Volleyball Basics

A referee whistles, then raises two fingers. A coach turns to an assistant, confused. A player stares at the scorer's table trying to figure out whether the point stands.

Understanding what the officials are communicating, in real time, changes how you watch and play the game entirely.

Indoor volleyball uses a standardized set of hand signals governed by official bodies including USA Volleyball and the CEV, covering everything from routine play calls to escalating misconduct sanctions. Here's how the full system works.

The Officiating Crew and Who Signals What

Four officials run an indoor match: two referees and two line judges. Each has a distinct role, and the signals they give reflect that split.

The first referee, or "up ref," stands on an elevated platform at one end of the net. This official holds ultimate authority over the match: whistling to start each rally, calling net touches, double contacts, and lifts, and signing the scorecard at the end.

The second referee, the "down ref," works at court level and handles communication with the scorekeeper, overlap violations, and timekeeping.

Line judges cover one corner each and focus on boundary decisions. They signal using flags rather than hands alone. A flag pointed down means ball in; a flag raised vertically means ball out.

When the ball grazes a player on its way out, line judges raise the flag and touch the top with the free hand to signal a touch.

Antenna violations, foot faults during service, and balls crossing outside the net's crossing space are all flagged by waving the flag over the head and pointing to the relevant antenna or line.

The Core Play Signals

These are the calls that appear in almost every set, and the ones that cause the most confusion among new players and spectators.

Ball In is a simple signal: the referee points the arm and extended fingers toward the floor. The rule is equally clear — if any part of the ball contacts the court, including the boundary lines, at the moment it lands, it's in.

Ball Out reverses the gesture. The referee raises both forearms vertically, hands open, palms facing the body. Any ball landing entirely outside the lines, or touching the ceiling, a post, or an antenna, is out.

Double Contact is two fingers spread open. A double contact occurs when a player hits the ball twice in succession or the ball contacts different parts of the body sequentially on the same action.

Referees also raise four fingers spread open for a Four Hits call, when a team exceeds the three-contact limit in a single play.

Catch or a lift is a slow, deliberate raise of the forearm with the palm facing upward — distinct from the sharper motions used for other calls. The unhurried pace of the gesture is intentional; it mirrors the nature of the fault itself.

Ball Touched is signaled by brushing the palm of one hand with the fingers of the other held vertically.

USA Volleyball specifies brushing the fingers of one hand once across the palm of the vertical hand, a detail that separates an authoritative officiating resource from a rough summary.

Reaching Beyond the Net draws the referee's hand above the net, palm facing downward. Attack Hit Fault brings the forearm down in a sharp motion, hand open.

For a Positional or Rotation Fault, the referee circles the forefinger in a small loop.

When no judgment is possible, a ball that clips the antenna at an angle that neither referee nor line judge can track, the referee raises and crosses both arms and hands in front of the chest for Judgment Impossible, sometimes called a "no-call" by players.

Service, Substitutions, Timeouts, and Administrative Signals

A significant portion of referee signals handle the structure of play rather than live faults. These are easy to overlook in a coaching context, but referees and players who don't recognize them lose time and create confusion during stoppages.

Authorization to Serve is a sweeping hand motion in the direction of service, used after the whistle. Delay in Service is eight spread fingers held up, a direct visual reference to the 8-second window a server has after the whistle to contact the ball.

Ball Not Tossed or Released at Service Hit lifts the extended arm with the palm up, flagging a serve attempt that didn't properly release the ball.

Timeout uses a classic "T" shape: the palm of one hand placed over the vertical fingers of the other. The referee then points to the requesting team. Each team can request a maximum of two timeouts per set, each lasting 30 seconds.

For a Substitution, the referee makes a circular forearm motion, one arm rotating around the other. Teams are limited to six substitutions per set, so tracking the signal matters in close matches.

Understanding the full rules around court dimensions and player positioning gives context to why rotation and positional faults get called when they do, see Volleyball Court Dimensions and Lines: The Complete Breakdown for the spatial rules that underpin those calls.

Change of Courts between sets brings raised forearms, one pointing forward and one pointing back, rotating around the body. End of Set or Match crosses both forearms in front of the chest, hands open and flat.

Misconduct Cards: A Four-Level System

Volleyball's misconduct escalation is more structured than many players realize, and each level has its own distinct signal.

A yellow card held up signals a Misconduct Warning. This is recorded on the scoresheet but carries no immediate consequence for the team, it marks that the individual has reached the threshold where the next infraction becomes sanctionable.

A red card alone signals a Misconduct Penalty: a point and service awarded to the opposing team.

Expulsion is shown by holding both cards jointly, red and yellow together. A player sanctioned with expulsion sits out the rest of the set in the penalty area and must be legally substituted immediately if they were on court.

Disqualification is shown by holding both cards separately, one in each hand. A disqualified player must leave the Competition Control Area for the rest of the match.

The distinction between expulsion (out for the set) and disqualification (out for the match) is one the card presentation makes visual: together means set, apart means match.

Delay violations follow a parallel track. A Delay Warning shows a yellow card held over the wrist.

A Delay Penalty, triggered by a second delay by any member of the same team in the same match, covers the wrist with a red card, and the opposing team gets a point and service.

Delay sanctions imposed before or between sets carry forward and are applied in the following set.

Frequently Asked Questions About Volleyball Referee Signals

Why does the referee point at the floor when the ball is in?

Pointing toward the floor directs attention to where the ball landed, confirming contact with the court. The ball is in if any part of it touches the court or the boundary lines at the moment of contact.

What is the difference between expulsion and disqualification?

Expulsion (both cards held together) ends a player's participation for that set. Disqualification (both cards held separately) removes them from the entire match and requires them to leave the competition area.

How many timeouts can a team take per set?

Each team may request a maximum of two timeouts per set, each lasting 30 seconds.

What does the circular forearm motion mean?

The circular forearm rotation signals a substitution request. Each team is allowed up to six substitutions per set.

What does it mean when a referee raises eight fingers?

Eight spread fingers indicate a Delay in Service call. The server must contact the ball within 8 seconds of the first referee's whistle.

What is the "Judgment Impossible" signal?

When neither referee nor line judge can determine whether a ball was in or out, due to angle, speed, or simultaneous calls, the referee raises and crosses both arms and hands in front of the chest. The rally is replayed.

Do line judges use hand signals or flags?

Line judges use flags, not bare hands. A flag pointed down means ball in, raised vertically means ball out, and touching the top of the raised flag with the free hand indicates the ball was touched on its way out.

Read the Refs, Read the Game

The difference between a referee's slow palm-up lift for a catch and the same motion used for Ball Not Tossed is subtle in isolation, but becomes readable with repetition.

Players and coaches who know the full signal set can identify calls in real time instead of waiting for the result to ripple through the scorer's table.

For anyone coaching youth or club ball, drilling signal recognition alongside skill work pays dividends the moment a close call shifts momentum in a tight set.