3 person volleyball: the rules and the game (skip the explanations and view the live demo)

Three Person Volleyball (TPV) can be an interesting alternative to the much more commonly played volleyball games requiring an even number of players. Of course, the main reason for playing TPV is because the total number of players available to play is three - which is why we developed this game.

So here are the fairly simple rules:

The court:

The game is best played on a standard volleyball court with a standard volleyball net. If a standard court and net are not available, it can be played just about anywhere (try tying a rope between two trees). The most important thing in 3 person volleyball (as further rules will make clear) is that it is possible to cross from one side of the court to the other under the "net". This means that using a solid fence as the net is not a good idea - unless it has a door that easily opens.

The players:

Team 1

Team 2

Meet Bukaroo, our 3 person

The two opposing teams are composed of one person each. The big difference from even-player volleyball is that the third player (the 3-person) actually plays for both teams.

The 3 person must be one of superior integrity and impartiality because he must not be seen to unfairly favor the chances of either of the teams.

The game: The basic rules of TPV are the same as even-player volleyball except for the role of the 3 person. The 3 person's job is to always be on the same side of the court as the volleyball. The only exception to this is on the serve, when the 3-man plays for the team that will receive the serve.
As soon as the ball crosses to the other side of the net, it is the 3-man's job to get to the other side as well so that he can be involved in the play - hence, the necessity for a door if the "net" is a fence.
The game works best when the regular team member bumps the ball, the 3-man sets it, and regular team member spikes it. This allows the 3-man the most time to cross to the other side of the net. However, it is completely within the rules for the 3-man to smash the ball instead of setting it - after all, he is only making it harder for himself. In fact, it could arise that a very talented 3-man is able to cross under the net in time to receive the smash, bump it to the regular team member who sets it to be spiked by the 3-man.	View the live demonstration

So those are the rules. It is a game that is in the evolving stage, so feel free to add different rules if you think it will make the game more interesting. And remember, it may not be 2-on-2, but at least it's better than 1-on-1.

Security measures:

As you may well guess, 3 person volleyball is a dangerous and demanding sport (ask Bukaroo....). Extreme diziness, panting, loss of orientation (especially during drinking 3 person volleyball) are some of the side effects that may affect the 3 person (the other 2 also if they have been drinking...). Therefore we recommend to change the 3 person every once in a while, it also makes for interesting challenges if you are trying to keep score.

Varieties of 3 person volleyball:

Other 3 person sports that have been tried out by our fearless creators: (we'll let you imagine the rules for these sports) (Actually, we can think of other 3 person sports, but this is a familly web site....... and we would lose our web host and search engine ratings, not that they're any good....)

3 people volleyball was invented on a nice sunny saturday afternoon in 1998 in West Burke, Vermont, after a hard day's mountain biking.

Remember that volleyball in all its forms, whether it be beach volleyball, regular volleyball or 3-man volleyball is a dangerous sport. Injuries and possibly death can encur, make sure you are in good physical condition before attempting to play any of these sports or any sport in general. Read our disclaimer