Volleyball
An introduction
There are two types of volleyball games:
1. A 6-a-side indoor game
2. Beach volleyball played in pairs
Beach volleyball came about in the Olympics in 1996 and tends to be the most popular: probably because of all the sunshine that comes along with it!
Both types of game have the same aim, which is to get the ball to land on the opposition’s court.
The basics
• Volleyball is a fast moving game.
• You need 2 teams of six players.
• There is a net across the court. It measures 18m long and 9m wide.
• The game starts by 1 player serving the ball from behind the base line.
• When the ball has gone over the net, the other team may play the ball 3 times before passing it back over.
• A player can only touch the ball one time.
• The aim is to force the ball to your opponent’s court floor or make it hard for them to return the ball.
• If the ball does not go back over the net, the opposition wins the point.
• Either side can score points in a rally, no matter who has served the ball.
• To win a set, a team must score usually 25 points with a 2-point lead.
• To win a match you need to win 2 of 3 sets.
A bit of history
Volleyball goes back to just before the 1900s.
Volleyball was created by the educator William G. Morgan.
He used a mixture of tennis and basketball.
It was seen as a sport for all that could be played indoors or outdoors.
It provided less physical contact than basketball.
Morgan borrowed the net from tennis and raised it six feet, six inches above the floor.
Volleyball soon spread to Europe around World War 1.
It became recognised as an official sport after World War 2.
The International Federation was then created soon after.
Volleyball was a demonstration sport in the 1924 Olympics.
It became an official sport in the 1964 Olympics.
Both men and women started competing at the same time.
Beach volleyball was made an official event at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Volleyball is an extremely popular sport across the world.
Over 800 million people play it once a week or more!
Benefits
Volleyball has a great number of benefits for your health and fitness.
Playing volleyball will help improve your cardio, flexibility, balance and coordination.
It can be played indoors and outdoors so is an all-weather sport.
It helps to develop upper body muscles, in particular in your arms.
It helps to increase your agility and speed, as there are a number of quick pace changes.
It makes your hands and feet more flexible.
It helps to improve your concentration skills.
It is great for your cardiovascular system and strengthens your heart and lungs.
It helps the lungs to send more oxygen round the body to fuel your muscles.
Rules
Here are the basic rules of volleyball:
1. Volleyball is played by 2 teams of six players on a court divided by a net.
2. The aim is to send the ball over the net so that the opposing team cannot return the ball.
3. Another aim is to prevent it from hitting the ground in your own court.
4. Each team has 3 hits to attempt to return the ball.
5. Play starts by a serve that is hit by the server over the net to the opponent.
6. If the receiving team wins a volley, they then serve, and the players rotate one position clockwise.
7. If the serving team wins a volley, they have right to keep on serving.
8. The ball must clear the net on a serve.
9. A game is played to usually 25 points.
10. The team that wins the best two out of three games wins the match.
Volleyball language
• Ace - the ball is served to the other team but no one touches it.
• Sideout - the team that served the ball makes an error, causing the ball to go to the other team.
• Roof - player jumps higher than the net height, blocking the ball.
• Dig - player makes a save from a difficult spike (hit/shot at the floor).
• Kill - When a team spikes the ball and it ends in either a point or a sideout.
Get going now!
Volleyball is a fun, sociable sport that is easy to learn and can be played in a gym, at the beach, the park, or on grass. Most regions have a volleyball team and you can also find leagues. If you are not interested in joining a team, you can just grab a volleyball and a few friends and play your own game! It can be for children and adults!