Volleyball

History and
Rules

History:
In 1885, William G. Morgan, an
instructor at the Young Men's
Christian Association (YMCA) in
Holyoke, Mass., decided to blend
elements of basketball, baseball, tennis,
and handball to create a game for his
classes of businessmen which would
demand less physical contact than
basketball. He created the game of
Volleyball (at that time called
mintonette). Morgan borrowed the net
from tennis, and raised it 6 feet 6
inches above the floor, just above the
average man's head. During a
demonstration game, someone
remarked to Morgan that the players
seemed to be volleying the ball back
and forth over the net, and perhaps
"volleyball" would be a more
descriptive name for the sport. On July
7, 1896 at Springfield College the first
game of "volleyball" was played.
● 1900 - a special ball was designed
for the sport.
● 1916 - in the Philippines, an offensive
style of passing the ball in a high
trajectory to be struck by another
player (the set and spike) were
introduced.
● 1920 - three hits per side and back
row attack rules were instituted.
● 1930 - the first two-man beach game
was played.
● 1934 - the approval and recognition
of national volleyball referees.
● 1964 - Volleyball was introduced to
the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
● 1996 - 2-person beach volleyball was
added to the Olympics.
The Game:
In volleyball, there are six positions on
the court. Players get to play all six
positions. Each time the team gets the
ball back to serve, the players rotate
one position clockwise. The player in
the right back position, gets to be the
next server. Each team is allowed up to
three hits to return the ball, however
the third hit must put the ball over the
net.
Cues for Bump Pass:
● Make a platform & lock elbows
● Hold both hands out with your
palms facing up
● Keep your fingers together but your
thumbs spread and facing the outside
● Contact ball with both arms
simultaneously
● Shrug shoulders and straighten
knees without swinging up at ball
● Move feet to get under the ball
● One foot in front of the other with
knees bent
● Aim your arms towards the top of
the net and not to the ceiling
● Keep the head up and eyes on the
ball

Cues for Set Pass:

● Elbows high
● Make a diamond shape with your
hands using your thumb and index
fingers
● Bend Knees
● Quick “catch” and push with your
fingers (do not hold ball)
● Extend your arms and wrist
● Pretend you are catching a water
balloon to help you get the feel of not
“stabbing” at the ball
Cues for Underhand Serve:
● Face your target
● Hold the ball in medium space with
your non-striking hand (imagine the
ball sitting on a batting tee)
● Use a bowling motion (step with the
opposite foot and bring your striking
hand back)
● As your open hand comes forward,
strike the ball with the heel of your
hand
● Do not toss the ball in the air during
the striking motion
● Follow through toward your target
Scoring:
● Rally scoring will be used.
● There will be a point scored on
every score of the ball.
● The Offense will score on a defence
miss or out of bounds hit.
● The Defence will score on an
offensive miss, an out of bounds hit, or
serve into the net.
● A game is played to 25 points.
Teams must win by 2 points.

Fouls:
The most common infractions are:
● reaching over the net to play a ball
● crossing the centreline when the ball
is in play
● touching the net during play
● catching, scooping, or carrying the
ball
● a player out of position on the court
● touching or stepping over the
serving line
● two consecutive hits by the same
player
● spiking the ball from behind the
attack line

Terminology:
Ace - When the ball is served to the
other team, and no one touches it.
Dig - When a player makes a save
from a very difficult spike.
Kill - When a team spikes the ball and
it either ends in a point or a side out.
Side out - When the team that served
the ball makes a mistake, causing the
ball to go to the other team. A “side
out” will also occur when a foul has
been committed.
 The rules of
the game
The court
A volleyball court is 18 m (59 ft)
long and 9 m (29.5 ft) wide, divided
into 9 m×9m halves by a one-meter
(40-inch) wide net. The top of the net is
2.43 m (7 ft 11 5/8 in) above the centre
of the court for men's competition, and
2.24 m (7 ft 4 1/8 in) for women's
competition, varied for veterans and
junior competitions. A line 3 m (9.84 ft)
from and parallel to the net is
considered the "attack line".
 This "3 meter" (or "10 foot") line
divides the court into "back row" and
"front row" areas (also back court and
front court). These are in turn divided
into 3 areas each: these are numbered
as follows, starting from area "1",
which is the position of the serving
player After a team gains the serve
(also known as siding out), its
members must rotate in a clockwise
direction, with the player previously in
area "2" moving to area "1" and so on,
with the player from area "1" moving
to area "6".
The team courts are surrounded by
an area called the free zone which is a
minimum of 3 meters wide and which
the players may enter and play within
after the service of the ball. All lines
denoting the boundaries of the team
court and the attack zone are drawn or
painted within the dimensions of the
area and are therefore a part of the
court or zone. If a ball comes in contact
with the line, the ball is considered to
be "in". An antenna is placed on each
side of the net perpendicular to the
sideline and is a vertical extension of
the side boundary of the court. A ball
passing over the net must pass
completely between the antennae (or
their theoretical extensions to the
ceiling) without contacting them.
The Ball

The ball FIVB regulations state that the

ball must be spherical, made of leather
or synthetic leather, have a
circumference of 65-67 cm, a weight of
260-280 g and an inside pressure of
0.30-0.325 kg/cm². Other governing
bodies have similar regulations.

Scoring

When the ball contacts the floor

within the court boundaries or an error
is made, the team that did not make
the error is awarded a point, whether
they served the ball or not. If the ball
hits the line, the ball is counted as in.
The team that won the point serves for
the next point. If the team that won the
point served in the previous point, the
same player serves again. If the team
that won the point did not serve the
previous point, the players of the team
rotate their position on the court in a
clockwise manner. The game
continues, with the first team to
score 25 points by a two-point margin
is awarded the set. Matches are best-
of-five sets and the fifth set, if
necessary, is usually played to 15
points. (Scoring differs between
leagues, tournaments, and levels; high
schools sometimes play best-of-three
to 25; in the NCAA games are played
best-of-five to 25 as of the 2008 season.)

Libero
In 1998 the libero player was
introduced internationally. The libero
is a player specialized in defensive
skills: the libero must wear a
contrasting jersey colour from his or
her teammates and cannot block or
attack the ball when it is entirely above
net height. When the ball is not in
play, the libero can replace any back-
row player, without prior notice to the
officials. This replacement does not
count against the substitution limit
each team is allowed per set, although
the libero may be replaced only by the
player whom he or she replaced.
The libero may function as a setter
only under certain restrictions. If
she/he makes an overhand set, she/he
must be standing behind (and not
stepping on) the 3-meter line;
otherwise, the ball cannot be attacked
above the net in front of the 3-meter
line. An underhand pass is allowed
from any part of the court.
 The libero is, generally, the most
skilled defensive player on the team.
There is also a libero tracking sheet,
where the referees or officiating team
must keep track of whom the libero
subs in and out for. There may only be
one libero per set (game), although
there may be a different libero in the
beginning of any new set (game).
Furthermore, a libero is not allowed
to serve, according to international
rules, with the exception of the NCAA
women's volleyball games, where a
2004 rule change allows the libero to
serve, but only in a specific rotation.
That is, the libero can only serve for
one person, not for all of the people for
whom he or she goes in. That rule
change was also applied to high school
and junior high play soon after.

Recent rule changes

Other rule changes enacted in 2000
include allowing serves in which the
ball touches the net, as long as it goes
over the net into the opponents' court.
Also, the service area was expanded to
allow players to serve from anywhere
behind the end line but still within the
theoretical extension of the sidelines.
Other changes were made to lighten
up calls on faults for carries and
double-touches, such as allowing
multiple contacts by a single player
("double-hits") on a team's first contact
provided that they are a part of a
single play on the ball.
In 2008, the NCAA changed the
minimum number of points needed to
win any of the first four sets from 30 to
25 for women's volleyball (men's
volleyball remained at 30.).If a fifth
(deciding) set is reached, the minimum
required score remains at 15. In
addition, the word "game" is now
referred to as "set". Changes in rules
have been studied and announced by
FIVB in recent years, and they have
released the updated rules in 2009.
SKILLS

Serve

A player stands behind the inline

and serves the ball, in an attempt to
drive it into the opponent’s court. His
or her main objective is to make it land
inside the court; it is also desirable to
set the ball's direction, speed and
acceleration so that it becomes difficult
for the receiver to handle it properly.
A serve is called an "ace" when the ball
lands directly onto the court or travels
outside the court after being touched
by an opponent.

Pass

Also called reception, the pass is

the attempt by a team to properly
handle the opponent’s serve, or any
form of attack. Proper handling
includes not only preventing the ball
from touching the court, but also
making it reach the position where the
setter is standing quickly and
precisely.
The skill of passing involves
fundamentally two specific techniques:
underarm pass, or bump, where the ball
touches the inside part of the joined
forearms or platform, at waistline; and
overhand pass, where it is handled with
the fingertips, like a set, above the head.
Either are acceptable in professional and
beach volleyball, however there are much
tighter regulations on the overhand pass
in beach volleyball.

Attack
The attack, also known as the spike, is
usually the third contact a team makes
with the ball. The object of attacking is to
handle the ball so that it lands on the
opponent's court and cannot be
defended. A player makes a series of
steps (the "approach"), jumps, and
swings at the ball. Ideally the contact with
the ball is made at the apex of the hitter's
jump. At the moment of contact, the
hitter's arm is fully extended above his or
her head and slightly forward, making the
highest possible contact while
maintaining the ability to deliver a
powerful hit. The hitter uses arm swing,
wrist snap, and a rapid forward
contraction of the entire body to drive the
ball. A 'bounce' is a slang term for a very
hard/loud spike that follows an almost
straight trajectory steeply downward into
the opponent's court and bounces very
high into the air. A "kill" is the slang term
for an attack that is not returned by the
other team thus resulting in a point.

Block

Blocking refers to the actions taken by

players standing at the net to stop or alter
an opponent’s attack. A block that is
aimed at completely stopping an attack,
thus making the ball remain in the
opponent's court, is called offensive. A
well-executed offensive block is
performed by jumping and reaching to
penetrate with one's arms and hands
over the net and into the opponent's area.
It requires anticipating the direction the
ball will go once the attack takes place. It
may also require calculating the best foot
work to executing the "perfect “block.
The jump should be timed so as to
intercept the ball's trajectory prior to it
crossing over the net. Palms are held
deflected downward about 45–60
degrees toward the interior of the
opponent’s court. A "roof" is a spectacular
offensive block that redirects the
power and speed of the attack straight
down to the attacker's floor, as if the
attacker hit the ball into the underside of a
peaked house roof.