Volleyball is a sport played by two teams on a playing court and the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court. 
The playing surface must be flat, horizontal & uniform. The court area includes the playing court and the free zone which is rectangular as well as symmetrical in shape. The playing court has dimensions of 18 metre X 9 metre (length by width) surrounded by a free zone which is 3 metres wide (minimum) on all the sides. All lines drawn on the playing court are 5 cm in width.

Regulation lengths are:

• Boundary line: It compromises of two side lines & two end lines marked on the playing court with both the lines being drawn inside the dimensions of the playing court. The boundary line is 18 metre X 9 metre. 
• Centre line: The centre line divides the playing court into two equal courts measuring 9 metre X 9 metre each. The entire width of the line is considered to belong to both the courts equally.  
• Attack line: The attack line is marked on each half of the court that is parallel to the end lines and 3 metres away from the centre line.
• Front zone: The front zone comprises of the area limited by the axis of the centre line and the rear end of the attack line. However, the front zone can extend beyond the side lines to the end of the free zone.
• Back zone: The back zone comprises of the area limited by the axis of the end line and the attack line. 
• Service zone: The service zone is a 9 metre wide area behind each of the end lines. It is laterally limited by two short lines, each 15 cm long and drawn 20 cm behind the end line as an extension of the side lines. In depth, the service zone extends to the end of the free zone.  
• Substitution zone: The substitution zone is limited by the extension of both attack lines up to the scorer’s table.  
• Libero Replacement zone: It is part of the free zone on the side of the team benches which is limited by the extension of the attack line up to the end line.
• Warm-up area: The warm up area is located on both bench side corners, outside the free zone and 3 metre X 3 metre in size.
• Penalty Area: A penalty area sized 1 metre X 1 metre is located in the control area, outside the prolongation of the each end line. It is equipped with two chairs.

Net: The net is placed vertically over the centre line and the specifications are as follows,

• The net is 1 metre wide and 9.5-10 metre long made up of 10 cm square mesh
• The top of the net is has a 7 cm wide band made of two-fold white canvas sewn along its full length. At the bottom of the net there is another horizontal band 5 cm in width, similar to the top band. Within each band, a flexible cable fastens the net to the posts and keeps it taut.
• The height of the top of the net measured from the ground is 2.43/2.24 metre (men/women).

Ball: The ball specifications are as follows,

• The ball must be spherical, made of flexible leather or synthetic leather case with a bladder inside, made of rubber or similar material
• The circumference of the ball is 65-67 cm and its weight is 260-280 grams
• The ball pressure is 4.26 to 4.61 psi

Posts: The posts supporting the net are placed at a distance of 0.5-1 metre outside the side lines. The posts are usually adjustable with 2.55 metre in height.

• A total of 12 player’s form the squad with 6 players from each team allowed being a part of the playing court which may be substituted. 
• In general, a total of 6-12 substitutions are allowed per set depending upon the competition level. A team can request any number of substitutions at the start of a set or during a time-out. 
• Players entering or leaving the court during a regular substitution must cross the side line between the attack line and the scorer’s table. 
• A Libero substitution can be made before the start of a set, during a time-out or before the service whistle.

• A three minute interval is allowed between each game. Apart from that, each team can request up to two 30 second time-outs during the match. Generally, in international competitions officials automatically grant technical time-outs lasting 60 seconds once the leading team reaches 8 & 16 points during the first four sets. 
• In case of a deciding fifth set, the teams receive only two 30 second time outs.

• Before the start of the play, a toss is conducted and the side winning the toss has the right to choose between serving first or to start the play from the desired end of the court.
• After each set, the teams change courts, with the exception of the deciding set. In the deciding set, once the leading team reaches 8 points, the teams change courts without delay while the player positions remain the same.

• Generally, rally scoring system is used in most of the competitions, wherein, either team can score a point regardless of the previous point serving team. 
• Each set is played until a team scores 25 points, provided there is at least a margin of two points over the opponent’s score. Majority of the matches are decided by the best 3 out of 5 games format. 
• If the fifth set is played, that team wins who reaches the score of 15 points first, provided there is at least a margin of two points over the opponent’s score.

• Each team is allowed to play the ball within its own playing area, the ball may, however, be retrieved from beyond its own free zone. 
• The team is entitled to a maximum of three hits (in addition to blocking) for returning the ball to the opponent’s court.

• The toss before the game gives the winner a chance to choose whether the team will serve or receive first. 
• The server must hit the ball within a specified time after the whistle is blown. While serving, if the team wins the rally, the player who served before will continue serving. 
• In case the receiving team wins the rally, they gain the serving right & rotate positions before serving and the player who moves from the front right position to the back right position serves.

Each team has the option to register one specialised defensive player named as Libero for whole of the tournament. The major rules for a Libero player are as follows,

• The Libero must wear a different colour shirt from the other members of the team.
• He/she is restricted to performing as a back row player and has no right at all to complete an attack hit when the ball is above the height of the top of the net.
• The Libero may not serve, block or attempt to block.
• Substitutions involving a Libero are not counted as regular and their number is unlimited
• The designated replacement of a Libero will be limited to performing as a Libero for the rest of the match and the subsequent matches. 
• No other player is authorised to perform as a Libero and in the case of injury of the originally registered Libero, he/she will be replaced by the same player under the same conditions as stated previously.

The various faults that a player/team can commit in the game of volleyball are as follows:

• Ball playing fault: This kind of fault occurs if the team hits the ball four times before returning it, the ball is caught or thrown while making a return or the player hits the ball twice in succession.  
• Net fault: Net fault is committed by the player if he/she touches the ball/opponent in the opponent’s court, the player’s foot penetrates completely into the opponent’s court or the player touches the net while the ball is in action. However, if the player touches the net outside the antenna it is not considered to be a fault.
• Serving fault: Service fault occurs if the server violates the serving order, the ball touches the player of the serving team, the ball fails to cross the vertical plane of the net completely or the ball goes out of the playing court after being served by the server.   
• Rotational fault: A rotational fault is committed by the team when the service has not been made according to the rotational order.
• Positional fault: The team commits a positional fault if any player is not in his/her correct position at the time of the service. It is generally caused due to illegal substitution made by the team.
• Blocking fault: The blocking fault is committed by the blocker if he/she touches the ball in the opponent’s space, the back row player participates in a completed block, the ball is sent out off the block or a Libero player attempts a block.
• Attack hit fault: The attack hit fault is committed by the player if the ball is hit within the playing space of the opponent team; the ball is hit out of the playing area or if at the moment of the hit the ball is entirely higher than the top of the net.

Yellow card: If a player is shown yellow card, it means an official warning without any penalty being imposed on the player/team. Yellow card is generally shown in case of kicking the ball away, pulling the net in frustration, hindering the game flow by refusing to give the ball to the opponent or arguing/shouting about referee’s call in a disrespectful way.

Red card: If a player is shown red card, the player is permanently excluded from rest of the game. A second yellow card translates into an automatic red card which is generally given for serious offenses like physical aggression, verbal abuse towards the referees/opponent. The punished player is mandated to sit on the penalty chair behind the bench for rest of the match.

The designated match officials for the game of volleyball are as follows:

• First Referee
• Second Referee
• Scorer
• Two line judges