How to Get Started with Volleyball in Malaysia: A Beginner’s Guide

May 5, 2024

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I started playing volleyball since 2022 at the age of 25 by running a volleyball club with a group of friends. I found it hard to actually take the first step - how do we even begin to play?

Finding places to play, choosing the right ball, meeting other players, and understanding the overall volleyball scene can be tricky. That's why I've created this guide based on my own experience to help make this easier.

Whether you're coming into this sport as a Haikyuu fan like I did, or something else, welcome (!!) and I hope you'll find this useful and grow to love the sport the same way as I do too.

One of the most important things to do is to find a few like minded friends. This sport is way more fun if you have friends to learn together, but you will also make new ones on the court. Then, you will need to join a club or start one up yourselves.

By joining a club you can participate in regular games and leave the responsibility of court bookings, balls and getting enough players to the organisers. Volleyball clubs are organised informally by players or formally by organisations.

Informal clubs (or groups) are usually organised on Whatsapp - you'll need to find someone who can invite you to their group. But how can you find one if you don't know anyone in the first place?

Some clubs have instagram pages, or advertise themselves on platforms such as 小红书. Here is one that I know of - Love Volleyball Society.

You can also join a local pick up game that usually takes place on an outdoor court. These games will likely have their own volleyball communities, and you just have to go and ask if they're willing to add you in. They might expect players to be able to at least play the game a little, so go and find out if they're beginner friendly!

Don't underestimate the power of your network! A casual message on Instagram to your friends could be all it takes. You might be surprised to discover hidden volleyball players among them, some who are already in a club and would love to welcome you on board.

Some formal clubs organise pick up games too, here are a few that I know of:

If you ever join any clubs for training, you might meet new people too.

Participating in these activities is a great way to meet other volleyball players. If you click with someone who belongs to a club, you can always ask about joining their sessions!

If you're younger, I will actually recommend joining a more serious club that frequently trains and goes to competitions together. One that I think is good is Grace Volleyball Academy, who usually limits members to a certain age group that's not a working adult.

You might have some trouble trying to find a local volleyball community or just to find a location for your own club members to play at. This is a really good resource that highlights some of the outdoor and indoor courts, but it's not been updated in awhile.

Here are some other places to get you started, and my thoughts on them. Please note this list only includes the locations where I’ve only played before, which are mostly courts in PJ.

With a price range of RM30/hr - RM180/hr, indoor courts come with the upsides of being able to play in any weather and at night too.

  1. Republic of Futsal PJ
    1. Decent court with antenna
    2. OK price
    3. Popular
    4. https://thebooking360.com/
  2. Republic of Futsal Subang Jaya
    1. OK price
    2. Not popular, easy to book
    3. Court has not much serving space
    4. Court is situated right next to cars, so be careful of balls hitting other cars.
    5. https://thebooking360.com/
  3. Republic of Futsal Subang Elite
    1. Slightly more expensive price
    2. Decent court
    3. Many courts so relatively easier to book
    4. https://thebooking360.com/
  4. RKS
    1. Cheap pricing for specific times
    2. Hard to book, very popular
    3. Gets a bit hot on sunny days
    4. https://www.courtsite.my/
  5. X Park PJ South
    1. Not popular, easy to book
    2. A lot of space, feels really nice
    3. Expensive
    4. https://www.courtsite.my/
  6. Sportizza PJ
    1. Don’t remember much about this court, felt it was ok
    2. https://www.courtsite.my/
  7. Persada Plus
    1. Cheap courts
    2. Technically outdoor, but there's a roof
    3. Never played here personally, but heard it gets affected a lot by the heavy rain and can get quite hot
    4. Almost impossible to book
    5. Need to contact their phone number to book
  8. Catholic High School
    1. Hard to book
    2. Personally never played before
    3. Need to contact their phone number to book
  9. Sports Barn PJ
    1. Easy to book
    2. Very spacious and not hot
    3. Expensive (unless on promo)
    4. Management sucks - volleyball courts were open for booking when they were doing renovations of the futsal courts that were next to it, creating a lot of dust
    5. Net sucks, no antenna, net sags, management doesn't know how to adjust net height properly. It's been half a year since I've played there, so things might have changed now
    6. https://www.instagram.com/sportsbarn.pj/
  10. Ace Sports World @ Kepong
    1. Net limits the max height of how high a ball could go
    2. https://www.facebook.com/AceSportsWorldMY/

Offering a vibrant and social way to play volleyball, often with local communities you can easily join. Outdoor courts are typically free to use, but be aware that heavy rains (RIP monsoon season) can disrupt games, and hot and sunny weather during the day might make playing uncomfortable. Since these courts usually lack surrounding nets, balls may fly further, and night games might be a challenge due to a lack of lighting for some courts. You may also need to bring and set up your own net.

  1. Bangsar Sports Complex
    1. Can book court, so you don’t have to share
    2. Sandy courts
    3. Not free, but cheap
  2. Siam Basketball Court (...I know)
    1. Has some surrounding nets
    2. Trees may obstruct the game a little bit
    3. https://maps.app.goo.gl/dipPnBTbrAch5gVm6
  3. Taman Megah
    1. Has an active volleyball community
    2. Has lights
    3. https://maps.app.goo.gl/pJGmLoqwRKuUjCCm6

Resist the urge to buy cheap or imitation volleyballs. They often deviate from the official size and weight, making gameplay less enjoyable. In addition, these balls may be harder and deteriorate faster, leading to arm pain and potentially discouraging beginners from playing more.

Here's what to keep in mind:

  • Indoor vs. Outdoor Balls: There's a crucial difference between indoor and outdoor volleyballs. Beach volleyballs, for example, are designed for outdoor use and can withstand the elements. Indoor volleyballs, however, are made of leather and susceptible to water damage from rain, gravel, and dust. Stick to outdoor balls for outdoor play!

These balls can be good starter balls if you just want something basic to start with:

  1. Kipsta V900
    1. Official FIVB volleyball (but honestly no one uses them competitively, it’s just that they’re decent quality for the price)
    2. RM 79
    3. https://www.decathlon.my/p/volleyball-v900-white-red-kipsta-8408660.html
  2. Molten 3500
    1. Generally around RM 100
    2. https://www.gracevolleyball.com/product-page/molten-3500-volleyball
    3. https://www.sportsdirect.com.my/molten-volleyball-ball-00-803072#colcode=80307201

Later when you're more committed you can buy more expensive ones such as:

  1. Mikasa V200W or V300W
    1. Preferred
    2. Everyone uses this
  2. Molten 5000
    1. Less used by others

These balls are recommended but I have personally never tried them.

  1. Mikasa Beach Pro BV500C
    1. Used in beach tournaments
    2. Super expensive and hard to buy
  2. Copaya BVB900
    1. https://www.decathlon.my/p/beach-volleyball-bvb900-fivb-green-yellow-copaya-8549565.html

While official sport stores offer the most reliable selection, online sellers on Shopee or Lazada can be a viable option. However, be careful of extremely cheap deals, as they often indicate fake balls.

Pro tip: In my experience, I've had success finding good quality volleyballs at reasonable prices on Shopee.

Bonus tip: If you ever travel to Thailand, you might find volleyball equipment even more readily available and affordable, as they're usually produced there!

  1. Ball pump
  2. Pressure gauge
  3. Cold spray for injuries
  4. Sports tape for injuries

This won’t be a comprehensive discussion, but I will point to resources that helped me to learn the basics.

Basic skills (Spiking, Passing, Setting, Blocking)

This is good read on the rules:

This is recommended to understand the positions and roles:

Later on as you get more experienced, you will need to know the 5-1 formation if your team is running it, but generally for casual play the setter tends to just stand in the middle and everyone else just rotates around them.

Some common roles you might have heard / will hear of:

  • Setter
  • Outside Hitter == Left-side Hitter == Open
  • Opposite Hitter == Right-side Hitter
  • Middle Blocker = Middle
  • Libero

At some point, you may decide you love the sport and you want to get better at it. Here are a few clubs that can provide training:

  1. GForce Volleyball Club
  2. Horizon Volleyball Club
  3. Black Doggies Volleyball Club
  4. Masters Volleyball Academy
  5. Grace Volleyball Academy
  6. Ultra Volley Academy

Another very effective way of learning is just playing with better players and asking them to help to teach you!

There's too much to say on this section, so I'll link to another article when it is ready!

In my experience as a complete beginner to the sport, learning at first sucks. Everything hurts, the balls fly everywhere, I have no strength to even serve past the net and I keep missing the ball… How can I have fun?

The important thing to remember is to be patient with your progress and have fun with it! Volleyball is one of the harder sports to get started with as a beginner, as there are so many skills you need to learn that aren't very intuitive, e.g. setting and passing the ball, and you depend so much on your teammates to be able to play the game. In the beginning, focus on just keeping the ball in the air, and then slowly work on different skills as you get better. Remember to always have fun!

I hope this helps you out, and if there's something you'd like to add to this list or if you have any questions, please let me know!