Players seated on the floor of a sports hall on either side of a low volleyball net, one reaching up to play the ball, seen from a distance
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.
doodlevolley

WHAT THE GOVERNING BODIES SAY

Down low,
moving fast.

STAY DOWN torso in contact with the floor

  • Smaller court, lower net
  • Block the serve
  • Mixed teams at club level
  • One of the few truly inclusive sports

Sitting volleyball is far from stationary.

Players sit on the floor of a small court with a low net, and the rally is quicker than you might expect. It is a Paralympic sport, and in English clubs disabled and non-disabled players share the same team.

Updated

Check a rule

THE SHORT ANSWER

Same game,
closer to the floor.

The rules are based on standard volleyball rules
with a few changes that keep everyone seated.

THE COURT

10 × 6 metres

World ParaVolley sets a 10 m × 6 m court and a net of 1.15 m for men and 1.05 m for women. The game is considerably faster than standing volleyball.

Check a rule

THE KEY RULE

Stay in contact

A part of the torso must stay in contact with the floor. Volleyball England puts it as one buttock or an extension of the torso touching the floor when playing the ball.

See the numbers

WHO PLAYS

Everyone, together

At English clubs, teams are mixed-sex and mix disabled and non-disabled players. Paralympic teams are same-sex athletes with qualifying impairments.

How to start

A QUICK RULE CHECK

What do the
rules say?

Pick a situation to see what the sitting volleyball rules or governing bodies say. The bar shows how tightly that rule is drawn.

Rule check

Choose a situation
Lifting off the floor to hit the ballNot allowed

A portion of the torso must be in contact with the ground at all times. The Paralympic description says the pelvis must stay in contact for valid play.

Blocking the other team's serveAllowed

Service blocks and attacks are allowed. The International Paralympic Committee calls this a unique rule of sitting volleyball.

How many touches per sideUp to three

Teams of six may use up to three touches before sending the ball back over the net.

Winning a set25 points

The first team to 25 points with at least a 2-point lead wins the set, and matches are best of five sets.

Joining a club team in EnglandOpen to all

Club teams are mixed-sex and include disabled and non-disabled players. International competition requires classification.

Sources: World ParaVolley, Sitting Volleyball; International Paralympic Committee; Volleyball England.

Based on World ParaVolley, the International Paralympic Committee and Volleyball England. Full rules are in the World ParaVolley rule book.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

A global game
with a long history.

How widely it is played today,
and when it began.

10,000+

Athletes playing sitting volleyball

World ParaVolley says the sport is played by over 10,000 athletes in more than 75 countries.

REACH · WORLD PARAVOLLEY

1956

First played, in the Netherlands

It began as a mix of sitzball and volleyball for wounded soldiers. Its Paralympic debut came 24 years later at Arnhem in 1980; women's events were added at Athens 2004.

HISTORY · IPC

London 2012 set the record for sitting volleyball participation at a Paralympic Games, with 197 participants from 15 countries, compared with seven countries at Arnhem in 1980.

TRYING IT IN ENGLAND

Find a court,
sit down, play.

An empty sports hall court set up for sitting volleyball, with a low net and a volleyball resting on the floor
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Volleyball England lists ways to try the sport, from taster sessions to national competition.

  1. Find a club

    Volleyball England's club finder lets you search for 'sitting' in the club name to find your nearest team.

  2. Try a taster session

    Volleyball England lists come-and-try sessions run by Volleyball England and affiliated clubs for people new to the game.

  3. Read the starter pack

    Volleyball England's Sitting Volleyball Starter Pack covers the history and rules for new players and clubs.

  4. Play in a competition

    The Sitting Volleyball Grand Prix runs in two tiers through the season, and the annual Cup welcomes one-off entries.

WHO CAN COMPETE

Classification
keeps it fair.

A seated player's hands pushing a volleyball upwards in an overhead pass, close to the sports hall floor
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

For international events, World ParaVolley uses classification to group eligible athletes so that results depend on skill, fitness and tactics rather than the level of impairment. Athletes are assessed by a panel of two or three classifiers.

Eligible impairments include limb deficiency such as amputation, impaired muscle power, impaired range of movement and leg length difference. Many players are amputees, and each team may include two players with minimal impairment.

Questions

Questions people ask

How big is a sitting volleyball court?

World ParaVolley sets the court at 10 m × 6 m, with a net height of 1.15 m for men and 1.05 m for women.

Can non-disabled people play sitting volleyball?

Yes, at club level. Volleyball England says English clubs play in mixed-sex teams of disabled and non-disabled players. International and Paralympic competition is for classified athletes with eligible impairments.

Can you block a serve in sitting volleyball?

Yes. Service blocks and attacks are allowed, which the International Paralympic Committee describes as a unique rule of the sport.

When did sitting volleyball join the Paralympics?

At the Arnhem 1980 Paralympic Games, 24 years after it was first played in the Netherlands in 1956. Women's sitting volleyball was added at Athens 2004.

How is a match won?

Matches are best of five sets. The first team to 25 points with at least a 2-point lead wins a set.

Sources

Where the facts come from

  1. World ParaVolley: Sitting Volleyball
  2. World ParaVolley: Classification
  3. International Paralympic Committee: Sitting volleyball
  4. Volleyball England: Sitting volleyball

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