What Are the Ball-Handling and Hits Rules in Volleyball?

A volleyball team may play the ball a maximum of three times before returning it over the net, and a fourth contact is the fault known as "four hits." The textbook sequence is dig, set, attack — pass, set, spike.

Under the FIVB Official Volleyball Rules 2025-2028, the three-hit limit applies to the whole team, not to one player. Any combination works: two passes and an attack, or a dig and a set that dribbles over on the second touch. What matters is that the count reaches at most three.

A block touch is the key exception. When a player deflects the ball at the net on a block, that contact does not count, so the team still has its full three hits to organize a return. We cover that in detail below.

Teams almost never intend a fourth hit — it usually happens after a bad pass forces a scramble. If a fourth teammate touches the ball before it crosses, the referee signals four hits and the opponent wins the rally. Learn how points are awarded in our guide to volleyball scoring.

The three contacts are usually shared by different specialists — the setter takes the second ball to feed an attacker. See how each role is defined in our volleyball positions guide.

A double contact — often called "doubles" — is when the same player hits the ball twice in succession in one play. It is a fault, with one important exception on a team's first contact, where the ball may touch several body parts in a single action.

The rule targets the second and third contacts most strictly. On a set (an overhand finger pass), if the ball visibly comes out with a tick or spin because it left the hands unevenly, the referee calls a double contact and awards the rally to the opponent.

The exception protects defenders. On the first team hit, the ball may touch several parts of the body — forearms then chest, say — provided the contacts happen during one attempt to play a hard-driven ball. A single swing at a spiked ball that grazes two areas is legal.

So a scrappy first dig off two arms in one motion is fine, while a double on a clean set is a fault. Referees judge whether the contacts formed one action or two. For the hand signal used to indicate doubles, see our volleyball referee guide.

A lift (also carry or held ball) is a fault where the ball comes visibly to rest in a player's hands or on the body instead of being cleanly hit. The ball must be struck, not caught, lifted, or guided — the referee judges whether it rebounded.

The test is duration and control. If contact is prolonged — the ball stops, is scooped, or is guided rather than rebounded — the referee signals a held ball and the opponent wins the rally. There is no fixed millisecond count; it is a judgment of whether the ball rebounds.

A lift is a separate call from a double. If a player simply catches the ball, it is a lift, not doubles, even though both are ball-handling faults. The two most common lift situations are a soft overhand set on a low ball and an open-hand tip that lingers on the fingers.

Beginners often lose rallies on the second contact by cradling the set. The fix is a firm, brief push through the ball. Held-ball judgment is stricter at higher levels; recreational referees allow more.

A block does not count as one of a team's three hits. A team that touches the ball on the block still has its full three contacts to play it, and the same player who blocked may legally make the next contact.

This is one of the most misunderstood rules. When your blocker deflects an attack, the ball is effectively still "new" for hit-counting — your side may dig, set, and attack after the block, up to three more times.

The block also creates a double-contact exception. Normally hitting the ball twice in a row is a fault, but a player who contacts the ball on the block may immediately play the next ball. Those two touches are not counted as doubles, because the block is not a "hit" in the rules' sense.

Only a genuine block counts here — the action must occur at the net by a player reaching above its top. A back-row player cannot complete a block. See how front-row and back-row roles differ in our positions guide.

Several less-common contacts have their own rules. A joust (opponents contacting the ball simultaneously above the net) is legal and play continues. Two teammates touching the ball at once counts as two of the team's hits, and the ball may touch any body part.

The joust is settled by play, not the whistle. When two opposing players push the ball against each other over the net, the referee lets it continue; whichever side the ball falls to simply plays on with a fresh count.

Simultaneous contact between teammates is different — it costs two hits. If two of your players dig the same ball together, your team has only one contact left to send it back. Either player may make that next contact.

A player may not be assisted by a teammate or a fixed object (like a post or a teammate's boost) to reach the ball. Any body part, including a foot, is legal — a kick save counts as a normal hit.

Contact	Legal?	Note
Dig off two arms in one motion	Yes	First-contact exception, one action
Double on a clean set	No	Ball spins/ticks out = doubles fault
Caught or lifted ball	No	Held ball; must be struck, not carried
Block, then same player hits	Yes	Block is not a hit; no double contact
Fourth team hit	No	"Four hits" fault, opponent scores

Three ball-handling myths cause most arguments on court: that you can never double a set, that a block counts as your first hit, and that the ball cannot touch your foot. All three are wrong under FIVB rules.

Myth one: "a double on a set is always a fault." Only an obvious double — the ball leaves with spin or a tick — is called. Clean, quiet hands that release the ball evenly are legal, even if both hands don't touch identically.

Myth two: "the block is our first of three hits." False. The block is not counted, so your team keeps all three contacts after it, and the blocker may play the next ball without a doubles fault.

Myth three: "you can't use your feet." Also false — under modern FIVB rules the ball may contact any part of the body, including the foot. A kick save is a legal hit. When you track a match on a live scoreboard such as JudgeMate, only the rally outcome is recorded, not which body part touched the ball.