Volleyball: History and Overview

Overview of Volleyball

• Volleyball is a team sport played between two teams of six players separated by a net.
• The International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB) is the sport's highest governing body.
• The volleyball's governing body was founded in Paris, France, in 1947.
• The FIVB headquarters are located in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its current president is Ary Graça.

History of Volleyball

• Volleyball was created on February 9, 1895.
• William G. Morgan, a physical education director at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA, created volleyball.
• Volleyball was initially called "mintonette".
• Volleyball was officially included in the Summer Olympics program in 1964.
• Early rules of volleyball were written by W. G. Morgan.
• The first volleyball net height was 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) high.
• The first volleyball court measured 25×50 ft (7.6×15.2 m).
• Early matches composed of nine innings with three serves for each team in each inning.

Facilities and Equipment: Volleyball Court Dimensions

• The volleyball court is 60 x 30 ft or 18m x 9m.
• Court lines are painted in white and are 5cm wide.
• Court lines must be of a light color that is different from the color of the floor.
• The service line marks the area from which the server may serve the volleyball.
• The service line is marked 10 feet inside the right sideline on each back line.
• The center line is marked at the center of the court, dividing it equally into 30 feet squares (9m), above which the net is placed.
• The attack line marks the front zone with its rear edge drawn 3 meters back from the axis of the center line.
• Two sidelines and two end lines mark the playing court.

Facilities and Equipment: Volleyball

• Volleyballs standards specify the ball shall be spherical, made of flexible or synthetic leather case with a rubber bladder inside.
• Volleyballs can be of uniform light color or a combination of colors.
• Standard regulation for a volleyball, according to FIVB:
  • Circumference between 20-27 inches (65-67 cm).
  • Weight between 9-10 oz. (260-280 g).
  • Inside pressure of 4.26-4.61 psi or between 0.30 to 0.325 kilograms per centimeter square

Facilities and Equipment: Net and Posts

• Net posts are positioned 36 feet apart and 3 feet further out from the sidelines.
• The net is placed vertically over the center line.
• Heights for men and women nets are 2.43m and 2.24m, respectively.
  • Net heights for age groups include females and males that are 2.24m for 16 years and under, 2.12m for 14 years and under, and 2.00m for 12 years and under.
• Volleyball nets are 1m wide and 9.5-10m long (with 25-50cm on each side of the side bands) and made of 10cm square black mesh.
• Two white bands, each 5 cm wide (same width as the court lines) and 1 m long, are fastened vertically to the net above each sideline.
• An antenna is a flexible rod 1.80m long and 10mm in diameter, made of fiberglass or similar material.
• Volleyball posts are placed at a distance of 0.50-1.00 m outside the sidelines and are 2.55 m high.

Facilities and Equipment: Playing Area

• Includes the playing court and the free zone, which is a minimum of 3m wide on all sides.
• The playing court is rectangle measuring 18 x 9 m, surrounded by a free zone, which is a minimum of 3m wide on all sides.
• Playing surfaces need to be flat, horizontal, uniform, and must not present any danger of injury.
• According to the FIVB, only wooden and synthetic surfaces are allowed.

Zones and Areas

• Front Zone: limited by the axis of the center line and the rear edge of the attack line; extends beyond the side lines to the end of the free zone.
• Service Zone: a 9m wide area behind each end line that extends to the end of the free zone and laterally limited by two short lines.
• Substitution Zone: limited by the extension of both attack lines up to the scorer's table.
• Libero Replacement Zone: part of the free zone on the side of the team benches limited by the extension of the attack line up to the end line.
• Warm-Up Area: sized approximately 3x3m located in both of the bench-side corners, outside the free zone for FIVB, World and Official Competitions.
• Penalty Area: Sized approximately 1x1m equipped with two chairs, located in the control area and limited by a 5cm wide red line.

Basic Principles

• Prevent the ball from hitting the floor on own side of the net.
• Each team is allowed a maximum of three contacts before the ball must be sent back over the net.
• Six players rotate clockwise through six different positions with three front row and three back row positions.
• Teams rotate with each new server.
• Players can not hit the ball twice in succession.
• Players may not cause the ball to come to a rest during contract.
• The net is off-limits.

During The Play

• Maximum of three hits per side.
• Players may not hit the ball twice in succession; however, a block is not considered a hit.
• The ball may be played off the net during a volley and serve.
• A ball touching a boundary line is considered good.
• A legal hit is contact with the ball by a player's body above, and it includes the waist but should not allow the ball to visibly come to rest.
• Simultaneous contact by two or more players is considered one play, and those players may not participate in the next play.
• Players must not block or attack a serve and switching positions will be allowed only between front line players.
• Switching positions occurs after the serve only.

The Serve

• Servers must serve from behind the end line until after contact.
• Balls may be served underhand or overhand.
• Balls must be clearly visible to opponents before serve.
• The served ball may graze the net and drop to the other side for a point.
• The first game serve determined by a volley where each subsequent game is served by the previous game loser.
• Serves must be returned by a bump only, with no setting or attacking a serve.

Substitution

• A set number of substitutions are allotted per game; however, the specific amount differs depending on the league and/or level of play.
• Players may substitute into the game during dead ball situations only.
• To enter the game, a coach or player must request a substitution from the official.
• Substitutes must enter the substitution zone and wait for the referee's approval.

Scoring

• Rally scoring is used.
• A point is scored on every score of the ball.
• Offenses will score on defense misses or out-of-bounds hits.
• Defenses will score on offense misses, out-of-bounds hits, or serves into the net.
• Games are played to 25 points and must be won by 2 points.

Rotation

• Teams rotate each time they win the serve.
• Players shall rotate in a clockwise manner.
• There shall be 4-6 players on each side.

Basic Skills

• Serving initiates plays with techniques like underhand, float, jump, and top spin serves.
• Passing receives opponent serves and/or overhand attacks.
  • The forearm and overhand passes are two popular forms.
• Setting positions the ball in the air so teammates can easily complete an overhand attack/hit.
• Blocking attempts to halt opponent attacks by jumping with hands overhead to create a barrier at the net.
  • Touching the net is the most common blocking violation.
• Hitting attacks usually take place on a team’s third and final contact.
  • Attackers aim to down the ball on the opponent's side, so they often jump when striking to increase the difficulty of receiving the hit.

Volleyball Lingo/Terms

• Ace: when a player serves the ball, it goes over the net and lands on the floor untouched by the other team.
• Side-out: when the team who served the ball fails to win a point on the play, resulting in a loss of serve to the opponent.
• Roof: when a player jumps above the net to block and blocks the ball straight down.
• Stuff block: when a player jumps about the height of the net, blocks the ball and the ball goes back at the person who attacked (spiked) the ball.
• Dig: when a player makes a save from a difficult spike.
• Kill: when a team spikes the ball successfully, and that scores them a point.
• Paint Brush: when the hitter swings and barely "brushes" the bottom of the ball allowing it to drop over the blockers for a kill.
• Six Pack: when a defensive player gets hit in the head or face by a spiked ball.
• A "facial" is another word for "six pack."
• Tool: deliberately hitting the ball off the block for a kill.
• "Using the block" or a "wipe" are two other terms for deliberately hitting the ball off the block for a kill.