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Volleyball Basics

What is volleyball and how to play








Volleyball basics and tips for learning about volleyball.


What is Volleyball?

Volleyball is a sport in which two teams hit an inflated ball over a high net using their hands or arms.

The most popular form of volleyball 6 on 6. Teams are made up of 6 players.

Start of the Game
The game starts by one team serving the ball over a net. The volleyball net separates the two teams. Volleyball isn't a contact sport. Below the net is a line that separates the court into two equal halves.

The Volleyball Court
The court is 60 by 30 feet. There are various markings on the court. There are lines that going around the edge of the court. This is called the sideline. The 10 foot line (3 meter line) divides the front and back court. The 10 foot line is also used for substitutions. A sub may enter the game during a dead ball situation. There are certain rules for substitutions.

The Players
There are 3 players that play in the back court while the other 3 players play in the front court.

The 3 back row players are limited in what they can do. For example, if you are a player on the back row, you can't attack the ball from inside the 10 foot line. Also, if you are back row, you can't block at the net.

Positions
The setter is usually the leader of the team. The setter's responsibility is to set the ball to an attacker. Most teams only have two setters. Some teams only have one.

An attacker is a player that plays on the front row. This player is skilled at spiking the ball. The attackers job is to hit ball over the into the opponents court to try and score a point.

A digger is a player that is playing in the backcourt. The digger is skilled at digging the volleyball that's been spiked by an attacker. Good diggers are really good at keeping the ball from hitting the ground. The diggers job is to get the ball up to the setter.

All players that play across the front row will have responsibilities blocking. Blocking is a hard skill to learn. On top of that, many coaches result in not teaching blocking because most teams can get away with not being able to block. Most middles are referred to as middle blockers. This is because skills for blocking middle are usually much more valuable than skills for hitting middle.

A defensive specialist is a player that substitutes into the game to play defense and/or pass. The DS usually subs in for the weakest passer or defender on the team.


Playing to Win

There are many different strategies for playing volleyball.

Offensive Systems

There are 2 main offensive systems.

Most teams run a 6-2 offense. 6-2 means there are 6 attackers and 2 setters.

Sometimes a team might run a 5-1 offense. This means there are 5 attackers and 1 setter.

Low level teams may decide to run a 4-2 offense. This means there are 4 attackers and 2 setters. In a 4-2, the setter is always on the front row. A 4-2 can be much more simpler because the setter is usually closer to the target position which makes running the offense much easier. The disadvantage is, since the setter is always on the front row, the team will only have two possible options for attackers on the front row at all times.

Playing Defense

Perimeter, rotation, and man up are the 3 main defensive systems.

Coaches will choose the defensive system depending on their coaching philosophy. Most coaches will follow the same defensive system and not change. This is so players can get really comfortable playing a certain type of defense.



Volleyball Basics Related Pages

Positions in Volleyball
Positions in volleyball include setter, libero, middle blocker, outside hitter, and defensive specialist. The setter in volleyball is usually the team leader and much like a quarterback in football. Other positions...

Volleyball Positioning and Keys to Executing Plays
Volleyball positioning is an important piece to making successful plays in volleyball. Getting in proper position is really the key to making the play. Proper positioning for defense, passing, setting, blocking, and attacking...

Officials of Volleyball
Officials of volleyball. The first referee is referred to as R1. The second referee is referred to as R2. Each referee has different responsibilities pre-match and...

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