Volleyball is a team event, each team consists of 12 players, and each team sends 6 players to play on the ground separated by the net.
The purpose of the competition is for each team to follow the rules and hit the ball over the net to make it fall on the ground of the opponent’s court, and to prevent the ball from falling on the ground of its own court. Each team can hit the ball three times (except for blocking the ball) and return the ball to the opponent’s court.
The game begins with serving, and the server hits the ball to fly it from the net to the opponent’s court, and the game continues until the ball hits the ground, goes out of bounds or a team can’t legally return the ball to the opponent’s court.
The volleyball match adopts the best of five games system, and the team that wins three games wins one game. In the competition, if a team wins 1 goal, it will get 1 point (scoring system for each goal). When the receiving team wins 1 goal, it gets 1 point, at the same time, it gets the right to serve, and the players rotate one position clockwise. The team that scored 25 points in each game (except the fifth game of the deciding game) and led the opponent by 2 points at the same time won one game. When the score is 24∶24, the game will continue until a team leads by 2 points (26∶24, 27∶25). The team that scored 15 points in the deciding game and was 2 points ahead of the opponent won. When the score is 14∶14, the game will continue until a team leads by 2 points (16∶14, 17∶15).
Serve foul
Serve foul includes serve foul and serve foul after hitting the ball.
Foul in serving and hitting the ball:
(1) The service order is wrong;
(2) When the server hits the ball or takes off, he steps on the ground outside the court (including the end line) or the service court;
(3) The server failed to hit the ball within 8 seconds after the first referee whistled to allow the service;
(4) Hit the ball before the ball is thrown up or the ball holder is not clearly evacuated;
(5) Hit the ball with both hands or throw and push the ball with one hand;
(6) throwing the ball up to serve but not hitting it.
Foul after serving and hitting the ball:
(1) The ball touches other players on the serve team or the whole ball does not pass through the vertical plane of the net from the net crossing area;
(2) foul ball;
(3) An individual or a group whose ball crosses the serve cover (when serving, a player or two or more players stand in a crowded position or swing their arms to jump and move to block the receiver, and the served ball flies over him or them, which constitutes an individual or a group foul on the serve cover).
Position error
Volleyball rules stipulate that when the server hits the ball, if the players on the court are not in their correct positions, it constitutes a position error foul. One of the following situations is a position error foul:
(1) When the server hits the ball, other players on the court are not fully standing in the field;
(2) When the server hits the ball, the players on the court fail to stand according to the stipulation that "at least one foot of each front-row player is closer to the center line than the feet of the back-row players in the same row";
(3) When the server hits the ball, the players on the court fail to stand according to the stipulation that "at least a part of each left (right) player’s foot is closer to the left (right) sideline than that of the middle player in the same row".
Foul at the ball.
Combo foul
In a volleyball match, any part of an athlete’s body can touch the ball, but a player (except the blocking player) hits the ball twice in a row or the ball touches different parts of his body in a row is a combo foul. However, in the first stroke, players are allowed to touch different parts of their bodies continuously in the same stroke.
Foul with the ball
Volleyball players can touch the ball with any part of their bodies in the game, but the ball must be hit and not caught or thrown, otherwise it is a foul to hold the ball.
Four shots foul
A team touching the ball four times in a row (except blocking) is a foul for four strokes. No matter whether a player hits the ball actively or passively, it is counted as a player hitting the ball once.
Foul by hitting the ball
Players who hit the ball with the support of their peers or any object in the competition field are all fouled by hitting the ball.
A foul by a player near the net.
Fouls committed by players near the net include foul of hitting the ball through the net, foul of crossing the middle line, foul of touching the net and foul of crossing the net into the opponent’s space to hinder the opponent’s game. Touching the ball in the opponent’s space before or during the opponent’s offensive stroke is a foul for hitting the ball over the net. During the game, a player’s whole foot, hand or any other part of his body crosses the center line and touches the opponent’s court, which is a foul for crossing the center line. During the game, it is not a foul for a player to touch the net or touch the flag pole. However, it is a foul for a player to touch the net or touch the marker when hitting the ball or interfering with the game. After hitting the ball, the players can touch the net post, net rope or any other object beyond the whole net length, but it shall not affect the game. During the competition, players are allowed to cross into the opponent’s space under the net without interfering with the competition. It is a foul if a player who crosses into the opponent’s space under the net hinders the opponent’s game.
Hit the ball simultaneously
Players from both sides or the same team can touch the ball at the same time. Two or more players on the same team touch the ball at the same time, which is counted as two or more strokes (except blocking). After both players hit the ball on the net at the same time, if the ball falls into the court, they should continue to play, and the player who gets the ball can still hit the ball three times.
Blocking foul
Blocking fouls include blocking fouls through the net, blocking fouls by back-row players, blocking fouls by serving and blocking fouls by reaching into the opponent’s space from the post. It is a foul to block the ball in the opponent’s space before or during the opponent’s offensive stroke. The basis of judging the blocking of the net is the time sequence of the attacking player and the blocking player touching the ball. The back row player or the back row free defender completes the block or participates in the group that completes the block, which is a foul for the back row player. It’s a foul to stop the ball from the other side. It is a foul to block the ball from the outside of the sign pole and touch the ball.
Offensive hitting foul by back row players.
In the frontcourt or stepping on the offensive line (or its extension line), the players in the back row hit the ball higher than the upper edge of the net, hit the vertical surface of the net or touch the opponent’s blocking player, which is a foul for the players in the back row to attack the ball.
Pause and substitution
During the competition, each team can request at most 2 timeouts and 6 substitutions. The pause time is limited to 30 seconds. In the 1st to 4th innings, there are two technical pauses of 60 seconds in each inning, which are automatically executed whenever the leading team reaches 8 points and 16 points. In the deciding game (the fifth game), there is no technical pause, and each team can request two ordinary pauses of 30 seconds in this game.
Relevant regulations of free defenders
Teams in a volleyball match can choose one of the 12 players finally confirmed as a Libero. Free defenders wear clothes that are different from other players. Before the game, the free defender must be registered on the scoreboard and marked with the word "L" next to it, and his number must be registered on the first game lineup position table. Free defenders only take part in the game as special back-row players, and they are not allowed to directly hit the ball higher than the net into the opponent’s court to complete the offensive stroke at any position (including the playing field and the barrier-free area). Free defenders are not allowed to serve, block or try to block. When a free defender makes an overhand pass in the frontcourt and the whole passed ball is higher than the upper edge of the net, his partner shall not complete the offensive hitting of the ball above the net.