The court

If I asked you to draw on a sheet of paper a volleyball court, almost anybody would be able to do it. But if I asked you the functions of each single zone, someone might find it difficult to answer. So here are the main features of a volleyball court.

First of all, the court is 18 m (59 ft) long and 9 m (29 ft) wide, divided into two 9m x 9m halves by a net. The top of the net is 2.43 m (7 ft) above the centre of the court for men’s competitions, while 2.24 m (7 ft) for women’s competitions. On each half there’s the “3 meter” (or “10 foot”) line, because it’s 3 m from the net. This line divides the court into the front and back zones that in turn are divided into 3 zones each. The numbering is the following:

After a team gains the serve, its members must rotate in clockwise direction, as the picture shows. The court is surrounded by an area called “free zone” that is a minimum of 3 m wide. In the end, an antenna is placed on each side of the net, marking an air zone off. If the ball doesn’t pass between the two antennas or touches one of them, the point will be awarded by the team that didn’t make this happen.