If you've ever been to a volleyball match, you may have wondered what all the gestures and hand signals by the referee mean during the game. Some of those hand signals indicate certain violations committed by the server, players at the net or the team as a whole. Understanding the basic violations in volleyball can help you become a better coach, player or enjoy the game more as a spectator.
Serving Violations
According to USA Volleyball, failure to serve the ball within 8 seconds of the referee's whistle indicating play to begin is a violation, and the server is credited with one service violation. Two service violations in a row result in the ball being awarded to the opposing team. It is also a violation for a serving player to step on or over the service line before the ball is hit for service. Players may run up to the service line and jump to serve the ball but cannot touch the line before hitting the ball. It is also a violation to hit the ball with a closed fist while serving. The palm must be open.
Net Violations
Touching the net, in and of itself, does not constitute a violation of the rules of volleyball. Only when the touching interferes with normal play is it considered a violation. If a player touches the net while in the act of hitting the ball, or allows a foot to penetrate completely into the opponent's side of the court, it is considered a violation.
Attack Violations
An attack---also known as a spike---is a volleyball move used to hit the ball into the opponent's court hard enough that opposing players won't have a chance to react. Certain rules apply to the attack. For instance, players cannot make an attack hit on a service by the other team. A player's arm cannot make contact with the ball on an attack if the ball has not broken the plane of the net on the player's side. If a player's arm, in the natural motion legally executing an attack, crosses over the plane of the net, it is not a violation.
Blocking Violations
Blocking involves one or more players putting their hands up above the net in an effort to block an opposing team's attack. The main blocking violation involves players touching the ball before it has crossed the plane of the net into their court. This is considered a violation. If a blocking violation occurs at the same time as an attack violation, it is considered a double fault and the rally is played over with no points scored.
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