Basic Introduction: Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of 6 active players are separated by a net. Each team
tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team’s court under organized rules. This
introduction focuses on competitive indoor volleyball; numerous other variations of volleyball have
developed, most notably the spin-off sport beach volleyball.
Play proceeds as follows: a player on one of the teams begins a rally by attempting to serve the ball
(tossing or releasing it and then hitting it with a hand or arm), from behind the back boundary line of
the court, over the net and into the receiving team’s court. The receiving team must not let the ball
touch their court; they may touch the ball as many as three times, typically using the first two touches
to set up for an attack, an attempt to direct the ball back over the net in such a way that the serving
team is unable to prevent it from touching their court. The rally continues in the same manner, with
each team allowed as many as three consecutive touches, until either (1): a team makes a kill,
grounding the ball on the opponent’s court, thus winning the rally; or (2): a team commits a fault, thus
losing the rally. The team that wins the rally is awarded a point, and serves the ball to start the next
rally. The complete rules are extensive but we will only cover the basics in this P.E. class.
Volleyball Court Dimensions
Basic Rules of Volleyball
Each team has three hits to attempt to return the ball.
The volley continues until the ball hits the playing court, goes out of bounds, or a team fails to
return it properly.
When the serving team wins a volley, it wins a point and the right to continue serving.
During the rally a player may not hit the ball twice in a row.
Volleyball Terminology
Ace: Serve that results directly in a point
Attack: The offensive action of hitting the ball
Block: A player(s) on the first line of defense successfully terminates a rally by stopping the ball from
traveling over the net
Dig: Passing a spiked or powerfully hit ball
Foul: A violation of the rules
Kill: An attack that results directly in a point or side out
Match: Winning 2 out of 3 games or 3 out of 5 games
Pass: The act of receiving and delivering the ball to the setter
Rally/Volley: Continuous play by both teams returning the ball back and forth before a fault occurs
Serve: The act by one player to put the ball into play
Set: A two-handed pass above waist level
Side Out: When the receiving team wins the rally
Spike: A hard overhand hit with one hand over the net
Player Positions
Setter
The setter is the player on the volleyball team that sets the teams attackers. A setter position runs
the team’s offense. Some teams may choose to have multiple setters run the team offense.
Outside Hitter
Teams outside hitters are usually the primary attackers on the team. These hitters attack balls that
are set to the left side of the court. Outside hitters may also be referred to as outside blockers.
Weakside Hitter
Team’s weak side hitters hit from the right side of the court and are usually not the primary attackers
on the team. Weakside hitters may also be referred to as weakside blockers.
Middle Hitter
The middle hitters hit balls set at the net in the middle of the court. Middle hitters are sometimes the
primary attackers on the team. Middle hitters are commonly used as a decoy to freeze or confuse the
opposing team’s blockers. A middle hitter is also referred to as a middle blocker or just middle. Middle
blockers are often in charge of front row players to coordinate team blocking strategy.
Libero
The libero plays a special roll in team defense and passing. The libero is the player on the volleyball
team that can come into the game and replace any player on the back row. The libero is sometimes
called a defensive specialist or DS. The libero may be put in the game to pass for a weaker passer or to
help cover the court by making great defensive plays. The libero may also serve in one rotation.
Player Positions on the court
* The numbers represent the “5-1 Offensive” rotation on the court (rotate clockwise)
* The numbers also represent the 6 different zones on the court
Player Rotation