MODULE 9
Open was staged, as the
HISTORY OF VOLLEYBALL
 VOLLEYBALL - Game played by two teams
usually of six players on a side in which the
players use their hands to bat a ball back
and forth over a high net. A team is allowed
only three touches of the ball before it must
be returned over the net.
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.
The first volleyball net, borrowed from tennis, was
only 6’6″ high (though you need to remember that
the average American was shorter in the nineteenth
century).
Timeline of Significant Volleyball Events
In 1896 – the first exhibition match of volleyball is
played at Springfield College (called International
YMCA Training school in 1896).
In 1900, a special ball was designed for the sport.
Special ball was introduced for the game. They
created a ball in 1900 consisting of three layers.
The first was latex bladder made from material like
a bicycle tire, the second was a cheesecloth
material around the bladder, and the third was a
leather outer layer.
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 1919, about 16,000 volleyballs were distributed
by the American Expeditionary Forces to their
troops and allies, which sparked the growth of
volleyball in new countries.
In 1920, three hits per side and back row attack
rules were instituted. First volleyball court at the
beach (Snat Monica, California).
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.
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
In 1977, the U.S. National Men’s Team began a
year-round training regime in Dayton, Ohio
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 is 100 years old.
In 1996, two-person beach volleyball became an
Olympic sport.
MODULE 10
FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT
IN VOLLEYBALL
The Court
Indoor courts must measure 18 meters long by 9
meters wide and have an attack area demarcated
3 meters back from the centerline. The lines
used on the court should not be any wider than 5
cm. A free space measuring 2 meters in any
direction is recommended around the playing area
of the court to prevent any accidental obstructions
of play. Above the highest point of the net, there
should be at least 7 meters of space to allow the
ball free travel, though 12 meters is recommended.

Ball 
The ball used for volleyball is smaller than the
basketball bladder that was used originally. For
indoor volleyball, it should have a circumference
between 65 and 67 cm when fully inflated to an
inner pressure between 4.3 and 4.6 lbs. psi.
Once inflated, the ball must weigh between 260
and 280g.
MODULE 11
RULES AND OF THE GAME
VOLLEYBALL

Basic Volleyball Rules

Net
Net height can vary depending on the age of the
players and the class of volleyball being played.
The standard height used for men over the age of
15 is 2.43 meters measured from the lowest point
of the net to the court floor. For women over the
age of 13, the standard measurement is 2.24
meters. The net extends to each of the side lines
on the court and should be the same height at both
side lines. The net itself is 1 meter wide. At either
end of the net, an antenna is attached that is 10
mm in diameter and extends 1.8 meters above
the net. These antennae are considered part of the
net and are used to delineate the vertical crossing
space.
8 ft. for men and 7 ft. 4 in. for women
 6 players on the floor at any one time - 3 in
the front row and 3 in the back row
 Maximum of 3 hits per side
 Points are made on every serve for wining
team of rally (rally-point scoring).
 Player may not hit the ball twice in
succession. (A block is not considered a
hit.)
 Ball may be played off the net during a
volley and on a serve.
 A ball hitting a boundary line is in.
 A ball is out if it hits an antennae, the floor
completely outside the court, any of the net
or cables outside the antennae, the referee
stand or pole, the ceiling above a non-
playable area.
 It is legal to contact the ball with any part of
a player’s body.
 It is illegal to catch, hold or throw the ball.
 A player cannot block or attack a serve from
on or inside the 10-foot line.
 After the serve, front-line players may
switch positions at the net.
 Matches are made up of sets; the number
depends on level of play. 3-set matches are
2 sets to 25 points and a third set to 15.
Each set must be won by two points. The
winner is the first team to win 2 sets. 5-set
 matches are 4 sets to 25 points and fifth set
to 15. The team must win by 2 unless
tournament rules dictate otherwise. The
winner is the first team to win three sets.
Basic Volleyball Rule Violations
Rule violations that result in a point for the
opponent
 When serving, the player steps on or across
the service line as while making contact with
the ball.
 Failure to serve the ball over the net
successfully.
 Ball-handling errors. Contacting the ball
illegally (double touching, lifting, carrying,
throwing, etc.)
 Touching the net with any part of the body
while the ball is in play.
 When blocking a ball coming from the
opponent’s court, it’s illegal to contact the
ball when reaching over the net if both your
opponent has not used 3 contacts AND they
have a player there to make a play on the
ball.
 When attacking a ball coming from the
opponent’s court, contacting the ball when
reaching over the net is a violation if the ball
has not yet broken the vertical plane of the
net.
 Crossing the court centerline with any part
of your body is a violation. Exception: if it is
the hand or foot. In this case, the entire
hand or entire foot must cross for it to be a
violation.
 Serving out of rotation/order.
 Back-row player blocking (deflecting a ball
coming from the opponent) when, at the
moment of contact, the back-row player is
near the net and has part of his/her body
above the top of the net. This is an illegal
block.
 Back-row player attacking a ball inside the
front zone (the area inside the 3M/10-foot
line) when, at the moment of contact, the
ball is completely above the net. This is an
illegal attack.
Passing is one of the most fundamental aspects of
volleyball.
After the ball is received from the serve, your
offense can go into action. In many youth or junior
leagues, sometimes just getting the ball over the
net is offense enough, but as players become more
adept, the ball needs to be passed another player
who can aim and put it over the net for a chance to
gain a point or get the serve back.
Passing is always done on the fingertips using two
hands. The higher the ball is pushed into the air,
the more time a teammate has to react and guide
the ball to a specific place. For youth or junior
teams, each pass should be initially pushed forward
toward the net, allowing a forward player to guide
the ball over the net, hopefully into a spot on the
opposite court that makes it difficult or impossible to
return.
Setting is the second step of passing, and it can be
done to either dump the ball over into an
undefended spot or to “set” the ball into a position
that allows the hitter to spike it over.
The perfect set is a high ball, just inches from the
net. This gives the hitter an opportunity to hit it to
virtually any side or even to the rear of the
opposing court. The possibilities of placement
diminish the further away the ball is set from the
net. If the ball is set inches away from the net, the
hitter has the flexibility to hit it anywhere they want.
Alternatively, a set that is feet away from the net
only allows the hitter to aim for the back of the
opposing court, making the ball easier to defend
and return.

MODULE 12
BASIC SKILLS IN VOLLEYBALL

Passing
Hitting/Spiking
Having strong and powerful hitters on a volleyball
team can be a huge asset, as it tends to intimidate
the competition. The hitter can then focus on the
timing of the set and be in position for a powerful
and successful hit.
When a team has volleyball hitters that can jump
higher, maintain great timing in meeting the
volleyball, hit the volleyball at the right spot and
make it difficult for the other team to return it, that
team has higher chances of being successful. A
volleyball hitter must remember that the volleyball
needs to stay in front of the hitting shoulder. In
order to do this the hitter must watch the volleyball
from the time it leaves the setters hands.

BLOCKING
Blocking is not learned by all players since only the
front row utilizes it. However, it is the main defense
against the opponent's attacks and helps to slow
down the speed of the attacks to make it easier for
the back row to pass.
Blocking can be done by one to three players.
There are single, double, and triple blocks in
volleyball. The concept behind the three blocks are
all the same.

DIGGING
Volleyball dig is a key element of defence in the
sport of volleyball. If done right, volleyball dig can
also become the beginning of a successful
volleyball attack. When digging the ball correctly
you make it easy for a volleyball attacker to carry
out a successful hit.
So, the job of a volleyball digger is to resist the
opposing team’s attack and then help his/her
teammates carry out a successful attack hit. In
other words, a digger has to deliver a ball to the
right place on the volleyball court.

SERVING
In volleyball, the serve is the act of putting the ball
in play by a player sounds simple, but actually it
describes one of the most important plays in the
game of volleyball.
There are two types of serving in volleyball are
underhand serve and overhand serve.