WHAT IS VOLLEYBALL?

- It’s a 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, trying to make the ball touch the court within
the opponents’ playing area before it can be returned.

HISTORY OF VOLLEYBALL

- Invented by William G. Morgan (physical director of the Young Men’s Christian Association
(YMCA)) in 1895 in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
- Designed as an indoor sport for businessmen who found the new game of basketball too
vigorous.
- Morgan called the sport “mintonette,” until a professor from Springfield College in
Massachusetts noted the volleying nature of play and proposed the name of “volleyball.”
- In 1916 rules were issued jointly by the YMCA and the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA).
- The first nationwide tournament in the United States was conducted by the National YMCA
Physical Education Committee in New York City in 1922.
- The United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) was formed in 1928 and recognized as the
rules-making, governing body in the United States.
- From 1928 the USVBA—now known as USA Volleyball (USAV)—has conducted annual national
men’s and senior men’s (age 35 and older) volleyball championships, except during 1944 and
1945.
- Its women’s division was started in 1949, and a senior women’s division (age 30 and older) was
added in 1977.
- Volleyball was introduced into Europe by American troops during World War I, when national
organizations were formed.
- The Fédération Internationale de Volley Ball (FIVB) was organized in Paris in 1947 and moved to
Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1984.
- International volleyball competition began in 1913 with the first Far East Games, in Manila.
During the early 1900s and continuing until after World War II, volleyball in Asia was played on a
larger court, with a lower net, and nine players on a team.

VOLLEYBALL IN OLYMPICS/CHAMPIONSHIPS

- Volleyball became an Olympic sport for both men and women at the 1964 Olympic Games in
Tokyo.
- European championships were long dominated by Czechoslovakian, Hungarian, Polish,
Bulgarian, Romanian, and Soviet (later, Russian) teams. At the world and Olympic level, Soviet
teams have won more titles, both men’s and women’s, than those of any other nation.
- A highly publicized Japanese women’s team, Olympic champions in 1964, reflected the interest
of private industry in sport. Encouraged by the Japanese Volleyball Association, this women’s
team made its mark in international competition, winning the World Championship in 1962,
1966, and 1967, in addition to the 1964 Olympics.
- At the end of the 20th century, however, the Cuban women’s team dominated both the World
Championships and the Olympics.
 - Beach volleyball—usually played, as its name implies, on a sand court with two players per team
—was introduced in California in 1930. The first official beach volleyball tournament was held in
1948 at Will Rogers State Beach, in Santa Monica, California, and the first FIVB-sanctioned world
championship was held in 1986 at Rio de Janeiro. Beach volleyball was added to the roster of
the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.

THE GAME

Equipments and court:

- The playing court is 18m long and 9m wide and is surrounded by a free zone 3m wide on all
sides. The space above the playing area is known as the free playing space and is a minimum of
7m high from the playing surface.
- The top of the net is 2.43 meters (8 feet) high for men and 2.24 meters (7 feet, 4 inches) for
women. The net is 1 meter (3 feet, 3 inches) tall and 9.5 to 10 meters (31 feet, 2 inches to 32
feet, 10 inches) wide, so as to slightly extend across each sideline.
- 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.

6 parts of Volleyball Court:

Attack Line

- The attack line is the line 3 meters from the net and runs parallel on each side of the court. If the
attacker is taking a volleyball spike approach from the back row, the player must jump from
behind this attack line if they attack the ball when it's completely above the height of the net.

Backcourt

- The backcourt area is the area of the court behind the attack line that is in front of the baseline
and between the sidelines.

Baseline

- The baseline is also called the endline. This is the line at the end of the court.

Free Zone

- The free zone is the area outside the boundary lines of the court where players sometimes make
plays.

Centerline

- The centerline is the line that runs underneath the net. This line is the width of the court and
divides the volleyball court into two equal halves.

Replacement Zone

- The replacement zone is the area of the court where the libero enters the game for a back row
player.
Sidelines

- The sidelines are the boundary lines on the sides of the court that connect to the baselines. The
sidelines are 60 feet long.

Substitution Zone

- The substitution zone is the area between the attack line and the centerline along the sideline
where substitutes sub into the game.

Players/Positions:

Outside Hitter (aka OH, outside, pin, left side)

- An outside hitter hits and blocks from the left side of the court. Normally, they also carry the
responsibilities of passing and playing defense when they get to the back row. The outside
typically gets the most sets, especially when the setter is out of system, due to the fact that the
outside set is one of the easier options to set. An outside’s responsibilities include hitting from
the front and back row, passing in serve receive, playing left or middle-back defense, and
blocking.

Opposite Hitter (aka OPP, pin, right side)

- Opposite hitters earned that title because they are opposite to the strong (left) side hitter,
meaning they hit behind the setter. In a 6-1, just like an outside hitter, an opposite has the
option to play all the way around, passing, playing defense, and hitting out of the back row. An
opposite’s responsibilities include swinging from the front and back row, playing right-back
defense, and blocking the other team’s outside hitter.

Middle Blocker (aka MB, middle hitter, middle)

- Middle blockers are the team’s best blockers, and they hit mostly fast-tempo sets from the
middle of the court and behind the setter. Typically the libero goes in for the middle when he or
she rotates to the back row. Middle sets are some of the most difficult to set and require good
passes, therefore middles often get the fewest sets but have the best hitting percentages.

Setter (aka S)

- A setter’s primary responsibility is to take the second ball and set it up for one of the hitters to
attack. Often referred to as the quarterback, the setter is the decision maker of the team and is
in charge of leading the offense. In a 6-1, the setter plays all the way around, meaning that he or
she has defensive responsibilities, as well as blocking duties when in the front row. A setter’s
responsibilities include setting the ball on the second contact to the hitters on the court,
directing the offense, playing right-back defense, and blocking the other team’s outside hitter.

Libero (aka L)

- Liberos wear a jersey of a different color and play in the back row five out the six rotations,
usually subbing in for both middle blockers. When the libero comes in for another player, it does
not count as a substitution. Liberos are defensive and serve-receive specialists who are typically
fast and are able to change direction quickly. Liberos are not permitted to attack the ball from
 above the height of the net, and they can only overhand set a front-row attacker from behind
the 10-foot line.

Defensive Specialists (aka DS)

- Much like a libero, a defensive specialist plays in the back row and is responsible for playing
defense and receiving serve. Unlike the libero, they do not wear different colored jerseys and
are required to abide by the normal substitution rules, meaning they are only in for three out of
the six rotations.

Serving Specialist (aka SS)

- A serving specialist is a player who subs in just to serve. These players typically have a very
tough or very consistent serve, and they come in for a player who is less strong behind the
service line, but otherwise very valuable to have on the court as an offensive or defensive
threat.

RULES:

 Only 6 players on the floor at any given time: 3 in the front row and 3 in the back row.
 Points are made on every serve for the winning team of the rally (rally-point scoring).
 Players 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, or 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.

RULE VIOLATIONS:

 Stepping on or across the service line when serving while making contact with the ball.
 Failure to serve the ball over the net successfully.
 Ball-handling errors and 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.
 Blocking a ball coming from the opponent’s court and contacting the ball when reaching over
the net if your opponent has not used 3 contacts AND has a player there to make a play on the
ball.
 Attacking a ball coming from the opponent’s court and contacting the ball when reaching over
the net when the ball has not yet broken the vertical plane of the net.
 Crossing the court centerline with any part of your body, with the exception of a hand or foot. It
is only considered a violation if the entire hand or entire foot crosses the court centerline.
 Serving out of rotation or out of 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 their 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.

How to Play Volleyball

 A volleyball game consists of two teams of six players each, separated by a net. The six volleyball
court positions are setter, middle blocker, outside hitter, opposite hitter, libero and serving
specialist.
 To start, flip a coin to determine which team serves the ball first.
 Then the two teams will rally—or hit the ball back and forth over the net—until a fault occurs.
There is a maximum of three hits per side.
 The objective is to score points by sending the ball over the net, grounding it into the
opponent’s court.
 Volleyball matches are made up of sets, typically three or five sets.
 Three-set matches are two sets to 25 points and a third set to 15 points. Each set must be won
by two points. The first team to win two sets is the winner of the match.
 Five-set matches are four sets to 25 points and a fifth set to 15 points. The team must win by
two points unless tournament rules dictate otherwise. The first team to win three sets is the
winner.