The most important facts of volleyball are those that come up the most often during a game and affect your play. While a scholastic or national team may need to observe arcane rules, such as an indoor captain's jersey featuring an underlined number, most recreational players just need to know the basics of serving, scoring, rotating and playing points.
Number of Players
Indoor volleyball teams have six players per side. Players may substitute throughout a game, but a player entering a game must take the rotational spot of the player she is replacing. This means that when Player A enters a game for Player B, Player A must serve when Player B's turn in the rotation comes up. Player A may not take the next service turn if that is Player C's turn. Beach volleyball uses a two- or four-player format. There is no substituting in a competitive two-person game, while four-player games allow substitutes.
Court Dimensions
Beach courts measure 52 feet, 6 inches long and 26 feet, 3 inches wide. Indoor courts are 59 feet long and 29 feet, 6 inches wide. The net height for men is 7 feet, 11 5/8 inches. For women, the net is slightly lower, with a height of 7 feet, 4 1/8 inches.
Playing a Point
One team serves the ball from behind its baseline. It must go over the net without touching it and into the opponent's court. The returning team members have three chances to hit the ball before they send it back, but no player may touch the ball consecutively.
Sideout
When the serving team loses a point, the serve goes to the other team. This is known as a sideout. As part of a sideout in indoor volleyball, players must rotate one position clockwise. This ensures that one or two key players do not play the same position an entire game, and that all six players take turns serving in order. In beach volleyball, players may maintain their side of the court the entire game, playing either the right or left side. Beach players must rotate serve after each sideout.
Scoring
Regular scoring awards points only when the serving team wins a point. If the serving team loses a serve, the receiving team gets the serve, but not a point. With rally scoring, one team wins a point each point played, regardless if the winning team served or received. Some leagues require that games be won by at least two points, while others allow games to end in a sudden-death point.
Blocks
A player attempting to block a shot may touch the net and hit the ball before it crosses the net if the opposing player has already hit the ball and the block does not interfere with the opponent. Players may not block serves and must let them enter their court past the front row players.
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