Volleyball Hand Rules

Volleyball is a popular sport for kids and adults. Many high school girls play and even more people enjoy watching or playing beach volleyball. The rules between adults, children and beach volleyball vary a little bit, but the rules for using the hands are basically all the same. Illegal use of the hands during volleyball could end up being an automatic point for the opposing team.

  1. Bump

    • Bump is one of the three basic hits in volleyball. A bump is when a player, usually on the back row, is returning a serve using the forearms. The player's hand must be firmly together. The player can either interlock her fingers or layer one hand tightly on top of the other, but still locked together. They player can never hit a ball using the forearms with the hands spread apart.

    Set

    • Setting the ball is usually done by a player on the front row who is preparing the ball for another player to hit a spike. One player sets the ball by using her fingertips in a quick, snapping motion. Using the fingertips keeps the player in more control of the ball as well as being a legal play. The player must use both of her hands, over her head and shoulders, hit the ball quickly and cleanly. Slapping the ball with open palms to set is not allowed and will count against the team.

    Spike

    • Spike the ball to surprise the other team and gain a point. After a setup another player can jump up and spike the ball straight down onto the opposing team. Here again, the player may not slap the ball with her open palm. She may, however, use the ball of her hand near the thumb or a fist.

    Serving

    • Serve a proper ball so that your team does not lose control of the ball. For underhand servers, use a fist. Do not slap the ball with an open palm. Slapping the ball is not only illegal, but it also does not give the server as much control over the direction of the ball when she serves it. Simply drop the ball onto a fist and serve. Overhand servers are permitted to use an open hand, but they must hit make contact with the ball of your hand, which is the hard portion near your thumb.

    Hitting the Ball

    • Hit the ball to return it to the other side only three times. If a team hits the ball more than three times before returning it to the opposing team, the ball is no longer in play and the opposing team gains control or scores a point, depending on which team served the ball beginning that volley.