Editing Volleyball (section)

== Rules of the game ==
[[File:VolleyballCourt.svg|thumb|A volleyball court]]
[[File:VolleyballRotation.svg|thumb|Rotation pattern]]

===Court dimensions ===
A volleyball court is {{convert|9|x|18|m||1|abbr=on}}, divided into equal square halves by a net with a width of {{convert|1|m|in|1|spell=in|sp=us}}.<ref name=":0">{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/sports/volleyball|title=volleyball {{!}} Definition, Rules, Positions, & Facts|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2018-08-02|language=en|archive-date=April 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407133923/https://www.britannica.com/sports/volleyball|url-status=live}}</ref> The top of the net is {{height|m=2.43|frac=16}} above the center of the court for men's competition, and {{height|m=2.24|frac=16}} for women's competition, varied for veterans and junior competitions.<ref name=":1" />

Typically in beach volleyball there is a playing area and a free zone area. The dimensions are 52’6” x 26’3” (including the free zone), and a minimum of 9’10 wide. The court includes 3 lines: net line, side line, and end line. In Beach volleyball scoring is similar to regular volleyball. 3 matches are being played.

The minimum height clearance for indoor volleyball courts is {{convert|7|m|ft|1|abbr=on}}, although a clearance of {{convert|8|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} is recommended.<ref name=":0" />

A line {{convert|3|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} from and parallel to the net is considered the "attack line". This "3 meter" (or "10-foot") line divides the court into "back row" and "front row" areas and the back court and front court.<ref name=":0" /> These are in turn divided into 3 areas each: these are numbered as follows, starting from area "1", which is the position of the serving player:

After a team gains the serve (also known as siding out), its members must rotate in a clockwise direction, with the player previously in area "2" moving to area "1" and so on, with the player from area "1" moving to area "6".<ref name=":1" /> Each player rotates only one time after the team gains possession of the service; the next time each player rotates will be after the other team wins possession of the ball and loses the point.<ref name=":0" />

The team courts are surrounded by an area called the free zone which is a minimum of 3 meters wide and which the players may enter and play within after the service of the ball.<ref>{{cite book |title=Official Volleyball Rules 2017–2020 |chapter-url=http://www.fivb.org/EN/Refereeing-Rules/documents/FIVB-Volleyball_Rules_2017-2020-EN-v06.pdf |access-date=2019-02-05 |year=2016 |publisher=FIVB|chapter=Section 1.1 |quote=The playing court is [...] surrounded by a free zone which is a minimum of 3&nbsp;m wide on all sides. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205014730/http://www.fivb.org/EN/Refereeing-Rules/documents/FIVB-Volleyball_Rules_2017-2020-EN-v06.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-05 |url-status=live }}</ref> All lines denoting the boundaries of the team court and the attack zone are drawn or painted within the dimensions of the area and are therefore a part of the court or zone. If a ball comes in contact with the line, the ball is considered to be "in". An antenna is placed on each side of the net perpendicular to the sideline and is a vertical extension of the side boundary of the court. A ball passing over the net must pass completely between the antennae (or their theoretical extensions to the ceiling) without contacting them.<ref name=":1" />

=== The ball ===
{{Main|Volleyball (ball)}}

[[FIVB]] regulations state that the ball must be spherical, made of leather or synthetic leather, have a circumference of {{Convert|65-67|cm|inch|abbr=on}}, a weight of {{Convert|260-280|g|oz|abbr=on}} and an interior air pressure of 0.30–0.325&nbsp;kg/cm<sup>2</sup> (4.26 to 4.61 psi; 294.3
to 318.82 mbar or hPa).<ref>{{cite book |title=Official Volleyball Rules 2017–2020 |chapter-url=http://www.fivb.org/EN/Refereeing-Rules/documents/FIVB-Volleyball_Rules_2017-2020-EN-v06.pdf |access-date=2019-02-05 |year=2016 |publisher=FIVB|chapter=Section 3.1 |quote=STANDARDS: The ball shall be spherical... |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205014730/http://www.fivb.org/EN/Refereeing-Rules/documents/FIVB-Volleyball_Rules_2017-2020-EN-v06.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-05 |url-status=live }}</ref> Other governing bodies have similar regulations.

=== Gameplay ===
[[File:Uutinen 1954-07-14 Kolmattakymmentä poikaa SPR n poikaleirillä Äkäslompolossa (JOKAEES5 03-7).tif|thumb|Finnish children playing volleyball in a rural area (1950s)]]
[[File:Volleyball pano IMG 0658.JPG|thumb|White is on the attack while red attempts to block.]]
[[File:Monks play volleyball in Sikkim India.jpg|thumb|[[Buddhist]] monks play volleyball in the [[Himalaya]]n state of [[Sikkim]] in [[India]]]]
Each team consists of six players.<ref name=":0" /> To get play started, a team is chosen to serve by [[coin toss]]. A player from the serving team throws the ball into the air and attempts to hit the ball so it passes over the net on a course such that it will land in the opposing team's court (the ''serve'').<ref name=":0" /> The opposing team must use a combination of no more than three contacts with the volleyball to return the ball to the opponent's side of the net.<ref name=":0" /> These contacts usually consist first of the ''bump'' or ''pass'' so that the ball's trajectory is aimed towards the player designated as the ''setter''; second of the ''set'' (usually an over-hand pass using wrists to push finger-tips at the ball) by the setter so that the ball's trajectory is aimed towards a spot where one of the players designated as an ''attacker'' can hit it, and third by the ''attacker'' who ''spikes'' (jumping, raising one arm above the head and hitting the ball so it will move quickly down to the ground on the opponent's court) to return the ball over the net.<ref name=":1" /> The team with possession of the ball that is trying to attack the ball as described is said to be on ''offence''.

The team on ''defence'' attempts to prevent the attacker from directing the ball into their court: players at the net jump and reach above the top (and if possible, across the plane) of the net to ''block'' the attacked ball.<ref name=":1" /> If the ball is hit around, above, or through the block, the defensive players arranged in the rest of the court attempt to control the ball with a ''dig'' (usually a fore-arm pass of a hard-driven ball). After a successful dig, the team transitions to offence.

The game continues in this manner, rallying back and forth until the ball touches the court within the boundaries or until an error is made.<ref name=":0" /> The most frequent errors that are made are either to fail to return the ball over the net within the allowed three touches, or to cause the ball to land outside the court.<ref name=":0" /> A ball is "in" if any part of it touches the inside of a team's court or a sideline or end-line, and a strong spike may compress the ball enough when it lands that a ball which at first appears to be going out may instead be in. Players may travel well outside the court to play a ball that has gone over a sideline or end-line in the air. A standard competitive volleyball match is played in a best-of-five sets format and typically goes on for about 90 minutes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brooks |first=Nathan |date=2024-02-14 |title=How Long is a Volleyball Game?: From High School Volleyball Game to Olympics 2024 - Infools |url=https://blog.infools.com/how-long-is-a-volleyball-game/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Other common errors include a player touching the ball twice in succession, a player catching the ball, a player touching the net while attempting to play the ball, or a player penetrating under the net into the opponent's court. There are a large number of other errors specified in the rules, although most of them are infrequent occurrences. These errors include back-row or libero players spiking the ball or blocking (back-row players may spike the ball if they jump from behind the attack line), players not being in the correct position when the ball is served, attacking the serve in the front court and above the height of the net, using another player as a source of support to reach the ball, stepping over the back boundary line when serving, taking more than 8 seconds to serve,<ref>{{cite book |title=Official Volleyball Rules 2017–2020 |chapter-url=http://www.fivb.org/EN/Refereeing-Rules/documents/FIVB-Volleyball_Rules_2017-2020-EN-v06.pdf |access-date=2019-02-05 |year=2016 |publisher=FIVB|chapter=Section 12.4.4 |quote=The server must hit the ball within 8 seconds after the 1st referee whistles for service. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205014730/http://www.fivb.org/EN/Refereeing-Rules/documents/FIVB-Volleyball_Rules_2017-2020-EN-v06.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-05 |url-status=live }}</ref> or playing the ball when it is above the opponent's court.