Physical Education 4

OFFICIAL VOLLEYBALL RULES

MODULE 6
Official Volleyball Rules

Learning Outcomes
6.1 Discuss the official volleyball rules
6.3 Apply volleyball match rules, scoring, violations and officials

INTRODUCTION

This module contains information about the different volleyball rules also the
volleyball match, scoring, violations and officials. This module will help the students to
learn and identify the different volleyball rules to what happens inside the court or during
the game and this will be discussing for two weeks. Completion of this module will help
you in preparing for the succeeding modules.

This module consists of two (2) learning outcomes. Each learning outcome
contains learning activities with instructional sheets. Read the instructional sheet then
proceed to the activities. Your performance in each activity will ascertain that you have
acquired the knowledge and skill necessary for the learning outcomes provided.

Upon completion of this module, report to your teacher for your assessment
regarding the knowledge and skills requirement for this module.

CONTENT
Volleyball is one of the most popular team sports not only in the Philippines but
all over the world. This game is very enjoyable and exciting to play, but there are many
volleyball rules that a player must need to know and to practice. Let us know those
volleyball official rules approved by the 35 th FIVB Congress 2016.

PLAYING FORMAT

TO SCORE A POINT, TO WIN A SET AND THE MATCH

TO SCORE A POINT
Point
A team scores a point:
a. by successfully landing the ball on the opponent’s court;
b. when the opponent team commits a fault;
c. when the opponent team receives a penalty.
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Fault A team commits a fault by making a playing action contrary to the rules (or
by violating them in some other way). The referees judge the faults and determine the
consequences according to the Rules:
a. If two or more faults are committed successively, only the first one is
counted.
b. If two or more faults are committed by opponents simultaneously, a
DOUBLE FAULT is called and the rally is replayed.

Rally and completed rally A rally is the sequence of playing actions from the
moment of the service hit by the server until the ball is out of play. A completed
rally is the sequence of playing actions which results in the award of a point.

This includes:
–the award of a penalty
–loss of service for service hit made after the time limit.

a. If the serving team wins a rally, it scores a point and continues to

serve.
b. If the receiving team wins a rally, it scores a point and it must serve
next.

TO WIN A SET
A set (except the deciding 5th set) is won by the team which first scores 25 points
with a minimum lead of two points. In the case of a 24-24 tie, play is continued until a
two-point lead is achieved (26-24; 27-25; etc.).

TO WIN THE MATCH

a. The match is won by the team that wins three sets.
b. In the case of a 2-2 tie, the deciding 5th set is played t o 15 points with a
minimum lead of 2 points.

DEFAULT AND INCOMPLETE TEAM

a. If a team refuses to play after being summoned to do so, it is declared in
default and forfeits the match with the result 0-3 for the match and 0-25 for each set
b. A team that, without justifiable reason, does not appear on the playing court
on time is declared in default with the same result as in Rule 6.4.1.
c. A team that is declared INCOMPLETE for the set or for the match, loses the
set or the match. The opponent team is given the points, or the points and the sets,
needed to win the set or the match. The incomplete team keeps its points and sets.
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STRUCTURE OF PLAY
THE TOSS
Before the match, the 1st referee carries out a toss to decide upon the first
service and the sides of the court in the first set. If a deciding set is to be played, a new
toss will be carried out.
a. The toss is taken in the presence of the two team captains.
b. The winner of the toss chooses:
EITHER
- the right to serve or to receive the service,
OR
- the side of the court.
The loser takes the remaining choice

OFFICIAL WARM-UP SESSION

a. Prior to the match, if the teams have previously had a playing court
exclusively at their disposal, they are entitled to a 6-minute official warm-up
period together at the net; if not, they may have 10 minutes.
For FIVB, World and Official competitions, teams will be entitled to a 10-minute
warm-up period together at the net.
b. If either captain requests separate (consecutive) official warm- ups at the net,
the teams are allowed 3 minutes each or 5 minutes each.
c. In the case of consecutive official warm-ups, the team that has the first service
takes the first turn at the net.

TEAM STARTING LINE-UP

a. There must always be six players per team in play. The team’s starting line-up
indicates the rotational order of the players on the court. This order must be maintained
throughout the set.
b. Before the start of each set, the coach has to present the starting line-up of
his/her team on a line-up sheet or via the electronic device, if used. The sheet is
submitted, duly filled in and signed, to the 2nd referee or the scorer or electronically
sent directly to the e-scorer.
c. The players who are not in the starting line-up of a set are the substitutes for
that set (except the Liberos).
d. Once the line-up sheet has been delivered to the 2nd referee or scorer, no
change in line-up may be authorized without a regular substitution
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e. Discrepancies between players’ position on court and on the line-up sheet are
dealt with as follows:
- When such a discrepancy is discovered before the start of the set,
players’ positions must be rectified according to those on the line-up sheet–there will be
no sanction;
- when, before the start of the set, any player on court is found not to be
registered on the line-up sheet of that set, this player must be changed to
conform to the line-up sheet–there will be no sanction;
- however, if the coach wishes to keep such non-recorded player(s) on the
court, he/she has to request regular substitution(s), by use of the corresponding
hand signal, which will then be recorded on the score sheet. If a discrepancy
between players’ positions and the line-up sheet is discovered later, the team at
fault must revert to the correct positions. The opponent’s points remain valid and
in addition they receive a point and the next service. All points scored by the
team at fault from the exact moment of the fault up to the discovery of the fault
are cancelled.
- Where a player is found to be on court but he/she is not registered on the
team roster, the opponent’s points remain valid, and in addition they gain a point
and service. The team at fault will lose all points and/or sets (0:25, if necessary)
gained from the moment the non-registered player entered the court, and will
have to submit a revised line-up sheet and send a new registered player into the
court, in the position of the non- registered player.

POSITIONS
At the moment the ball is hit by the server, each team must be positioned within its
own court in the rotational order (except the server).
a. The positions of the players are numbered as follows:
- The three players along the net are front-row players and occupy
positions 4 (front-left), 3 (frontcenter) and 2 (front-right);
- The other three are back-row players occupying positions 5 (back-left), 6
(back-center) and 1 (back-right).
b. Relative positions between players:
- Each back-row player must be positioned further back from the center
line than the corresponding front-row player;
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- The front-row players and the back-row players, respectively, must be

positioned laterally in the order indicated in Rule 7.4.1.
c. The positions of players are determined and controlled according to the
positions of their feet contacting the ground as follows:
- each front-row player must have at least a part of his/her foot closer to
the center line than the feet of the corresponding back-row player;
- each right- (left-) side player must have at least a part of his/her foot
closer to the right (left) sideline than the feet of the center player in that row.
d. After the service hit, the players may move around and occupy any position
on their court and the free zone.

POSITIONAL FAULT
a. The team commits a positional fault, if any player is not in his/her correct
position at the moment the ball is hit by the server. When a player is on court through
illegal substitution, and play restarts, this is counted as a positional fault with the
consequences of an illegal substitution.
b. If the server commits a serving fault at the moment of the service hit, the
server’s fault is counted before a positional fault.
c. If the service becomes faulty after the service hit, it is the positional fault that
will be counted.
d. A positional fault leads to the following consequences:
- the team is sanctioned with a point and service to the opponent;
- players’ positions must be rectified.
ROTATION
a. The rotational order is determined by the team’s starting line-up and
controlled with the service order and players’ positions throughout the set.
b. When the receiving team has gained the right to serve, its players rotate one
position clockwise: the player in position 2 rotates to position 1 to serve, the player in
position 1 rotates to position 6, etc.

ROTATIONAL FAULT
a. A rotational fault is committed when the SERVICE is not made according to
the rotational order. It leads to the following consequences in order:
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- the scorer stops play by the buzzer; the opponent gains a point and next
service. If the rotational fault is determined only after the completion of the rally
which started with a rotational fault, only a single point is awarded to the
opponent, regardless of the result of the rally played.
- the rotational order of the faulty team must be rectified;
b. Additionally, the scorer should determine the exact moment when the fault
was committed, and all points scored subsequently by the team at fault must be
cancelled. The opponent’s points remain valid. If that moment cannot be
determined, no point(s) cancellation takes place, and a point and service to the
opponent is the only sanction.

PLAYING ACTIONS
STATES OF PLAY
BALL IN PLAY
The ball is in play from the moment of the hit of the service authorized by the 1st
referee.
BALL OUT OF PLAY
The ball is out of play at the moment of the fault which is whistled by one of the
referees; in the absence of a fault, at the moment of the whistle.
BALL “IN”
The ball is “in” if at any moment of its contact with the floor, some part of the ball
touches the court, including the boundary lines.
BALL “OUT”
The ball is “out” when:
a. all parts of the ball which contact the floor are completely outside the
boundary lines; 8.4.2 it touches an object outside the court, the ceiling or a
person out of play;
b. it touches the antennae, ropes, posts or the net itself outside the side bands;
c. it crosses the vertical plane of the net either partially or totally outside the
crossing space, except in the case of Rule 10.1.2;
d. it crosses completely the lower space under the net.
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PLAYING THE BALL

Each team must play within its own playing area and space (except Rule 10.1.2).
The ball may, however, be retrieved from beyond its own free zone.
TEAM HITS
A hit is any contact with the ball by a player in play.
The team is entitled to a maximum of three hits (in addition to blocking), for returning
the ball. If more are used, the team commits the fault of “FOUR HITS.”
a. CONSECUTIVE CONTACTS A player may not hit the ball two times
consecutively (except Rules 9.2.3, 14.2 and 14.4.2).
b. SIMULTANEOUS CONTACTS Two or three players may touch the ball at the
same moment.
- When two (or three) teammates touch the ball simultaneously, it is
counted as two (or three) hits (with the exception of blocking). If they reach for
the ball, but only one of them touches it, one hit is counted. A collision of players
does not constitute a fault.
- When two opponents touch the ball simultaneously over the net and the
ball remains in play, the team receiving the ball is entitled to another three hits. If
such a ball goes “out,” it is the fault of the team on the opposite side.
9.1.2.3 If simultaneous hits by two opponents over the net lead to an
extended contact with the ball, play continues.

ASSISTED HIT
Within the playing area, a player is not permitted to take support from a
teammate or any structure/object in order to hit the ball. However, a player who is about
to commit a fault (touch the net or cross the center line, etc.) may be stopped or held
back by a teammate.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HIT

a. The ball may touch any part of the body.
b. The ball must not be caught and/or thrown. It can rebound in any direction.
c. The ball may touch various parts of the body, provided that the contacts take
place simultaneously. Exceptions:
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- at blocking, consecutive contacts may be made by one or more

player(s), provided that the contacts occur during one action;
- at the first hit of the team, the ball may contact various parts of the body
consecutively, provided that the contacts occur during one action.

FAULTS IN PLAYING THE BALL

a. FOUR HITS: a team hits the ball four times before returning it.
b. ASSISTED HIT: a player takes support from a teammate or any
structure/object in order to hit the ball within the playing area.
c. CATCH: the ball is caught and/or thrown; it does not rebound from the hit.
d. DOUBLE CONTACT: a player hits the ball twice in succession or the ball
contacts various parts of his/her body in succession.

BALL AT THE NET

BALL CROSSING THE NET
a. The ball sent to the opponent’s court must go over the net within the crossing
space. The crossing space is the part of the vertical plane of the net limited as follows:
- below, by the top of the net;
- at the sides, by the antennae, and their imaginary extension;
- above, by the ceiling.
b. The ball that has crossed the net plane to the opponent’s free zone totally or
partly through the external space, may be played back within the team hits,
provided that:
- the opponent’s court is not touched by the player;
- the ball, when played back, crosses the net plane again totally or partly
through the external space on the same side of the court. The opponent team
may not prevent such action.
- The ball that is heading toward the opponent’s court through the lower
space is in play until the moment it has completely crossed the vertical plane of
the net.

BALL TOUCHING THE NET

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While crossing the net, the ball may touch it.

BALL IN THE NET
a. A ball driven into the net may be recovered within the limits of the three team
hits.
b. If the ball rips the mesh of the net or tears it down, the rally is cancelled and
replayed.

PLAYER AT THE NET

REACHING BEYOND THE NET
a. In blocking, a player may touch the ball beyond the net, provided that he/she
does not interfere with the opponent’s play before or during the latter’s attack hit.
b. After an attack hit, a player is permitted to pass his/her hand beyond the net,
provided that the contact has been made within his/her own playing space.

PENETRATION UNDER THE NET

a. It is permitted to penetrate into the opponent’s space under the net, provided
that this does not interfere with the opponent’s play.
b. Penetration into the opponent’s court, beyond the center line:
- to touch the opponent’s court with a foot (feet) is permitted, provided
that some part of the penetrating foot (feet) remains either in contact with or
directly above the center line;
- to touch the opponent’s court with any part of the body above the feet is
permitted provided that it does not interfere with the opponent’s play.
c. A player may enter the opponent’s court after the ball goes out of play.
d. Players may penetrate into the opponent’s free zone provided that they do not
interfere with the opponent’s play.

CONTACT WITH THE NET

a. Contact with the net by a player between the antennae, during the action of
playing the ball, is a fault. The action of playing the ball includes (among others) take-
off, hit (or attempt) and landing safely, ready for a new action.
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b. Players may touch the post, ropes, or any other object outside the antennae,
including the net itself, provided that it does not interfere with play.
c. When the ball is driven into the net, causing it to touch an opponent, no fault is
committed.

PLAYER’S FAULTS AT THE NET

a. A player touches the ball or an opponent in the opponent’s space before or
during the opponent’s attack hit.
b. A player interferes with the opponent’s play while penetrating into the
opponent’s space under the net.
c. A player’s foot (feet) penetrates completely into the opponent’s court.
d. A player interferes with play by (amongst others): – touching the net between
the antennae or the antenna itself during his/her action of playing the ball, – using the
net between the antennae as a support or stabilizing aid, – creating an unfair advantage
over the opponent by touching the net, – making actions which hinder an opponent’s
legitimate attempt to play the ball, – catching/holding onto the net. Any player close to
the ball as it is played, and who is him/herself trying to play it, is considered in the action
of playing the ball, even if no contact is made with it. However, touching the net outside
the antenna is not to be considered a fault

LEGAL VOLLEYBALL HITS

Short list of legal volleyball hits allowed in the match:
 The bump also called the pass
 The set also called the volley
 The attack hit also known as the spike
 The tip
 The down ball
 The roll shot
 Even a kick is a legal volleyball hit
 A player can score a point by contacting the ball with any of their
(opponent) body
 Only one consecutive contact is permitted per player in a row
 The ball can contact the net and be played off the net during a rally
 A player in the back row can attack hit a ball as long as they take off from
behind the attack line
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 A back row hitter can land in front of the attack line as long as they have
contacted the ball before they land in the front row
 A setter can attack hit a ball as long as she/he is in the front row

SUBSTITUTION
A substitution is the act by which a player, other than the Libero or his/her
replacement player, after being recorded by the scorer, enters the game to occupy the
position of another player, who must leave the court at that moment.
a. When the substitution is enforced through injury to a player in play this may
be accompanied by the coach (or game captain) showing the corresponding
hand signal.
LIMITATION OF SUBSTITUTIONS
a. A player of the starting line-up may leave the game, but only once in a set,
and re-enter, but only once in a set, and only to his/her previous position in the line-up.
b. A substitute player may enter the game in place of a player of the starting
line-up, but only once per set, and he/she can only be substituted by the same starting
player.
EXCEPTIONAL SUBSTITUTION
A player (except the Libero) who cannot continue playing due to injury or illness,
should be substituted legally. If this is not possible, the team is entitled to make an
EXCEPTIONAL substitution, beyond the limits of Rule 15.6. (Limitation of Substitution)
An exceptional substitution means that any player who is not on the court at the
time of the injury/illness, except the Libero, second Libero or their regular replacement
player, may be substituted into the game for the injured/ill player. The substituted
injured/ill player is not allowed to re-enter the match.
An exceptional substitution cannot be counted in any case as a regular
substitution but should be recorded on the score sheet as part of the total substitutions
in the set and the match.

SUBSTITUTION PROCEDURE
a. Substitution must be carried out within the substitution zone.
b. A substitution shall only last the time needed for recording the substitution on
the score sheet and allowing entry and exit of the players.
c. The actual request for substitution starts at the moment of the entrance of the
substitute player(s) into the substitution zone, ready to play, during an
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interruption. The coach does not need to make a substitution hand signal
except if the substitution is for injury or before the start of the set.
d. If the player is not ready, the substitution is not granted and the team is
sanctioned for a delay.
e. The request for substitution is acknowledged and announced by the scorer or
2nd referee, by use of the buzzer or whistle respectively. The 2nd referee
authorizes the substitution.
f. If a team intends to make simultaneously more than one substitution, all
substitute players must enter the substitution zone at the same time to be
considered in the same request. In this case, substitutions must be made in
succession, one pair of players after another. If one is illegal, the legal one(s)
is/are granted and the illegal is rejected and subject to a delay sanction.

VOLLEYBALL RULE VIOLATIONS

Violation that may result to a point for the opponent:
When serving, the player steps on or across the service line as while making
contact with the ball
Failure to serve the ball over the net successfully
Errors in ball handling. Contacting the ball illegally (lifting, double touching,
carrying, throwing, etc.)
Touching the net with any part of the body while the ball is in play.
When blocking a ball coming from the opponents court, contacting the ball when
reaching over the net is a violation if both: a) your opponent hasn’t used 3
contacts; b) they have a player there to make a play on the ball
When attacking a ball coming from the opponents court, contacting the ball when
reaching over the net is a violation if the ball hasn’t yet broken the vertical plane
of the net.
Crossing the court center line with any part of your body is also a violation.
Except: if it’s the hand or foot, the entire hand or entire foot must cross for it to be
a violation.
Serving out of rotation.
Back row player blocking (deflecting a ball coming from their opponent), when at
the moment of contact the back row player is near the net and has part of his/her
body above the top of the net, this is an illegal block.
Back row player attacking a ball inside the front zone (the area inside the 10
foot line), when at the moment of contact the ball is completely above the net this
is an illegal attack.
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VOLLEYBALL OFFICIALS
Volleyball officials are responsible for officiating the two competing teams. The
refereeing crew for a match is composed of 1st referee, 2nd referee, scorer and four or
two line judges.
The responsibility of the 1st referee, she/he is in charge from the beginning until
the end of the match. He/she has the authority over all other members of the officiating
crew.
The 1st referee should talk to all the officiating crew before the match starts, going
over any questions officials might have about their responsibilities. He/ she should have
a talk with the 2nd referee before the match starts to discuss issues such as pre-match
protocol and anything that will help the match run smoothly.
While the 2nd referee should establish a rapport with the scorekeeper. If the
scorer have a problem or do not understand something, they should be comfortable
enough to ask the 2nd referee for help.
The scorekeeper’s responsibility during the match is to:
 record points
 watches the servers
 record player substitutions
 records any sanctions
 records all the events as instructed by the referees
 records the final result of the set
After the match;
 records the final result of the match
 signs the score sheet
For line judges;
 watch the endline and sideline of their respective corners
 main responsibility is to make signals to help out the referees in making
judgment calls
 may be instructed to use flags to make the signals
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SELF ASSESSENT QUESTIONS

1. Summarize the Official Volleyball Rules

2. Is learning/knowing the volleyball rules are really helpful? Why or why not?
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ASSESSMENT
NAME: __________________________
SECTION: __________________

Exercise 6.1
Matching Type: Correctly match the following items to their corresponding volleyball
rules.

Column A Column B
_____1. Team that wins three sets a. Ball “IN”
_____2. Team which first scores 25 points b. Ball touching the net
with a minimum lead of 2 points
_____3. There must always be six players c. Win the match
Per team in play
_____4. If any player is not in his/her d. Substitutions
Correct position at the moment the ball
Is hit by the server
_____5. The moment of the hit of the e. Four hits
Service authorized by the 1st referee
_____6. The moment that the ball contact f. Ball in play
With the floor some part of the ball touches the
Court including the boundary lines
_____7. Any contact with the ball by a player in g. Win a set
Play
_____8. A fault in playing the ball when a team h. Team starting line-up
Hits the ball four times
_____9. The ball touches the net while crossing to it. i. Positional fault
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_____10. The act by which a player, enters the game j. Hit

Occupy the positions of another player
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Exercise 6.2
NAME: __________________________________
SECTION: __________________

TRUE OR FALSE: Read and analyze the following statement below then determine if it
is correct or wrong. Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if it is not.

_______1. The bump also called the pass is a legal hit.

_______2. Kicking the ball is an illegal hit.
_______3. Failure to serve the ball over the net successfully is not a violation.
_______4. First referee is in charge for the whole game/match.
_______5. Watching the servers is one of the responsibilities of a scorekeeper.
_______6. The second referee is the one who watches the endline and sideline of their
respective corners.
_______7. Serving out of rotation is a violation.
_______8. If the player is not ready, the substitution is not granted and team is
sanctioned for a delay.
_______9. Two consecutive contact with the ball is permitted per player in a row.
_______10. To win the match the team needs to score 25 points or by leading 2 points.
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REFERENCE:

Basic Volleyball Rules and Terminology. (2018, November 2). The Art of Coaching
Volleyball.https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/basic-volleyball-rules-and-terminology/
Chapple, A. (2015). Legal Volleyball Hits Volleyball Hitting Rules for Outside Hitters.
Improve your Volleyball.https://www.improveyourvolley.com/legal-volleyball-
hits.html#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20legal%20volleyball,shot%20are%20legal%20attack
%20hits.&text=Even%20a%20kick%20is%20a%20legal%20volleyball%20hit.

Jackson, D. (2007). Volleyball Officials Responsibilities of Referees and Work Team.

Strength and Power for Volleyball. https://www.strength-and-power-for-
volleyball.com/volleyball-officials.html#:~:text=Volleyball%20officials%20that%20make%20up,the
%20match%20until%20the%20end.

2019- 2021 Indoor Rules Book. (2019). USA Volleyball.

file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/2019-2021%20USA%20Volleyball%20Indoor%20Rules%20Book
%20Final.pdf