Volleyball: Rules, Team Sports and History

• Classroom rules:
  • Be participative in discussions
  • Raise your hand if you have questions
  • Be respectful to fellow students and teachers

Team Sports

• A team sport is a sport that involves players working together to achieve a common goal, often competing against another team.
• Team sports require cooperation, communication, and coordination among team members to be successful.
• Examples of team sports include:
  • Basketball
  • Volleyball
  • Softball
  • Sepak Takraw
  • Baseball
  • Hockey
  • Rugby
  • Football

Learning Objectives

• Know the history of volleyball
• Demonstrate proper serving technique
• Understand the typical game sequencing (serve, pass, attack, and defense)

History of Volleyball

• Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, an American physical education instructor.
• Morgan created volleyball as a less intense alternative to basketball for older athletes and businessmen at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
• The first official game was played at Springfield College in 1896.
• A professor suggested the name "volleyball" because players volley the ball back and forth.
• The sport quickly spread through YMCA networks, gaining popularity in the U.S. and internationally.
• The Philippines was introduced to volleyball in 1910 by Elwood S. Brown, an American physical education director of the YMCA.
• It quickly became popular, especially in schools and communities, due to its fast-paced and engaging nature.
• The Philippine Volleyball Association (PVA) was formed in 1961 to govern the sport.
• The country became a founding member of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) in 1952.
• Volleyball continued to gain popularity, with the establishment of major leagues like the Shakey's V-League (now Premier Volleyball League or PVL) and the Philippine Super Liga (PSL), which helped to professionalize the sport.

Volleyball Equipment

• Ball (1895)
  • The first volleyball wasn't specifically designed for the sport
  • Morgan initially experimented with a basketball, but it was too heavy
  • Later, Morgan worked with A.G. Spalding & Bros to create the first official volleyball.
  • It was lighter and had a leather exterior with a rubber bladder.
• Net
  • Men's net height: 2.43 meters (7 feet 11 5/8 inches)
  • Women's net height: 2.24 meters (7 feet 4 1/8 inches)
  • Sitting Volleyball net height: 1.15m (men), 1.05m (women)
  • Net width: 9.5 to 10 meters (31.2 to 32.8 feet)
  • Height of Side Bands: 1 meter (3.28 feet)
  • Antenna Height: 80 cm (31.5 inches) above the net
  • Mesh Size: 10 cm (3.94 inches) squares
  • In 1895, when William G. Morgan invented volleyball (originally called "mintonette"), the net used was borrowed from tennis.
  • The initial net height was about 6 feet, 6 inches (1.98 meters), which was slightly taller than an average man's height at that time.
• Court
  • A volleyball court is the designated playing area for a volleyball match.
  • A volleyball court is a rectangular surface divided into two equal halves by a net and marked with boundary lines.
  • The dimensions and surface materials of the court have evolved over time to suit different styles of play, including indoor and beach volleyball.

Fundamental Skills of Volleyball

• Serving
  • The serve is the first contact in a volleyball game
  • It is an important opportunity to gain an advantage over the opposing team.
  • Every player must develop it
  • It's the first move that can give a team momentum and shut down opponent's momentum
  • Serves can break up an opposing team's formation and create scoring opportunities in the future
  • Skilled serves directed toward the setter or weak passer
  • Can disrupt and cause the opposing team to panic, giving more scoring opportunities.
• Passing (Bump)
  • Used to receive the ball from the opposing team's service or hit.
  • The goal of passing is to keep the ball in play and set up an offensive play.
  • An effective pass requires the player to get in position, keep their arms straight and feet parallel, extend their knees forward, and make contact with the ball using their forearms.
  • Ideally the ball should be passed high toward the setter for offensive plays.
  • The first step in the basic pass-set-spike sequence that is integral to volleyball offense.
  • Passing is possibly the most important skill in volleyball.
• Setting
  • Setting or overhead passing is the most important step in an offensive play
  • It determines which player gets to spike or attack.
  • The second step in the pass-set-spike sequence.
  • The setter must:
    • Have good hand-eye coordination
    • Make quick decisions to determine who to pass to
    • Have good spatial awareness to know where their teammates are
    • Have spatial awareness to know where the opponent's defenses are the weakest.
• Attacking
  • Attacking, also known as hitting, is the final step in the pass-set-spike sequence and is used to score points.
  • The most common and consistently effective way to attack a ball is spiking.
  • Spiking is a combination of jumping with powerful arm swings in order to smash the ball onto the opponent's side of the court.
  • Good spiker qualities:
    • Good timing
    • Jumping power
    • Overall athleticism
  • To spike effectively:
    • Approach the ball with a quick three-step approach
    • Jump high
    • Hit the ball with force and accuracy
• Blocking
  • A defensive skill used to stop the opposing team's attack.
  • Also be used to potentially score points.
  • Blockers must focus on stopping the opposing team’s offensive attacks, while also paying attention to the opposing setter to better predict the opposing team’s attack strategy.
  • Defensive players react to an attack quickly and be in position before the attack is completed.
  • Qualities of a Blocker:
    • Good timing
    • Vertical height
    • Hand positioning
  • An amazing blocker:
    • Predicts where the ball is going to be.
    • Already in a position to block immediately after the ball is set.
    • Studies the hitter’s habits to improve their own blocks.
• Digging
  • A defensive skill that saves the ball from hitting the ground.
  • Often occurs ball does not come directly at the player, and a standard underhand pass would be impossible or extremely difficult to get.
  • Player must sink their hips low to the floor with their heels slightly raised in order to be light on their feet.
  • They must then stretch out their arms into the underhand pass position.
  • Player must push off their toes and use their lower body to move their upper body
  • Players must dive for the ball, but that’s often not necessary if you’re already positioned to where the ball might be going.