How To Play Volleyball: Indoor Volleyball 101 Basic Beginner's Guide (part 1)
Are you looking for a fun and exciting way to meet people your own age in the Niagara Region? Does a sport that requires team play, conditioning, strength, and a sharp mind sound like fun to you? If so, joining an indoor volleyball is a great way of socializing, staying active, and getting in great shape. This guide will cover everything from how to spike to how to be a good team player. Don't worry if you're a beginner, you'll be ready to join in no time!
You don't have to be a professional beach volleyball player or a beach bum in California to realise how popular the game is these days. People of all ages inspired by epic Olympic clashes of the world's best are signing up in droves to join indoor volleyball leagues. If beach volleyball is the young, brash cousin, indoor is the seasoned, grizzled veteran calculating, quiet, and confident, it knows who the boss really is!
As the Niagara Region's leading league (we have over 120 indoor volleyball teams in our leagues!), we are happy to help people in the area learn how to play this game and join in the fun.
How to Play: The Basics
For a game that is as gritty, demanding, and nuanced as indoor volleyball, the basics are fairly easy to grasp. Here's what you need to know:
Teams
The game is played with two sets of six players on each side of the net. Players are divided into two group - three up front and three in the back. As a recreational league, Niagara Sport and Social Club offers mens, womens, and co-ed games for all to enjoy.
By the way: Don't worry if you're a beginner and you don't want to get in over your head. You get to select your league based on various skill levels, so you don't have to worry about mixing it up with the pros (yet!). Our recreational level is our entry level of play with players learning how to progress from underhand serves to overhand serves, practicing getting all three main contacts / skills of play (pass, set, & attack / spike ) per rally and off of receiving a serve. If our rec league sounds too easy for you then our next level up from rec is our intermediate level. In our intermediate level leagues, keeping the ball in play is more consistent. Serves are majority overhand at this level and most teams can confidently and can consistently pass, set, & attack well and with pace on the hit. Finally, our top players looking for advanced level of play can be found in our competitive level leagues. Our competitive indoor volleyball leagues offer some of the best volleyball in the region of Niagara and Ontario. Players here have a strong background in the sport and with the skills to match. Serves are majority overhand and / or jump-serves. Teams run offensive & defensive systems and can attack the ball with significant level of pace. Hopefully, these descriptions can help you best choose the level of league play that is best for you.
Scoring
When a team wins a rally, they score a point. The game is started by a player serving the ball over the net from behind the line and into the area of play. Now the rally has begun! Keep the ball from touching the floor or deflecting off of you and / or your teammates to an unplayable area is the main object of the game while you and your team try to do the opposite to your opponent location on the other side of the net. Keep in mind if the ball lands on the line it is considered in play for your purpose of scoring.
- Each team gets a maximum of three contacts (touches) before the ball has to be returned
- A player can only hit the ball once before another must touch it
- A touch-off of the your teams block onto your side isn't considered as a contact for your team in indoor volleyball.
- Players can go out of bounds to hit the ball but the ball cannot touch your opponents side or lines of the court.
You can score a point in any of these ways:
- The ball touches the ground in your opponent's area
- The ball touches your opponent and deflects out-of-bounds / unplayable.
- Your opponent hits the ball out of bounds
- Someone from the other team touches the net
- A player's foot crosses the net to your side
You should know: In volleyball, players "rotate". That means once you win the serve, players rotate clockwise a position. This way, everyone gets a chance to serve!
Winning the Game
Rules and regulations vary on when the game ends, and sometimes you can even just make an agreement with friends, but the standard for indoor volleyball leagues winning the game is:
- First to 25 points wins the match, must win by 2 points - no ties!
- Best three out of five wins the game. Our leagues we play all 5 games so looks of games to play!
- The final game if needed is played to 15, switch sides at 8 points to make things even between teams, must win by 2 points - no cap!
- You must win by two points (I.E, 26-24 is a victory but 25-24 is not)
Joining an indoor volleyball league is a great way to meet friends (most of our players are between the ages of 20-50), stay in great shape, and learn great skills. Hopefully, this guide helps you get a better understanding to how to play volleyball in our leagues and what to expect in the various levels we have to offer in our volleyball leagues.
Are you ready to get deeper into this great sport? Check out part two in the series!
To Register for our Indoor Volleyball Leagues