Volleyball Rules

Here is a quick primer on the rules of volleyball. There are some differences in the rules for indoor and beach volleyball. The following are, for the most part, the basics of play that most variations of the sport have in common.

The serve

A serve is legal when the ball completely crosses the net and drops within the boundary of the opposite court (the ball may touch the top of the net and still be legal as long as it crosses to the opponents' side). A missed serve counts as a fault, and possession of the ball is turned over to the other team as a side out (see below). When serving, players may use an underarm, sidearm, or overhand motion to strike the ball, while either standing in a stationary position or jumping in the air. The server may not step over the end line onto the court until she has struck the ball.

Sideout

In sideout scoring, only the team serving can score a point. If the team receiving wins the rally, that team is awarded a sideout and given a chance to serve, but they do not gain a point. Games are typically played to 15 points with a two point advantage needed to win. Matches consist of either best of three or best of five games with the final game scored using the rally point system.

Bump, set, spike

There are three basic ways to offensively engage the ball during a rally. The bump (sometimes called a forearm pass or dig) is when a player extends his forearms and uses this to hit the ball vertically.

The set, or overhand pass, is when a player hits the ball with open palms using her fingers to direct the ball up in the air toward teammates. The volley can be used for either passing the ball or for sending it over the net.

The spike is one of the most effective tools in a team's shed. The spike is a powerful overhand hit into the opposite court performed by front-line players. The player steps toward the net, jumps high in the air, and swings her arm swiftly toward the ball to slam it down. The player must be careful not to touch the net, or else a fault is called.

The block

On the other side of the net, players should be trying to block incoming shots, especially spikes. To block a shot, a front-line player jumps high in the air to deflect the ball back into the opposing court. Since the ball is hit while it is above the net, the block does not count as a hit. Therefore, if the ball remains on the blocking team's court, the team still has three touches to get the ball back over the net.

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