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Volleyball Mistakes

Volleyball mistakes result in a point for the opponent. Examples of violations in volleyball are multiple contacts by a single player, carrying the ball, and touching the net. 

  • Multiple Touches. A player may not make contact with the ball twice in succession except when blocking. The one other exception is during the first team contact, provided the contacts occur during one action. 

                  Overhead Passing in Volleyball

Multiple contacts during a single attempt to play the ball is legal only on the first team contact.

On the first ball during a single attempt, the ball can rebound multiple times. Two separate attempts to make the play is an illegal double contact.

  • Four Hits. Four consecutive hits by a team is another common volleyball mistakes. A violation is whistled when a team hits the ball 4 or more times before returning it to the opponent.
  • Assisted Hit. It's illegal for a player or any object to assist a teammate in playing the ball. For example, if there is a curtain or ball net separating the courts, a teammate can't move the curtain to assist a teammate in making a play on the ball. However, a player may assist herself.
Volleyball Mistakes
  • Catch and Throw. It's illegal for the ball to come to rest during a catching or throwing action. In other words, the ball must rebound from the contact. This is also referred to as prolonged contact.
  • Ball Crossing the Net Outside the Antennae. The ball must cross the net within the crossing space. The ball must cross over the net, between the rods and their imaginary extension. The ball also can't come in contact with ceiling or any other object as it's being sent to the opponent.
  • Reaching Over the Net. There are certain situations where playing the ball near the opponents playing space is illegal. 
  • Penetration Under the Net. Rules for volleyball and crossing the centerline rules differ from organization to organization. Basically, in mainstream volleyball, it's legal for a player to step under the net into the opponents court provided that some part of the penetrating hand or foot is in contact with or is directly above the center line. Volleyball mistakes occur when any other body part crosses the line.

For NCAA, the player can cross the centerline provided some part of the body remains above the line and doesn't cause a hazard.

  • Contact with the Net. Again, official volleyball rules for contacting the net aren't the same across the board. In high school volleyball rules, any contacting of the net is a violation. In NCAA, contact made with the net is only a fault if contact is made during the action of playing the ball or if it interferes with play. In USAV, it's just illegal to contact the top of the net.
  • Server Foot Fault. The server can't step on the court line or floor outside the service zone when contacting the ball for service. However, after contact, the server may step or land outside the service zone or inside the court.

Teams often lose the point because of attacking errors

  • Attacking Errors Resulting in a point and loss of rally. The following are volleyball mistakes for attacking... 
  1. Attacking the ball while a player is back row. If at the moment of contact the ball is entirely above the top of the net and the player is on or in front of the attack line. 
  2. Attacking a served ball when the ball is in the front zone and the ball is entirely above the top of the net.
  3. The libero completes an attack hit while the entire ball is above the top of the net at the moment of contact.
  4. The libero uses finger action (hand setting) to direct the ball to a teammate. The player completes an attack hit on the ball while the ball is entirely above the top of the net.

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How to Win Points in Volleyball


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