open gym volleyball rules and etiquette for drop-in nights

Pickup volleyball, open gym and drop-in volleyball are the same thing. Players arrive, sign in, make teams on the spot and rotate through games. There's no league and usually no referee, so players call their own faults.

Indoor games are normally six a side on a full court, though a thin turnout might play four a side. Some gyms are free with membership and some charge a small drop-in fee.

Gyms use a few systems to decide who plays next:

• A sign-up list. You write your name down, and the next six names make the next team. Emeryville's open gym in California only takes individual sign-ups, so a group of friends can't book a whole team.
• Winners stay. The winning team keeps the court and the next team in line takes them on. The losing team goes to the back of the line.
• Kings court. A faster winners-stay format. The challengers serve from one side, and only the team on the kings side can score. Win a rally as the challenger and you cross to the kings side. Lose, and the next team steps on.
• Timed games. Some gyms cap games at 10 or 15 minutes when people are waiting.

Without a time cap, games usually go to 15 or 21 points.

When your team wins back the serve, everyone moves one spot clockwise, and the player who moves into the back-right corner serves.

Rotating is how everyone gets a turn at the net, in the back row and at the service line. Stick to it, even if you'd rather stay at the net all night.

Each side gets three touches. Pickup games are more fun when teams use them: pass, set, hit.

Call every ball you go for. Say "mine" or "I got it" early and loudly, and once a teammate has called it, get out of the way. It stops two people crashing into each other, or both leaving it to drop between them.

On a third touch, a teammate may shout "over" to tell you it has to go across the net.

Open gyms run on the honor system. Emeryville's rules ask players to "call your own line and net violations," with foot faults, lifts and double hits left to the players too.

The net. Under USA Volleyball rules, touching the net between the antennas while you're playing the ball is a fault. Touching it outside the antennas, or brushing it when you're nowhere near the play, isn't. If you touch it during a play, raise your hand and give up the point.

The lines. A ball that touches any part of the line is in. Without a referee, players call their own lines and net touches. If nobody saw it clearly, the quickest fix is to replay the point.

One beach club's rule sums up the spirit: "When in doubt, call yourself out."

Busy gyms often split courts by level. Milpitas Sports Center in California, for example, runs an intermediate court, an advanced court and a beginner-to-intermediate court.

Be honest about where you fit. If you can't yet pass a serve to the setter, the beginner court will give you more touches and more fun. If you're the strongest player on a mixed court, play to the room: easier serves and more sets to people who don't get many.

A facility guide for gym operators puts the stakes plainly: when advanced players dominate games, beginners stop coming.

At a lot of community gyms the players set up and take down the nets. South Bellevue Community Center in Washington, for example, makes setup and cleanup the players' job and asks them to use the last 15 minutes to take the nets down and put the poles back.

Get there early and help. It's the easiest way to meet the regulars, and the first game starts sooner.

Regulation net height is 2.43 m (about 7 ft 11 in) for men and 2.24 m (about 7 ft 4 in) for women. Mixed open gyms pick one, so check before you set up.

When there are more players than spots, everyone sits in turn. Nobody should sit twice before everyone has sat once.

Timed games help. The same operator guide says time-based rotation spreads playing time more evenly than winners-stay systems. If your team has won a few in a row and the line is long, offer to come off.

Don't hold spots for friends who haven't arrived. Put your own name down and let them add theirs when they get there. Apps handle full games the same way: in Scrim, a full game has a line, and when someone drops out, the spot goes to the next person in it.

• Indoor court shoes. Most gyms require indoor athletic shoes, and one University of Toronto campus bans socks, sandals and backless shoes at drop-in.
• Knee pads. Optional, but you'll be glad of them the first time you dive for a ball on a hard floor.
• A water bottle. Games run back to back when the gym is busy.
• A ball. Useful for warming up, and some gyms don't supply one.

On your first night, tell whoever is running the list that you're new. Most will point you to the right court and explain how the queue works there.

Check your city's parks and recreation page or your local YMCA for open gym times, and if there's nothing near you, read how to start a weekly pickup game. Scrim lists public volleyball games near you, and its Plus plan lets you make a group of your regulars and share each week's game straight into it.