Volleyball Rules and Regulations

The history of Volleyball starts in the late nineteenth century in Massachusetts, United States. The game got its place in the Olympics of 1924. It got its name from the volleying action of hitting the ball. Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), was founded in 1947, and is an official confederation that is an international ruling organization for volleyball. Volleyball rules and regulations have changed since its origin, and given below are the common rules of the game.

Rules and Regulations of Volleyball

Playing Area
The playing area of volleyball consists of a court and a free zone. The playing court is surrounded by the free zone. The playing court is rectangular in shape, 18 X 9 meters (60 X 30 feet) and the free zone is a belt of 3 meters that surrounds the playing court from all sides. There are three types of lines made on the court, which are the boundary lines, center line and attack lines, all of which are 5 centimeters wide. The center line divides the court into two equal parts and the attack lines are drawn on both sides, 10 feet from the center line. The height of the volleyball net is 8 feet for men and 7 feet 4 inches for women. The ball used for the game has a circumference of approximately 26 inches and weight of about 10 ounces. The pressure inside the ball should be 4.26 to 4.61 psi.

Libero
A Libero is a player specializing in the defensive skills of volleyball. In Italian, Libero means free. A Libero has the right to replace any player during the game. Most Libero players are tall. Libero players were introduced officially in a volleyball team in 1999, to increase the excitement of the game. The Libero does not have to follow the rules of rotations as for the other players. A team has to choose the Libero before the game and the Libero for a team has to be the same for the whole tournament. In case of an injury, the Libero can be replaced. A Libero has to be good in all the skills required for the game. He/she should be good at passing, quickness and handling the ball.

Basics of the Game
The equipment required for the players include shoes, jersey and shorts. A team should have a uniform color for the jersey except for the Libero. A game consists of two teams, each of which contains six players. The game is played for a total of 25 points. A team rotates after its serve, in the clockwise direction. A team can hit the ball three times, while a player can hit the ball just once; when the ball is on team's side of court. A player cannot carry or use his palm for passing the ball to the opposite team. After serving, the players of the opponent team can change their positions for attacking.

Serving
The player should serve the ball by standing behind the end line of his/her side of court. While serving, the ball should be visible to the opponent team. The opponent team cannot block or attack the serve. He/she should serve the ball in such a way (underhand or overhand) that the ball reaches the other side of the court without touching the net. There are a number of ways to serve the ball that include the top spin, jump float, hybrid service, sky ball serve and many more.

Scoring
The method used for scoring in volleyball game is 'rally scoring'. A rally starts when the ball is served, and is a continuous passing of the ball from one player to another without the ball touching the ground. Thus in rally scoring, a point is scored when the ball hits the ground. The team that wins the rally gets the chance to serve. The game is of a total of 25 points and the winning team must score 2 points more than the opponent team. Usually five games are played during a volleyball match and 'best of three' rules are allowed.

Violations
The list of violations during a volleyball match is given below,

• Unable to serve the ball successfully over the net.
• Stepping over or across the line while serving.
• Illegal passing of ball, like palming, throwing or carrying the ball.
• Touching any part of the body to the net while passing the ball.
• Blocking the ball when the opponent team has yet to pass the ball thrice and the opponent team has a player to pass the ball to your side of court.
• Crossing the center line of the court with any part of the body. If the line is crossed with just a part of the foot then it is not a violation (an entire hand or leg should cross the line).

Now that you are aware of the basic volleyball rules and regulations, enjoy a game on TV or play one with your pals. Have fun!