Playing volleyball to instructions under the FIVB rules

25 min

A plan for every rotation

Before an important match a volleyball coach gives each player a short list of instructions: where to stand in serve reception in each rotation, whom to serve at, which attacker to block, and when to call a time-out. Carrying out that plan while following the rules of rotation, hits and the net is what S3 match play is about. The rules below are from the FIVB Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028, which changed one important rule about positions.

Definition

Rally-point scoring: every rally wins a point for one team, whichever team served.

Rotation: when a team wins the right to serve from the opponents (a side-out), its players move one position clockwise, and the player who moves into position 1 serves.

Positional fault: a player of the receiving team is out of rotational order at the moment of the service hit.

Rotational fault: the service is not made in the correct rotation order.

Rules for match play

Topic	FIVB rule 2025–2028
Court and net	18 m × 9 m, attack lines 3 m from the centre line; net 2.43 m (men) or 2.24 m (women); the ball must cross between the antennae.
Winning	A set goes to the first team to 25 points with a lead of 2; the deciding fifth set goes to 15 with a lead of 2. A match is won by the first team to win three sets (school matches often play best of three).
Service	Hit within 8 seconds of the first referee's whistle, from the service zone behind the end line.
Positions	At the service hit, the receiving team must be in rotational order. New in 2025–2028: the players of the serving team may stand anywhere on their court (but the right player must serve).
Hits	At most three hits per team, plus the block; no player may hit the ball twice in a row, except after a block or in one action on the team's first hit. The ball must not be caught or thrown.
Net and centre line	Touching the net between the antennae while playing the ball is a fault. A foot may cross the centre line as long as part of it stays on or above the line.
Interruptions	Two time-outs of 30 seconds and six substitutions per team per set.

Figure: left, the six positions and the clockwise rotation; right, a legal reception formation in which the setter (position 1) waits close to the net to set, while the others spread out to pass. It is legal because each back-row player stays further from the net than the front-row player in front of her, and each row keeps its left-to-right order.

Carrying out the coach's instructions

Serve to target: "Serve at number 7; she passes poorly from zone 5."
Attack plan: "High sets to position 4 in this rotation; quick attack when the pass is good."
Block plan: "Block line on their best hitter; let the diggers take the cross-court."
Communication: call "Mine!" to take a ball, "Out!" for a ball going out, "Free ball!" when the opponents send an easy ball, and "Cover!" when your hitter attacks so that teammates crouch around her to recover a block.
Time-outs: the coach calls one when the opponents score three or four points in a row, to break their run and give one new instruction.

Video: "Volleyball Referee Signals Explained (For beginners)", Volleyball Tools. Learn the signals for ball in, ball out, four hits, net touch and positional fault, so that you can referee a class match.

Worked example

Worked example 1: who wins the set? Team A leads 24–23 and loses the next rally: 24–24. Team A then wins two rallies in a row.

At 24–24 neither team has a 2-point lead, so play continues.
25–24: still only 1 point ahead.
26–24: Team A has 25 or more and leads by 2, so it wins the set.

Worked example

Worked example 2: side-out and rotation. Team B is receiving. Its position 2 is Keza, and Uwase is in position 1. Team B wins the rally.

Winning the rally as the receiving team is a side-out, so Team B rotates one position clockwise.
Keza moves from position 2 to position 1 and serves next; Uwase moves from 1 to 6.
Team B also scores a point for winning the rally.

Tip

Check only your neighbours. To avoid a positional fault, each player checks just the players beside her and the one in front or behind: front players nearer the net than their back-row partners, and the left-right order kept in each row.

Warning

Fair play and safety. Keep spare balls off the court during play: stepping on one causes serious ankle injuries. Shake hands under the net after the match, and accept the referee's call without arguing; only the game captain may ask the referee for an explanation.

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Practice

What score wins a set, and what score wins the deciding fifth set?
In which direction do players rotate, and when?
Under the 2025–2028 rules, which team must be in rotational order at the service hit?
How many time-outs and substitutions does each team have per set, and how long is a time-out?
The score is 14–13 in the fifth set and the leading team wins the rally. Is the match over?
A receiving team's position 6 player stands nearer the net than its position 3 player as the ball is served. What is the fault and the result?
A blocker touches the ball and then plays it again as her team's first hit. Is it legal?
Your team has lost four points in a row to serves aimed at one passer. As captain, what two instructions would you give at the time-out?

Show answersHide answers

25 points with a 2-point lead; the fifth set 15 points with a 2-point lead.
Clockwise, when the team wins the right to serve from the opponents (a side-out).
Only the receiving team; the serving team may stand anywhere.
Two time-outs of 30 seconds and six substitutions per set.
Yes: 15–13 is 15 points with a 2-point lead.
A positional fault: position 6 must be further from the net than position 3. The serving team wins the point (and keeps serving), and the positions are corrected.
Yes: the block touch does not count, and a player may make the first hit after her own block.
Example: move a stronger passer across to take more of the court in reception, with the weak passer covering a smaller area; and tell the server to target their weakest passer in return.

Remember

Sets to 25 (fifth to 15), always by 2 points; three sets win the match.
Side-out: rotate clockwise; the new position 1 serves within 8 seconds.
2025–2028: only the receiving team must be in rotational order at the service hit.
Three hits plus the block; two 30-second time-outs and six substitutions per set.

1A plan for every rotation

2Rules for match play

3Carrying out the coach's instructions

A plan for every rotation

Rules for match play

Carrying out the coach's instructions