Lesson 1: Introduction of Volleyball

This lesson includes the discussion of the definition of volleyball, its origin and the
history of volleyball in the Philippines.

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

1. Explain the nature and historical background of Volleyball in the Philippines.
2. Discuss the importance of active partcipation in volleyball.
3. Appreciate the benefits of volleyball to overall health.

Introduction

The game of volleyball has been played and enjoyed for

centuries. It is a great pastime and a fun game to participate
in. It is a sport that does not take a lot of stamina or skill on
the player’s part. It is also a good game to play in larger
groups and with friends (Tulio, 2008).

Volleyball can be a very powerful and streneous game to

play. It comes highly recommended as a sport that most
anyone can participate in. it is definitely not a sport that
only the young can participate in.
Volleyball is a game that takes energy and will keep you
fit, but does not wear you out completely. On the other
hand, it does not just have to be a summer sport. The good
thing is that it can be played indoors.

The Origins

On February 9, 1895, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, William G. Morgan (1870-1942), a

YMCA physical education director, created a new game called mintonette as a pastime to be
played preferably indoors and by any number of players. The game had characteristics of
handball and tennis. It was deisgned as an indoor sport lessrough than basketball for older
members of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).

As mentioned by Morgan himself, “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. We raised it to a height of about 6 feet, 6 inches (1.98m) from the
ground, just above the head of an average man. We needed a ball. 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,” (Volleyball history, “n.d”).

The first rules called for a net 1.98m high, a 7.6m x 15.2m court, and any number of
players. 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
opponent’s court. In case of a serving error, a second try was allowed. Hitting the ball into the
net was considered a foul, except in the case of the first-try serve.

Fig.2 –
Any number of
players inside the
court

Early in 1896, a conference was organized at the YMCA College in Springfield, bringing
together all the YMCA Directors of Physical Education. Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, director of
the professional physical education training school asked Morgan for a demonstration and
explanation of the rules of the game.

The 1916 YMCA and NCAA unified rules of 1930: YMCA spread the game
the game amongst women

Fig.3 Fig.4

Prof. Alfred Halstead proposed for a change of the name from mintonette to Volley Ball
after he noticed the action, or the act phase, of the ball’s flight, which was volleying i nature.
This name was accepted by Morgan and the conference. (Note: In 1952, the United States Volley
Ball Association voted to spell the name with just one word – Volleyball).

In 1900, Morgan asked the firm of A.G Spalding & Bros. to make a ball, which they did
at their factory near Chicopee, in Massachusetts. The result was satisfactory; the ball was
leather- covered, with a rubber inner tube, its circumference was not less than 25 and not more
than 27 inches (63.5 cm and 68.6 cm, respectively), and its weight was not less than 9 and not
more than 12 ounces ( 252 gr and 336 gr, respectively).

Worldwide Growth

In 1900, Canada became the first foreign country to adopt the game, and also in many
other countries: Elwood S. Brown in the Philippines (1910), J. Howard Crocker in China,
Franklin H. Brown in Japan (1908), Dr J.H Gray in Burma, China, India, and others in Mexico,
and South American, European, and African countries.

In 1947, an international federation of volleyball (the Federacion Internationale de Volley

Ball or FIVB) was formed and the first volleyball world championships were held in 1949. In
1964 in Tokyo, volleyball was added as an Olympic sport.

Volleyball is now one of the big five international sports, and the FIVB, with its 220
affiliated national federations, is the largest international sporting federation in the world.

Click this link to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IveUpU_xE60

Volleyball in the Philippines

The history of volleyball in the Philippines dates back to 1910. The director of the
YMCA, Elwood S. Brown, first introduced the sport. Filipinos began playing volleyball as a
backyard sport and games of beach volleyball
soon followed. Players hung the net between
two trees. They made up their own rules
regarding how many players on each side and
how many times the ball could be hit before
sending it over the net.

Philippine volleyball teams would

sometimes let every player hit the ball before
sending it over to the opposing side. This took
too much time and snuffed out the challenge
and competitive nature of the game. This led
to the creation of the three-hit limit.

With the new three-hit rule in place, Filipinos experimented with the new volleyball
techniques and came up with the set and spike, or the “Filipino bomb.” In this offensive passing
style, one player hits the volleyball and sends it high in the air to set up for another player on the
team. This other player then strikes the ball sending it over the net at a downward angle. This is
called spiking the ball.

The date July 4, 1961 marked the birth of the

Philippine Amateur Volleyball Association (PAVA),
the national governing body of the sport in the
Philippines. This was later renamed Philippine
Volleyball Federation (PVF), and is affiliated with the
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Asian
Volleyball Confederation (AVC), and FIVB.

VALUES AND BENEFITS

 Volleyball is excellent for developing quick

movement.
 Rapid adaptation to the opponent’s style of play.
 Reliance on skillful team performance and coordinated effort rather than impulsive
individual reactions to the game situation.
 Volleyball play emphasizes planned strategy.
 Correct application of defensive and offensive manoeuvres under varying conditions.
 Accurate execution of the varied movements required in the game.
 Demands heightened powers of observation and skill
 Teaches teamwork and communication and is a great social activity.
 And, volleyball is sufficiently vigorous to develop organic power.

ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE

 Participants must know the “Official Volleyball Rules and abide them.
 Participants must accept referees decisions with sportsmanlike conduct without disputing
them.
 Participants must refrain from actions or attitude aimed at influencing the decisions of
the referees or covering up faults committed by them.
 Participants must behave respectfully and courteously in the spirit of fair play, not only
towards the referees but also towards other officials, the opponent, team-mates and
spectators.
 LANGUAGE. When things don’t go as planned getting upset may be right, but
demonstrating lack of control is not. Using vulgar language and verbal abuse of other
players or of the officials is not acceptable.
 Respect the other team. Do not humiliate the other team.
 Learn and abide and respect the rules of the sport.