Rules of the game

Volleyball courtThe court
The game is played on a volleyball court 18 meters (59 feet) long and 9 meters (29.5 feet) wide, divided into two 9 m × 9 m halves by a one-meter (40-inch) wide net placed so that the top of the net is 2.43 meters (7 feet 11 5/8 inches) above the center of the court for men's competition, and 2.24 meters (7 feet 4 1/8 inches) for women's competition (these heights are varied for veterans and junior competitions).

There is a line 3 meters from and parallel to the net in each team court which is considered the "attack line". This "3 meter" (or 10 foot) line divides the court into "back row" and "front row" areas (also back court and front court). These are in turn divided into 3 areas each: these are numbered as follows, starting from area "1", which is the position of the serving player:

After a team gains the serve (also known as siding out), its members must rotate in a clockwise direction, with the player previously in area "2" moving to area "1" and so on, with the player from area "1" moving to area "6".

The team courts are surrounded by an area called the free zone which is a minimum of 3 meters wide and which the players may enter and play within after the service of the ball.[9] All lines denoting the boundaries of the team court and the attack zone are drawn or painted within the dimensions of the area and are therefore a part of the court or zone. If a ball comes in contact with the line, the ball is considered to be "in". An antenna is placed on each side of the net perpendicular to the sideline and is a vertical extension of the side boundary of the court. A ball passing over the net must pass completely between the antennae (or their theoretical extensions to the ceiling) without contacting them.

The ball
Main article: Volleyball (ball)
FIVB regulations state that the ball must be spherical, made of leather or synthetic leather, have a circumference of 65–67 cm, a weight of 260–280 g and an inside pressure of 0.30–0.325 kg/cm2.[10] Other governing bodies have similar regulations.

Game play
Each team consists of six players. To get play started, a team is chosen to serve by coin toss. A player from the serving team throws the ball into the air and attempts to hit the ball so it passes over the net on a course such that it will land in the opposing team's court (the serve). The opposing team must use a combination of no more than three contacts with the volleyball to return the ball to the opponent's side of the net. These contacts usually consist first of the bump or pass so that the ball's trajectory is aimed towards the player designated as the setter; second of the set (usually an over-hand pass using wrists to push finger-tips at the ball) by the setter so that the ball's trajectory is aimed towards a spot where one of the players designated as an attacker can hit it, and third by the attacker who spikes (jumping, raising one arm above the head and hitting the ball so it will move quickly down to the ground on the opponent's court) to return the ball over the net. The team with possession of the ball that is trying to attack the ball as described is said to be on offense.

The team on defense attempts to prevent the attacker from directing the ball into their court: players at the net jump and reach above the top (and if possible, across the plane) of the net in order to block the attacked ball. If the ball is hit around, above, or through the block, the defensive players arranged in the rest of the court attempt to control the ball with a dig (usually a fore-arm pass of a hard-driven ball). After a successful dig, the team transitions to offense.

The game continues in this manner, rallying back and forth, until the ball touches the court within the boundaries or until an error is made. The most frequent errors that are made are either to fail to return the ball over the net within the allowed three touches, or to cause the ball to land outside the court. A ball is "in" if any part of it touches a sideline or end-line, and a strong spike may compress the ball enough when it lands that a ball which at first appears to be going out may actually be in. Players may travel well outside the court to play a ball that has gone over a sideline or end-line in the air.

Other common errors include a player touching the ball twice in succession, a player "catching" the ball, a player touching the net while attempting to play the ball, or a player penetrating under the net into the opponent's court. There are a large number of other errors specified in the rules, although most of them are infrequent occurrences. These errors include back-row or libero players spiking the ball or blocking (back-row players may spike the ball if they jump from behind the attack line), 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 8 seconds to serve,[11] 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. 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 team rotate their position on the court in a clockwise manner. The game continues, with the first team to score 25 points (and be two points ahead) awarded the set. Matches are best-of-five sets and the fifth set (if necessary) is usually played to 15 points. (Scoring differs between leagues, tournaments, and levels; high schools sometimes play best-of-three to 25; in the NCAA games are played best-of-five to 25 as of the 2008 season.)[12]

Before 1999, points could be scored only when a team had the serve (side-out scoring) and all sets went up to only 15 points. The FIVB changed the rules in 1999 (with the changes being compulsory in 2000) to use the current scoring system (formerly known as rally point system), primarily to make the length of the match more predictable and to make the game more spectator- and television-friendly.

Libero
In 1998 the libero player was introduced internationally, the term meaning free in Italian is pronounced LEE-beh-ro (although many players and coaches pronounce it lih-BEAR-oh). The NCAA introduced the libero in 2002.[13] The libero is a player specialized in defensive skills: the libero must wear a contrasting jersey color from his or her teammates and cannot block or attack the ball when it is entirely above net height. When the ball is not in play, the libero can replace any back-row player, without prior notice to the officials. This replacement does not count against the substitution limit each team is allowed per set, although the libero may be replaced only by the player whom they replaced.

The libero may function as a setter only under certain restrictions. If she/he makes an overhand set, she/he must be standing behind (and not stepping on) the 3-meter line; otherwise, the ball cannot be attacked above the net in front of the 3-meter line. An underhand pass is allowed from any part of the court.

The libero is, generally, the most skilled defensive player on the team. There is also a libero tracking sheet, where the referees or officiating team must keep track of who the libero subs in and out for. There may only be one libero per set (game), although there may be a different libero in the beginning of any new set (game).

Furthermore, a libero is not allowed to serve, according to international rules, with the exception of the NCAA women's volleyball games, where a 2004 rule change allows the libero to serve, but only in a specific rotation. That is, the libero can only serve for one person, not for all of the people for whom she goes in. That rule change was also applied to high school and junior high play soon after.

Recent rule changes
Other rule changes enacted in 2000 include allowing serves in which the ball touches the net, as long as it goes over the net into the opponents' court. Also, the service area was expanded to allow players to serve from anywhere behind the end line but still within the theoretical extension of the sidelines. Other changes were made to lighten up calls on faults for carries and double-touches, such as allowing multiple contacts by a single player ("double-hits") on a team's first contact provided that they are a part of a single play on the ball.

In 2008, the NCAA changed the minimum number of points needed to win any of the first four sets from 30 to 25 for women's volleyball (men's volleyball remained at 30.) If a fifth (deciding) set is reached, the minimum required score remains at 15. In addition, the word "game" is now referred to as "set".[12]

Changes in rules have been studied and announced by FIVB in recent years, and they have released the updated rules in 2009.[14]

The Game - Volleyball Game Rules
The game of volleyball is played by two teams, six on each team. The teams are separated by a net. The teams compete with one another using an inflated ball.

How the Game is played
One team serves the ball over the net to the other team with the intention of placing the ball into the opponents court. The receiving team attempts to return the ball back over the net to place it back in the serving teams court.

Object of the Game
The object of the game is to win the match.

Volleyball game rules for high school volleyball…

Match
A match is won by the first team to win 3 out of 5 games. Depending on the state, some high schools still play the best 2 out of 3. As soon as a team wins 3 games, the match is over.


Game
A game is played to 25 points, the first team to 25 wins. Games must be won by at least 2 points. So, if there is a 24-24 tie, the game shall be played until one team has a two point lead. If the match goes to a 5th game, the game is played to 15 points.


Point

A point is scored by a team every time the opponent commits a fault.


A point is scored every time the ball lands in the opponents court.




Common Strategies for Scoring Points


A good strategy for serving would be to serve the ball in such a way that it would be difficult for the other team to return the ball back over the net.


Each team is allowed 3 hits before the ball has to be returned over the net. A good strategy would be to play the ball to your teammates in such a manner to make the 3rd hit difficult for the opponent to play. Most teams try to utilize volleyball strategies to bump, set, then spike the ball into the opponent’s courts.


Each team consists of 3 front line players and 3 back line players. The front line players may jump at the net and hit the ball. This strategy is called attacking.


The front line players may also reach above the net and try blocking the ball coming from the other side.






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The Court - Volleyball Game Rules
Volleyball court dimensions are 18 meters by 9 meters (60 ft. by 30 ft.). It is recommended that the area above the court be at least 7 meters (23 ft.) high.
Boundary Lines
The boundary lines form a rectangular shape around the court. The endlines are the short boundary lines on short sides of the court. The sidelines are the long boundary lines on the long sides of the court. It is recommended that the courts boundary lines be a color contrasting the color of the court. Lines should be 5 centimeters (2 inches) wide.

The Center Line
The center line extends from sideline to sideline underneath the net. The center line separates the courts playing area into two equal halves, each 30 by 30 feet.

Attack Lines
The attack lines (3 meter line, attack line, or 10 foot line) are the lines placed 3 meters from the centerline of the court. The attack line extends from sideline to sideline.

Serving Area
The serving area is the area behind the endline where the server serves. The serving area is 30 ft. wide (equal to the width of the sidelines). Both serving areas should be at least 2 meters (6 feet) in depth. If 6 feet isn’t available, volleyball game rules require the serving area be extended into the court the needed distance and marked.

Substitution Zone
The substitution zone is the area between the attack line and the center line. This is the area where substitutions take place.

Out of Bounds
According to the volleyball game rules, the ball is out of bounds if it touches…

The floor completely outside the court


A wall or an object mounted on a wall


The ceiling above a nonplaying area


The antenna


The net, cables, or ropes outside the antennas


The referee platform or pole


A non playing player that isn’t interfering with play


An object that is hanging from the ceiling and is below 15 ft. and in the referees judgement the ball could not have remained in play


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Volleyball Equipment - Volleyball Game Rules
Net
The net is 1 meter (3 ft.) and 9.5 meters (32 ft.) long when stretched. The net is attached to upright standards that are 1 meter (3 ft.) outside the court. The standards may be padded to a maximum height of 5 and half feet. Front and sides of the referees platform must be padded, same as the standards.

Net Antennas
Antennas are attached to the net inline with the outside edge of the sideline. Antennas extend upward at least 2 and half feet but no more than 3 and a half feet above the net. Antennas should be fasten securely to the bottom and top of the net. The antennas should be made of unbreakable material.

Referee Stand
The volleyball game rules require the referee stand to be a stable platform that elevates the volleyball referees head to about 2 or 3 feet above the top of the net. The platform should be 18 inches long and 12 inches wide.

The Ball
The volleyball must be spherical with a laceless molded cover of 12 or more pieces of genuine or simulated smooth leather. The ball is about 25 to 27 inches in circumference. The ball should weigh about 9 to 10 ounces and be inflated to 4.3 to 4.6 pounds.

Scoresheet
In competitive volleyball, volleyball game rules require a scoresheet to be used to keep score. A scoresheet also provides space for lineups, individual scoring, team scoring, and timeouts. There is a comments section for recording warnings, penalties, unsporting conduct, and any other unusual events.