Volleyball Rules and Techniques: Master the Court

What Is the Object of the Game?

The object of the game is to ground the ball on the opponent's side of the net or to force them to hit the ball out of court. Each time this happens, a point is won.

The Main Rules

Relating to the Position of the Players

The rotation rule balances the strength of the teams: when a team recovers the serve, its members rotate, meaning they occupy the next spot moving in a clockwise direction.

Failure to respect the rotation order is considered a fault. The umpire determines if it was done correctly based on the positions of the players at the beginning of the set.

Relating to the Way the Ball Is Played

The ball can be touched with any part of the body, provided it is not held in any way. Furthermore, hitting the ball is allowed when the player is outside the lines of the court. A fault is committed when:

• The ball touches the ground.
• The player grabs or carries the ball instead of hitting it.
• The player has two consecutive contacts with the ball, except where the first contact happens during a block.
• A team handles the ball more than three times in succession, not including the block.

Relating to a Serve

During a serve, it is not a fault if the ball grazes the upper edge of the net and passes into the opponent's court. A fault occurs if:

• After the serve, the ball does not pass over the net, lands on the ground outside the opponent's court, or touches another player on the same side.
• The serve is not made from the serving area, the player steps on the baseline, or the serve is made from inside the court.

The Service

The service puts the ball in play, sending it to the opponent's court with speed and precision.

• Safe Serve: Favored by beginners, though it does not allow much speed to be transmitted to the ball.
• High Serve: Requires more strength and coordination. It is the most common type since it gives the ball greater speed and a tight horizontal trajectory.

The Smash

Smashing the ball means driving or spiking it into the opponent's court with one hand so that the other team cannot intercept it or finds it difficult to do so. The movement is similar to that of the jump serve but involves running diagonally and jumping up close to the net. The smash involves the following phases: approach (one or two steps), take-off (bow and arrow), smash, and landing. If the ball is hit with power, it is very difficult to counter.

The Block

The block means intercepting the trajectory of the smash with your hands to stop the ball or reduce its speed. The success of a block depends on the correct position of the hands and jumping at the right place and time. It requires jumping ability, speed of reaction, and vision of the opposing team's game to make smart, rapid decisions.

The block can be individual or made as a group, involving two or three players. The latter is more efficient than a block made by a single player, but it requires a great deal of synchronization in jumping and leaves more areas of the court unguarded.