RULES OF THE GAME Game Mechanics
The Court Dimensions and Position of Players Each team consists of six players on court. To get play
started, a team is chosen to serve by coin toss. A player
A volleyball court is 18m (59ft) long and 9m (29.5ft) from the serving team throws the ball into the air and
wide, divided into 9m 9mm halves by a one-meter (40- attempts to hit the ball so it passes over the net on a
inch) wide net. The top of the net is 2.43m (8ft 0 in) course such that it will land in the opposing team’s
above the center of the court for men’s competition, court (the serve). The opposing team must use a
and 2.24m (7ft 4 in) for women’s competition, varied combination of no more than three contacts with the
for veterans and junior competitions. volleyball to return the ball to the opponent’s side of
The minimum height clearance for indoor volleyball the net. These contacts usually consist first of the bump
courts I 7m (23ft), although a clearance of 8m (26ft) is or pass so that the ball’s trajectory is aimed toward the
highly advised. player designed as the setter; second of the set (usually
A line 3m (9.84ft) from and parallel to the net is an over-hand pass using wrist to push fingertips at the
considered the attack line. This “3 meter” (or 10-foot) ball) by the setter so that the ball’s trajectory is aimed
line divides the court into 2 areas that are called “BACK toward a spot where one or the players designated as
RAW” and “FRONT ROW” areas (also backcourt and an attacker can hit it; and third by the attacker who
frontcourt). These are in turn divided perpendicularly spike to return the ball over the net. The team with
into 3 areas each: these are numbered as follows,, possession of the ball that is trying to attack the ball as
starting from area 1, which is the position of the serving described is said to be on offense.
player is set.
The team on defense attempts to prevent the attacker
When a team gains the serve (also known as siding out), from directing the ball into their court: players at the
its members must rotate in a clockwise direction, with net jump and reach above the top of the net to block
the player previously in area 2 moving to area 1 and so the attacked ball. If the ball is hit around, above, or
on. Each player only rotates one time after the team through the block, the defensive players arranged in the
gains possession of the serve; the next time each player rest of the court attempt to control the ball with dig.
rotates will be after the other team wins possession of After a successful dig, the team transitions to offense.
the ball and loses the point. The game continues in this manner, rallying back and
The team courts are surrounded by an area called the forth, until the ball touches the court within the
free zone which is a minimum of 3 meters wide and boundaries or until an error is made. The most frequent
which the players may enter and play within after the errors that are made are either to fail to return the ball
service of the ball. If a ball comes in contact with the over the net within the allowed three touches, or to
line, the ball is considered to be “IN”. An antenna is cause the ball to land outside the court. A ball is “in” if
placed on each side of the net perpendicular to the any part of it touches a sideline or end-line, and a
sideline and is a vertical extension of the side boundary strong spike may compress the ball enough when it
of the court. A ball passing over the net must pass lands that a ball which at first appears to be going out
completely between the antenna (and their theoretical may actually be in. Players may travel well outside the
extension to the ceiling) without contracting them. court to play a ball that has gone over a sideline or end-
line in the air.
The Ball
Other common errors include a player touching the ball
Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) twice in succession, a player “catching” the ball, a player
regulations state that the standard volleyball must touching the net while attempting to play the ball, or a
be spherical, made of either leather or synthetic player penetrating under the net into the opponent’s
leather, has a circumference of 65-67cm, a weight of court. There are a large number of other errors
260-280g, and an inside pressure of 0.30-0.325kg/cm2. specified in the rules, although most of them are
infrequent occurrences. These errors include back-row
Or libero players spiking the ball or blocking, players not
being in the correct position when the ball is served,
attacking the serve in the front court and above the
height of the net, using another player as a source of
support to reach the ball, stepping over the back
boundary line when serving, taking more than 8seconds
to serve, or playing the ball when it is above the
opponent’s court.
Scoring
When the ball contacts the floor within the court
boundaries or an error is made, the team that did not
make the error is awarded a point, whether they served
the ball or not. If the ball hits the line, the ball is
counted as in. The team that won the point serves for
the next point. If the team that won the point served in
the previous point, the same player serves again. If the
team that won the point did not serve the previous
point, the players of the serving team rotate their
position on the court in a clockwise manner. The game
continues, with the first team to score 25points by a
two-point margin is awarded the set. Matches are best-
of-five sets and the fifth set, if necessary, is usually
played to 15points.
Benefits of Volley ball
Improves self-confidence, self-esteem, and
body image.
Develops interpersonal skills-team works
cooperatively.
Helps muscular development,
cardiovascular health, and balance.
Helps develop eye-hand coordination and
faster reflexes.
