How to play Volleyball: rules and scoring

• Indoor: 6 a side
• Beach: 2 a side

Goal: Ground the ball on the other side and win the sets.

Setup

• A toss decides the serve or the side.

How to play

1. Serve from behind the end line.
2. Each team has up to three touches to send the ball over (a block doesn’t count).
3. No player may touch it twice in a row.
4. The point is yours if the ball lands on their side or they make a fault (touching the net, hitting out, four touches).
5. Indoors, the team that wins the serve rotates clockwise.

Scoring

• Every rally is a point (rally point scoring).
• Indoor sets are to 25 and beach sets to 21, two clear.
• The team that wins the point serves.

Winning

• Indoor matches are best of 5 sets, beach matches best of 3.
• The deciding set is to 15.

Note

• Casual games often play shorter sets, to 15 or 21; indoor matches in the app are always best of 5, beach best of 3.
• In the app you don’t pick players; you name the two teams.
• You can change the points per set under house rules.
• Tap the side of the team that won the point; on the point that ends a set the app asks “Set over?” first.

House rules

These are the rules tables argue about most. Agree on them before you start; you can turn them on or off when you set up the game.

Points per set

The official rule is 25, won by two.

Points per set

The official rule is 21, won by two.

Points in the deciding set

The official rule is 15.