As I’ve tried to broaden my sports world this past year, I’ve encountered a strange, sometimes troubling, and often head-scratching aspect of this quest.

To truly understand a sport, I’ve concluded, one must first master the rules that govern each sport.

I was so inspired, and bewildered enough, to attempt, in the space of this column, a “rational” explanation of rules.

Not to be confused with the military’s “rules of engagement” a zany, if not deadly, set of rules that govern how, when and where a combatant is allowed to return harmful actions to an “enemy” combatant who in addition to spreading nasty rumors about your sister is now send leaded projectiles your way.

We wouldn’t want to offend anyone in the middle of a war, would we.

But those kinds of rules are way too complex and insane for the sports pages. Instead, let’s stick to rules governing sports specifically.

And what a better place to begin, I’ve discovered, than those regulations that appear to govern one of my new favorite sports, volleyball.

As a novice volleyballer who has admittedly never actually cracked open a volleyball rules pamphlet, I noticed that at the beginning of each match, the players undertake what can only be described as a ritualistic adherence to some mind-blowing set of rules, such as waving at the rules official who stands on a platform above the top of the net.

It happens at the onset of every match. Not sure what the purpose is other than an acknowledgement of the supreme authority that comes with being able to climb the ladder of regulations and command total respect from the participants below.

In addition to whistle sounds, the volleyball official is equipped with an intriguing set of hand and arm signals that allow play to begin, continue and end.

It’s sign language on steroids, which are banned by rules in most sports, except in old Soviet bloc countries.

This same way of thinking is prevalent in the world of American football. In addition to shrill whistles and hand/arm motions indicating which rule has been violated, football officials get yellow handkerchiefs to hurl into the air to emphasize the severity of a rules violation.

For example, if one football player smacks into another one on their way out of bounds, the air fills with yellow hankies and play is halted. Only public shaming is excluded in enforcing the idea that smacking another heavily padded participant is a no-no.

But that pales in comparison to the bizarre soccer rule (see non-American football) that enables the on-field official to wave a yellow playing card in the face of a rules violator who, for example, bumped into another player. If the bumping is from a repeat offender, out comes the red card, which means you sir, or madam, are in deep soccer doo-doo.

Those rules and the enforcement thereof, pale in comparison, however, to the ritual that accompanies participants on ice skates who swing a wooden stick at the head of another participant to retire to a “penalty” box. The idea is not only to remove the dangerous hockey player from the game, at least temporarily, but to place him in a glass cage where fans can heap ridicule and scorn by the bucket full.

And even baseball is not immune from rules on rules.

If, during a sport so peaceful it is played in a park, on a diamond, a player disagrees with the ruling of an umpire, said player may be rudely thumbed out of the game. This level of punishment is so severe, grown human beings will often protest “ejection” by literally going nose-to-nose with the umpire, and in extreme cases, spitting tobacco juice into the blue-clad official’s face.

Throw a hard baseball at another player’s head while he is at the “plate” and you will likely be escorted out of the park, after the ensuing brawl. And it goes beyond simple ejection...the penalties often include several days ban on playing at all.

Accidentally touch an opposing basketball player’s arm while he is attempting to dunk on you and you will receive a whistle-blown foul which allows the harmed individual to stand alone at a line painted on the court and shoot “free throws” without fear of being struck in the process.

And of course, there are rules that transcend the boundaries of a single sport. Breathe in too much pure oxygen, a basic element of the process known as life, and you may be banished for the rest of your sporting life. That rule is known as the “blood-doping” rule.

Surely these boundaries and limitations are meant to control the actions of those who might be too rough, obscene or naughty. Monetary fines may even be accessed, depending on the sport.

The rules, they tell us, are among other things designed to ensure a proper flow and tempo to the game or match. Player safety is paramount.

That being said, it only adds to the complexity and time consuming motions when play is halted and rules violators, including coaches, get a refresher course on why the rule is the rule and why it is being ruled at this time.

Sports, ladies and gentlemen, are not only fun, they are insane in their own way.