VOLLEYBALL

 Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score
points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official
program of the Summer Olympic Games since Tokyo 1964.

BRIEF HISTORY OF VOLLEYBALL

 The game of volleyball, originally called “mintonette,” was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan after the
invention of basketball only four years before. Morgan, a graduate of the Springfield College of the YMCA,
designed the game to be a combination of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball.

TIMELINE OF SIGNIFICANT VOLLEYBALL EVENTS

 In 1900, a special ball was designed for the sport.
 In 1916, in the Philippines, an offensive style of passing the ball in a high trajectory to be struck by another
player (the set and spike) were introduced.
 In 1917, the game was changed from 21 to 15 points.
 In 1920, three hits per side and back row attack rules were instituted.
 In 1922, the first YMCA national championships were held in Brooklyn, NY. Twenty-seven teams from 11 states
were represented.
 In 1928, it became clear that tournaments and rules were needed, so the United States Volleyball Association
(USVBA, now USA Volleyball) was formed. The first U.S. Open was staged, as the field was open to non-YMCA
squads.
 In 1930, the first two-man beach game was played.
 In 1934, national volleyball referees were approved and recognized.
 In 1937, at the AAU convention in Boston, action was taken to recognize the U.S. Volleyball Association as the
official national governing body in the U.S.
 In 1947, the Federation Internationale De Volley-Ball (FIVB) was founded.
 In 1948, the first two-man beach tournament was held.
 In 1949, the initial World Championships were held in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
 In 1964, volleyball was introduced to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
 In 1965, the California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) was formed.
 In 1974, the World Championships in Mexico were telecast in Japan.
 In 1975, the U.S. National Women’s team began a year-round training regime in Pasadena, Texas (moved to
Colorado Springs in 1979, Coto de Caza and Fountain Valley, CA, in 1980, and San Diego, CA, in 1985).
 In 1977, the U.S. National Men’s Team began a year-round training regime in Dayton, Ohio (moved to San Diego,
CA, in 1981).
 In 1983, the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) was formed.
 In 1984, the U.S. won their first medals at the Olympics in Los Angeles. The men won the gold, and the women
the silver.
 In 1986, the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association (WPVA) was formed.
 In 1988, the U.S. men repeated the gold in the Olympics in Korea.
 In 1990, the World League was created.
 In 1995, the sport of volleyball was 100 years old!
 In 1996, two-person beach volleyball became an Olympic sport.

EQUIPMENTS IN VOLLEYBALL
1. Net - is one meter long and 9.5 to 10 meter wide. It is tied vertically above the centre line of the court to posts
fixed at either side of the court, at a distance of one meter from the side-lines. The centre 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 antenna 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.
2. 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 colours, however for international tournaments, FIVB
approved balls should only be used.

FACILITIES OF VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball Court Dimensions
The Volleyball court is 60 feet by 30 feet in total. The net in placed in the center of the court, making each side of the net
30 feet by 30 feet.
Center Line
A center line is marked at the center of the court dividing it equally into 30 feet squares, above which the net is placed.

Attack Line
An attack line is marked 10 feet of each side of the center line.

Service Line
A service line, the area from which the server may serve the volleyball, is marked 10 feet inside the right sideline on each
back line.

Net
The net is placed directly above the center line, 7 feet 4 inches above the ground for women and 8 feet above the
ground for men.

Poles
Volleyball poles should be set at 36 feet apart, 3 feet further out from the sidelines.

Ceiling Height
The minimum ceiling height should be 23 feet, though they should preferably be higher.

FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS IN VOLLEYBALL

The Four Basic Skills in Volleyball

 Passing. Passing is often thought of as the most important skill in volleyball. If you can't pass the serve, then you
won't ever put your team in a position to score a point.
 Serving. The importance of serving is often undervalued. Many coaches don't teach players to serve aggressive
and use this opportunity to give the team an advantage for scoring points.
 Blocking. Blocking is perhaps the least taught skill in volleyball. Players can get away with poor blocking skills
because not blocking isn't going to hurt the team as much as being poor at executing other skills in volleyball.
 Digging. Digging is another skill that isn't focused on quite as much as most skills in volleyball.

POSITIONS OF VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS

There are five positions filled on every volleyball team at the elite level. Setter, Outside Hitter/Left Side Hitter, Middle
Hitter, Opposite Hitter/Right Side Hitter and Libero/Defensive Specialist. Each of these positions plays a specific, key role
in winning a volleyball match.

 Setters: have the task for orchestrating the offence of the team. They aim for the second touch and their main
responsibility is to place the ball in the air where the attackers can place the ball into the opponents' court for a
point. They have to be able to operate with the hitters, manage the tempo of their side of the court and choose
the right attackers to set. Setters need to have a swift and skilful appraisal and tactical accuracy and must be
quick at moving around the court.
 Liberos: are defensive players who are responsible for receiving the attack or serve. They are usually the players
on the court with the quickest reaction time and best passing skills. Libero means 'free' in Italian—they receive
this name as they have the ability to substitute for any other player on the court during each play. They do not
necessarily need to be tall, as they never play at the net, which allows shorter players with strong passing and
defensive skills to excel in the position and play an important role in the team's success. A player designated as a
libero for a match may not play other roles during that match. Liberos wear a different colour jersey than their
teammates.
 Middle blockers or Middle hitters : are players that can perform very fast attacks that usually take place near the
setter. They are specialized in blocking since they must attempt to stop equally fast plays from their opponents
and then quickly set up a double block at the sides of the court. In non-beginners play, every team will have two
middle hitters.
 Outside hitters or Left side hitters: attack from near the left antenna. The outside hitter is usually the most
consistent hitter on the team and gets the most sets. Inaccurate first passes usually result in a set to the outside
hitter rather than middle or opposite. Since most sets to the outside are high, the outside hitter may take a
longer approach, always starting from outside the court side-line. In non-beginners play, there are again two
outside hitters on every team in every match.
 Opposite hitters or Right-side hitters: carry the defensive workload for a volleyball team in the front row. Their
primary responsibilities are to put up a well-formed block against the opponents' Outside Hitters and serve as a
backup setter. Sets to the opposite usually go to the right side of the antennae.