Basic Tips On Playing Volleyball For Beginners

Volleyball is a team sport, wherein two teams of six players each, try to score points by grounding the ball in the opponent's side of the court. Volleyball has come a long way to become one of the most popular sporting event in various countries all over the world. The popularity of the sport can be realized by the sheer fact that volleyball has become a part of the Olympics within 30 years of its starting. Though watching this game may baffle you in the beginning, leaving you wondering about how to play volleyball like a pro, the game is quite easy, if you grasp the basic volleyball rules.

How to Play Volleyball for Beginners?

Basically, volleyball revolves around some of the basics of athleticism, which include serving the ball, one of the opposition players taking the serve and passing it on to the supplier, the supplier then assisting the ball to the spiker, the spiker smashing the ball in the opponents court and at the same time, the opposition players trying to block the shot with their hands. The moment one team fails in executing any of these steps properly, they lose a point. And therefore, it is important to go step by step, understand the basics of the game before trying to figure out how to play volleyball like a pro. A beginner like you should go through the history of volleyball in order to learn more about the game.

Court and Equipment Setup
According to the volleyball court dimensions guidelines set by International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), the volleyball court should be 18 meters in length and 9 meters in width. Each team is allotted one half of the court which measures 9 meters in width as well as length. Both the halves of the court are separated by a net which is 7 feet 11 5/8 inches in height. A line, referred to as the 'attack line', runs parallel to the net at a distance of 3 meters in both the halves. This line divides the players into back row and front row. this line is important when it comes to 'spiking' or when 'rotation' comes into play.

Start of the Game
The game is started off by tossing a coin. The team which wins the toss can either decide to serve or choose the side of the court. The game begins with one of the player serving to the other team. When serving, the ball should be tossed in the air and hit in such a manner that it crosses over the net and goes to the other teams court. The opposition team should ensure that the ball is not grounded in their court. They can do this with a combination of 3 or less passes within the players. The third pass should compulsorily clear the ball over to the other side of the court, as the fourth touch in a row, by the same team, is considered to be a foul. If the ball returned by the receiving team to the serving team's court, the objective of the serving team is the same, i.e. to clear the ball from their area with a combination of 3 or less passes. This continues till any one team scores a point. After a team scores the point, it gets to serve and the game continues.

Scoring in Volleyball
A volleyball game comprises at most of 5 sets of 25 points each. The team which scores 25 points with a margin of 2 points first, wins the set and the team which wins 3 sets first goes on to win the game. When a team is successful in grounding the ball within the opponents side of court, it earns a point. There are several ways to do this, which include an 'ace', i.e. a direct serve which the players of the opposition team fail to take or return, or 'attack' i.e. hitting the ball supplied by a fellow player into the opposition's court by maneuvering it in mid air with a hard smash. If the ball attempted by the opposition team player goes out of the court the attacking team earns a point. However, if the serve goes out of the court or fails to cross over the net and to the other side, the opposition team earns the point and the right to serve.

Volleyball Fouls
There are certain moves which are barred in a volleyball game, and executing these moves calls for a foul and thus, earns the other team a point. These moves range from simple moves, like touching the net or crossing the borderline and stepping into the court while serving, to more sophisticated moves, such as a player outside the 3 meter box running into the box to attack or the supplier touching the ball twice while 'assisting' or supplying the ball for an attack. Quite a few volleyball rules and regulations have undergone some changes which have made the game simpler. For instance, the ball touching the net and crossing over to the other side while serving which was not valid serve earlier, is allowed today.

This was brief information about how to play volleyball for beginners, however there is a lot more to learn in this sport. Basically, volleyball involves proper coordination between the six players of the team and athleticism to execute serves, supplies, attacks, blocks and earn points. As you continue working on simple volleyball tips, you will get well versed with the game, after which playing like a pro will not be a too difficult task for you.