Sitting Volleyball
Paralympic Sitting Volleyball follows the same rules as its able-bodied counterpart with a few modifications to accommodate the various disabilities. Sitting Volleyball is open to athletes with physical impairments.
The four following impairment groups are eligible for Sitting Volleyball.
Coordination Impairments
Athletes with a Coordination Impairment have one or more of the following three movement disorders that adversely affects the ability to voluntarily produce a full range of skilled movement fluidly, rapidly, and accurately:
- Hypertonia/Spasticity: an increase in muscle tension that may be velocity-dependent and/or a reduced ability of a muscle to stretch.
- Motor Ataxia: limited precision in direction and velocity of voluntary movement.
- Dyskinesia (Athetosis, Dystonia, Chorea): involuntary movements that interfere with voluntary movements.
Examples of Underlying Health Conditions that can lead to coordination impairments include Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, and Multiple Sclerosis.
Impaired Muscle Power
Athletes with Impaired Muscle Power have a reduced (or no) ability to contract their muscles to generate force that is consistent with an Underlying Health Condition affecting the structure and function of the central or peripheral nervous system or the muscles.
Examples of Underlying Health Conditions leading to impaired muscle power include: spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, post-polio syndrome, and spina bifida.
Impaired Passive Range of Motion
Athletes with Impaired Passive Range of Movement have a reduced ability for a joint to be passively moved that is consistent with an Underlying Health Condition affecting a structure of bones, joints, connective tissue, or soft tissues.
Examples of Underlying Health Conditions leading to impaired passive range of motion include: arthrogryposis and contracture resulting from chronic joint immobilization or trauma affecting a joint.
Limb Deficiency and/or Limb Length Difference
Athletes with Limb Deficiency or Limb Length Difference have a total or partial absence of a limb or anatomically irregular limb dimensions that are consistent with an Underlying Health Condition resulting from trauma (traumatic amputation), illness (example: amputation due to bone cancer), or congenital causes affecting the bones and/or joints (example: dysmelia).
This impairment group can be further divided into the following sub-categories:
- Limb deficiency
- Leg length difference and/or
- Arm length difference
Entering the Pathway
Interested athletes can get started by reaching out to Sitting National Team Athlete Development Coach Julie Allen at Julie.allen@usav.org or sitting.volleyball@usav.org.
USA Volleyball staff will follow-up with the athlete about next steps including an informational zoom meeting.
National Team Development Program
Sitting National Team Development Program, opens in a new tabUSA Volleyball offers year-round national team development training camps for athletes to develop and learn about the game in preparation for high-performance competition. Athletes do not need previous volleyball experience to be considered for these camps.
Interested athletes should email sitting.volleyball@usav.org to get involved.
Equipment
Athletes looking to begin practicing on their own will need the following equipment at minimum:
- Standard indoor volleyball
- Court with the following measurements: 10 x 6 meters with a two-meter attack line and a net that is about 3.5 feet high
See below for the international classification process in World Para Volleyball and the two different classifications in Sitting Volleyball.
Physical Impairments
WPV Classification, opens in a new tabUSA Volleyball hosts a World Para Volley classifier at national team development program training camps every year to assess athletes. However, to be classified in sitting volleyball, an athlete must attend a World Para Volleyball event and be classified there.
VS1 Class
Athletes in the VS1 class have lost complete muscular strength, flexibility, or a significant combination of the two in a joint leading to more impaired volleyball functions such as maintaining balance and stability, changing direction, pushing off the floor, and generating power.
Examples of eligible impairments that athletes in this class could have include but are not limited to:
- Above knee amputations
- Spinal cord injuries affecting both legs
- Bilateral limb deficiencies
VS2 Class
Athletes in the VS2 class have an eligible impairment that have lost some muscular strength, flexibility, or a combination, in a joint that hinders the athlete’s ability to play volleyball. To ensure fair competition, sitting volleyball teams can only have a limited number of VS2 athletes on the court together at one time.
Examples of eligible impairments that athletes in the VS2 class could have include but are not limited to:
- Single leg foot amputation
- Ankylosis in one ankle
- Leg length difference of at least 7%
Paralympic Differences
Paralympic volleyball follows the same rules as its able-bodied counterpart but with the following modifications:
- The net is about 3.5 feet high and the court is 10 x 6 meters with a two-meter attack line.
- Blocking or attacking the serve is legal.
- The player is not allowed to lift his/her bottom from the court when executing a contact with the ball.
- Defensively, if a player remains low and follows through their playing action to have their upper torso contact the ground after playing the ball, then a brief loss of contact by a player’s bottom is generally permitted.
Getting Involved
Regional Programs, opens in a new tabThere are multiple sitting volleyball programs across the country offering clinics and competition opportunities to new athletes. Connect with a sitting volleyball program to start your journey!
Events Calendar
Events Calendar, opens in a new tabView the USA Volleyball events calendar for a full list of upcoming Sitting Volleyball events.