Several sports related to volleyball have become popular. Indoor volleyball and beach volleyball are both events at the Olympics, and sitting volleyball is an event at the Paralympics. Other varieties are localized, or are played at an amateur or informal level.
Aquatic volleyball
Biribol was the first aquatic variant of volleyball. It was invented in the '60s in Birigui, Brazil, and has moderate popularity in the country.
Aquatic volleyball is a team sport similar to volleyball but adapted for competition in a deep swimming pool. It is also referred to as "pool volleyball", and sometimes as "aqua polo", not to be confused with water polo. Players must change sides after each round for it to be fair. Each round is up to 15 points, however, you need to win by two points. If the ball hits the edge of the pool but bounces back in, that is fair. If the ball hits the edge of the pool and bounces out, that is not fair.
Beach aquatic volleyball Beach aquatic volleyball is an individual or team sport similar to aquatic volleyball adapted for play in the shallow water of a beach.
Beach volleyball
A variation of the game rivaling the original sport of volleyball in popularity, beach volleyball evolved from the recreational games of volleyball played on many beaches around the world. It became an official Olympic sport in 1996. This version, rather than being played on indoor hard courts, is played on sand courts which may either be formed naturally or built specifically for the purpose. Instead of a team of six, each team consists of only two players. There are some instances where more than 2 can play together. The rules are almost identical with some exceptions including: The size of the court (16m x 8m) The block counts as the first contact The banning of the open-hand dink or dump plays where a player uses his or her finger tips to redirect the ball into the opponent's court instead of a hard spike. A dink may be performed with a closed hand or knuckle Stricter rules around double-contacts during hand setting The time limit for serve is five seconds Games are usually played to 21 points, rather than 25 as common in indoor volleyball. The first team to win two sets wins the match. If a third deciding set is required, it is played to 15.
Indoor sand volleyball This is a newer variation of beach volleyball. As beach volleyball took volleyball outdoors, indoor sand volleyball takes beach volleyball indoors. In the United States, a growing number of colleges are now considering switching from hard court indoor volleyball to sand court indoor volleyball. The biggest reason for the possible change is the reduced rate of injury of players. Secondary reasons are: 1) bad weather doesn't cancel play, something that commonly happens with beach volleyball; 2) it is thought to make the game more appealing to spectators since sand courts do not require players to wear knee pads or shoes.
Indoor sand volleyball teams vary from two to six members, college teams having six. Normally, rather than using a purpose-built hall, an indoor basketball court is converted. A protective tarpaulin covers the floor of the basketball court and "soft" sand is laid a foot deep over it. The boundaries are commonly marked off with lines in the sand. However, a recent innovation uses colored lasers that illuminate the lines in the sand.
In some venues, there exist sand courts that are used as usual during the spring, summer, and fall months, but during the winter months, a large tent (usually dome-shaped) is erected over the courts.
Snow volleyball
Snow volleyball is a variant of beach volleyball that is played on snow. The rules are similar to the beach game, with the main differences being the scoring system (best of 3 sets played to 15 points) and the number of players (three starters and one substitute).
Crossnet
Hybrid sport of volleyball and four square. Can be played with 4 players or 8 players (2v2v2v2).
Ecua-volley
Ecua-volley is a variant of volleyball invented and played in Ecuador. Differences include a higher net (2.8 meters tall) and the use of a soccer ball. It is very popular among people that live in the USA. Each court side measures 9x9 meters. There are 3 players on each side known as the spiker, the setter, and the flyer (libero). Since the ball is heavier than an American volleyball, players are allowed to slightly grab the ball however, the grab must be quick (less than 1 second). Matches are typically played up to 15, 12, or 10 points depending on what is agreed upon. No player is allowed to touch the net, the poles or pass the dividing line separating the two opposite court sides. Upon doing so is considered a point or change serve for the opposing team. Points are made on a serve only manner (meaning only the side that serves the ball can make a point, otherwise it is a change serve for the opposing team). Other rules apply as well but the rest of the game is played as your typical American volleyball.
Hooverball
Popularized by President Herbert Hoover, Hooverball is played with a volleyball net and a medicine ball; it is scored like tennis, but the ball is caught and then thrown back. The weight of the medicine ball can make the sport to be quite physically demanding; annual championship tournaments are held annually in West Branch, Iowa.
Informal variations There are a number of volleyball variations that do not have a standardized set of rules. Mud volleyball, played in mud pits, is one. Mud volleyball tournaments are often organized as fundraisers.
Jollyball
Jollyball is a cross between juggling and volleyball. A juggling ball is passed between players who must catch it by using the ball, plus the two that they are holding, to perform a juggling pattern.
Mixed teams Most competitive volleyball is played with same-sex teams (exclusively so at the elite levels, although the International Volleyball Association ran a professional co-ed league in the 1970s). Different sets of rules have been drafted to allow for mixed teams, often known as "coed" teams in the United States. The net is at men's height for "regular coed" and women's height for "reverse coed". Several adaptations are common, some of them to compensate for the men's greater reach and strength. The FIVB rules used internationally do not support mixed play, but USA Volleyball, the national governing body for the United States, publishes specific rules for indoor 6-person teams, the main points of which are: Three males and three females must be in alternating positions, and each team's roster may include 2 liberos. In reverse coed males may only attack a ball above the height of the net if the ball has an upward trajectory immediately after contact. Note that the serve is not an attack and thus has no such restriction. Males are not allowed to block. When there is only one front row-female player, one back-row female may block provided the other back-row female is outside the attack zone. If the ball is touched more than once on one side then a male must make one of the contacts. Strategically, this usually means that a male setter is used. In regular coed, when there is only one front-row male player then one back-row male may block provided the other back-row male is outside the attack zone. If the ball is touched more than once on one side then a female player must make one of the contacts. Female players have no blocking or attacking restrictions. Strategically, this usually means that a female setter is used.
USA Volleyball publishes similar mixed team rules for outdoor (beach and grass) volleyball, with the exception that attacks from male players are not required to have an upward trajectory if the attacker's last contact with the ground was outside of the attack zone.
Newcomb ball
A simplified form used to teach the fundamentals of volleyball, Newcomb (occasionally referred to as "Nuke 'em") is generally taught to school-aged children but is also popular among adults of limited athletic ability. Its main differences from regular volleyball are that the ball can be caught before passing on to a team-mate or over the net, and each pass or serve is a throw rather than a hit. While most other volleyball rules apply, variations on the numbers of players per team and the numbers of 'catches' per side are common, and players holding the ball are sometimes allowed a limited number of steps.
Newcomb (or Newcomb Ball) was invented in 1895 by Clara Gregory Baer, a physical education instructor at Newcomb College in Louisiana.
Volleyball was independently invented in the same year. Newcomb was a popular competitive sport in the early 1900s, but it is now seen as a variation of volleyball and is played mostly by school children.
Newcomb can be also played in a way similar to dodgeball. The main and only difference in the less played version is that instead of scoring points, a teammate is eliminated if he or she makes a mistake. The game continues until all of the players on one team are eliminated.
Nine-man volleyball
Nine-man volleyball is a variation of volleyball utilizing nine players and a slightly larger court () originated in Asia in the 1920s when American missionaries introduced the game in China. The birthplace of 9man can be speculated to be the city of Tai-Shan, China where 9man tournaments are played regularly, sometimes even for prize money. 9man is also played for recreation in South Korea.
The variant became popular within the Chinese-American communities community in New York City and spread to Chinatowns other large US and Canadian cities. The North American version of 9man volleyball continues to grow with a rotating popular tournament called the North American Chinese Invitational Volleyball Tournament. It was played in the Asian Games in 1958 and in 1962.
Aside from the larger court and additional players, rule differences for 9man volleyball in Asia and of those used in the NACIVT differ.
The major rule differences from indoor volleyball and NACIVT 9man rules include (Those rules in italics only apply within NACIVT rules): A lower net ( rather than ). Players don't rotate--front players stay in front (and thus never serve), and back players in back. If the ball touches the net between two contacts by the same team, those two contacts only count as one of the three allowed before the ball must be sent over the net. The same player may legally make both contacts. It is permitted to briefly carry the ball during a spiking motion. Players may not penetrate the plane of the net while blocking. If a player touches the ball while blocking, it counts as one of the three allowed contacts. Jump serving is illegal. It is illegal to touch the ball with any body part besides the hands and arms. A served ball which hits the top of the net and falls inside the boundaries of the opponents' court entitles the server to a second chance (like tennis). There is no "ten foot line": any player may attack the ball from anywhere on the court.
9 man rules used in Asia are slightly different: Players do not rotate, however every player on the court must serve at some point. Carrying or lifts are not legal. Players may penetrate the plane of the net when blocking. Jump-serving is legal.
In South Korea, nine-man volleyball is popular as a recreation. But those who plays it are not used to the detailed rule of the game because they generally watch only 6-man volleyball (standard volleyball) on TV or somewhere else. So the rule generally played tends to be the mixture of the original 9-man volleyball and standard volleyball.
Pioneerball Pioneerball - a game with a ball, similar in its rules to volleyball. Originated in the USSR in the 1930s. The name of the game comes from the fact that it's a game with a ball and was played by pioneers.