History of volleyball: From humble

beginnings to a global sport

Originally called mintonette, the origin of volleyball can be traced back to 1895 in
Massachusetts, USA. It was created by American William G. Morgan.

For a sport that has been around for over a century, the origin of volleyball traces its
roots to a rather humble beginning.

History has it that William G. Morgan, who invented the game of volleyball in 1895, came
up with the idea so that people who found basketball’s ‘bumping’ or ‘jolting’ too
strenuous could have an alternative physical activity to fall back on.

William G. Morgan, who served as the physical director at the Young Men’s Christian
Association (YMCA) Holyoke, Massachusetts, looked at the sports around and picked
the aspects that he thought suited his brief the best.

The ball came from baske`tball, the net from tennis and the use of hands from handball.
While this made up a game of volleyball, it was lent some competitive tone with the
introduction of innings - later to be called sets - that was borrowed from baseball.

Morgan introduced the sport -- called mintonette, the original name of volleyball -- at the
YMCA Physical Director's Conference a year later at Springfield College,
Massachusetts.

"In search of an appropriate game, tennis occurred to me, but this required rackets,
balls, a net and other equipment, so it was eliminated, but the idea of a net seemed a
good one," Morgan explained. "We raised [the net] to a height of... just above the head of
an average man. We needed a ball and among those we tried was a basketball bladder,
but this was too light and too slow. We therefore tried the basketball itself, which was too
big and too heavy.”

A new specially designed ball, which was lighter and smaller, was introduced in 1900.

Though it was incomplete with no fixed rules and a format to follow, the sport did enough
to win over the delegation and soon became a part of YMCA’s wide network throughout
the USA with a new name - volley ball (initially it was termed as two words). Volleyball
was officially selected to spell as a single word in 1952.

A sport that traced its origin to basketball, baseball, tennis and handball - and now
estimated to be played by over 800 million globally - had thus been established.

Development of volleyball
The coming years saw rules for the game being drawn up as volleyball continued to
bank on YMCA’s popularity to go global.

With YMCA societies playing prominent roles in regions like India, China, Europe, South
America and Africa, volleyball would soon spread in these regions.
It was in Asia that it gathered steam. By 1913, the growth of the game in the continent
was evident as that year saw it being included in the first Far-Eastern Games, organised
in Manila.

It was not until 1900 that a specially designed lighter and smaller ball was devised, which
opened up a new array of tactical and technical possibilities for the sport.

Rules for playing volleyball kept establishing over the years; points per set changed from
21 to 15 points in 1917, in the following year the number of players per team was set at
six and so on.

A few years later, a new offensive way of playing the game — including what we now
call setting and spiking — emerged in the Philippines. It was to be called ‘bomba’ or
‘Filipino bomb’, taking a cue from the pace at which the ball landed in the opposition’s
court.

The new tactic also meant the rules of volleyball were further refined and standardised,
including the scoring system and the rule stipulating a maximum of three hits per team.

However, all through this period, volleyball was largely restricted to only a few regions.
Though there were a few national championships in different countries, none had a fixed
set of rules as it varied from region to region.

But all this would change in 1947.

International governing body of volleyball

April 1947 saw the establishment of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB).

Representatives from 14 nations - Belgium, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, France, the

Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Uruguay, the USA and
Yugoslavia - met in Paris under the leadership of France’s Paul Libaud to set up the
association that would govern volleyball at the international level.

Libaud assumed the role of FIVB's first president, a position he held on to till 1984. The
first volleyball World Championships for men was held in 1949 in Prague and in 1952 for
women in Moscow.
FIVB has since grown into becoming one of the biggest sporting organisations in the
world with 222 affiliated bodies.

While the World Championships continues to be the mega attraction for the game, the
FIVB has added events like the FIVB World League, the FIVB World Grand Prix,
the FIVB World Cup and the FIVB Grand Champions Cup to its roster over the years,
apart from eventually becoming an Olympic sport.
A volleyball equipment and materials list
Here is a list of the volleyball material and equipment that you
may need to play.
 Volleyball balls
 Volleyball shorts
 Volleyball t-shirts
 Volleyball shoes
 Volleyball braces, sleeves and pads

 Volleyball court
 Volleyball net and poles
 Volleyball penalty cards
Volleyball is a simple game which doesn’t require any equipment other than a
ball, a net and a flat court. Even two players can play and have fun with
volleyball.

Net

Net is one meter long and 9.5 to 10 meter wide. It is tied vertically above the
center line of the court to posts fixed at either sides of the court, at a distance of
one meter from the sidelines. The center of the net should lie 2.43 meter above
the ground for men and 2.24 meter for women. At the sides the net may be
higher by a maximum of 2cm, however it should be tied at the same height at
both the posts.

The court width is marked on the net with a tape and a flexible antennae of one
meter extends from the tape marker on both sides of the net. These markings
help the referee determine when the ball goes outside the court.
Ball

Volley ball a spherical ball of 65-67 cm circumference. It is made of leather or

any synthetic material and weighs 260-280 g.

Volleyballs are available in various colors, however for international

tournaments, FIVB approved balls should only be used.
The officials volleyball crew include R1, R2, scorer, libero tracker, and line judges.

Volleyball Referee (R1)

The first referee carries out his or her responsibilities from a position standing located at the
opposite end of the net from the scorekeeper's table.

It's recommended that the first referee remain on the stand during the entire match except for a
protest, for personal reasons, or to handle a scorekeeping difficulty that the second referee is
unable to resolve.

The first referee directs the match from the first moment arriving to the court until the end of the
match.

First referee duties include...

 Having authority over all team members.

 Having final authority over all decisions including those that don't specifically address the
rules.

 Having authority over other officials of volleyball and overruling other officials if certain
they made an incorrect decision.

 Replacing an official that isn't performing functions properly.

First referee responsibilities before the match include...

 Examine the ball that will be used for the match.

 Inspect the net, playing area, and other equipment to ensure they meet specifications.

 Conduct the coin toss and meeting of referees and team representatives.

 Control the warm up conduct of teams.

 Establish ground rules as needed.

Second Referee (R2)
The second referee takes position facing the first referee on the opposite side of the court.

Should the first referee be indisposed, the second referee assumes the responsibilities and duties
of the first referee.

Second Referee Administering a Substitution

Second referee responsibilities before the match include...

 Ensure the names of the officials of volleyball appear on the first set score sheet.

 Ensure the coaches have line up sheets at least 10 minutes before the end of each team's
timed warm up periods. The second referee collects the line up sheets from each team at
the 3 minute mark on the clock timing the pre-match warm ups and submits them to the
scorekeeper.

Officials Volleyball Scorer (Scorekeeper)

The scorekeeper and assistant scorekeeper are seated at the scorekeeper's table, positioned
on the side of the court opposite the first referee and behind the second referee.

note: Don't forget your officials volleyball gear.

Scorekeeper responsibilities...

The scorekeeper is in charge of the score sheet throughout the match, in cooperation with the
second referee. The assistant scorekeeper is responsible for tracking the libero player's
entries and aiding the scorekeeper.

Officials Volleyball Line Judges

During play, the line judges are positioned as follows...

 When using two line judges, they stand diagonally opposite each other at the ends of the
court. One line judge is positioned at the intersection of the sideline and end line to the
first referee's right. The other line judge is at the intersection of the sideline and end line
to the second referee's right. Each line judge controls an end line and entire side line.

 The line judges should move from the above positions to avoid interference with players
playing the ball or to better observe a ball crossing the net clearing the antenna.

 During timeouts, line judges stand near the intersection of the sideline and attack line on
the side of the first referee.
Officials Volleyball Ball Crew
Some teams will have a ball crew (ball shaggers) that manage the game balls during play.

The purpose of the ball crew is to help keep the game flowing smoothly. Not having to wait for
players to retrieve volleyballs can help speed up the game. Also, sometimes the ball will get wet.
The ball crew dries off the balls with a towel, providing a dry ball for the next play.

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