Volleyball rules are an important place to start. You cannot expect to be proficient at a sport unless you know what the rules are.This page assumes that you know nothing so that you will know how to play the game.
This page will be dedicated to teaching those rules. Rather than posting an official rule book, I wanted to post the simple rules so that someone could learn the game quickly.
* Each team has three hits before the ball must travel to the other side of the net.
* The ball cannot be hit by the same player twice in a row (unless the first hit is a block).
* Indoor volleyball teams have six players on the court. Each of these six players play different positions.
To learn more about the different volleyball positions, click here.
* Most leagues now use a scoring system called rally point. Rally point is where a point is scored each time the ball is served regardless of which team served the ball. Details on the scoring systems can be found here.
* The ball is considered out of bounds if it lands outside the lines (of course), hits an antennae, or hits the ceiling and goes over the net. If the ball hits the ceiling and comes back down on the team’s side, the ball is playable unless they have already hit the ball three times.
* Coaches must also turn in a volleyball lineup sheet to identify the starting rotation of each player at the beginning of the set. If you need a volleyball lineup sheet, we have one you can download for free.
* The team that wins the point will serve.
* The height of the net varies depending on if it is a men’s game or a women’s game.
Volleyball net height details can be found here.
* Players must rotate each time there is a side out. A side out is when the team that did not serve wins the point.
* Players must stay in the some rotational order each time the ball is served. Failure to do so is a penalty on the team.
* The player that is serving must stand out of bounds behind the end line when serving. Today’s rules now allow the player that is serving to stand anywhere behind the end line.
* Players on the back row cannot attack the ball (spike) unless they jump from behind the attack line. What is the attack line? The attack line is explained here as well as volleyball court dimensions.
* Volleyball also has rules that pertain to the court dimensions. Click here to learn how the volleyball court measurements affect play.
As volleyball rules can change over time, check back here from time to time to see updates to the volleyball rules.
Heard a term and don’t know what it means? Be in the know with these volleyball terms.
You can also learn more about the history behind volleyball and how the game was created and started. Or if you are looking for some volleyball variations, you can get ways to adapt the game.
Although it may not have a lot to do with the rules, it is always a good idea to review volleyball safety and injury prevention tips. There is nothing worse than getting injured while playing the game.
