Free tool
Volleyball Overlap & Alignment Checker
Not sure if your serve-receive is legal? Drag the six players where they'll stand at the serve and the checker flags any overlap instantly — and tells you exactly which rule is broken.
S = Player 1, your setter. Press Rotate to move everyone one spot clockwise, or drag any player to test the alignment. The player in the right-back corner serves.
No violations
Every adjacent player is on the correct side and depth. This alignment would be legal at the moment of serve.
This rotation
Player 1 (setter) is in the right back. Player 1 is serving. Rotate to see how everyone shifts — the setter travels around the court while the overlap rules stay the same.
The seven rules that make an alignment legal
Legal alignment comes down to keeping each player correct relative only to their neighbors at the instant of serve. There are seven relationships in all:
- Front row, left to right: 4 → 3 → 2.
- Back row, left to right: 5 → 6 → 1.
- Each front player ahead of the one behind: 4 in front of 5, 3 in front of 6, 2 in front of 1.
You never compare players diagonally, and nothing about height or role matters — only adjacent left/right and front/back order. Once the serve is contacted, everyone is free to move to their base, so teams line up in overlap-legal spots that let them release quickly.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the overlap rules in volleyball?
- At the moment the server contacts the ball, each player must be in a legal position relative to their adjacent teammates. Front-row players must be closer to the net than the back-row player directly behind them, and within each row players must keep left-to-right order. Only adjacent players are compared — you never compare diagonally.
- What counts as an overlap (positional fault)?
- An overlap is called when, at serve contact, a player’s feet break one of those adjacency relationships — for example a right-back player standing further right than they should, or a front-row player who has drifted behind the player behind them. It’s judged on foot position at the instant of the serve, not after.
- Do the rules change by rotation?
- No. The relationships are tied to the six position numbers, which always keep the same left/right and front/back order relative to their neighbors. That’s why this checker works for any rotation — enter the positions your players are standing in and it validates the same seven rules.
- Can players move after the serve?
- Yes. Overlap only matters at the moment of the serve contact. Once the ball is served, players can switch to their base positions — setters release to the net, hitters move to their attacking lanes, and liberos slide into the back row.
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