Setting Up The Game: Volleyball for Beginners

Hey, guys in today’s blog, I’m going to be talking about the basics of volleyball; the rules, the skills, and the positions.

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six 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.  

The Basic Rules:

• 6 players on the court at any one time
• 3 in the front row and 3 in the back row
• Maximum of 3 hits per side
• Points are made on every service for winning team of rally (rally-point scoring).
• The player may not hit the ball twice in succession. (A block is not considered a touch.)
• Ball may be played off the net during a volley and on a serve.
• A ball hitting a boundary line is in.
• A ball is out if it hits an antennae, the floor completely outside the court, any of the net or cables outside the antennae, the referee stand or pole, the ceiling above a non-playable area.
• It is legal to contact the ball with any part of a player’s body.
• It is illegal to catch, hold or throw the ball.
• A player cannot block or attack a serve from on or inside the 10-foot line.
• After the serve, front-line players may switch positions at the net.
• Matches are made up of sets; the number depends on the level of play. 3-set matches are 2 sets to 25 points and a third set to 15. Each set must be won by two points. The winner is the first team to win 2 sets. 5-set matches are 4 sets to 25 points and fifth set to 15. The team must win by 2 unless tournament rules dictate otherwise
• The winner is the first team to win three sets.

The 7 Basic Player specializations are; Outside hitters (wing attacker, left side), Right side hitters (wing attacker, right side), Opposite Hitters (attacker), Setters, Middle Blockers (center, middle hitter), Liberos, and Defensive Specialists.

Outside  Hitters:

Outside hitters or Left side hitters attack from near the left antenna. The outside hitter is usually the most consistent hitter on the team and gets the most sets from the setter. Since most sets to the outside are high, the outside hitter may take a longer approach, always starting from outside the court around the ten-foot line.

Right-Side/Opposite Hitters:

Opposite hitters or Right-side hitters take the defensive responsibility for a volleyball team in the front row. Their primary responsibility is to put up a strong block against the opponents Outside Hitters. Sets to the opposite usually go to the right side of the antennae.

Middle Blockers:

Middle blockers or Middle hitters are players that can perform very fast attacks that take place near the setter. They are specialized in blocking since they must attempt to stop equally fast plays from their opponents and then

quickly set up a double block at the sides of the court. 

Setters:

Setters have the task of running the offense of the team. They want for second touch and their main responsibility is to place the ball in the air where the attackers can attack the ball into the opponents' court for a point. They have to be able to cooperate with the hitters, manage the tempo of their side of the court and choose the right attackers to set. Setters need to have swift and skillful appraisal and tactical accuracy and must be quick at moving around the court.

Liberos:

The libero, the player who wears the other colored jersey, remains in the game at all times and is the only player who is not limited by the regular rules of rotation. The libero usually replaces the middle blocker position when that player rotates to the back row, but the libero never rotates to the front row.

                         Defensive Specialist:

A defensive specialist, or DS, is allowed to substitute for any player and take a position in either the front row or back row. However, in theory, a DS enters a game to play a back-row position. The DS usually rotates through all three back-row positions before she is replaced by a front-row player

The 6 Basic Skills of Volleyball are; Serving, Passing, Setting, Attacking, Blocking, and Digging

Serve: 

A player stands behind the inline and serves the ball, in an attempt to drive it into the opponent's court. The main objective is to make it land inside the court; it is also desirable to set the ball's direction, speed and acceleration so that it becomes difficult for the receiver to handle it properly

Pass:

Also called reception, the pass is the attempt by a team to properly handle the opponent's serve or any form of attack. Proper handling includes not only preventing the ball from touching the court but also making it reach the position where the setter is standing quickly and precisely.

Set:

The set is usually the second contact that a team makes with the ball. The main goal of setting is to put the ball in the air in such a way that it can be driven by an attack into the opponent's court. The setter coordinates the offensive movements of a team and is the player who ultimately decides which player will actually attack the ball.

Attack:

The attack, also known as the hit, is usually the third contact a team makes with the ball. The object of attacking is to handle the ball so that it lands on the opponent's court and cannot be defended. A player makes a series of steps (the "approach"), jumps, and swings at the ball.

Block:

Blocking refers to the actions taken by players standing at the net to stop or alter an opponent's attack. A block that is aimed at completely stopping an attack, making the ball remain in the opponent's court, is called offensive. A well-executed offensive block is performed by jumping and reaching to go through with one's arms and hands over the net and into the opponent's area. It requires anticipating the direction the ball will go once the attack takes place.

Dig:

Digging is the ability to prevent the ball from touching one's court after a spike or attack, particularly a ball that is nearly touching the ground. In many aspects, this skill is similar to passing: overhand dig and pass are also used to distinguish between defensive actions taken with fingertips or with joined arms.