What Volleyball Is

A rally is won by making the ball land on the opponents' court, or by an opponents' fault.

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Indoor volleyball is six against six; the rest of the squad waits on the bench.

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A net stretched across the centre line splits the court into two halves, one for each team.

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A team has up to three hits to return the ball; a block touch does not count as one of them.

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The ball is played with a clean hit; catching or throwing it is a fault.

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Each team starts the rally inside its own half of the court.

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The net keeps the teams apart, so there is no body contact between opponents.

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Serve, pass, set and attack: the usual shape of a rally.

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Six play, the substitutes wait on the bench and the coaches sit or stand beside them.

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A ball that lands inside a team's court loses that team the rally, so team A wins it.

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A best-of-five match ends as soon as one team has won three sets.

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A set is played to 25 points, and the winner must be two points clear.

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There is no cap: play goes on until one team is two points ahead, such as 26-24.

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The deciding set is shorter, played to 15 points, still with a two-point lead.

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Sets have no clock; one ends when a team reaches the target score with a two-point lead.

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The teams change courts after each set, so neither keeps one end for the whole match.

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Sets are played until one team has won the match; at two sets all a fifth set decides it.

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At 24-24 the set carries on until one team is two points clear, here 26-24.

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The toss and the warm-up come before play; the teams change ends between sets.

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The captains take part in the toss, which decides who serves first and which side each team takes.

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Every rally gives a point to the team that wins it, whoever served. This is rally-point scoring.

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The winner of a rally serves the next one, so a receiving team that wins it takes over the serve.

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A ball out of the court is a fault by the team that last played it, so the other team scores.

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The lines belong to the court, so a ball touching a line is in.

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Any fault ends the rally and gives the point, and the next serve, to the opponents.

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On winning the serve a team rotates one position clockwise, and a new player serves.

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Three sets at 25 points each is 75 points, the least a 3-0 winner can score.

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The rally winner always serves next, so team A keeps serving until it loses a rally.

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Points go up one rally at a time until one team reaches 25 with a two-point lead.

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A block that sends the ball down on the attackers' side wins the point for the blockers.

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Beach volleyball is played two against two, with no substitutes.

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The beach court is a little smaller, 16 by 8 metres, which suits two players.

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Beach sets one and two are played to 21 points, the deciding third to 15.

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Beach volleyball became an Olympic medal sport at Atlanta in 1996.

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Beach players normally play barefoot; the soft sand protects the feet and helps them move.

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The player at the net shows the partner, behind the back, which shot the block will take away.

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Beach matches are the best of three sets, so two sets win the match.

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A player may not touch the ball twice in a row, so the partners share the three touches.

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Indoor volleyball joined the Olympics in 1964, sitting volleyball the Paralympics in 1980, beach in 1996.

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With two a side and no double touch, the partner of the passer sets the ball.

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When playing the ball, the part of the body between the buttocks and the shoulders must touch the court.

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Sitting volleyball, like the indoor game, is six against six.

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The sitting court is 10 by 6 metres, small enough to cover while seated.

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The men's sitting net is set at 1.15 m and the women's at 1.05 m.

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Men's sitting volleyball joined the Paralympics at Arnhem in 1980; the women's event followed in 2004.

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World ParaVolley is the world governing body for sitting and beach para volleyball.

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Sitting volleyball lets players block the serve, which the standing indoor game forbids.

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1.05 m and 1.15 m for sitting women and men, 2.24 m and 2.43 m indoors.

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Standing volleyball came first in 1976, men's sitting volleyball in 1980 and women's in 2004.

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Seated players and a low net over a small court: this is sitting volleyball.

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Mini-volleyball scales the game down so that children can play it from the start.

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Children play on a smaller court, so that a few players can cover it.

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A lower net lets young players attack and block, as adults do over the full-height net.

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Catching and throwing helps beginners keep the ball alive while they learn the real skills.

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A light, soft ball does not hurt the arms and is easier to keep in the air.

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The point of the small game is to give every child the ball often and keep it enjoyable.

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Several small courts mean more players are active at once, each with more turns on the ball.

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Children start in small teams and move up towards the full six-a-side game.

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The net rises with age, up to 2.24 m for women and 2.43 m for men.

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Count the children on each side of the net: three per team, a common mini-volleyball size.

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Men's and women's indoor volleyball both made their Olympic debut at Tokyo in 1964.

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Women play the same game: six a side, sets to 25, three touches; only the net is lower.

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The match ball is the same for men and women.

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Both play on the same 18 by 9 metre court.

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The libero is part of the women's game exactly as of the men's.

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Many top women serve float serves, often from a jump, which move unpredictably in the air.

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Three players stand in the front row and three in the back row, as in the men's game.

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2.24 m, 2.43 m, and the antenna tip 80 cm above the men's net at 3.23 m.

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Women's indoor volleyball began in 1964, beach in 1996 and sitting volleyball in 2004.

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The women's net is 2.24 m high, 19 cm lower than the men's 2.43 m.

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The sand must be at least 40 cm deep, loose and fine, so that diving and landing are safe.

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The beach ball is pumped to a lower pressure and is a little larger and softer.

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Sand can get very hot in the sun, so courts are sometimes sprayed with water to cool them.

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Wind changes the flight of the ball, which makes serving and passing outdoors harder.

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Volleyball sends the ball very high, so a hall needs plenty of free space above the court.

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Indoor players dive onto a hard floor; on the beach the sand softens every landing.

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Indoor courts have a wooden or synthetic surface; the outdoor games are played on sand, snow or grass.

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Sand gives most under the feet, grass less, and an indoor floor least of all.

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A hall keeps out wind, sun and rain; a roof keeps out some; an open beach none.

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Swapping ends during a set means neither team keeps the better side for wind and sun.

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The five are the CEV, the AVC, the CAVB, NORCECA and the CSV.

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The FIVB is based in Lausanne, the Olympic capital, in Switzerland.

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The FIVB was founded in Paris in 1947.

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The CEV, the European Volleyball Confederation, runs the European game.

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Volleyball World is the FIVB's company for its major events, such as the Nations League.

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Each country has a national federation, a member of the FIVB, that runs its game.

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NORCECA is the confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

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The world body, then a continent, a country and finally a single club.

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The game was invented in 1895, the FIVB founded in 1947 and Olympic volleyball began in 1964.

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The World Championships are the FIVB's own events, held for men and women.

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Footvolley is played on a beach volleyball court, but with the feet, chest and head instead of the hands.

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Sepak takraw is a kicking game over a net, played with a light woven ball.

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Fistball has its strongest roots in German-speaking countries.

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In newcomb ball the ball is caught and thrown over the net, which makes it easy for beginners.

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In both games the object must be kept off the floor on your side of a net.

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Snow volleyball is played three against three on a snow court.

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Park or grass volleyball is played on a lawn, often in summer and with relaxed rules.

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Volleyball dates from 1895, beach volleyball from the early twentieth century, snow volleyball from 2008.

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Six a side indoors, three on snow, two on the beach.

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In fistball the ball may bounce once between touches and is struck with the fist or arm.

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