Volleyball- a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net.
*It has been a part of the official program of the Summer Olympic Games since 1964.
Play proceeds as follows:
1. player on one of the teams begins a 'rally' by serving the ball
2. from behind the back boundary line of the court,
3. over the net
4. into the receiving team's court.
*The team may touch the ball up to 3 times but individual players may not touch the ball twice
consecutively.
The rally continues, with each team allowed as many as three consecutive touches, until either:
(1) a team makes a kill, grounding the ball on the opponent's court and winning the rally;
(2): a team commits a fault and loses the rally.
A few of the most common faults include:
1. causing the ball to touch the ground or floor outside the opponents' court or
2. without first passing over the net;
3. catching and throwing the ball;
4. double hit- two consecutive contacts with the ball made by the same player;
5. four consecutive contacts with the ball made by the same team;
6. net foul- touching the net during play;
7. foot fault- the foot crosses over the boundary line when serving.
Consistent techniques in volleyball:
1. spiking and blocking
2. passing
3. setting
4. specialized player positions
5. offensive and defensive structures
Origin of volleyball
*February 9, 1895, in Holyoke, Massachusetts (USA)
William G. Morgan- YMCA physical education director
Mintonette- created by Morgan as a pastime to be played (preferably) indoors and by any
number of players.
Took some of its characteristics from:
1. tennis
2. handball
Net- 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) high, a 25 ft × 50 ft (7.6 m × 15.2 m) court
*A match was composed of nine innings with three serves for each team in each inning, and no
limit to the number of ball contacts for each team before sending the ball to the opponents'
court.
* In case of a serving error, a second try was allowed.
* Hitting the ball into the net was considered a foul (with loss of the point or a side-out)—except
in the case of the first-try serve.
Alfred Halstead- an observer and noticed the volleying nature of the game and it quickly
became known as volleyball (it was originally spelled as two words: "volley ball").
1896- first exhibition match played at the International YMCA Training School (now called
Springfield College).
International YMCA Training School- slightly modified the volleyball rules
*Some sources say that Spalding created the first official ball in 1896, while others claim it was
created in 1900.
* The rules evolved over time: in the Philippines by 1916, the skill and power of the set and
spike had been introduced, and four years later a "three hits" rule and a rule against hitting from
the back row were established.
Canada (1900)- first country outside the United States to adopt volleyball.
Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB)- founded in 1947
*First World Championships were held in 1949 for men and 1952 for women.
Beach volleyball (1987)-a variation of the game played on sand and with only two players per
team and was added to the Olympic program at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
*Volleyball is also a sport at the Paralympics managed by the World Organization Volleyball for
Disabled.
Rules of the game
The court dimensions
Volleyball court- 9 m × 18 m (29.53 ft × 59.06 ft), divided into equal square halves by a net
Net- one meter (39.4 in) wide
Top of the net- 2.43 m (7 ft 11 21⁄32 in) above the center of the court for men's competition, and
2.24 m (7 ft 4 3⁄16 in) for women's competition
The major differences between beach and indoor volleyball are:
1. Playing surface – sand rather than hard court.
2. Bare feet are allowed for the players.
3. Dimensions: each half of the court is 8 meters (26.2 ft) square, compared to 9 m (29.5 ft) in
the indoor game.
Attack line- a line 3 m (9.84 ft) from and parallel to the net. This "3 meter" (or "10-foot") line
divides the court into "back row" and "front row" areas. *These are in turn divided into 3 areas
each: these are numbered as follows, starting from area "1", which is the position of the serving
player:
The ball
Ball- must be spherical, made of leather or synthetic leather, have a circumference of 65–67 cm,
a weight of 260–280 g and an inside pressure of 0.30–0.325 kg/cm2.
Game play
*Each team consists of six players.
Scoring
* The game continues, with the first team to score 25 points by a two-point margin is awarded
the set. Matches are best-of-five sets and the fifth set, if necessary, is usually played to 15
points. (Scoring differs between leagues, tournaments, and levels; high schools sometimes play
best-of-three to 25; in the NCAA matches are played best-of-five to 25 as of the 2008 season.)
Before 1999, points could be scored only when a team had the serve (side-out scoring) and all
sets went up to only 15 points. The FIVB changed the rules in 1999 (with the changes being
compulsory in 2000) to use the current scoring system (formerly known as rally point system),
primarily to make the length of the match more predictable and to make the game more
spectator- and television-friendly.
2000- The final year of side-out scoring at the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball
Championship.
2001-2007- games were played to 30 points.
2008- games were renamed "sets" and reduced to 25 points to win.
Libero
Libero player- introduced internationally in 1998, and made its debut for NCAA competition in
2002.
Libero- a player specialized in defensive skills
- must wear a contrasting jersey color from his or her teammates and cannot block or
attack the ball when it is entirely above net height.
*When the ball is not in play, the libero can replace any back-row player, without prior notice to
the officials. This replacement does not count against the substitution limit each team is allowed
per set, although the libero may be replaced only by the player whom he or she replaced.
The libero may function as a setter only under certain restrictions. If she/he makes an overhand
set, she/he must be standing behind (and not stepping on) the 3-meter line; otherwise, the ball
cannot be attacked above the net in front of the 3-meter line. An underhand pass is allowed
from any part of the court.
Recent rule changes
Other rule changes enacted in 2000 include allowing serves in which the ball touches the net,
as long as it goes over the net into the opponents' court. Also, the service area was expanded
to allow players to serve from anywhere behind the end line but still within the theoretical
extension of the sidelines. Other changes were made to lighten up calls on faults for carries and
double-touches, such as allowing multiple contacts by a single player ("double-hits") on a team's
first contact provided that they are a part of a single play on the ball.
In 2008, the NCAA changed the minimum number of points needed to win any of the first four
sets from 30 to 25 for women's volleyball (men's volleyball remained at 30.) If a fifth (deciding)
set is reached, the minimum required score remains at 15. In addition, the word "game" is now
referred to as "set"
2009- FIVB released the updated rules.
Skills
Competitive teams master six basic skills: 1. serve
2 pass
3. set
4. attack
5. block
6. dig
Serve
A player stands behind the inline and serves the ball, in an attempt to drive it into the opponent's
court.
*A serve is called an "ace" when the ball lands directly onto the court or travels outside the court
after being touched by an opponent.
Types of serves:
1. Underhand- a serve in which the player strikes the ball below the waist instead of tossing it
up and striking it with an overhand throwing motion.
2. Sky ball serve- (Brazilian team,1980s) a specific type of underhand serve used in beach
volleyball, where the ball is hit so high it comes down almost in a straight line.
Adrian Carambula- Italian beach volleyball player who extensively played sky ball serve during
the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
* In Brazil, this serve is called Jornada nas Estrelas (Star Trek)
3. Topspin- an overhand serve where the player tosses the ball high and hits it with a wrist
span, giving it topspin which causes it to drop faster than it would otherwise and helps maintain
a straight flight path.
4. Float- an overhand serve where the ball is hit with no spin so that its path becomes
unpredictable, akin to a knuckleball in baseball.
5. Jump serve- an overhand serve where the ball is first tossed high in the air, then the player
makes a timed approach and jumps to make contact with the ball, hitting it with much pace and
topspin. This is the most popular serve amongst college and professional teams.
6. Jump float- an overhand serve where the ball is tossed high enough that the player may
jump before hitting it similarly to a standing float serve. The ball is tossed lower than a topspin
jump serve, but contact is still made while in the air. This serve is becoming more popular
amongst college and professional. It is the only serve where the server's feet can go over the
inline.
Pass
Pass- also called reception, is the attempt by a team to properly handle the opponent's serve, or
any form of attack.
The skill of passing involves fundamentally two specific techniques:
1. underarm pass or bump- where the ball touches the inside part of the joined forearms or
platform, at waist line
2. overhand pass- where it is handled with the fingertips, like a set, above the head.
Set
Set- usually the second contact that a team makes with the ball. The main goal of setting is to
put the ball in the air in such a way that it can be driven by an attack into the opponent's court.
Attack
Attack- also known as the spike, is usually the third contact a team makes with the ball. The
object of attacking is to handle the ball so that it lands on the opponent's court and cannot be
defended.
Contemporary volleyball comprises a number of attacking techniques:
1. Backcourt (or backrow)/pipe attack- an attack performed by a back row player. The player
must jump from behind the 3-meter line before making contact with the ball, but may land in
front of the 3-meter line.
2. Line and Cross-court Shot- refers to whether the ball flies in a straight trajectory parallel to
the side lines, or crosses through the court in an angle.
Cut shot- a cross-court shot with a very pronounced angle, resulting in the ball landing near the
3-meter line.
3. Dip/Dink/Tip/Cheat/Dump- the player does not try to make a hit, but touches the ball lightly,
so that it lands on an area of the opponent's court that is not being covered by the defense.
4. Tool/Wipe/Block-abuse- the player does not try to make a hard spike, but hits the ball so
that it touches the opponent's block and then bounces off-court.
5. Off-speed hit- the player does not hit the ball hard, reducing its speed and thus confusing the
opponent's defense.
6. Quick hit/"One"- an attack (usually by the middle blocker) where the approach and jump
begin before the setter contacts the ball. The set (called a "quick set") is placed only slightly
above the net and the ball is struck by the hitter almost immediately after leaving the setter's
hands.
7. Slide- a variation of the quick hit that uses a low back set. The middle hitter steps around the
setter and hits from behind him or her.
8. Double quick hit/"Stack"/"Tandem"- a variation of quick hit where two hitters, one in front
and one behind the setter or both in front of the setter, jump to perform a quick hit at the same
time.
Block
Blocking- refers to the actions taken by players standing at the net to stop or alter an opponent's
attack.
Offensive- a block that is aimed at completely stopping an attack, thus making the ball remain in
the opponent's court. A well-executed offensive block is performed by jumping and reaching to
penetrate with one's arms and hands over the net and into the opponent's area. It may also
require calculating the best foot work to executing the "perfect" block.
Defensive or "soft" block- the goal is to control and deflect the hard-driven ball up so that it
slows down and becomes easier to defend. A well-executed soft-block is performed by jumping
and placing one's hands above the net with no penetration into the opponent's court and with
the palms up and fingers pointing backward.
Dig
Digging- ability to prevent the ball from touching one's court after a spike or attack, particularly a
ball that is nearly touching the ground. In many aspects, this skill is similar to passing, or
bumping. It is especially important while digging for players to stay on their toes.
A player may sometimes perform a "dive", i.e., throw his or her body in the air with a forward
movement in an attempt to save the ball, and land on his or her chest.
Pancake- the player also slides his or her hand under a ball that is almost touching the court.
When used correctly, it is one of the more spectacular defensive volleyball plays.
