Sitting volleyball is a form of volleyball for athletes with a disability organized by World ParaVolley. As opposed to standing volleyball, sitting volleyball players must sit on the floor to play.

History Sitting volleyball was invented in the Netherlands by the Dutch Sport Committee in 1956 as a rehabilitation sport for injured soldiers."Sitting Volleyball." Tokyo 1500. https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/sport/paralympic/sitting-volleyball/. In 1958, the first international sitting volleyball contact was held between Germany and Dutch club teams."Sitting Volleyball: Paralympic Classification Interactive." Team USA, United States Olympic Committee, 2019, www.teamusa.org/US-Paralympics/athlete-classifications/standing-volleyball/.

It was created as a combination of volleyball and sitzball, a German sport with no net and seated players. Sitting volleyball first appeared in the 1976 Summer Paralympics as a demonstration sport for athletes with impaired mobility, and both standing and sitting volleyball became officially included as medal sports in the 1980 Summer Paralympics. Women's sitting volleyball was added for the 2004 Summer Paralympics."Sport Week: History of Sitting Volleyball." Official Website of the Paralympic Movement, 2016. https://www.paralympic.org/news/sport-week-history-sitting-volleyball/.

After the London 2012 games, VolleySLIDE was founded by Matt Rogers to promote and develop the sport globally."VolleySlide Founder and Leader. World ParaVolley VolleySLIDE. http://www.volleyslide.net/founder-leader/4583509203/ . Eight men's and eight women's teams competed in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Rules

In sitting volleyball, a , net is set at high for men and high for women. The court is with a 2-metre (6.6-foot) attack line. The rules are the same as the original form of volleyball with the exceptions that players must have at least one buttock in contact with the floor whenever they make contact with the ball and it is also possible to block the serve.

Athletes with the following disabilities are eligible to compete in sitting volleyball: athletes with amputations, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, brain injuries and stroke. Classifications of these athletes by disability are placed into two categories: VS1 and VS2 formerly D and MD. While VS2 athletes have lost only a fraction of their muscular strength and flexibility in a joint preventing them from successfully playing standing volleyball, VS1 athletes have lost all of their muscular strength and flexibility in that joint.

Only two VS2 players are allowed on the court at a time; this is to keep the competition fair between rival teams. The rest of the team must be classified as VS1 players."Sitting Volleyball." UCO, sites.uco.edu/wellness/sr/trainingsite/tssitvolleyball.asp. Skills Skills are largely identical to the sport of volleyball and the following game terminology apply: Ace – A serve that lands in the opponent's court without being touched. Attack – An attempt by a player to win a point by hitting the ball over the net. Attack line – In indoor volleyball, a line three metres from the net which marks the limit for where a back-row player may advance to hit a ball from above the net. Back-row player – In indoor volleyball, any of three players positioned at the back of the court. Block – To block an opposing player from spiking the ball by jumping at the net with arms in the air. Boom – In beach volleyball, a spike straight down into the sand (slang). Centre line – In indoor volleyball, the imaginary line running directly under the net and dividing the court in half. Chuck – To push or throw the ball rather than hit it (slang). Court – The playing area. Crossing space – The zone above the net and between two antennae through which the ball must pass during a rally. Dig – A defensive move in which both arms are placed together in an attempt to bounce a hard-hit ball up into the air. End line – A back boundary line of the court. Facial – A boom or spike that hits an opponent in the face (slang). Fault – A foul or error which results in the loss of the rally. Front-row player – In indoor volleyball, any of three players positioned closest to the net. Front zone – In indoor volleyball, the area between the net and the attack line. Ground – To hit the ball to the ground, preferably on the other team's court. Heater – A hard-hit or spiked ball (slang). Hit – To touch the ball as an offensive player, one of three "hits" allowed a team in getting the ball back over the net. Hold – To let the ball settle into the hands briefly on a shot instead of releasing it immediately. Joust – A joust occurs above the net between two or more opposing players that forces the ball to become stationary. Point is replayed. Kill – To smash the ball overarm into the opponent's court; also called a "spike". Kong – A one-handed block, named after King Kong's style of swatting biplanes in the original King Kong movie (slang). Libero – In indoor volleyball, a substitute defensive player especially adept at digging. Lip – A good dig (slang) Match – A series of sets to determine a winner. Mintonette – The original name for volleyball. Missile – A spike or serve hit out of bounds (slang). Pass – the attempt by a team to properly handle the opponent's serve, or any form of attack. Rally – The exchange of plays that decides each point. Rotate – In indoor volleyball, to move to the next position on the floor in a clockwise manner. Screen – To impede the opponent's view of the ball during the serve. Serve – The stroke used to put the ball in play at the start of each rally. Set – 1. The part of a match completed when one side has scored enough points to win a single contest. 2. To position the ball so a teammate can attack. Setter – A player who excels in setting up teammates to attack. Sideline – A side boundary line on a court. Spade – An ace (slang). Spike – To smash the ball overarm into the opponent's court; also called a "kill". Windmill Spike (hand movement during Spike follows motion of windmill).

Members

List also includes former members (national teams that took part in previous major tournaments). List of sitting volleyball national teams

Defunct national teams

Championships Paralympics

Sitting volleyball was first demonstrated at the Summer Paralympic Games in 1976 and was introduced as a full Paralympic event in 1980. The 2000 games was the last time standing volleyball appeared on the Paralympic programme. The women's sitting volleyball event introduction followed in the 2004 Paralympic Games.

World ParaVolley (formerly WOVD) World Championships

Sitting Men's Sitting – past winners

1983 Delden Netherlands Germany Finland 1985 Kristiansand Iran Yugoslavia Netherlands 1986 Pécs Iran Hungary Netherlands 1989 Las Vegas Netherlands Hungary Germany 1990 Assen Iran Netherlands Yugoslavia 1994 Bottrop Iran Norway Netherlands 1998 Tehran Iran Finland Bosnia and Herzegovina 2002 Cairo Bosnia and Herzegovina Germany Iran 2006 Roermond Bosnia and Herzegovina Iran Egypt 2010 Edmond Iran Bosnia and Herzegovina Egypt 2014 Elbląg Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil Iran 2018 The Hague Iran Bosnia and Herzegovina Ukraine 2022 Sarajevo Iran Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil 2026 Hangzhou

Ranking

Women's Sitting – past winners 1994 Bottrop Netherlands Latvia Lithuania 2000 Maastricht Netherlands Finland Slovenia 2002 Kamnik Netherlands Slovenia Finland 2006 Roermond Netherlands China Slovenia 2010 Edmond China United States Ukraine 2014 Elbląg China United States Russia 2018 Rotterdam Russia United States China 2022 Sarajevo Brazil Canada United States 2026 Hangzhou United States Brazil China

Ranking

Standing Beach

ParaVolley Europe (formerly ECVD) European Championships Euro Federation

https://paravolley.eu/

https://paravolley.eu/competitions

https://paravolley.eu/competitions/history/roll-of-honour

NATIONS LEAGUE 2024 Men's Sitting – past winners

+ Winners of European Championships of sitting volleyball () Edition Year City Gold medal Silver medal Bronze medal I 1981 Bonn NED FRG SWE II 1983 Delten NED FRG FIN III 1985 Kristiansand NED YUG SWE IV 1987 Sarajevo NED YUG NOR V 1991 Nottingham NED HUN NOR VI 1993 Järvenpää NOR FIN HUN VII 1995 Ljubljana HUN NOR NED VIII 1997 Tallinn FIN NOR BIH IX 1999 Sarajevo BIH GER FIN X 2001 Sárospatak BIH GER NED XI 2003 Lappeenranta BIH GER FIN XII 2005 Leverkusen BIH GER RUS XIII 2007 Nyíregyháza BIH RUS GER XIV 2009 Elbląg BIH RUS GER XV 2011 Rotterdam BIH RUS GER XVI 2013 Elbląg BIH RUS GER XVII 2015 Warendorf BIH GER RUS XVIII 2017 Poreč RUS UKR BIH XIX 2019 Budapest RUS BIH GER XX 2021 Kemer BIH RUS GER XXI 2023 Caorle BIH GER UKR XXI 2025 Győr BIH GER UKR

1981 Bonn Netherlands Germany Sweden 1983 Delden 1985 Kristiansand 1987 Sarajevo Netherlands Yugoslavia 1989 Not Held 1991 Nottingham Netherlands 1993 Järvenpää Norway Finland 1995 Ljubljana Hungary 1997 Tallinn Finland Bosnia and Herzegovina 1999 Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina Germany Finland 2001 Sárospatak Bosnia and Herzegovina Germany 2003 Lappeenranta Bosnia and Herzegovina Germany Finland 2005 Leverkusen Bosnia and Herzegovina Germany Russia 2007 Nyíregyháza Bosnia and Herzegovina Russia Germany 2009 Elbląg Bosnia and Herzegovina Russia Germany 2011 Rotterdam Bosnia and Herzegovina Russia Germany 2013 Elbląg Bosnia and Herzegovina Russia Germany 2015 Warendorf Bosnia and Herzegovina Germany Russia 2017 Poreč Russia Ukraine Bosnia and Herzegovina 2019 Budapest Russia Bosnia and Herzegovina Germany 2021 Antalya Bosnia and Herzegovina Russia Germany 2023 Caorle Bosnia and Herzegovina Germany Ukraine 2025 Győr Bosnia and Herzegovina Germany Ukraine

Women's Sitting – past winners 1993 Järvenpää Netherlands Finland Estonia1995 Ljubljana Netherlands Latvia Slovenia1997 Tallinn Latvia Lithuania Netherlands1999 Sarajevo Slovenia Finland Netherlands2001 Sárospatak Netherlands Slovenia Finland2003 Lappeenranta Netherlands Slovenia Finland2005 Leverkusen Netherlands Lithuania Slovenia2007 Nyíregyháza Netherlands Ukraine Slovenia2009 Elbląg Netherlands Ukraine Slovenia2011 Rotterdam Ukraine Netherlands Russia2013 Elbląg Russia Ukraine Slovenia2015 Podčetrtek Ukraine Russia Slovenia2017 Poreč Russia Ukraine Netherlands2019 Budapest Russia Italy Ukraine2021 Antalya Russia Italy Germany 2023 Caorle Italy Slovenia Ukraine2025 Győr Italy Netherlands Ukraine

Men (1981–2025)

Women (1993–2025)

See also Women's European Sitting Volleyball Championships Men's European Sitting Volleyball Championships Pieter Joon - World Organization Volleyball for Disabled (WOVD) founder and former president Volleyball variations Volleyball at the Summer Paralympics World Para Volleyball Championship 2022 Sitting Volleyball World Championships – Men's event 2022 Sitting Volleyball World Championships – Women's event 2023 Asia and Oceania Sitting Volleyball Championships Sitting volleyball at the Asian Para Games 2023 Sitting Volleyball World Cup – Men's event 2023 Sitting Volleyball World Cup – Women's event

References

External links

Sitting volleyball at the International Paralympic Committee VolleySlide