Sitting Volleyball
Rules
Volleyball Rules
• 3 Touches – Pass, Set, Spike
• 6 Players
• Same player can’t touch it twice in a row (except after a
block)
• Play sets to 25 points (2 clear points)
• Score on every point
• Serve rotates when a team wins a point from the
oppositions serve.
• Libero (different colour shirt) – Back court specialist.
Used similar to a rolling sub.
Sitting Volleyball
Adaptations
• Sitting volleyball characteristics
– Smaller court and lower net
– Quicker play
– Most rules are the
same/similar to
Indoor Volleyball
– A few but important
‘special’ rules
Playing Area
• Court
– 6m x 10m
The net and posts
• Net height
–
–
–
–
1.15 metres for men
1.05 metres for women
1.10 metres for domestic mixed competition
1.00 metres for juniors (can vary)
• Posts
– For serious competition posts should be secured to the
ground (ideally attached)
Contact with the court rule
• At all times during playing actions the
players must contact the court with some
part of the body between the buttocks and
the shoulders
• To stand up, raise the body
or take steps is forbidden.
Block
• To block an opponent’s serve is permitted
• It is allowed to complete an attack hit on the
opponent’s service when the ball is in the front
zone and fully above net height
• When completing a block, the
players are not allowed to lift
their buttocks from the floor
– This includes a collective block,
even if the player lifting does not
contact the ball
Contact with the
opponent’s court
• Contact with the opponent’s
court with any part of the
body is permitted…
– …providing that it does not
interfere with the opponent’s
play
Double fault at the net
• If simultaneous hits by opponents at the
net lead to a ‘catch’, it is a double fault and
the rally is replayed
• However, a short ‘catch’ is permitted if the
extended contact does not
interrupt the continuity of
the action
Net contact
• Contact with the top band when in the
action of playing the ball is a fault
• Contact with the net when in the action of
playing the ball which significantly distorts
the shape of the net is a fault
• Other contact with the net is not a fault
Rotations
1
6
5
2
3
4
NET
• A team rotates (clockwise) when they regain the serve
• Each front row player must have at least part of his/her
buttocks closer to the centre line than the buttocks of the
corresponding back row player
• Each right (left) side player must have at least part of
his/her buttocks closer to the right (left) side line than the
buttocks of the centre player in that row
Other ‘Useful’
Things to Note
• When serving the buttocks must be behind
the line
• Players are not allowed padded shorts!
• Only front court players can hit the ball
from the front court
• Usually 2 referees
Working with
Athletes with a
Disability
Needs of a sitting
volleyball player
•
•
Player first, disability second
Encourage self-sufficiency but do be sensitive
to specific needs:
•
•
•
•
Terminology
Mannerisms
Body posture
Each player must adapt to their own disability:
•
•
Not every movement is the same
Adapt technique to the disability
Needs of a sitting
volleyball player
Aspects
Considerations
Logistical organisation
Mobility - walking aids, wheelchair
Transport – airport, van
Access
–Hotel / Training facilities
–Ramp / Lift
Time management
Consider extra time for everything
Add extra space for carrying
Medical
Prosthetics
Stump pain
Wound dehiscence (recent
amputees)
Pressure sores, blisters, infections
Aesthetic appearance
(clothing)
Polio
Limb malformations
Sitting Volleyball
Classification
The Classification Process
Level of competition
Requirements
Local league
National league
No restrictions, able bodied can play
No classifier needed
Unsanctioned international tournaments
Usually no restrictions
No Classifier needed
Sanctioned international tournaments
1-2 classifiers required
Number of able bodied on court limited
Sanctioned tournament that qualifies players to
Paralympics and world ranking.
2 classifiers required
Maximum of 1 MD player on court at any time
Maximum of 2 MD players in a squad
Commonest types of
disabilities in sitting volleyball
•
Limb amputees > 50%
–
–
•
•
Limb malformations (dysmyelia)
Sports injuries
–
•
ACJ rupture with knee instability
Medical conditions
–
–
–
–
•
Congenital
Traumatic
Grade 2+3 arthritis of knees
Fixation of knee / ankle joint
Instability of knee / ankle
Post prolapsed disc with residue weakness in
lower limbs
Neurological conditions
–
–
Polio
Mild cerebral palsy (CP 7,8 or T37, 38)
Common sense rule:
Anyone who is not able to
play regular volleyball is
likely to be eligible for
sitting volleyball
The Classification Process
• A process where athletes with disabilities are classified into
groups in accordance to their physical and function ability
– Minimally disabled
– Disabled
• Formal process
• Sport specific
• Who can do it?
• Doctor
• Physiotherapist
‘Ideal’ Sitting Volleyball
Player
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Long Upper Body
Long Arms
Big Hands
Lean Body Mass
Lower Limb Amputation(s)
Good hand-eye coordination
Good Reactions
Good upper body strength
Good back support
Good core stability
Experience in Ball Sports/Net Sports
Previous experience of a Performance Sporting Environment
A commitment to training