Elementary Volleyball Rules

Volleyball is a sport that has been popular throughout the world since its invention at a YMCA in 1895. Because it is a non-contact sport that relies on coordination, agility, jumping ability and upper body strength, it is an ideal sport for people starting as early as elementary school. While there are many variations to how volleyball can be played, the main goal of the game is to keep the ball from touching the floor on your side of the net.

  1. Net Height and Court Size

    • A standard net height is 8 feet for Olympic volleyball (men) and 7'-4 1/8" (women) but this can be altered to accommodate younger players in youth leagues. The court is 19 meters long and 9 meters wide (29'6" x 59').

    Number of Players

    • In Olympic volleyball there are six players on a side, or two players on the side for beach volleyball. In youth volleyball, the teams must have an equal number of players on the court, with either four or six players on each side. Additional players are on the bench to be substituted in.

    Rotations and Servers

    • Players will rotate clockwise after each server has taken five consecutive turns, or after each time a team wins the serve. Serves can be made overhand or underhand.

    Matches

    • Each game will consist of a best of three series of matches. Every game will be played to twenty-five points and is played without a time limit. The team that wins two out of three matches wins the game.

    During Play

    • A team may only touch the ball three times before sending it over the net. A player may not hit the ball twice in a row, but may play the ball off the net. A ball that lands on the boundary line is still considered good.