The Rules of Volleyball

Volleyball is a popular team sport. In this aspect, it is only slightly inferior to basketball and hockey. Almost every day there are competitions in tournaments of varying importance. Information on them and the results of the matches are available at https://scores24.live/en/volleyball.

The Rules of Volleyball
[image: pexels by pavel danilyuk]

But not all sports fans know about some of the nuances and rules of this sport discipline. In this article, let's look at the basic laws by which volleyball matches are played. 

The main rules of volleyball 

Games are held on a rectangular area, which has the following parameters: 

• length - 18 meters;

• width - 9 meters;

• the height of the net in men's volleyball is 2.43 meters;

• in women's volleyball the height of the net is 2.24 meters. 

A net installed in the middle of the volleyball court. It divides it into two squares with sides of 9 meters. The game is played with a ball with a circumference of 65 to 67 centimeters. According to the regulations, its weight is 260-280 grams. 

Teams consist of 14 players. But only 6 representatives from each team can be on the court at a time. The goal of the game is to earn more points than the opponent. Points are awarded for successful attacks or in case of failures and mistakes of the opponent. To earn a point, it is necessary that the ball falls on the opposite side of the field.

The game starts with a serve. Who exactly will introduce the ball into the game is decided by lot. Further this right passes to the team that won the last draw. 

What is a pitch 

Volleyball is brought into play with a pitch. The goal of the player is to send the projectile to the opponent's half on a trajectory above the net. The serve is made from outside the field of play.

The ball may hit the net. This is not penalized by the modern rules. But it may not touch or fly directly over the antennae. If the serving volleyball player violates the rules, the point is earned by the opponent. Examples of such situations are:

• stepping into the boundary of the field;

• hitting the ball into the net and then dropping it on the serving team's side;

• direct throw of the ball into touch.

When the ball falls into the opponent's side of the field, the point is awarded to the serving club. The same happens when it flew out of the court after touching one of the players of the opposing team. When several consecutive serves are made, there is no change of position of the players. 

Ball reception 

Any player can receive an opponent's ball. Most often the trajectory of the serve is such that the reception falls on the back line volleyball players.

The main goal of the receiving team is to prevent the ball from touching their half of the court and knock it back to the opponent's court in such a way as to earn a point. The passing between volleyball players is only possible on a one-touch basis. There may be no more than three in total. Ricochets and hits on the block are not counted. 

Attack in volleyball 

There are several types of attacking strokes in volleyball:

• rebounds or deceptive kicks;

• lateral;

• straight;

• left or right. 

Typically, volleyball players use all three available touches before attacking. Typically, the standard scheme is as follows:

• the backline volleyball player receives the ball, passing it to the link player (first touch);

• the liaison player passes to the attacker (second touch);

• the offensive line athlete hits the ball over the net to the opponent's side (third touch). 

Blocking kicks in volleyball  

Each team has the right to prevent the opponent's attack. But this may only be done strictly within the established rules. In order to do this, volleyball players under the net may put their hands above it. The main task is to block the possible trajectory of the ball's flight.

If the block is properly placed, it should not interfere with an opponent's ability to make an attacking shot or a pass. Blockers have the right to block an attack only after the opponent has taken action.

Front line volleyball players are allowed to make as many blocking touches as the game situation requires. These touches are not among the three possible touches when drawing and preparing your own attack. 

Who are the liberos in volleyball 

Liberos are a separate category of volleyball players. They wear uniforms that are different from those used by the other partners. These players cannot stand on the block or serve. Because of this, they always play on the back line. Thus, it is advantageous to swap them with central blockers or with volleyball players in other positions. The advantage of the libero is an unlimited number of substitutions, even without informing the referee. 

Volleyball matches regulations 

The game continues until either party wins three games. Each set is played to 25 points. If at the end of the game the score is 24:24, it continues until a gap of 2 points on either side. In this case there is no limit on the number of points scored.

So, in 2013, in a match between the South Korean clubs Korean Air Jambos and Rush & Cash, a record was set for performance. The third game in their match ended with a score of 56-54.

If after four sets the teams play to a 2-2 draw, a so-called tie-break game (game 5) is scheduled. The rules are the same, but teams only play to 15 points.

In volleyball, as in some other sports, timeouts are provided. Coaches may take two 30-second breaks in each of the sets. There are also mandatory game stops of one minute. These are held after teams reach 8 and 16 points.

In between sets, clubs switch halves of the court. This also takes place after reaching 8 points in a tie-break game. There is a limit on substitutions in each game. Coaches may make 6 substitutions per set. There are no restrictions only on the libero position. 

Volleyball is a dynamic sport. Many betting fans see it as a way to make money. For clients of betting shops, knowledge of the subtleties in the rules of volleyball matches is archival, because it is part of the success in the game against the bookmaker. 

But to understand this discipline will be useful for ordinary fans of this sport. After all, understanding everything that happens on the playground, watching matches will become much more interesting.