Basic Rules of Indoor Volleyball

Following these six fundamental guidelines of volleyball will help your child jump right in.

Three hits

Each team is allowed three hits to get the ball over the net to the opposing team’s side. The three basic hits are a pass, set, and spike. Passes and sets are used to pass the ball to another teammate while a spike is used to get.

Rotation and substitution

When the team that received the serve scores a point, the team’s players rotate one position clockwise. Teams can substitute players in and out of the match, where the total number of substitutions for each team is limited but the timing of the subs is not.

At the net

In general, touching any part of the net with anything besides the ball or a player’s hair is a violation that results in the opposing team receiving a point. Players can reach above the net without touching it to play the ball. A ball that touches the net can still be played.

Out of bounds

A ball that lands out of bounds results in a point for the team that did not touch it last. Players are allowed to run out of bounds to hit the ball back into play.

Service

Each rally begins with a serve from the team that won the last point. The serving player must stay behind the back line and use an underhand or overhand approach to hit the ball over the net and in bounds on the opposing team’s side.

Playing the ball

The ball can be played with any part of a players’ body, but cannot be held, thrown or pushed. Players most often direct the ball using their hands and forearms.