Rules for Kicking the Volleyball

The rules of volleyball have undergone a great deal of revision since the sport was invented in 1895. The net height has been consistently raised, the ball has gone from a basketball to two different types of ball—one for indoor play and one for beach games—and contact rules have been amended to make for a faster-paced, higher-impact game.

  1. Basic Rule

    • Both USA Volleyball, the American sanctioning body of the sport, and the International Federation of Volleyball, which governs international competitions like the Olympics, state one basic tenet regarding contact with the volleyball. It is rule 9.2.1, which states: "The ball may touch any part of the body." The rule is the same for both indoor and outdoor games.

    Combinations

    • The ball is allowed to be hit with your foot and another part of your body only if the actions occur simultaneously. For example, on a hard-driven spike or serve, or a ricochet from a block, the ball might hit a player's foot and ankle, both feet or even his hand and foot if he is reaching down to attempt to stop the ball from hitting the floor. Any such combination, because both actions occur at once, is legal.

    Double Contact

    • A ball may not be kicked and then strike the player elsewhere, regardless of whether she was receiving the ball from a strike, serve or otherwise. For example, if the player kicks the ball to stop it from hitting the ground and the ball then ricochets off her chest, it is a double hit, which is illegal.

    Center Line

    • A player may reach his foot under the net to strike the ball as long as he neither interferes with an opposing player nor lets his foot land completely across the center line, which is directly under and parallel to the net. The ball must be returned to the player's side of the court.

    Net Contact

    • As of 2008, it is not necessarily illegal for a player to touch the net during play. A foul occurs only if it interferes with the play. In other words, it is legal for a player to kick the ball and for his foot to make contact with the net on his follow-through.

    Service

    • The ball cannot be kicked to serve. It must be "hit with one hand or any part of the arm after being tossed or released from the hand(s)."