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Use this guide for the standard FIVB indoor game. For a school, college or youth match, check the event’s rules before applying these details. The reference edition is FIVB Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028.
Follow the ball, then the scoreboard
Each team has six players trying to land the ball on the opposite court while protecting their own. After the serve, watch for a pass, a set and an attack. Teams have up to three contacts; an indoor block does not use one of them.
Every completed rally earns a point. When the receiving team wins service, its players rotate clockwise. The contrasting-shirt libero specializes in backcourt defence.
Separate the current set’s points from the sets won. A match is best of five: win three sets. Sets one to four target 25 points; the fifth targets 15. All require a two-point lead. Hypothetical example: 24–24 needs at least 26–24 to finish. There is no timed extra period or shoot-out.
See scoring, match format and rotation. These basics are also summarized in FIVB’s Basic Rules.
| What you see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Arm pointing down | Ball in; boundary lines count. |
| Upright forearms, palms inward | Ball out. |
| Four fingers raised | Four team hits: a fault. |
| Hands forming a T | Time-out. |
| Both thumbs raised | Replay. |
When play stops
A catch or throw is a fault. Ordinary faults cost the rally; they do not automatically bring cards. For misconduct, yellow warns; red awards opponents a point and service.
The baseline permits two time-outs and six substitutions per team per set. Intervals separate sets. After a stoppage, play resumes with service; external interference can require a replay. Video review applies only where the challenge system is used.
Explore officials’ signals, cards, contact faults and time-outs.
Check which competition you are watching
FIVB’s 2026 test announcement names the Volleyball Nations League, U17 World Championships and Continental Championships. It specifies eight substitutions per set and altered receiving-team positioning, ceiling-contact and challenge procedures. These are scoped tests, not a blanket replacement of the rulebook.
A video-review pause may therefore follow event-specific procedures: the announced test lets teams bookmark possible faults during a rally before pursuing a challenge afterward. Read the challenge guide alongside the event’s regulations.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dig | Defensive forearm pass. |
| Set | An attacking setup pass; also a scoring division of the match. |
| Spike | Overhead attacking hit. |
| Libero | Defensive specialist in a contrasting shirt. |
Sources
- FIVB Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028: baseline authority.
- FIVB Basic Rules: introductory explanation, not an edition-specific rulebook.
- FIVB announcement of competition-specific 2026 tests.
Rule editions and sources
- FIVB · Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028 · Standard indoor six-a-side rules; excludes event-specific tests and school, college, youth or beach adaptations. — FIVB — Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028, effective for competitions beginning after 1 January 2025; Rules 6.1.2, 17 and 23.2