There are three main forms of volleyball, here’s our volleyball in a nutshell guide.
Indoor Volleyball is a team sport that requires players to hit a ball back and forth over a net until one team scores a point by grounding the ball on the other team’s side. In traditional volleyball, six players on each team face each other with a net between them. One player serves the ball over the net into the opposing team’s space, and that team must get the ball back over the net without letting it touch the ground.
Players may not catch and release the ball; they may only strike or push it by hitting it with their arms, hands or fingers. The ball may only be struck three times by different players on one side of the net before it goes back over the net to the other court. If a team lets the ball hit the floor on its court, strikes the ball into the net or shoots the ball out of bounds on the other team’s side, the opposing team wins a point. It has been a part of the official program of the Summer Olympic Games since 1964.
Beach Volleyball is a version of the game that is played on a sand court with two teams of two players each. It started in Hawaii and became the official outdoor version of the sport. Beach volleyball began with more players and is still played recreationally with up to six players per team, but professional beach volleyball always restricts teams to two players.
Sitting Volleyball is a form of Volleyball for athletes with a disability. It made it into the Paralympics Games in 1976. In sitting volleyball, a 0.8 meter-wide net is set at 1.15 meters high for men and 1.05 meters high for women. The court is 10 x 6 meters with a 2-meter attack line. Players must have at least one buttock in contact with the floor whenever they make contact with the ball. It is also possible to block the serve and jousts are generally replayed. Athletes with the following disabilities are eligible to compete in sitting volleyball: athletes with amputations, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, brain injuries and stroke.
Tips
- It’s a great inclusive, fun game to play whether indoor or on a beach
- The taller you are, the greater natural advantage you have
- The court dimensions are different for each form of Volleyball