Volleyball Rules
- There must be only six players on the volleyball court at any given time. 3 in the front row and 3 in the back row.
- Points are made on every serve, called rally-point scoring.
- Players are not allowed to hit the ball twice in succession (a block is not considered a hit).
- A ball hitting the boundary line is considered as ‘in’.
- A ball is ‘out’ if it touches the antenna, any of the cables or net outside the antennae, the floor area completely outside the court, the pole or referee stand, or the ceiling above a non-playable area.
- Contacting the ball with any of the player’s body parts is considered legal in a volleyball game.
- It is illegal to throw, hold or catch the ball.
- It is illegal to attack or block a serve from or inside the 10-foot line.
- After the service is done, the front-line players are allowed to switch positions at the net.
- The matches are made up of sets, the number depends on the level of the game.
Player Positions
There are 6 players on each side. Three of the players are positioned in the frontcourt and three in the backcourt.
| Player position | Description |
| Setter | The setter’s main job is to put the ball in the perfect place for the attackers so that they can strike the ball fiercely. |
| Middle Blocker | The main blocker and sometimes acts as an attacker too. |
| Outside Hitter | The main attacker takes place on the left and is ready to spike. |
| Weakside Hitter | The secondary attacker whose main job is to block but sometimes they are ready to spike when needed. |
| Liberos | This position is the focal point of the game and is being referred to as the most important player. This player is the first player which comes in contact with the ball. They wear a different jersey from the rest of the team and can be easily spotted in a game and they can be substituted for any player on the court. |
Terminologies
| Word | Meaning |
| ACE | The term “ace” refers to when a player serves the ball and the opposing team is unable to pass it. An ace occurs when the ball either hits the ground or is shanked off of a passer making a second touch impossible |
| BUMP | A pass is used to set an attack. |
| CARRY | Holding a ball for too long will result in this fault. |
| CROSS | This is a type of play in which the middle attacker takes the initiative of attacking as well as defending. |
| CUT | Shot from an impossible angle. |
| DIG | When the first hit is picked up as a first pass. |
| DOUBLE CONTACT | When a player hits the ball two times in a row. |
| DUMP | When a player crosses the ball over the net on a second contact. |
| FIVE ONE | A type of formation |
| FLOATER | A type of service where the volleyball is hit with no spin and less power and seems like it is floating in the air. |
| JUMP SERVE | A type of service where the server tosses the ball into the air and then jumps up and hits the serve as the ball is coming down. |
| KILL | An attack that results in a successful spike. |
| MIS-HIT | Untimed hit. |
| PANCAKE | A type of dig when the player uses the backhand flat to the ground allowing the ball to bounce off their hand for the hit. |
| SIDE OUT | A loss in the point causing a change in serve. |
| SIX TWO | A six-player offense where there are two setters in the back row. |
| SPIKE | A type of attack where the ball is served over the net with good force and speed. |
| STRONGSIDE | The court’s left side. Since most of the players are right-handed. |
| TIP | A soft hit attack is used to get the ball over the net quickly. |
| WEAKSIDE | The court’s right side. Since the majority of the players are right-handed. |
| WIPE | When one player pushes the volleyball off the opponent’s block to score winning the point. |
Volleyball Referee Signals
