What Are the Mechanics of Volleyball?

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Volleyball is a team sport in which each team aims to keep the ball up on its side of the net while attempting to put the ball down on the opposing team’s side of the net. A team scores when the ball touches the ground on the opponent’s side of the net or the opponent is unable to return the ball to the other side within three contacts.

Volleyball teams have between two and six players; indoor volleyball is played with six players, and beach volleyball is typically played with two. Traditional indoor volleyball game player positions are the setter, middle blocker, outside hitter, opposite and libero. Each player in a traditional indoor volleyball game starts in a specific location: the left front, middle front, right front, left back, middle back or right back. Each time a team wins possession of the serve, the team moves over one spot clockwise. When the ball is served to the other side of the net, the opposing team is allowed to make contact with the ball no more than three times. These contacts are ideally a pass, set and hit. The first team to reach the score agreed upon wins the game, but the win must be by at least two points.

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