Volleyball
Volleyball rules: An overview of the most important rules of the game
Whether you're a beginner or an expert, volleyball is a complex game. We'll show you what really matters in the game and give you an overview of the most important rules.
Volleyball was invented in the USA in 1985 and it is no historical coincidence that basketball was also created just a few kilometres away. Both sports were created with the same goal in mind: It was to keep physical education students busy during the winter. To this end, William G. Morgan decided to rethink and combine basketball, tennis and badminton. Volleyball as we know it today was born.
Volleyball developed into a complex discipline and the rules can be overwhelming at first, especially for newcomers. We provide a remedy and give you an overview of the most important rules of the game that need to be taken to heart.
01
The basics of volleyball
Size and characteristics of a volleyball court
A volleyball court is 9 metres wide and 18 metres long. It has two sides separated by a net 2.43 metres high (2.24 metres for women). Each side is occupied by one team and is divided into two areas: the front area (3 m long) and the back area (6 m long).
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Composition and roles of the players in a team
A volleyball team consists of a maximum of six players. They are labelled with numbers from 1 to 6, which correspond to their role on the court.
- Outside attacker/outside receiver : These players are positioned on the wings in each zone. They can act as both attackers and defenders.
- Setter: He/she is also known as the conductor and is always close to the net, usually on the right wing. Servers are responsible for the second contact with the ball, making them the pivotal point of an organised volleyball move. Ultimately, they put their teammates in the best position to score points.
- Centre attacker/middle blocker: Unsurprisingly, they are located in the middle of the court (on each line). They often play together with the passer and go on the counter-attack when the opposing team tries to play a smash.
- Diagonal attackers: They are the main attackers of the team; they are almost always on the opposite side of the setter (diagonally) and hit powerful balls to the opponent's side to score points. They are not called power hitters for nothing.
- Libero: In contrast to the set-up player, the libero has a very defensive role. They do not attack, but are positioned on the back line to receive and defend balls. They are real specialists in this.
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02
The official volleyball rules
Throw-in and rotation system
In contrast to tennis, in a volleyball match the team that serves is inevitably the one that won the previous point. To put the ball into play, the player (who is in position one at the back right of the court) must stand outside the boundary of the court. As described above, he has eight seconds from the referee's whistle to execute his serve. As soon as he throws the ball into the air, he is obliged to hit it (to avoid a service fault).
The rotation is clockwise when a team scores with the opponent's serve. This prevents the same person from always putting the ball into play. The players return to their respective positions immediately after serving.
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Scoring system and duration of the game
A volleyball match does not have a time limit, but only ends when one team wins. To do so, it must win three sets. Each of these sets comprises 25 points and ends when there is a difference of two points (or more, as in tennis). In 2013, for example, a set in a Korean league ended 56:54, so it can drag on...
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The most common mistakes and their penalties
There are a variety of mistakes in volleyball, but don't worry, we're here to guide you:
- Touching the net: probably the most common foul in a game. It is whistled when a player -- how could it be otherwise -- touches the net. The point then goes to the opponent.
- Position error: As each position is associated with a predefined role (and positioning), a position error is whistled if a player is not in the correct position when serving. This is penalised with the loss of the point.
- Ball in: Simply refers to the fact that the ball bounces inside a team's court (and therefore equates to a point being won).
- Ball out: If the ball leaves the boundary of the court, the point is awarded to the defending team.
- Double touch: This foul is whistled when a player touches the ball twice in succession.
- Four touches: A team may only touch the ball three times, otherwise it is considered a foul and a point is awarded to the opposing team.
- Kickingover: It is forbidden to put the foot in the opponent's part of the pitch.
- Overreaching: Similarly, no part of the body may reach the other side of the net, except when going for a counter-attack.
- Line fault: The line may not be touched during a serve or attack.
- Serve fault: Players only have 8 seconds to execute a serve, otherwise they will be penalised for a service fault. If they throw the ball in the air but do not hit it, this is also a service fault.
- Ball led: This fault rarely occurs when the ball is held and thrown rather than hit.
- Attacking foul: Backcourt players are not allowed to attack a ball in the 3-metre zone.
