Volleyball: History and Overview

Volleyball Overview

• Volleyball is a popular, competitive, and successful recreational sport worldwide.
• It is an Olympic sport.
• Two teams hit a ball back and forth over a high net, trying to score against each other and governed by rules.

History of Volleyball

• Volleyball was created by a YMCA Physical Education Director.
• It was founded on February 9, 1985, in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States.
• The original name of volleyball was "Mintonette."
• Mintonette was designed to be a combination of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball, but with less body contact.
• Mintonette was intended as an activity for businessmen.
• The name of the game was changed to "volley ball" because of the volleying nature of the game.
• In 1947, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) was recognized in France as the official governing body of volleyball.
• The FIVB was responsible for implementing all rules of the game.
• The headquarters of the FIVB is in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• The first volleyball Olympics was held in Tokyo, Japan.

Volleyball in the Philippines

• Volleyball was introduced to the Philippines in 1910.
• Informal volleyball began in the Philippines in 1910.
• Elwood S. Brown, a YMCA Physical Director, introduced volleyball in the Philippines.
• Filipinos typically used a tennis net tied between coconut trees approximately 6’6” high.
• There was no formal rule when volleyball began
• Games were on verbal agreement
• There was no limit in hitting the ball as long as it could be sent back to the opponent.
• In 1916, the Philippines created the "spike," calling it a "Filipino Bomb."
• On July 4, 1961, the Philippine Amateur Volleyball Association (PAVA) was founded.
• In 2006, PAVA became the Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF).

Volleyball Court and Ball Specifications

• The volleyball court is 9 meters x 18 meters (29.5 ft x 59.1 ft).
• It is divided into equal square halves by a net with a width of one meter (39.4 in).
• The top of the net is 2.43 meters (7 ft 11 11/16 in) above the center of the court for men competition.
• The top of the net is 2.24 meters (7 ft 4 3/16 in) above the center of the court for women competition, varied for veterans and junior competitions.
• FIVB regulations state the ball has to be spherical and made of leather or synthetic leather.
• FIVB regulations state the ball must have a circumference of 65-67 cm, a weight of 260–280 g, and an inside pressure of 0.30–0.325 kg/cm2.

Net and Post Specifications

• The net is 1 meter long and 9.5 to 10 meters long, with 25 to 50 cm on each side of the side bands.
• The top of the net is 2.43 meters (7 ft 11 11/16 in) above the center of the court for men's competition.
• The top of the net is 2.24 meters (7 ft 4 3/16 in) for women's competition.
• Posts are stands that support the net.
• Posts are placed 0.50 to 1.00 meter outside the sideline.
• Posts are 2.55 meters high and preferably adjustable.

Scoresheet and Antenna

• The scoresheet records match line-ups, points earned, serving order, substitutions, charged time-outs, the match's time/place/title, officials' signatures, and captain ball of both teams.
• Scoresheets ensures that everything is documented
• Antennas are flexible rods.
• Antennas are 1.80 meters long and 10mm in diameter, with red/white stripes on the net.
• The stripes mark the out-of-bounds area.
• Antennas are made of fibre glass or similar material.

Side Vertical Markers

• These are canvas tape 5 cm wide attached at the end of the net just above and aligned with the side lines.

Terminology: Playing Area

• Attack Area is a restricted area in the court between the centerline and restricted line where spiking is executed.
• Attack Line limits spiking and is three meters away from the centerline.
• Back Court/Area is six meters from the restricted area back to the end line.
• Boundary Lines are the side and end lines that limit the playing court into 9 x 18 meters.
• Centerline is a 5cm-line that divides the court into two equal areas located under the net.
• Front Court is the attack or restricted area measuring 3 meters away from the centerline.
• End Lines limit the length of the playing court and are 9 meters in width.
• Restricted Line prohibits back players from spiking or blocking and is 3 meters from the centerline.
• The service area is where serves must be made on the right back corner outside of the court.
• Service Lines limit the service area, and stepping on them is prohibited.
• Side Lines limit the width of the playing area and are 18 meters in length.

Officials of the Game

• Referee has overall control and authority of the game, positioned to see all areas of the court.
• Umpire is a second referee who assists the referee also in decision-making and ruling of the game.
• Scorer/Scorekeeper keeps the accurate information from the scores to all other information about the game.
• Linemen are positioned at the end corner of the court and watch the landing point of the ball.

Contact of the Ball

• Contacted Ball is touching or delivering the ball through hitting or receiving with any part of the body above the waist.
• Dig is recovering a hard driven ball from the opponent by the defensive player.
• Dig Pass is the underhand pass using the forearm to hit the ball.
• Double Hit is touching the ball more than once with any part of the body.
• Held Ball is 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.
• Holding is 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 and may involve scooping, lifting, pushing, carrying, or throwing.
• Lifting is contacting the ball when it rests momentarily in the player's arm and hands in a lifting position.
• Pass is delivering the ball to either a teammate or to the opponent's court.
• Pushing is contacting the ball when it is pushed and the hand or arm goes with the ball momentarily.
• Scooping is contacting the ball when it rolls in the player's arm.

Volleyball Actions

• Service is putting the ball in play by a player who delivers the ball from the service area over the net into the opponent's court.
• Set is delivering the ball above and near the net in preparing the spiker to hit the ball.
• Set Pass is the ball passed in the air for a teammate's kill attack that will descend near the net usually the second pass to the series.
• Short or Low Set is a set made by very low in height and directly in front of the set-up man often used for a Chinese kill.
• Area Block a block that covers a specified area against all tracks.
• Attack is a hard driven ball hit above the net by an offensive player.
• Attack Block is a block attempts to attack the ball and is not limited to cut off the specified area.
• Block an act of attempting to stop or intercept the ball above the net to prevent it from entering the team's court.
• Soft Block is a block whose purpose is to deflect the ball up in the air to set it into a teammate.
• Checked Ball is a ball deflected from the blocker's hand the last touched. Fielding the Ball is retrieving or recovering the ball on volley or spike from the opponent after being blocked.
• Hard Block is an attempt on the part of the defensive team to stop the ball forcibly back to their opponent’s court.
• Reach Over/Over Reach is crossing the arms above and across the net before an opponent touches the ball within his court.
• Spiked Ball is a ball that is hit with force over the net.
• Fake Spike is approaching the net and executing a spiking motion to confuse the defensive team.

Technical Terminology

• Ball in Play is the period from the time the ball is served until a fault has been committed.
• Charge Time-out is a break requested by coaches.
• Charge Time-out is intended to allow coaches to give playing stile instructions to players.
• Courtesy Handshake is a handshake done at the center of the court before the match as an act of sportsmanship.
• Coed Game is a game participated in jointly by men and women.
• Cross Court refers to the diagonal exchange of the ball to the opponent's court.
• Crossing is touching the opponent's court by mistake or intention.
• Dead Ball is declared by the officiating official when a violation occurs.
• Defaulted matches are declared in the non-appearance or late reporting after the 15 minutes grace period.
• Defense is how a team that doesn't have the ball or has possession gains point by not making an error.
• Double Fault is a simultaneous error between the two opposing teams.
• Down The Line refers to the ball falling directly on the line at the side of the court. This point goes to the team which strikes the ball.
• Five Minutes Rest is the period given to opposing teams when the fifth set is needed or when there is a tie.
• Foot Fault is a foul committed by a server stepping on the side or end lines during the service.
• Forfeited Games occur when players do not have the required six players to play the game, or if the team is late or fails to appear.
• Formation is the arrangement of the players.
• Game/Set is the termination of a set/inning after a team has a score of 25 points/two point advantage.
• Game Over indicates the match has ended by two out of three or three out of five.
• Game Point is the point gained ending the set or game.
• Good Ball is a ball landing with court boundary limits but not retrievable. It is known as a good shot for the person serving.
• Libero is a defensive specialist player in a team.
• Line Ball is a ball hitting or landing on the boundary lines.
• Match is the number of games or sets being completed in a contest.
• Offense is being on the service team who makes points.
• Out of Bounds is the ball touching the floor, ceiling, antennae, or not passing through antennae limited area.
• Play constitutes preliminary action.
• Play can regain equilibrium.
• Players are the athletes on the playing court.
• Play Over is the proclamation when the last serve is successful without point given.
• Point is when service team made successful play or when team failed.
• Ready Position is the position in the court assumed by all players after the ball.
• The red card indicates that a player is disqualified by the referee.
• Referees time out is when play is top for valid reason.
• Rotation is the shifting of players in a clockwise shifting movement
• Screening is an attempt to conceal the position of a person serving the ball.
• Serving order is arranged service order by position of players.
• Substitution switches players from playing court.
• Switch changes positions after serving.
• Three Minute Rest is a grace period to assess injury.
• Toss Coin awards rights to serve/choose what side to play.
• Touch Net is unintentionally touching the net.
• Two Minute Rest are the rest periods between sets.
• Weak Area is either conceded, retrieved difficult, or hard to move by due to light/space conditions.
• Yellow Card is a warming of fault that will be committee next by coaches/players.