Volleyball is the second most popular sport in the world today. This outdoor and indoor sport has improved ,and changed, drastically since Mr. William G. Morgan invented the sport in 1895 at a YMCA in Holyoke, a slightly large city in Hampden County, Massachusetts. Volleyball was created for middle aged men that needed something less strenuous than basketball. Now Volleyball is played by millions of young men and women, in the gym and on the sand. This page will inform you about the game of Volleyball and how Volleyball has changed since Morgan's inventing of the game. So, first things first , what even is volleyball and just how do you play it?
Volleyball is a complex game of simple skills. A purely rebound sport (you can't hold the ball), Volleyball is a constant game of motion. The ball is first spiked from up to 24 inches above the height of a basketball hoop and takes a fractions of a second to travel from the spiker to the reciever. This means the reciever must assess incoming angle, decide where to pass the ball, and then control their pass in a blink of an eye. Like I mentioned earlier, volleyball is a VERY complex sport but requires simple skills.
A team can touch the ball three times on its side of the net. The usual pattern is a dig (underarm pass made with the forearms), a set (an overhead pass made with the hands) and a spike (the overhead attacking shot). The ball is served into play. Teams can also try to block the opponent's spike as it crosses the net. A block into your own court counts as one of your three contacts in Beach Volleyball, but not in Indoor Volleyball.
Power and height have become vital components of international teams, but the ability of teams and coaches to devise new strategies, tactics, and skills has been crucial for continued success.
Facts about Volleyball
- There are six players on a court in a Volleyball game, who each must rotate one position clockwise every time their team wins back service from the opposition. Only the three players at the net positions can jump, spike, or block near the net. The backcourt players can only hit the ball over the net if they jump from behind the attack line, also known as the three-metre line, which seperates the front and back part of the court
- Volleyball has developed into a very specialised sport. Most teams will include in their starting line-up a setter, two centre blockers, two recievers, hitters, and a universal spiker. Only certain players will be involved with service reception. Players will also have specialist positions for attack and defence. Substitutions are allowed during the game, but there is a limit in most leagues.
- From 1998, Volleyball used a new scoring system. Teams scored a point on every rally (rally point system), regardless of which team served. Formerly, a team could only win a point if it served the ball. Winning the serve back from the opposition was known as a side-out.
- Matches are played best of five sets. The first four sets are played to 25 points, with the final set being played to 15 points. A team must win a set by two points. There is no ceiling, so a set continues until one of the teams gains a two point advantage. Previously, all sets were to 15 points, with the first four sets having a ceiling of 17 and the final set requiring at least a two point winning advantage.
- From 1996, the FIVB introduced a new specialist role: the libero. This player wears a different coloured uniform from the rest of the team and can be substituted in backcourt for any player on the team. The libero cannot serve, spike the ball over the net or rotate into the front line positions, but plays a vital role for the team in serve reception and backcourt defense. There must be at least one point played between a libero subtituting off for a player and going back in for another player- hence he/she cannot be on the court for the whole game. The libero has added an extra dimension to backcourt defence, improving the reception of teams, lengthening the rallied and giving a vital role to shorter players.
Roles
Service: A service begins each rally. A player must hit the ball with his or her hand over the net to land inside the lines of the court. Players may serve underarm or overarm (hardly anyone at elite level serves underarm). A popular serve is the "jump" serve or "spike" serve. The player will jump and serve the bal while airborne. Easy as it sounds it is actually quite difficult and only certain players have it perfected.
Each player gets only one chance to serve. The serve can touch the net and continue into the opponent's court. Before this rule was introduce, a net touch on service ended the rallt and the point was awarded to the recieving team. When the serving team loses a rally, it loses the right to serve. The recieving team then rotates one position on the court.
Dig: The "dig" is a forearm pass that is used to control the ball and pass it to the setter at the net. It is usually the first contact by the team and an effective shot to use in defence, such as when recieving a spike. The "libero" handles much of the team's serve reception and is pivotal in backcourt defence.
Set: The "set" is an overhead pass used to change the direction of the dig and put the ball in a good position for the spiker. It is usually the team's second contact. Setting is the tactical centre of Volleyball. A setter must be good enough to keep the big blockers from dominating the net. The setter must feed his or her best hitters while also looking for opponent's blocking weaknesses ( such as a short player on the front line or a slow centre blocker).
Spike: The "spike" is when the ball is hit or smashed across the net. It is the most powerful shot in Volleyball - and the most effective way to win a rally.
Block: This is the first line of defence in Volleyball. The objective of the "block" is to stop the spiked ball from crossing the net or to channel the spike to the defenders. The three front- court players share blocking. Teams usually opt for a "read and react" block (whereby they try to react to the ball leaving the setter's hands) or for a "commit" block ( whereby they decide before the point whether to jump on the quick middle balls). The key to good blocking is penetration - the best blockers reach well over the net into their opponent's court rather than reaching straight up, when the block can be easily penetrated by quality hitters.
Each player gets only one chance to serve. The serve can touch the net and continue into the opponent's court. Before this rule was introduce, a net touch on service ended the rallt and the point was awarded to the recieving team. When the serving team loses a rally, it loses the right to serve. The recieving team then rotates one position on the court.
Dig: The "dig" is a forearm pass that is used to control the ball and pass it to the setter at the net. It is usually the first contact by the team and an effective shot to use in defence, such as when recieving a spike. The "libero" handles much of the team's serve reception and is pivotal in backcourt defence.
Set: The "set" is an overhead pass used to change the direction of the dig and put the ball in a good position for the spiker. It is usually the team's second contact. Setting is the tactical centre of Volleyball. A setter must be good enough to keep the big blockers from dominating the net. The setter must feed his or her best hitters while also looking for opponent's blocking weaknesses ( such as a short player on the front line or a slow centre blocker).
Spike: The "spike" is when the ball is hit or smashed across the net. It is the most powerful shot in Volleyball - and the most effective way to win a rally.
Block: This is the first line of defence in Volleyball. The objective of the "block" is to stop the spiked ball from crossing the net or to channel the spike to the defenders. The three front- court players share blocking. Teams usually opt for a "read and react" block (whereby they try to react to the ball leaving the setter's hands) or for a "commit" block ( whereby they decide before the point whether to jump on the quick middle balls). The key to good blocking is penetration - the best blockers reach well over the net into their opponent's court rather than reaching straight up, when the block can be easily penetrated by quality hitters.
The rally point system
In 1998 the FIVB tried some different scoring systems. At its World Congress in October 1998, the FIVB ratified the "rally point system". Every rally would now earn a point. The first four sets are played to 25, but the winning team must be ahead by at least two points. The fifth set is played to 15 - and again the winner must have a two point margin. The system was designed to make the scoring system easier to follow and games faster and more exciting.
Rotation
Each of the six players on an indoor team rotates a position after winning back service from the opponent. This is the key to the tactics of indoor volleyball- you cannot simply keep your best blockers and spikers at the net or your best defenders in the back court. After serving from position one, players rotate to position six ( middle back), then position 5 (left back), position 4 ( left front), position 3 ( middle front), position 2 (right front) before returning to serve. A team must be in correct rotation order before the serve is put into play. Once the ball is served, the players can move positions but backcourt players cannot move to the net to block or spike. They must make all attacking actions from behind the attack line ( hence the advent of the backcourt attack to have great spikers participating in all six rotations). The rotation rule explains why a setter often appears to be "hiding" behind his or her players before a point. The setter must be in proper rotation order before sprinting to the net or a point is given to the opposition.
Now that you know about the game of volleyball, who even invented Volleyball, and what exactly was it like when invented?
The inventor of volleyball
William Morgan, an instructor at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts, is credited with starting volleyball in 1895. As the physical
education director, he was looking for a competitive recreational game that wasn't as violent and intense as the developing game of basketball. He liked the idea of using a net, as in tennis, but he didn't want to bother with racquets and lots of balls. So, he experimented with his idea for mintonette, which eventually became the game we know today as volleyball.
education director, he was looking for a competitive recreational game that wasn't as violent and intense as the developing game of basketball. He liked the idea of using a net, as in tennis, but he didn't want to bother with racquets and lots of balls. So, he experimented with his idea for mintonette, which eventually became the game we know today as volleyball.
what was volleyball like when first invented?
Volleyball was first played using a tennis net which is an average of 6`6", now an average net is 7`4". There was also no limit to the
number of players on a team or number of contacts per side. Today there are 12 players on a team and a limit of 3 contacts per side. Volleyball was also only played indoors until 1948.
number of players on a team or number of contacts per side. Today there are 12 players on a team and a limit of 3 contacts per side. Volleyball was also only played indoors until 1948.
THE BALL
Mr. Morgan first experimented with using the bladder of a basketball, but this was too light. He then tried a basketball, but this was way too heavy. Morgan then asked A.G Spalding and Bros. to design a ball that was just right. FIVB ( Fédération Internationale de. Volleyball) reports that the original Spalding ball was covered in leather and had a rubber inner tube. This ball had a circumference of 25 to 27 inches and weighed 9 to 12 ounces. The ball we use today is surprisingly about the same size and weight with a circumference of
25.6 to 26.4 inches and weighing 9.2 to 9.9 ounces. Volleyballs today are also made out of leather or sometimes synthetic.
25.6 to 26.4 inches and weighing 9.2 to 9.9 ounces. Volleyballs today are also made out of leather or sometimes synthetic.
THE NET
As Morgan was developing his game of mintonette, he liked the idea of using a net, like in tennis. So, he raised a tennis net to a height of
about 6 feet, 6 inches -- just above the head of an average man. He designed the game to be played in a gym or exercise hall. In 1900, the height of the net was raised to 7 feet, 6 inches. As the U.S. and Europe worked to standardize the sport in 1947, the FIVB was formed and the net height was set at 2.43 m for men and 2.24 m for women.
about 6 feet, 6 inches -- just above the head of an average man. He designed the game to be played in a gym or exercise hall. In 1900, the height of the net was raised to 7 feet, 6 inches. As the U.S. and Europe worked to standardize the sport in 1947, the FIVB was formed and the net height was set at 2.43 m for men and 2.24 m for women.
Court size
The size of a regulation volleyball court changed a few times over the years. FIVB reports that in 1912, the court size was set at 35 x 60 feet. In 1920, the size was reduced to 30 x 60 feet. In 1947, the U.S. and Europe agreed to standardize the size at 9 x 18 m. In 2010, that was still the regulation size. The court is also to be surrounded by a free zone of a minimum of 3 m on all sides.