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This text is aimed at a broad Volleyball public – players, coaches, referees, spectators, commentators, and others – because an understanding of the rules allows better play and personal satisfaction – coaches can create better team structure and tactics, giving players full rein to display their skills,
The FIVB is the governing body responsible for all forms of Volleyball on a global level. Working closely with national federations and private enterprises to develop Volleyball as a popular media and entertainment sport. FIVB Fédération Internationale de Volleyball Château Les Tourelles Edouard-Sandoz 2-4 1006 Lausanne Switzerland
- Playing Area
- Number of Players
- Serving Rules
- Player Service Rotation and Positioning Rules
- Scoring Rules – Points, Sets, and Matches
- Violations of Rules
- Rotational / Positional Faults
- Substitutions
- The Libero
- Conclusion
In the vast majority of cases, indoor volleyball is played in a multi-purpose gymnasium either at a school or university, and the court lines are superimposed on the floor along with basketball, badminton, handball, and so forth. In national and world-level competitions, the court surface is usually dedicated only to the sport of volleyball.
In general, teams must have at least 6 players to start the match, and at least 6 eligible players (substitution players, or “subs”) to play the match. There are 6 players on court for each team during the match. In FIVB rules, a team may have up to 14 players in total.
The Actual Serve
The server must toss (i.e. release the ball), and then must contact the ball behind the end line in the service area located behind Zone 1 (usually a 3 meter wide area). Neither foot may touch the line during the contact. In the case of a jump serve, the jump takeoff must be behind the line as well.
No Screening Allowed
The players on the serving team must not arrange themselves on the court in such a way as to block the view of the server or the ball, nor wave their hands or make other distracting movements.
Each team has 6 players on the court at any one time. At the start of the game, or “set”, each team’s coach arranges his / her players in the zones of the court. This arrangement dictates the rotational order of the team when they are awarded the serve (either at the beginning of a set, or after a “side-out” in which the team who served the ball to...
Points
A single point is scored by a team when: 1. 1.1. 1.1.1. 1.1.1.1. That team successfully grounds the ball on the opponent’s court, within the defined space includingwhen any part of the ball touches any of the side or end lines (in other words, the lines are considered “in”). 1.1.1.2. When the opponent team commits a fault (i.e. an action going against the rules). 1.1.1.3. When the opponent team receives a penalty. If the serving team wins a rally, it scores a point and continues to serve. If...
Sets & Matches
A “set” is a single game of volleyball, and a “match” is a certain number of sets played to determine the overall winner of the play between two teams. 1. 1.1. 1.1.1. 1.1.1.1. A set is played to 25 points, with points being awarded from each rally (also called a rally-point system). Teams must win by two points to win the set; in the case of a tie at 24 points each, for example, a team would have to win 26-24. 1.1.1.2. A match is a maximum of 5 sets, with a team being declared winner of the m...
Variations
According to volleyball rules, high school and middle school teams will often play in a three-team round robin format, especially if there are many teams in a league and court / gym venues are limited in the area. In this case, two teams play while the third team watches (or perhaps is in another area practicing). There is some leeway in the rules to play such that a match of 3 sets may be played, with all sets to 25 points. In a university round robin format as described above, the choices a...
Violations of the rules for a player or players on one team results in a “fault”, with the rally ending and a point being awarded to the opposing team (and the loss of serve if applicable).
It is important to remember that while volleyball is a very free flowing sport during rallies, with players moving all around (subject to some restrictions on who can play the ball from where on the court as described above), the rotation and position rules are very strict. As such, faults are declared if the rules from section 4, PLAYER SERVICE RO...
Players in the starting rotation may be substituted with other players from the team, with certain restrictions. 1. 1.1. 1.1.1. 1.1.1.1. A player that has been substituted may re-enter the game, but only in the position from which they were substituted. 1.1.1.2. Coaches must request a substitution with the referee. In cases where there is a substit...
You may recall that the Librero position is a designated defensive specialist on the team. There is one Librero designated per set, per team, in middle school, high school and university levels while the FIVB allows up to 2 Libreros designated per set (with only one Librero allowed on the court at any one time). A Librero’s uniform must be a signif...
While there are many other very specific rules to the sport of volleyball (such as location of team benches, coaching positions on the court, length and number of timeouts, and score sheets just to name a few), the above descriptions of the overall rules should be more than enough to get you started! If you would like even more details, check out t...
A player is eligible to play for the National Team of a National Federation if he / she has: 1) the nationality of the country he / she represents, proving this by means of a passport or other valid, government issued document confirming his / her nationality;
A special chapter (Chapter 10) has been included, as the FIVB now uses, electronic devices for top competition (tablets, headsets, etc. ) In the appendix, the case numbers are listed together with the corresponding rules.
Published by Volleyball Canada, this annual publication has all the up to date rules for playing Indoor Volleyball in Canada. It is a necessity for all referees, coaches, players and parents. To order the 2024-2025 Rulebook at a price of $15.00, please visit our E-Shop. An electronic copy may be found here.
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Now, how does the game start? Well, it kicks off with a coin toss, and the winner gets the chance to serve first. Once the ball’s in play, both teams then rally it back and forth, trying to score points by making the ball touch the ground on the opponent’s side. Each team is allowed up to three touches before returning the ball.
