Okay, so today I decided to finally get a solid understanding of the rules of volleyball. I’ve played casually before, but always with a “just hit the ball over the net” kind of approach. Time to get serious!
Looked Up the Official Rules
First things first, I grabbed my phone and started searching for the official volleyball rules. I figured it’s best to go straight to the source, right? I was able to find the basic scoring and player positions, and stuff, that easily.
Watched Some Videos
Then I decided to watched some game, and I see how those rules played out in real-time. I found a few helpful videos that broke down the basics – serving, passing, setting, hitting, blocking, and all that jazz.
Tried It Out Myself
Reading and watching is one thing, but I really needed to feel it. So, I grabbed my volleyball and headed outside. I don’t have a net, but I do have a nice brick wall, so that would be my training buddy today.
- I started with serving. Overhand, underhand, trying to get it consistently over an imaginary line. My wall didn’t complain about my bad serves, thankfully.
- Then I practiced passing. Just bumping the ball against the wall, trying to control where it went. My forearms started to feel it after a while!
- Setting was next. This was trickier without a teammate, but I tossed the ball up and tried to set it nicely for an imaginary hitter (me, in this case).
- Of course, I had to practice hitting! I’d toss, set, and then try to smack the ball against the wall. Felt pretty good when I got a solid hit.
- Blocking was the most awkward part to practice alone. I basically just jumped and pretended to block an incoming ball. The wall was, predictably, not impressed.
My Summary of Rules
I spent time to practice, here is my rough summary of rules:
- Two teams, six players each, separated by a net. The aim is get point by sending the ball to the other team’s side.
- Only three touches per side! It’s usually bump, set, and spike(attack).
- Gotta rotate positions clockwise after each point that you win the service.
- Don’t touch the net! The refree will blow the whistle.
- The ball can’t be lifted.
Kept Practicing and Refining
I spent a good hour just going through these motions, getting a better feel for each skill. It’s definitely not the same as playing with a full team, but it was a good start. I even tried to visualize the rotation system, imagining where I’d move after each point.
It’s clear I’ve got a long way to go before I’m a volleyball pro, but today was a solid step in understanding the rules and actually doing something about it. Now, I just need to find some friends to play with and put this practice to a real test!
