Volleyball Rules of the Game
Senior 6 · Physical Education
Volleyball Rules of the Game
Lesson 2 of 3
25 min
A volleyball rally can end in only one way: someone commits a fault. A spike that hits the floor is a fault by the defenders (they let the ball land in their court); a spike into the antenna is a fault by the attacker. Knowing exactly what is and is not a fault is therefore the whole of refereeing, and a large part of playing well. This lesson works through the faults of the FIVB Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028: playing the ball, at the net, at the service, in attack and in the block.
Definition
Hit: any contact with the ball by a player in play. A team has at most three hits to return the ball, not counting a block contact.
Crossing space: the part of the vertical plane of the net between the antennae (and their imaginary extensions) above the top of the net, through which the ball must cross to the opponent.
Attack hit: any action directing the ball towards the opponent except a service or a block.
Block: front-row players close to the net reaching higher than the top of the net to intercept the ball coming from the opponent.
Double fault: two opponents commit faults at the same time; the rally is replayed.
| Fault | What happens |
|---|---|
| Four hits | The team hits the ball four times before returning it |
| Double contact | One player hits the ball twice in succession, or it touches parts of the body one after another. Exceptions: during a block, and at the team's first hit, provided it is one action |
| Catch | The ball is caught or thrown; it does not rebound |
| Assisted hit | A player takes support from a team-mate or a structure to hit the ball (a team-mate may hold back a player about to touch the net) |
| Fault | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Back-row attack in the front zone | A back-row player completes an attack hit in the front zone when the ball is entirely higher than the top of the net. From behind the attack line (feet not touching or crossing it at take-off) it is legal |
| Attacking the opponent's service | Completing an attack hit on the opponent's service when the ball is in the front zone and entirely above the top of the net |
| Libero attack | The Libero completes an attack hit with the ball entirely above the net, or a team-mate attacks above the net from the Libero's overhand set in the front zone |
| Blocking the service | It is forbidden to block an opponent's service |
| Back-row or Libero block | A back-row player or the Libero completes, or takes part in, a completed block; the Libero may not even attempt to block |
| Reaching over | Blocking the ball in the opponent's space before the opponent's attack hit, or from outside the antenna |
A block contact is not counted as a team hit: after a block the team still has three hits, and the blocker may make the first of them.
Worked example
Worked example 1: count the hits. Team A spikes. Team B's middle blocker touches the ball, which drops on B's side; the same blocker digs it, the setter sets, and the outside hitter spikes it back. Legal?
Worked example
Worked example 2: three back-row attacks. Player 6 of Team A (back row) attacks three times.
Tip
Memory hook for back-row attacks: "feet and ball". Check where the feet took off (behind the attack line?) and where the ball was at contact (entirely above the net?). A fault needs a front-zone take-off and a ball entirely above the net.
Warning
Common mistakes. Touching the net is a fault only between the antennae and during the action of playing the ball; touching it outside the antennae is not a fault (unless it gives support). A ball driven into the net that pushes the net onto an opponent is not the opponent's fault. A foot on the centre line is legal; the whole foot over it is not.
Practice
Remember
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
