A team scores a point when it grounds the ball in the opponent’s court. The same applies when the other team hits the ball out of bounds, or if it fails to return the ball over the net after three touches. This makes sitting volleyball a fast and exciting game, which has long secured its rank among the most successful and most popular sports at the Invictus Games.

Strength, endurance and technical skills required
Sitting volleyball players require a high level of physical strength, fitness, as well as technical and tactical skills to send the ball over the net. The playing court is a rectangle measuring 10 × 6 m, surrounded by a free zone. The free zone is at least 3 m wide on all sides.
The height of the net is 1.10 m. Players can move on the floor using their arms and legs. However, they must always keep their bottom touching the ground when playing the ball. If they lift their buttocks from the ground, this is considered a lifting foul – in which case the other team receives a point.

Some rules specifically modified
At the Invictus Games, the sport is governed by the rules of World ParaVolley, with a few modifications: One is that the teams can also compete as mixed-gender teams. The teams can be composed of players with different types of impairments. Based on their level of ability, the competitors are classified as maximum (one-point), moderate (two-point) and open (three-point) players. The players on the court for each team at any one time can have a maximum number of 15 points.

Best of Three
The team that wins a rally scores a point. When the receiving team scores a point, it also the gains the right to serve, and the whole team rotates one position clockwise. All matches are played in a best-of-three format. The first two sets are played to 21 points. The third is considered a tiebreaker set and played to 15 points. In the event of a tie, the first team to gain a two-point lead wins the set.