Volleyball: rules explained in an understandable way

by Mike January 11, 2023

written by Mike January 11, 2023

Volleyball is one of the most popular sports in the world. In the following, we explain the most important rules

Volleyball rules – the most important points

The aim in volleyball is for the ball to land on the floor of the opponent’s court and to prevent it from landing on your own court.

In volleyball, two teams of six players face each other. The position of these players is fixed and after a change of serve the players of each team change positions in a fixed order.
There are no time limits in volleyball. To win the match, a team must win three sets. A maximum of five sets are played in total. A set is won when a team reaches 25 points and has a lead of at least two points.
If the ball lands on the opponent’s court, you get one point. The team that won the last play serves.
The leading team may request a one-minute time-out after every 8 or 16 points scored. Both teams may request a time-out of 30 minutes each, regardless of the score.
It is allowed to pass the ball three times within one play. In volleyball, it is forbidden for a player to receive the ball twice in succession.
Six 6 substitutions are allowed per set. Substituted players can only be substituted again if the previously substituted player replaces that player.

According to the rules, there are several ways to win a move in volleyball.

You win a move when the ball touches the opponent’s ground, the opponent makes an error or hits the ball out of bounds.
For example, a mistake is made when a team passes the ball too many times, holds the ball, touches the net or hits the ball against or under the net.

There are a total of six playing positions in volleyball that must always be occupied by one player.

Two of the playing positions are located in the back of the court (position 1 & 5). Position 1 is always the serving player.
Position 2, 3 & 4 are at the front of the field. Their task is to block incoming balls and play them back. Through the principle of “setting”, the outer two players (2 & 4) pass the balls to the middle player so that he can smash the ball into the opponent’s court.
Position 6 is in the middle of the court. The player occupying this position is the so-called “switcher” responsible for playing long and short balls simultaneously. Often this player takes the opponent’s serves.