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Volleyball is one of the most popular sports in the world. It’s a fun game that people of all ages and skill levels can enjoy – whether you’re new to the game or you’ve been playing for years.
Some rules may vary depending on the style of game level of play, or by country, but the fundamentals are the same no matter where you are. Let’s take a look at some of the basic rules and vocabulary.
A typical volleyball game requires two teams with six players each. The teams are separated by a net that the ball is required to go over. Every player on the court has a position: setter, outside hitter, middle blocker, libero, opposite hitter, or serving specialist.
A coin is flipped to determine which team serves the ball first. The winner of the coin toss may choose to serve first or which side of the court they want to receive serve on. Once the ball is served, the teams hit the ball back and forth over the net until a fault occurs. Each team is allowed to hit the ball a maximum of three times before it goes over the net. A typical rally involves serving the ball over the net, the opposing team then passes the serve up to the setter, who then sets the ball to a hitter, who tries to hit the ball to the floor on the other side.
The goal of volleyball is to hit the ball over the net into the opponent’s court so that it hits the ground or the opposing team can’t return it over the net. Each time a team does this, they earn a point. Typically, teams will play a match that consists of 3 or five sets (or ‘games’). Whichever team is first to win the majority of sets, wins the match. The first sets are played to 25 or more points, while the last set, if needed, is played to at least 15 points. Sets must be won by at least two points unless the tournament rules say otherwise.
If a player commits any of these rule violations, the opposing team automatically gets a point.
Vocabulary
There are a lot of terms that come up in volleyball that can be confusing for beginners. Here are a few popular terms to know that might make learning the game a little easier.
Ace: A serve that results in a point immediately for the team
Approach: A fast stride toward the net, usually by a spiker before they jump into the air
Attack: The act of hitting the ball offensively
Attacker: The hitter or spiker who offensively hits the ball, intending to get the ball over the net
Block: A defensive play that can be done by one player or multiple players to keep a spiked ball from hitting the court
Bump: Hitting the ball with the forearms, also known as a “pass”
Center Line: The border that divides the court in half. It runs directly under the net to create even sides for both teams.
Dig: Passing a ball to another teammate, especially when it’s close to the floor
Double Hit: An illegal play where the same player makes multiple hits in succession
Forearm Pass: Joining your arms from the elbow to the wrist to pass the ball underhand
Held Ball: A ball that comes to rest during contact
Hit: Jumping and hitting the ball with a forceful overhand shot, also known as a spike
Jump Serve: A serve that starts by tossing the ball up high, jumping, and hitting it in a downward motion over the net
Kill: A quick attack that leads to a point by the attacking team
Line: The boundary of the court
Line Shot: When the ball is spiked down the opponent’s sideline nearest to the hitter
Net Serve: A serve that hits the net. The ball is still in play if it dribbles over to the opponent’s side, but it’s considered dead if it fails to clear the net.
Overhand Pass: A pass where the player has both hands open and plays just above their forehead
Overhand Serve: Serving the ball and hitting it when the hand is above the shoulder
Ready Position: The posture the player takes before moving to make contact with the ball
Roof: A spiked ball that is blocked by a defensive player and is deflected to the floor of the attacker’s side
Serve: The basic skill used to put the ball into play
Server: The person who puts the ball into play and starts the game
Spike: A hit or attack
Underhand Serve: A serve where the ball is tossed from underhand at about waist height and then is struck with the opposite hand in a closed fist
Wipe: When a player pushes the ball off the blocker’s hands so it lands out of bounds
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