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Ball handling rules, service execution, attack hits, and blocking techniques
The ball is in if any part of it touches the court, including the boundary lines. Lines are part of the court.
The ball is out when:
Each team gets three hits to send the ball back over the net. A block contact doesn't count toward this limit, so after blocking, you still have all three hits.
A hit is any contact with the ball by a player. The ball can touch any part of the body. It must rebound cleanly. Catching, throwing, or holding the ball is a fault.
One player can't hit the ball twice in a row. There are two exceptions:
When two or three teammates touch the ball at the same moment, it counts as two or three hits (with the exception of blocking). If they reach for it but only one makes contact, it's just one hit.
When two opponents touch the ball at the same time over the net and the ball stays in play, the receiving team gets a fresh three hits. If the ball goes out of play, the fault is of the team on the opposite side.
The ball must rebound from a hit. It can't be caught, held, or thrown. The ball can travel in any direction as long as the contact is clean.
When settings the ball, the set should be a clean ball in, ball out motion. Avoid bringing the ball fully down to your face or chest as that more than likely is too long.
Referees look for the ball visibly resting in a player's hands or prolonged contact. A clean hit happens quickly; a carry shows noticeable delay.
| Fault | What Happened |
|---|---|
| Four hits | Team contacted the ball four times before sending it over |
| Assisted hit | Player used a teammate or object for support while hitting |
| Catch/Throw | Ball didn't rebound cleanly from the contact |
| Double contact | Player hit the ball twice in a row (outside allowed exceptions) |
The ball must cross the net within the crossing space: the area above the net, between the antennas, and below the ceiling.
If the ball crosses outside the antennas or touches them, it's out. The antennas mark the legal crossing boundaries.
The ball can touch the net while crossing over. This includes on serves. A serve that hits the net and goes over is legal and in play.
If the ball gets driven into the net, your team can still play it (within your three hits). If the ball rips the net or tears it down, replay the rally.
The net creates an imaginary vertical plane that separates the two teams’ playing spaces. Players may cross this plane only under specific conditions and without interfering with the opponent.
Blocking
Attacking:
A player may cross the center line with the feet as long as some part of the foot remains on the centerline. For it to be fault the entire foot must cross the center line or interfere with the opponent's play.
Other body parts (hands, arms, torso) may cross into the opponent’s court as long as there is no interference with the opponent’s play.
Interference includes creating a safety risk or affecting the opponent’s ability to play the ball.
Touching the net between the antennas is a fault if it occurs during the action of playing the ball.
The action of playing the ball includes:
Not a Fault
The serve puts the ball in play. The back-right player (position 1) serves from the service zone behind the end line.
Toss or release the ball, then hit it with one hand or any part of your arm. You get one toss - if you catch it, that's your toss used up.
Key service rules:
The starting lineup sets your rotation order for the entire set. When your team wins the serve back (side-out), you rotate, and the player moving to position 1 serves next.
Your teammates can't block the opponent's view of the serve or the ball's flight path. Standing grouped together or waving arms to hide the server is illegal.
Players can't raise their hands above their head during service until the ball passes the net. If refs suspect deliberate screening, they'll warn the team through the captain.
The serve fails if:
No player can complete an attack hit on the opponent's serve when the ball is in the front zone and entirely above the net. You must let it drop below net height or play it from behind the attack line.
This prevents teams from smashing a high serve directly back or blocking a serve. The receiving team must actually receive and play the ball.
An Attack is any action that sends the ball toward the opponent's court, except serves and blocks. When attacking, the ball must be cleanly hit and not caught, lifted, thrown, or apply a change of direction with the ball in hand.
Not allowed:
A spike is a one-handed full arm swing attack intended to drive the ball forcefully downward into the opponent's court.
A tip is a soft controlled attack using fingers to place the ball into open space usually above a block.
Power Tipping is a type of tip that is an aggressive tip using the finger tips and wrist snap to push the ball hard into the opponent's court, it is seen with either one or two hands.
An attack usually performed by the setter with their hand furthest from the net by hitting, pushing, or tipping the ball.
Front-row players can attack from anywhere at any height. Back-row players have to jump from behind the attack line.
Back-row players can attack, but with limits:
| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| From behind the attack line | Attack freely at any height |
| From the front zone | Only if the ball is below the top of the net at contact |
| Takeoff | Must jump from behind the attack line (can land in front zone) |
Blocking intercepts the ball coming from the opponent by reaching above the net. Only front-row players can block.
A block is complete when a blocker touches the ball. Block contacts don't count as team hits - after a block, your team still has three hits.
Collective block: When two or three players block together, it's complete when any of them touches the ball.
Blocking the serve is forbidden. You can't attempt to block a served ball.
Back-row players and Liberos cannot block or participate in a completed block. If a back-row player is part of a collective block that touches the ball, it's a fault.