VOLLEYBALL

INTRODUCTION
        Volleyball is one of the most popular, competitive, and successful recreational sports in the
world. It is an exciting game with explosive actions. Volleyball comprises several crucial overlapping
elements of complimentary interactions making it unique amongst rally games.
       Understanding its rules allows play where coaches can create better team structures and
techniques, enabling the players to fully display their skills and competence.
        Understanding the relationship between rules allows official to make better decisions providing
the atmosphere of fairness.
       Volleyball is a competitive sport. Athletes can enjoy it better if they play with professional
qualified referees which are instruments to having successful game results. It is considered unique
amongst the net games because the ball is seen consistently on flight allowing each team the degree
of intensity of passing and receiving the ball on every pass and turn to opponents, if possible, without
letting the ball touch the ground.
        Volleyball is an Olympic Sports in which two teams hit the ball back and forth, separated by a
high net, each team tries to score against one another governed by organized rules.
         The rules of volleyball are very important and extensive, but generally, there are basic rules
followed. First, to start the rally, both captain balls of each team need to do a toss coin to determine
the serving team and receiving team. Points are scored when the opponent committed an error or
fault, it is rally point system. 
       The match consists of three to five sets depending on the scenario. The first team to reach 25
points wins the set and the first team to win three sets wins the match. In case of tie, the fifth set ends
when a team obtained 15 points. Teams can contact or hit the ball not more than three times before
the ball crosses the net, but two consecutive hits by one player is considered an error and the point is
given to the opponent team. The ball is usually played with the hands or arms, but players can legally
strike or push the ball with any part of the body. 

HISTORY OF VOLLEYBALL
           The game of volleyball originated at Springfield, Massachusetts in the United States of
America. It is originally called "mintonette." the term used by the recognized inventor of the game--
William G.
Morgan-in February 9, 1895 after the invention of basketball four years earlier. Morgan, a graduate of
the Springfield College of the YMCA, designed the game to be a combination of basketball, baseball,
tennis, and handball with less body contact. Alfred Halstead change "mintonette" to "volley ball" due
of the demonstration of the game-noticeable is the volleying nature of the ball back and forth. Later, it
was changed into its present name volleyball.
          In France on 1947 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) was recognized as the official
governing body of Volleyball. This body formulated for implementation of all the rules of the game
volleyball. Later, Laussane, Switzerland became its headquarters. Headed by FIVB, the first volleyball
olympics was held at Tokyo, Japan.

VOLLEYBALL IN THE PHILIPPINES 

          Informal Volleyball began in the Philippines in 1910. Elwood S. Brown, Physical Director of
YMCA introduced it in the country. Volleyball started a recreation until it became a well-loved sport.
As recreation, Filipinos borrowed tennis net and tied it in between coconut tree approximately 6'6"
high. There was no formal rule, games were on verbal agreement basis like one against one; five
against 5 or ten. There is no limit in hitting the ball as long as they can sent it back to the opponent.
Any manner of ending the ball is allowed.
        The offensive style of setting and spiking was first seen in the Philippines in 1916. Later, they felt
the need for clear standard rules for tournament.
       With this development, it became a sport. Filipinos tried to invent another manner of playing it to
find what effects would be if one tries to jump and hit the ball above the net onto the opponents' court.
There's no complaint about it until the Americans called it a "Filipino bomb."
       In the Philippines, PAVA, Philippine Amateur Volleyball Association was founded in July 4, 1961.
This was the time volleyball has just been introduced to the Philippine athletes. With the passage of
time volleyball became a loved sport. With the involvement of more skilled athletes, Volleyball was
professionalized. This gave birth to the renaming of PAVA to Philippine Volleyball Federation in 2006.

EQUIPMENT AND FACILITY

         In any sports, it is a must of having a place to play like a court where games are perform, net,
and a ball as materials to use and facilitators to organize the tournament. Volleyball also need the
following things:
Antenna - It is a flexible rod, 1.80m long and 10mm in diameter, made of fibre glass or similar
material. An antenna is fastened at the outer edge of each side band.
Ball - Standards for balls (based on the International Rule Book of the FIVB):
    The ball shall be spherical, made of flexible leather or synthetic leather case with a bladder
inside made of rubber or a similar material.
Its color may be a uniform light color of yellow and blue, or a combination of colors.
Circumference is 65-67cm (25.59-26.38 inches).
Weight is 260-280g (8.36-9.00 ounces).
The inside pressure shall be 0.30 to 0.325 kg/cm2 (4.26 to 4.61 psi) (294.3 to 318.82 mbar or hPa).
Court - The playing area includes the playing court and the free zone. It shall be rectangular and
symmetrical. The court measures 18 meters in length and 9 meters in width. It is divided into two
halves of 9 meters each by the centerline and the net.
Net - It is 1m wide and 9.50 to 10 metres long (with 25 to 50cm on each side of the side bands),
made of 10cm square black mesh.
Height of net for men is 2.43m and for women is 2.24 m
Post - It is the stand that supports the net that is placed at a distance of 0.50 to 1.00m outside the
sideline. They are 2.55 m high and preferably adjustable.
Scoresheet - It is the scoring material where records of the match like line-ups, points earned,
serving order, substitutions, charged time outs, time/place/title of the match, and signature of the
officiating officials and captain ball of both teams are officially recorded for documentation and
references.
Side Vertical Markers - These are canvass tape 5cm wide attached at the end of the net just above
and aligned with the side lines.

Antenna, Net, Post, and Side Vertical Markers

BASIC SKILLS IN VOLLEYBALL

1. SERVE
It is the act of putting the ball into play. This is done by the right and back-line player who hits
the ball with his hand or any part of the arm in order to send the ball over the net into the opponent's
court.

TYPES OF SERVICE
 Underhand is a serve in which the player strikes the ball below the waist instead of tossing it
with an overhand throwing motion.
 Sky ball serve is a specific type of underhand serve occasionally used in beach volleyball,
where the ball is hit so high it comes down almost in a straight line.
 Topspin is an overhand serve where the player tosses the ball high and hits it with a wrist
span. Topspin serves are generally hit hard with the aim at a specific returner or part of the
court.
 Float is an overhand serve where the ball is hit with no spin so that its path becomes
unpredictable.
  Jump serve is an overhand serve where the ball is first tossed high in the air, then the players
make a timed approach and jumps to make contact with the ball. This is the most popular
serve among college and professional teams.
 Jump float is an overhand serve where the ball is tossed high enough that the player may
jump before hitting it similarly to a standing float serve.

2. PASS
To receive a serve from the opposing team, it must use a forearm pass or "bump." The legs
should be bent, both hands extended forward, and hands joined together to create a flat surface for
hitting the ball.

3. SET
It is usually the second contact that a team makes with the ball. The main goal of setting is to
put the ball in the air in such a way that it can be driven by an attack into the opponent's court.
4. SPIKE
Spike is also known as the attack, and is usually the third contact a team makes with the ball. The
object of attacking is to handle the ball so that it lands on the opponent's court and cannot be
defended.

5. BLOCK
It refer to the actions taken by players standing at the net to stop or alter an opponent's attack.
6. DIG
This is the ability to prevent the ball from touching one's court after a spike or attack, particularly a ball
that is nearly touching the ground.

BASIC RULES AND REGULATIONS

It is necessary to know the guidelines in every sport by becoming aware about the do's and
don'ts of the game. It is also the basis of giving violations and points for every opponent. Having this,
the game will be played fair and honest.
1. TO SCORE A POINT
A team scores a point by:
 successfully grounding a ball on the opponent's court;
 when the opponent team commits a fault; or
 when the opponent team receives a penalty.
FAULT
A team commits a fault by making a playing action contrary to the rules (or by violating them in
some other way). The referees judge the faults and determine the consequences according to the
rules:
 If two or more faults are committed successively, only the first one is counted; or
 If two or more faults are committed by opponents simultaneously, a DOUBLE FAULT is called
and the rally is replayed.

RALLY AND COMPLETED RALLY

A rally is the sequence of playing actions from the moment the service ball is hit by the server
until the ball is out of play.
A completed rally is the sequence of playing actions which results in the award of a point.
 If the serving team wins a rally, it scores a point and the service of ball continues;
 If the receiving team wins a rally, the team scores a point and must serve next.
2. TO WIN A SET
       A set (except the deciding 5 set) is won by the team which scores 25 points first with a minimum
lead of two points. In case of a 24-24 tie, play is continued until a two-point lead is achieved (26-24;
27-25;.)
3. TO WIN THE MATCH 
 The match is won by the team that wins three sets.
 In the case of a 2-2 tie, the deciding 5* set of 15 points with a minimum lead of 2 points is
played for decision.
4. THE TOSS
      Before the match, the 1" referee conducts a toss coin to decide who shall do the first service and
the sides of the court in the 1st set.
If the deciding set is to be played, a new toss will be carried out.
• The toss is taken in the presence of the two team captains.
• The winner of the toss chooses:
     EITHER the right to serve or to receive the service, AND the side of the court to take. The
loser takes the remaining choice. 
5. POSITIONS
At the moment the ball is hit by the server, each team must be positioned within its own court
in the rotational order (except the server).
- The position of the players are numbered as follows:
* The three players along the net are front-row players and occupy positions 4 (front-left), 3 (front-
center), and 2 (front-right);
* The other three are back - row players occupy positions 5 (back-left), 6 (back-center), and 1
(back-right).
See 5.2 Rotation
- Relative position between players:
 Each back-row player must be positioned further back from the center line than the
corresponding front-row player;
 The front-row and back-row players, respectively, must be positioned laterally in the
order indicated in 1" rule.
- The positions of players are determined and controlled according to the positions of their feet
contacting the ground as follows:
 Each front-row player must have at least a part of his/ her foot closer to the center line than
the feet of the corresponding back-row player;
 Each right (left) side player must have at least a part of his/her foot closer to the right (left)
side line than the feet of center player in that row.
- After the service hit, the players may move around and occupy any position on their court and
the free zone.

5.1 POSITIONAL FAULT

 The team commits a positional fault, if any player is not in his/her correct position at the
moment the ball is hit by the server. This includes when a player is on court through illegal
substitution.
 If the server commits a serving fault at the moment of the service hit, the server's fault is
counted before a positional fault.
 If the service becomes faulty after the service hit, it is the positional fault that will be
counted.
 A positional fault leads to the following consequences:
 The team is sanctioned with a point and service to the opponent; or
 Players' positions must be rectified.
5.2 ROTATION
 The rotational order is determined by the team's starting line-up and controlled with the service
order and players' positions throughout the set.
  When the receiving team has gained the right serve, its players rotate one position clockwise:
the player in position 2 rotates to position 1 to serve; the player in position 1 rotates to position
6, etc.

5.3 ROTATIONAL FAULT

 A rotational fault is committed when the SERVICE is not made according to the rotational
order. It leads to the following consequences:
 The team is sanctioned with a point and service to the opponent;
 The players' rotational order must be rectified;
 In addition, the scorer should determine the exact moment the fault was committed, and
all points scored subsequently by the team at fault must be cancelled. The opponent's
score remain valid; or
 If that moment cannot be determined, no points) cancellation takes place, and a point
and service to the opponent is the only sanction.

TERMINOLOGIES
A. PLAYING AREA
Volleyball is just like any kind of sport that needs a specific area for play. Unlike basketball
however, there are specific areas where players should be doing their moves to avoid error and
failures. The foregoing are the areas you should always consider in playing volleyball.
1. Attack Area is also known as restricted area in the court that is marked between the centerline
and restricted line wherein spiking is executed.
2. Attack Line is a line which limits the play of spiking that lies three meters away from the
centerline.
3. Back Area is also known as back court.
4. Back Court is also known as back area that measures 6 meters away from the restricted area
back to end line.
5. Boundary Lines are side and end lines that limit the playing court into 9 × 18 meters.
6. Centerline is a 5 cm-line that divides the court into two (2) equal areas that is located directly
under the net.  
7. Court is the 9m x 18m playing area where the volleyball is being played. 
 8. End lines are lines that limit the length of the playing court, 9 meters in width
9. Front court is also known as attack area or restricted area that measures 3 meters away from
the centerline.
10. Restricted line is a line which prohibits the back players to participate in spiking or blocking
that drawn 3 meters away from the centerline.
11. Service area is an area in which the service must be made. It is located at the right back
corner outside of each court.
12. Service lines are lines that limit the service area. Stepping on these lines are prohibited.
13. Side lines are lines that limit the width of the playing area, 18 meters in length.

B. THE OFFICIALS OF THE GAME

There is no game at all where problems, complaints, and untoward reactions are not coming
out to the surface. Considering this aspect, just like all other games, volleyball has officials who man
over the game proceedings. They are those who manage the entire event and are held responsible
and accountable to all the problems that may prompt up in any period of the game. Their presence
will ensure the success and smooth flow of the game. There can be no game without any official or
the game will end up in great trouble.
1. Linemen positioned at the end corner of the court carefully watch out the exact landing point
of the ball whether in or out of bounds of the court.
2. Referee has the over-all control and authority in the conduct of the game. He can be viewed
across the top of the net making him possible to see all areas of the court and all moves of the
players.
3. Scorer or Scorekeeper is the official responsible in keeping the accurate information from the
scores to all other needed information about the game.
4. Umpire is also known as second referee who assists the referee and is positioned on the floor
opposite the referee. He is also accountable in decision making and ruling the game.
6. CONTACT OF THE BALL

1. Contacted ball is the act of touching or delivering the ball through hitting or receiving it with
any part of the body above the waist.
2. Dig is the act of recovering a hard driven ball from the opponent by the defensive player or
team.
3. Dig pass is the underhand pass using the forearm to hit the ball.
4. Double hit is the act of touching the ball more than once with any part of the body.
5. Held ball refers to the act when the ball comes to rest momentarily in the hands or any part of
the body above the waist more than 1/10th of a second.
6. Holding is an act of contacting the ball with a momentary rest on any part of the player's body
above the waist other than 1/10th of a second. It may be scooping, lifting, pushing, carrying, or
throwing.
7. Lifting is an act of contacting the ball when it rests momentarily in the player's arm and hands
in a lifting position.
8. Pass is an act of delivering the ball to either a teammate or to the opponent's court.
9. Pushing is an act of contacting the ball when it is pushed, where the hand or arm goes with
the ball momentarily.
10. Scooping is an act of contacting the ball when it rolls in the player's arms.
11. Service is the act of putting the ball in play by a player who delivers the ball from the service
area sending it over the net into the opponent's court.
12. Set is the act of delivering the ball above and near the net in preparing the spiker to hitting the
ball.
13. Set pass refers to the ball passed in the air for a teammate's kill attack that it will descend near
the net usually the second pass to the series.
14. Short or low set is a set made by very low in height and directly in front of the set-up man;
also used for Chinese kill.
7. SPIKING AND BLOCKING
Volleyball is a game of techniques and strategies, confusion and deception in as much as
players move and attack of the ball should be precise and accurate, but stylish with the aim of
confusing the opponents. This is usually applied in the spiking and blocking moves of the players.
1. Area block is a block that covers a specified area against all tracks.
2. Attack is the hard driven ball hit above the net by an offensive player.
3. Attack block is a block that attempts to attack the ball and is not limited to cut off the specified
area.
4. Block is an act of attempting to stop or intercept the ball above the net which aims to prevent
the ball to enter into the team's court.
5. Checked ball is a ball deflected from the blocker's hand usually the last touched.
6. Fake spike is an act of approaching the net and executing a spiking motion to confuse the
defensive team.
7. Fielding the ball is retrieving or recovering the ball on volley or spike from the opponent,
frequently after it has been blocked.
8. Hard block is an attempt on the part of the defensive team to stop the ball forcibly back to
their opponent's court.
9. Reach over or over reach is an act of crossing the arms above and across the net before an
opponent touches the ball within his court.
10. Soft block is a block whose purpose is to deflect the ball up in the air to set it into a teammate.
11. Spiked ball is a ball that is hit by force over the net.