Adaptive Sports (Sitting Volleyball and Goalball)
Senior 3 · Physical Education
Adaptive Sports (Sitting Volleyball and Goalball)
Lesson 2 of 3
25 min
In July 2015, in Kigali, Rwanda's women's sitting volleyball team came from two sets to one down to beat Egypt 15–13 in the fifth set and win the first African women's championship. That victory made them the first women's sitting volleyball team from Africa to qualify for the Paralympic Games, at Rio 2016. They have played at every Paralympics since, finishing seventh at Paris 2024, and Rwanda's men's team had already become the first from sub-Saharan Africa to qualify, for London 2012. In this lesson you play full sitting volleyball matches under the World ParaVolley rules.
Definition
Sitting volleyball: volleyball played on a smaller court with a lower net, in which players must keep contact with the floor with the part of the body between the buttocks and the shoulders while playing the ball.
Lifting: a fault in which that part of the body loses contact with the floor during a playing action.
Blocking the serve: stopping the opponents' serve at the net, which is allowed in sitting volleyball but forbidden in standing volleyball.
| Topic | World ParaVolley Official Sitting Volleyball Rules 2025–2028 |
|---|---|
| Court and net | 10 m × 6 m; attack lines 2 m from the centre line; net 1.15 m (men) or 1.05 m (women). |
| Positions | Judged by where the buttocks touch the floor. At the service hit only the receiving team must be in rotational order; the serving team may sit anywhere. |
| Service | From the 6 m wide service zone; the server's buttocks must not touch the court, including the end line. The opponents may block the serve. |
| Lifting | When attacking, the buttocks must stay on the floor. In a defensive action a short loss of contact is allowed, if the ball is not completely above the top of the net. |
| Back-row attack | At the hit, the attacker's buttocks must not touch or cross the attack line. |
| Under the net | Legs may pass under the net into the opponents' court, as long as they do not interfere with play. |
| Scoring and breaks | Sets to 25 (fifth set to 15), always with a 2-point lead; two time-outs of 60 seconds and six substitutions per team per set. |
Video: "Sport Explainers - Paris 2024: All You Need to Know about Sitting Volleyball", Paralympic Games. Watch how quickly players slide into position and how close the blockers are to the net.
Worked example
Worked example: legal or a fault? Three actions in one rally:
Tip
Hands back, eyes up. Keep your hands on the floor behind you between contacts, ready to push off, and watch the ball, not your legs.
Warning
Safety and inclusion. Play on a clean, smooth floor and check it for splinters or grit, since players slide on it. Pupils with an amputation or a leg impairment play on equal terms, and so do pupils without disability. Players' legs overlap under the net, so do not stamp or kick: move with your hands.
Practice
Remember
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
