the ground. They can hit the ball up to three times. No
single player can hit the ball twice in a row (blocks don't count).
Typically a team will try to set up an attack. They use the first
two hits to set the ball for a spike or hard hit over the net. The
two teams continue hitting the ball back and forth until the
point ends. A point can end by one team hitting a winning shot
that hits the ground within the opponent's court or by one team
causing a fault and losing the point.
Which volleyball team serves the ball is determined by the
previous point. Whoever won the previous point, gets to serve
next. At the start of a match, the first serve is determined by a
volley.

Team Rotation
Although players play certain roles on a volleyball team, they
all must play all positions. There are three players on the front
line and three in the back. Each time a team gains the serve
they must rotate. The entire team rotates in a clockwise
manner with one player moving to the front line and another
player moving to the back line. This way each player plays each
spot.
Scoring
Scoring in volleyball is pretty simple, but it also has changed
over time. Most matches are divided up into sets. A typical
match may be a best of 5 sets where the first team to win 5
sets wins the match. In each set, the first team to 25 points
wins as long as they are 2 points ahead. A point is scored on
every rally, regardless of which team serves.
It used to be that only the volleyball team serving could score a
point on a won rally. Also, sets were typically played to 15
points. This was changed in 1999.

Volleyball Equipment and Court

An indoor volleyball is typically white, but may have some other
colors as well. It's round with 8 or 16 panels and is usually
made of leather. The official indoor volleyball is 25.5 -26.5
inches in circumference, weighs 9.2 - 9.9 ounces, and has 4.3-
4.6 psi air pressure. A youth volley ball is slightly smaller. Beach
volleyballs are slightly bigger, weigh the same, but have much
less air pressure.

The volleyball court is 18 meters long and 9 meters wide. It's

divided in sides in the middle by the net. The net is 1 meter
wide and is set up so that the top of the net is 7 feet 11 5/8
inches or 2.43 meters above the ground (right around 8 feet)
for men and 2.24 meters (7 feet 4 inches )for women. The only
other key feature is a line that is drawn on each side 3 meters
from the net and parallel to the net. This line is called the
attack line. It defines the front row and back row areas.