Volleyball at home
A light ball and a wall or a partner; a net or a rope and friends for games.
What should we practise today?
Tell us where you are and who is playing. You get one card and the reason.
New to volleyball? The game in a minute
Read this once before the first card.- The sport in short
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Two teams on either side of a high net hit a ball back and forth, trying to make it land on the other team's court. Players may not catch or throw the ball: they pass it with the forearms (a dig), push it up with the fingers (a set) or hit it hard over the net (a spike).
- How a rally works
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A team may touch the ball up to three times before it goes back over, and no player may touch it twice in a row. The usual pattern is dig, set, spike. A point is lost when the ball lands on your side, goes out, or a rule is broken. When a team wins back the serve, its players move round one place (rotate).
- How scoring works
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Every rally scores a point. A set is usually the first to 25 points with a two-point lead (shorter for children); a match is the best of three or five sets. Children play small games first: 2 v 2 and 4 v 4 on a badminton-sized court with a lower net.
- Rules children break first
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- No catching or throwing the ball in a game.
- At most three touches a side, never two in a row by one player.
- Do not touch the net or step under it.
- Call "mine" before you play the ball.
- At home and in the park you start with
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Playing with the ball alone, the forearm pass and the set against a wall, the underhand serve, and small net games, then the spike and block and digging. Team systems are learnt with a coach.
Words you will hear (23, in plain language)
- Forearm pass
- Passing the ball off the forearms held together as a flat surface.
- Free-ball pass
- An easy pass of a slow ball sent over by the other team.
- Set
- Pushing the ball up with the fingers, the thumbs and first fingers making a triangle above the forehead.
- High set
- A high, slow set for the hitter; a fast, low set.
- Spike
- Jumping and hitting the ball hard down over the net.
- Approach
- The run-up steps before a spike, and jumping off both feet.
- Tip
- A soft push of the ball over the block.
- Block
- Jumping at the net with the hands up to stop a spike.
- Underhand serve
- A serve hit from below the waist; an overhead serve with no spin that wobbles; a serve hit after a jump.
- Serving line
- The back line the server stands behind.
- Rally
- The play from the serve until the point is won.
- Three touches
- The most a team may play the ball before sending it over.
- Rotate
- Moving round one position when your team wins back the serve.
- Free space
- An open part of the other court where nobody is standing.
- Battleships
- A serving game where serves try to land in hoops on the other side.
- Line
- Attacking straight down the side, diagonally, or at a steep angle.
- Overhead dig
- Digging a high ball above the head; diving to reach a ball; a flat hand slid under the ball on the floor.
- Reception
- Receiving the serve, and the shape players stand in to do it.
- Setter
- The player who sets most balls; a defensive player in a different shirt; a player who spikes.
- 5-1
- Team systems named by the number of hitters and setters, such as one setter (5-1) or two (6-2 and 4-2).
- Pipe
- A spike from the back row in the middle of the court.
- Cue reading
- Watching the server, partners and opponents to know where to move.
- Knee pads
- Pads that protect the knees when diving and digging.
Try it, nothing to buy
Mark the space once. Every card starts from it.The cards, level by level
Nobody is late. A beginner of any age starts at Basic.Ticks and stars are saved in this browser only. Clearing the browser's data, or another browser, starts from zero. Carry them into the app
Basic 4 cards · show· hide About 9 to 12: coordination and fine control of the hands come first; forearm pass, free-ball pass, set, underhand and float serve, a spike and tip, block and dig movements; games 2 v 2 then 4 v 4.
- b1✓ Play with the ball alone At home
- b2✓ Underhand pass and set ladders At home
- b3✓ Serve and move Park or court
- b4✓ Net games: 1 v 1 to 2 v 2 Park or court
Move on when the child meets the self-checks on b1 to b4.
Intermediate 3 cards · show· hide About 13 to 16: the high set and quick sets, attacking down the line and across the court, the overhead dig, the dive and the pancake, then jump serves; receiving the serve in set shapes with three, four or five players; team systems with one or two setters by about 15 to 16. Fitness and strength work are timed to the growth spurt.
- i1✓ Spike, tip and block basics Park or court
- i2✓ Digs and defence Park or court
- i3✓ Systems and roles, with a coach At a club
Move on when the coach confirms the player's role and systems.
Advanced 1 cards · show· hide From about 17: fast sets called by number and the back-row attack (the pipe), a controlled jump spin serve, hitting off the block on purpose, reading the opponent's blockers, and game plans. The skill list barely changes after about 15; it is done from more positions against a reading of the opponent.
Teaching this at home
More space and a second person. A grown-up can run every card.
You do not need to know the sport. Each card tells you where to stand, what to say and what to look at. Pick one thing to say in a session and say only that. The first week looks messy; that is normal. End every session on one that works.
Cards marked At a club are taught by a coach. They tell you what the coach teaches, what is safe at home, and what to ask the club before your child joins.
How to warm up before playing is at workonfitness.com. The rules of the game are at sportsmaze.com.