Volleyball is a popular team sport played at a wide range of competitive levels. Regardless of the level of play, volleyball only requires a few pieces of equipment, most notably a court, net and ball. However, competitive volleyball has rules and regulations when it comes to the equipment needed to play.
The Ball
Volleyballs are round, spherical balls slightly smaller than a basketball. Volleyballs have two layers, each composed of a different material. The inner part of the ball is made of rubber. The rubber is then covered with leather or synthetic leather. Regulation volleyballs have a circumference of 65 to 67 centimeters and weigh 260 to 280 grams. The ball should be a uniform light color or a combination of light colors.
Uniforms
Competitive volleyball players wear a uniform consisting of a jersey and shorts. The only other piece of equipment needed for a player are shoes. Some players may choose to wear kneepads. All players on the same team should have jerseys with the same color and design. Liberos, special defensive players who can leave and enter the game freely, must have different colored jerseys than the rest of their teammates. This distinguishes them from other players. Since different rules apply to liberos, they must be distinguishable from their teammates.
Playing Surface
Volleyball courts are hard, flat surfaces with dimensions of 18 meters by 9 meters. A minimum of 2 meters of space should surround the court, including the endline, to allow players room to serve and protect players should they have to play the ball out of bounds. Rules require volleyball to be played in a gym at least 25 feet high, but it is recommended to be 41 feet high.
Net and Net Posts
Men's volleyball is played with the net set at 2.43 meters high, while in women's volleyball it is 2.24 meters high. Two posts hold up the net, one on each side of the court. The posts should be placed between half a meter and one meter outside the boundary line. Each post should 2.55 meters high.
Antennas
Two antennas are fixed to each side of the net. These antennas are placed directly above each sideline. The antennas are 80 centimeters high and are considered an extension of the net. They are used as boundary markers. For a team to return the ballproperly , they must hit the ball over the net in between the two antennas. If the ball goes over the net but outside the antennas, the shot is considered out of bounds.
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