FAQ
1. What is Sitting Volleyball?
2. Why is Sitting Volleyball exciting?
3. Who can play Sitting Volleyball?
4. What do you need to play Sitting Volleyball?
1. What is Sitting Volleyball?
Sitting Volleyball is an inclusive sport for both physically impaired and able-bodied players and is played from club level up to Paralympic level (physically impaired only). The sport is comparable to traditional volleyball, with similar rules, although it is played on the floor, with a smaller court and a lower net. Six people play on a side, using their arms to slide around the court and to play the ball. It is fast paced and full of action.
2. Why is it exciting?
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Fun, team sport.
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Fast game. Can be faster than regular volleyball
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Dynamic game. Combination of power, endurance and strategy.
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Most inclusive sport in the world and easily accessible.
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Highest grassroots participation of any Paralympics sport – 10,000+
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Fastest growing viewership at Paralympics for team sport.
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Opportunity for competition in South Africa – national, regional, continental and world.
3. Who can play Sitting Volleyball?
National level – Anyone can play and clubs can be mixed - Able bodied or physically impaired, men and women
International level – Physically impaired only. Players are classified and separated into male and female only teams.
For physically impaired - The primary requirement is that a person has full use of their arms and upper body for movement. The sport is best suited for someone with lower limb impairments (e.g. fused ankle, polio, muscle loss) or leg amputees (above or below knee, single or double amputations).
4. What do you need to play Sitting Volleyball?
The equipment required to play the sport is a volleyball net, posts and balls. The sport can be played indoor or outdoor on any smooth surface.
Players don't need any prosthetics or other equipment to play and sitting volleyball is one of the few all-inclusive sports where amputees have an advantage over able-bodied players (less weight to move on the ground). Players wear shorts or nylon tracksuits which make it easy to slide
on the ground.
5. History of Sitting Volleyball
Sitting volleyball originated in the Netherlands in 1956. After entering as a “demonstration” sport during the 1976 Paralympic Games in Toronto, Canada, Sitting Volleyball was first included in competition at the 1980 Paralympic Games in Arnhem, Netherlands. It has been in every
Paralympic Games since.
Sitting Volleyball is currently played by over 10,000 athletes, in more than 75+ countries worldwide. It is a truly global game that anyone can play.
6. Classification
Classification allows for fair and equal competition. It is a formal process that includes a physical assessment on an athlete. It is sport specific and is done by a qualified classifier.
Classification determines which athlete is eligible to compete in a competition and in which sport class. In Sitting Volleyball, there are two sport classes: VS1 (greater) and VS2 (lesser) depending on the severity of the impairment.
Only impairments that change the athlete’s functional ability to play the sport are considered:
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Examples of impairments: Limb deficiency, impaired passive range of motion, impaired muscle power, limb length differences, Hypertonie, Ataxia and Athetosis.
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Examples of functional abilities required in the sport: Serving, Digging, Overhead Passing/Setting, Spiking, Diving/Stretching, Blocking and Moving on court in the sitting position.
For more information on classification see World ParaVolley webpage on classification.