How Volleyball works

Almost every rally follows the same pattern: dig, set, spike. The first contact controls a hard-hit ball, the second places it precisely for the attacker, and the third drives it down into the opponents' floor. Teams may use fewer touches, but doing so almost always means they are in trouble.

• Maximum three touches per side, excluding a block
• No player may touch the ball twice consecutively
• The ball may not be caught, held or thrown
• A block does not count towards the three touches

Matches are best of five sets. The first four sets are played to 25 points, the fifth to 15, and every set must be won by two clear points. Rally scoring means every rally produces a point for one side or the other, regardless of who served.

• Sets one to four: first to 25, win by two
• Deciding fifth set: first to 15, win by two
• Teams change ends between sets
• Every rally is worth a point

Each time a team wins the serve back, all six players rotate one position clockwise. This forces everyone to serve and to play both front and back court, which is why the sport requires all-round players — and why specialists use complex switching to get back to their preferred zones once the ball is in play.

• Three front-row and three back-row players at any moment
• Back-row players may not attack from in front of the 3 m line
• Rotation happens on winning the serve back, not on every point

One player wears a contrasting shirt and specialises entirely in defence. The libero substitutes freely for back-row players without counting against the substitution limit, but may never serve, block, or attack the ball from above net height. The role turned defensive digging into a genuine specialism.

The net is 2.43 m high for men and 2.24 m for women. Front-row players may reach over it to block, and a block does not count as one of the three touches. Touching the net during play, or crossing the centre line completely, is a fault.

• Reaching over the net to block is legal; to attack is not
• Touching the net during a play on the ball is a fault
• The ball may touch the net and continue in play, including on serve

Every rally starts with a serve struck from behind the baseline. The jump serve — a full approach and swing at the ball in the air — is now standard at elite level and travels well over 100 km/h, making the serve an attacking weapon rather than a way to begin the point.

• Eight seconds are allowed after the referee's whistle
• Float serves move unpredictably with no spin
• An ace is a serve the receiving team cannot play