Volleyball History and Origins

History of Volleyball

• Originally, volleyball was called "mintonette."
• Volleyball can be traced back to 1895 in Massachusetts, USA.
• William G. Morgan, an American, created volleyball.
• Morgan conceptualized "Mintonette" as a less intense team sport suitable for older YMCA members while still requiring athletic skill.

Creating the Sport

• Alfred S. Halstead renamed "mintonette" to "Volleyball".
• In 1985 Alfred S. Halstead was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame as an inaugural member.
• William Morgan, as Director of Physical Education at the YMCA in Holyoke, noted that basketball wasn't suitable for everyone.
• The aim was to create a game accessible to all, regardless of age or physical ability.
• The game included a net in the middle dividing two playing areas and would be played on a 30 ft x 60 ft court.
• The perfect ball was covered in leather, measured 25-27 inches in circumference, and weighed 9-12 ounces.

Introducing the Sport

• In 1896, Morgan first presented his sport to the Physical Directors at the YMCA in Springfield.
• Morgan created two teams of 5 men each.
• December of 1895 is when William Morgan introduced the new sport to the world
• Professor Alfred T. Halsted liked Mintonette, but he felt like something was not right.
• In July 1896, volleyball was added into the first official handbook of the North American YMCA Athletic League.

Aftermath

• The first volleyball game occurred on July 7, 1896, at Springfield College.
• In 1900 Spalding started producing a special ball, the volleyball.
• New rules were brought in around 1920, as well as the three hits per side and the back-row attack rules.
• Volleyball debuted at the Summer Olympic Games in 1964 in Tokyo.

Volleyball in the Philippines

• Volleyball began in 1910 when the Philippines was a U.S. territory from 1861–1950.
• From 1946 to the present, Filipinos continued playing volleyball up in modern times.
• Elwood Stanley Brown, an American sports administrator and basketball coach, made volleyball a popular game in backyards and beaches.
• Early on, trees were used as makeshift net holders in the history of volleyball in the Philippines.

Filipino Contributions

• First, the Filipinos inspired American players to create a limit of three hits for each player in modern-day volleyball.
• The current "three-hit limit" was the result of American modifications.
• Second, the "set and spike" maneuver, also known as "set and hit", "setting and spiking", or just "spike" was another Filipino constribution.
• Players invented the "set and spike" maneuver upon accepting the new set of rules from the Americans regarding the "three-hit limit."

Associations

• The Philippine Amateur Volleyball Association (PAVA) was founded by the Playground and Recreation Bureau (PRB) of the Philippines on July 4, 1961.
• In 2003, it was renamed the Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF).
• Until 2015, the PVF was the official sporting organization for volleyball; afterward, authority was given to the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas (LVPI) due to a leadership spat within the PVF.

Volleyball Equipment and Facilities

• An indoor volleyball is heavier than a beach volleyball.
• An indoor court is 18m x 9m, while the beach court is 16m x 8m
• Indoor net height is 2.43m for men, and 2.24m for women.
• Beach volleyball nets are the same height for both men and women.
• Knee pads, shoes, and uniforms are important for both protection and performance.

Terms

• Ace: a serve that lands untouched in the opponent's court or is touched but cannot be returned
• Blocks: a defensive tactic where a player near the net jumps up and reaches over the net to prevent the opposing team from hitting the ball over.
• Bump: players use their joined forearms to pass the ball, typically used to receive the serve or an opponent's attack
• Dig: a defensive play where a player prevents a spiked or rapidly hit ball from hitting the floor
• Serve: the initial act of putting the ball in play by the serving team
• Set: a player accurately positions the ball for a spike or attack
• Side out: when the receiving team successfully wins a rally against the serving team, gaining the right to serve themselves
• Spike: A forceful, overhead attack where a player jumps and hits the ball downwards. It is also called a “hit” or ‘attack’.
• Rotation: the clockwise movement of players around the court and through the serving position

Hand Signals

• Authorization to Serve: Move the hand to indicate the direction of the service; means the official will authorize the server that he/she may now serve
• Team to Serve: Extending the arm to the side of the team who's going to serve; means the official will signal that indicate which team will serve
• Change of Court: Raise the forearms front and back and twist them around the body; happens between game or halfway through a deciding game.
• Substitution: Circular motion of the forearms around each other; means the act of replacing a player or a player entering the game to occupy the position of another player.
• Double Contact: Extending the arm with two fingers; when one player makes contact with the ball twice in a row.
• Rotational Fault: Make a circular motion with the forefinger and indicate the players at fault. It occurs when a player is not relatively aligned with the players in adjacent positions.
• Four Hits: Raise the forearm with 4 fingers; Occurs if a team contacts the ball more than 3 times without sending it back over the net.
• Delay in Service: Raising 8 fingers wide open; player doesn't contact within 8 seconds.
• Ball Touched: The referee brushes with the palm of one hand the fingers of the other, held vertically. Signals that the ball was touched by the player on the side the ball went out of bounds.
• Blocking Fault/Screening: Raise both arms vertically, palms forward; Means blocking the opponents serve.
• Ball In: Point the arm and fingers toward the floor where the ball landed; signals the ball landed inside the court
• Ball Out: Raise both forearms vertically, palm of hand facing toward your body, signals ball landed outside the court.
• Time-Out: Place the palm of one hand over the fingers of other hand, held vertically "forming T"; Used by a team to stop the game for a short period of time every team.
• Net Touch by the Player: Indicating the respective side of the players net; if the ball touches the net the rally still continues but if the player touches the net the ball is dead.
• Misconduct Penalty: Showing yellow card for penalty; Cause by unsportsmanlike conduct or showing bad attitude inside the court.
• Expulsion: Showing Yellow and Red card: Repeated rude conduct or offensive conduct; The player will leave the game and shall play the rest of the game.
• Disqualification: Show Red and Yellow cards separately; The player must leave the playing area and his/her team is declared incomplete for the match.
• End of Set or Match: Crossing the forearm in front of the chest and hand opens. Means end of the rally for the set or match.

Scoring

• Olympic volleyball matches are best-of-five sets.
• In the first four sets, the team that first reaches 25 points with a minimum lead of two points wins the set.
• Fifth sets are played to 15 points with a two-point lead needed to end the match.

How Can a Team Score Points in Volleyball?

• By successfully grounding the ball on the opponent's side
• The opponent hits the ball more than three times before getting it over the net.
• The opponent hits the ball over the net, but it lands out of bands without being touched.
• The opponent’s team commits a service fault.
• The opponent touches the ball on the other side of the net, before the player's attack hit.
• The opponent touches the net while playing the ball.

Basic Violations

• Net Violations: Players can't touch the net during play
• Double Hits/Consecutive Contacts: A player may not hit the ball 2 times consecutively except when blocking, provided the contacts take place simultaneously
• Four Hits: A team is allowed to hit the ball three times before sending it over.
• Foot Faults: When serving, a player must not step on or over the service line.
• Out of Rotation: Players must be in the correct position when the ball is served.
• Illegal Blocks: Back-row players can't block or attack the ball above the net if they jump from in front of the 3-meter line.
• Center Line Violations: Players must stay on their side of the court. Crossing the center line is a violation.

Let Serve

• A "let" serve touches the net but still lands in bounds
• "Faults" occur when a rule is broken, resulting in a point for the opposing team
• A "let serve" touches the net but still lands within the opponent's court.
• These serves are playable and don't result in a fault.

Faults

• A fault occurs when a player or team violates a rule, leading to a point for the opposing team.

Common Faults

• Hitting the ball out of bounds
• Failing to return the ball over the net within three contacts
• Touching the net during play
• Stepping over or on the line while serving
• Not hitting the ball over the net
• Double hitting (two consecutive contacts with the ball by the same player)
• Illegal hitting (holding or carrying the ball)
• Back-row player attacking in the front row
• Not serving in the correct order