Game Rules

Disciplines

The competition rules for aQuolley encompass four disciplines based on the number of players on the same side of the court: individual, doubles, triples, and team. To fully grasp the game rules, it is advisable to watch videos from the playlists presented on aQuolley’s YouTube channel:     
Videos of Singles Videos of Doubles Videos of Triplets Videos of Team

DISCIPLINES	NR. of PLAYERS	COURT SIZE	RESTRICTIONS
Singles	1	6 x 3 m 8 x 4 m	Women’s Singles: exclusive to ladies Men’s Singles: no gender-related restrictions; two ladies can also participate together
Doubles	2 +1	6 x 4 m 8 x 4 m 9 x 4 m	Women’s Doubles: exclusive to ladies Mixed Doubles: It is mandatory to have at least one lady continuously present on the court Men’s Doubles: no gender-related restrictions
Triples	3+2	8 x 4 m 9 x 4 m 10 x 5 m	Women’s Triples: exclusive to ladies Mixed Triples: It is mandatory to have at least one lady continuously present on the court Men’s Triples: no gender-related restrictions
Team	4+2 5+2 6+3	11 x 5 m 12 x 5 m 12 x 6 m	Women’s Team: exclusive to ladies Mixed Team: It is mandatory to have at least two ladies continuously present on the court Men’s Team: no gender-related restrictions

Detailed Rules of the Game

The rules of aQuolley W-ball are the same as those of beach volleyball, with the following differences.

1. The court size for women’s singles is 6 x 3 meters; for women’s doubles, it’s 6 x 4 meters; for men’s singles, men’s or mixed doubles, it’s 8 x 4 meters; for triples, it’s 10 x 5 meters; for a four-person team, it’s 11 x 5 meters; for a five-person team, it’s 12 x 5 meters; and for a six-person team, it’s 12 x 6 meters.
2. The minimum allowed water depth is 0.6 meters, and the maximum is 1.2 meters. The measurement of water depth should be conducted under the net at the midpoint of the centerline
3. At the beginning of the game, the serving player must remain at a maximum distance of 0.5 meters from the baseline
4. If the serve hits the net and the ball lands in the valid area, the serve must be repeated
5. The serve reception must involve at least one more touch from the receiving team before it can be transferred to the opponent’s side.
6. Except for carrying and clear double touches, every other ball touch is allowed, using any part of the body
7. Matches are played to the best of two sets, with sets lasting until 15 points, and if the score reaches 14:14, play continues until a two-point difference is achieved.
8. Men’s competitions are open to anyone; in women’s disciplines, only ladies can participate; and in mixed categories, it is required that at least one lady be present on the court for the entire duration of the match, or for teams with 4+2 or more members, at least two ladies must be present.
9. In doubles, 2+1 players can be registered; in triples, 3+2 players; in four-member teams, 4+2 players; in five-member teams, 5+2 players; and in six-member teams, 6+3 players can be registered. The number before the ‘+’ sign indicates how many players can be on the court simultaneously, and the number after the ‘+’ sign indicates the number of substitutes.
10. In singles, there are no substitutions; in the other disciplines, two substitutions are allowed within one set. In triples and team disciplines, double substitutions are also allowed.
11. In each set, two timeouts are allowed in every discipline.
12. In the case of a large number of entries, the competition director may decide that there will be no third set during the group stage matches, and for the second set, a two-point difference may not be required. Additionally, he may determine that the sets should be played to 11 points instead of 15.
13. Considering that the feasibility of the competitions can be significantly influenced by the current weather, water temperature, and wind conditions, the competition director has the authority to decide on modifying the originally announced start, continuation, and end times of the competitions. In such cases, it is expected that the notification regarding this should be promptly posted on the communication platform of the sport.

Competition Categories

CATEGORY TYPES	RESTRICTIONS
Categories Based on the Nature of the Competition	Federation Competition: Anyone, regardless of club membership, can enter the competition, provided they meet the additional category requirements specified in the competition announcement. Club Competition: Only members of the organizing club can enter the competition, and among them, only those who meet the other category requirements specified in the competition announcement.
Categories Based on Skill Level	Professional: Competitors who have participated as registered players in the National Federation’s adult men’s or women’s I or II-class team competition in any of the three years preceding the competition. In professional competitions, teams of any composition can participate without restrictions on the playing skills of the players forming it. Semi-Professional: In semi-professional competitions, within each team, only one professional player can be on the court at the same time. Amateur: Any player who does not fall into the professional category is considered an amateur. In amateur competitions, there cannot be a professional player on the court within a team.
Categories Based on Age	Absolute: There are no age restrictions for competitors. Youth: In the youth category, 18 years is the upper age limit; the condition for entry is that the player has not yet turned 18 on the first day of the competition year; in case of doubt, the date of birth in the identity card decides. Junior: In the junior category, 25 years is the upper age limit; the condition for entry is that the player has not yet turned 25 on the first day of the competition year; in case of doubt, the date of birth in the identity card decides. Senior: In the senior category, 50 years is the lower age limit; the condition for entry is that the player has reached or will reach the lower age limit by the last day of the competition year at the latest; in case of doubt, the date of birth in the identity card decides.
Categories Based on Relationships Between Team Members	Family: In the family category, it is a requirement for doubles, triples, or team competitions announced in the family category that there be a sibling, parent-child, grandparent-grandchild relationship, or marital or life partner relationship among the players on the court. In the case of a marital or life partner relationship, it is expected that the relationship that serves as its basis has been proven to last for at least 1 year in the competition year.

Protest regarding category violations

When providing the relevant data for the categorization of individual players (gender, age, competitive status, family relationship), the organizers do not verify their authenticity.                
If a protest is raised regarding category violations related to the participation of a certain player, the competition director will ask the players of the concerned team to provide evidence of the authenticity of the contested data.        
If the proof is successful, the competition director will authenticate the disputed data and reject the protest; otherwise, the protest will be upheld, and the team involved in the protest will be disqualified from the competition.  
Protests regarding category violations can only be made up to 180 minutes before the start of the competition.