Basic Volleyball Rules - Easy to Understand Volleyball Rules (2024)

Explore our section of basic volleyball rules to get simpledefinitionsof rules. In this section we give you thebasic idea of the volleyball rules.

VolleyballRules for Beginning Volleyball Players and Fans

Yellowcard results a loss of point

This rule page includes the very basics of volleyball rules forbeginningvolleyball players and fans.

To get more completeexplanations about the libero and other recent rules changes, be suretocheck out our other rules pages.

In volleyball rules cases section, wepresent real volleyball game scenarios, which will help youto use rules to your advantage and become a betterplayer.

Very BasicVolleyball Rules

Playersin the Team:

• Team has 6 players on the court.


• 3 players are front row players and 3 of themare back row players.

  Liberohas a different color jersey
  and is only allowed to play in the
  back row.



• Team is allowed to use a libero player (backrow player, defensive specialist) who wears different colorshirt.

Contacts:

• Each team is allowed to have maximum of threetouches before hitting the ball over the net. (EXCEPTION: block doesnot count as a touch)


• Same player can not hit the ball twice in a row(EXCEPTION I: block doesn’t count a touch.)

BackRow Attack:

• Back row players can not attack the ball frontrow. If they attack, they have to perform the jump behind the attackline (10 feet line, 3 meter line).


• IMPORTANT! The ball has to be completelyabove the net for it to be an illegal attack

Antennas:

• It is ALLOWED to play the ball off the net.Itis a fault, if the ball contacts net outside antennas.


• The ball has to travel between the antennas(orthe imagined extensions of them) when flying to the other side of thenet.

Inor Out?

• Referee calls the ball “IN”, if any part ofithits the lines. (Imagine the ball is painted. If the ball left a markthat touches the lines, the ball is judged IN)

Referee calls the ball in if any part
of it hits the lines.

• Ball is ruled OUT, if
• the ball lands outside the boundary lines(without touching the opponent)
• The ball hits the antenna
• any of the net or cables outside theantennas
• a referee stand or poles or the ceiling(EXPECTION: in high school, club or college volleyball in United Statesit is allowed to play after ball hits the ceiling)

Contactingthe Ball:

• Players are NOT allowed to catch, hold orthrowthe ball.


• Players are NOT allowed to hit or block theopponents serve.


• Attacking ball which is coming over the netisILLEGAL, if it has NOT broken the plane of the net.

  In other wordsthe player is ALLOWED to swing the ball when it breaks the plane of thenet.

Recentlychanged basic volleyball rules

LetServe:

• Let serve isallowed. In other words the ball can touch the net on the serve.

  PlayersCAN double hit the ball when
  digging it. Kicking is allowed.

Points:

• A point isfollowed after each serve. (Earlier you had a chance to get apoint only after your ownserve).

Libero:

• One of theback row players can be substituted to a libero who is a back rowspecialist with unlimited subs. The libero can enter and exit the gamebetween each serve without coach requesting a sub.

Serve:

• Server isallowed to serve the ball any place behind the backline. (Earlier therewas a serving area in the corner of the court)

Contactingthe Ball:

• Players areALLOWED to double hit the ball on the first contact, for example whenthey1) serve receive, or 2) dig the ball

  (Since this rule change passing overheadhas become commonly used method to pass the ball. Earlier it was oftencalled a false hit, double hit)

  Kicking:

• It is LEGALto hit the ball with any part of the body, the foot and leg included.(Earlier it was a mistake to kick the ball.)

VeryBasic Volleyball Rules Violations

• The back row playerperforms the attack frontrow.(It is ILLEGAL for the back row player to step on the attack line whenhitting.)
• The back row playerblocks the ball (the playerhavingany part of the body above the net and touching the ball)

  This referee just called a touch on the
  block or defender.

• The player doublecontacts the ball when settingthe ball (you CAN NOT double hit the ball when setting it)
• Player touchesthe net while the ball is intheplay

  (EXCEPTION: if the ball is hit the net and it pushes the net tothe opposing player)

• Stepping on theback line when serving theball.
• Reaching overthe net to block the ball isALLOWED, if the other side as used all the three touches. It is aFALSE,if opposing team has not used all the touches (and there is somebodytrying to make a play there.)

How to UseRulesof Volleyball for Your Advantage?

To read about how to use these basic volleyball rules to your advantagein the match, clickthe followinglink.

These rules of volleyball give youunderstandabledescriptions and help you to use rules for your own benefit on thecourt.

Rulesof Volleyball - Use Rules to Your Advantage

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