VOLLEYBALL

INTRODUCTION
Volleyball is a popular team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each
team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.
The modern volleyball is highly specialized in almost all the major skills of Volleyball. It is a sport
for young and old for men and women. The character of Volleyball game is entirely different
than that of other sports discipline. Rotation system is a unique feature that differentiates
Volleyball from other sports. During game the object of every player team is to send the ball
over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court and to prevent the same effort by
the opponent.
Volleyball, game played by two teams, usually of six players on a side, in which the players use
their hands to bat a ball back and forth over a high net, trying to make the ball touch the court
within the opponents’ playing area before it can be returned. To prevent this a player on the
opposing team bats the ball up and toward a teammate before it touches the court surface—
that teammate may then volley it back across the net or bat it to a third teammate who volleys
it across the net. A team is allowed only three touches of the ball before it must be returned
over the net.
In modern sports games, where accuracy, precision and speed of movement decide about the
win, co-ordination of motor abilities becomes more and more important, if not crucial. After all,
a part from the necessary movement control, they determine the effectiveness of performed
activities and technical and tactical action. The importance of co-ordination motor abilities,
physical fitness and anthropometric characteristics in relation in individual players’
achievements during a game becomes a subject of numerous studies in volleyball.
HISTORY
Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, physical director of the Young Men’s
Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It was designed as an indoor sport for
businessmen who found the new game of basketball too vigorous. Morgan called the sport
“mintonette,” until a professor from Springfield College in Massachusetts noted the volleying
nature of play and proposed the name of “volleyball.” The original rules were written by
Morgan and printed in the first edition of the Official Handbook of the Athletic League of the
Young Men’s Christian Associations of North America (1897). The game soon proved to have
wide appeal for both sexes in schools, playgrounds, the armed forces, and other organizations
in the United States, and it was subsequently introduced to other countries.

In 1916 rules were issued jointly by the YMCA and the National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA). The first nationwide tournament in the United States was conducted by the
National YMCA Physical Education Committee in New York Cityin 1922. The United States
Volleyball Association (USVBA) was formed in 1928 and recognized as the rules-making,
governing body in the United States. From 1928 the USVBA—now known as USA Volleyball
(USAV)—has conducted annual national men’s and senior men’s (age 35 and older) volleyball
championships, except during 1944 and 1945. Its women’s division was started in 1949, and a
senior women’s division (age 30 and older) was added in 1977. Other national events in the
United States are conducted by member groups of the USAV such as the YMCA and the NCAA.
LABELLED DIAGRAM OF VOLLEYBALL COURT

Volleyball is a fast-paced team sport with two very distinct identities. Indoor and beach
volleyball are both played on a court. The primary objective in both indoor and beach volleyball
is to prevent the ball from bouncing in your team's half of the court while trying to make it land
in the other team's court.

The Ball
Volley ball a spherical ball of 65-67 cm circumference. It is made of leather or any synthetic
material and weighs 260-280 g. Volleyballs are available in various colors, however for
international tournaments, FIVB approved balls should only be used.
The type of ball required in volleyball depends on the type and level of volleyball you play.
Beach volleyballs and indoor volleyballs vary in size, weight and composition. Beach volleyball
is played with two players on a smaller sand court with a larger, lighter ball, while indoor
volleyball is played with six players on a larger court, with a heavier, faster ball made of
leather.
Net & Poles
The net divides the volleyball court into two halves. The height of the net varies based on the
age of the players and the surface being played on. An indoor net is 7 feet 11 5/8 inches in
height for men and 7 feet 4 1/8 inches for women. Beach volleyball nets are hung at the same
height. In addition to the nets, and the poles from which they are hung, protective padding is
required to surround these structures to ensure player safety in case of collision.
RULES

 6 players on the floor at any one time - 3 in the front row and 3 in the back row
 Maximum of 3 hits per side
 Points are made on every serve for winning team of rally (rally-point scoring).
 Player may not hit the ball twice in succession. (A block is not considered a hit.)
 Ball may be played off the net during a volley and on a serve.
 A ball hitting a boundary line is in.
 A ball is out if it hits an antennae, the floor completely outside the court, any of the net
or cables outside the antennae, the referee stand or pole, the ceiling above a non-
playable area.
 It is legal to contact the ball with any part of a player’s body.
 It is illegal to catch, hold or throw the ball.
 A player cannot block or attack a serve from on or inside the 10-foot line.
 After the serve, front-line players may switch positions at the net.
 Matches are made up of sets; the number depends on level of play. 3-set matches are 2
sets to 25 points and a third set to 15. Each set must be won by two points. The winner is
the first team to win 2 sets. 5-set matches are 4 sets to 25 points and fifth set to 15. The
team must win by 2 unless tournament rules dictate otherwise. The winner is the first
team to win three sets.

RULE VIOLATIONS

 When serving, the player steps on or across the service line as while making contact with
the ball.
 Failure to serve the ball over the net successfully.
 Ball-handling errors. Contacting the ball illegally (double touching, lifting, carrying,
throwing, etc.)
 Touching the net with any part of the body while the ball is in play.
 When blocking a ball coming from the opponent’s court, it’s illegal to contact the ball
when reaching over the net if both your opponent has not used 3 contacts AND they have
a player there to make a play on the ball.
 When attacking a ball coming from the opponent’s court, contacting the ball when
reaching over the net is a violation if the ball has not yet broken the vertical plane of the
net.
 Crossing the court centerline with any part of your body is a violation. Exception: if it is
the hand or foot. In this case, the entire hand or entire foot must cross for it to be a
violation.
 Serving out of rotation/order.
 Back-row player blocking (deflecting a ball coming from the opponent) when, at the
moment of contact, the back-row player is near the net and has part of his/her body
above the top of the net. This is an illegal block.
 Back-row player attacking a ball inside the front zone (the area inside the 3M/10-foot
line) when, at the moment of contact, the ball is completely above the net. This is an
illegal attack.

SKILLS

1. Passing
Passing is simply getting the ball to someone else on your team after it’s been served or
hit over the net by the opposing team. It’s commonly thought of as the most important
skill in all of volleyball, because your team can’t return the ball without a solid volleyball
pass. Forearm volleyball passes are often used to direct the ball in a controlled manner
to a teammate, but overhead passing is another option.
2. Setting
The setter has the most important position on the team, and is often the team leader
for this reason. It’s their job to make it easy for a teammate to get the ball over the
volleyball net, preferably with a spike that the other team can’t return. The setting
motion gets the ball hanging in the air, ready to be spiked by another teammate with
force.

3. Spiking
A real crowd-pleaser, spiking is the act of slamming the ball in a downward motion
across the volleyball net to the other team’s side of the court. When done well, spiking
is very difficult to return, which is why it’s an essential skill. A proper spike will help
accumulate points quickly.
4. Blocking
Blocking is another important skill, although it’s probably the most expendable of the
fundamentals. Still, it adds a great dimension to the game, keeping the other team on
their toes, so to speak. By timing it right, you can jump up and deflect or block the
opponent’s attack before it even crosses the volleyball net, which can take them by
surprise and give your team an easy point.

5. Digging
Digging is a defensive maneuver in volleyball that can save your team from an offensive
spike or attack. Your job is to keep the ball from hitting the floor, and you do that by
diving and passing the ball in a fluid motion. Unlike a typical pass, you’ll probably be
 trying to recover the ball from a steep downward trajectory. This is another great skill to
have, but isn’t as important as passing, setting, or spiking.

6. Serving
Our final fundamental skills is serving. How can you be a great volleyball player without
knowing how to serve? There are a variety of ways to serve, but you’ll most often see
the underhand or overhand serves.

- For an underhand serve, if you’re right-handed, hold the ball in your left hand while the right
hand makes a fist with the thumb on top. Make contact with the underside of the ball to send it
over the net.

- For an overhand serve (which is more advanced and common among skilled players) you’ll be
tossing the ball up while you pull back the dominant arm and swing. Don’t follow through after
your hand contacts the ball, which should feel almost like you’re punching the ball across the
volleyball net.
TERMINOLOGIES

Switching in transition. This refers to players switching positions on the court. Players need to
switch positions in order to play their specialized positions. Often, when a team is in serve
receive, each player won't always be lined up to play their position because of overlapping
rules.

Therefore, after a team receives the serve and successfully sends the ball back over the net,
players "switch" positions. This is known as switching in transition.

Backcourt setter. There are 3 front row players and 3 back row players in volleyball. The
backcourt setter refers to the setter that is setting out of the back row.

Serve receive formation. This refers to the formation the team lines up in during serve receive.
Formations of 5 players, 4 players, 3 players, and sometimes 2 players are common in club
volleyball.

6-2 offense. A team running a 6-2 means there are 2 setters and 6 hitters. Each setter plays
opposite the other. When one is on the front row, the other is on the back row. The setter
that's on the back row usually sets. This way, there are 3 attackers on the front row.

5-1 offense. A team running a 5-1 offense has 5 hitters and just one setter. The setter sets in
every rotation, even when on the front row. The advantage of a 5-1 offense is the setter can
attack at the net when on the front row.

Overlapping and player alignment. At the moment of service contact, each player must be in
the right rotation and not illegally overlapping.

Joust. When two opposing players contact the ball above the net at the same time and the ball
comes to rest, this is known as jousting. Jousting counts as a block and each player is technically
a blocker during a joust. Only front row players can block or joust.

Strong side hitter. The strong side hitter is the player that attacks from the left side of the
court. This is also called the outside hitter position.

This player needs to be confident spiking the ball because this player usually gets set the most
balls.

This player usually gets set "out of system" sets when the team's offense is out of system.

Screen. When a team prevents the opponent from seeing the serve, this is known as screening.
Screening is illegal and if the officials determine a team has committed a screen, this will result
in a loss of rally, point awarded to the opponent.

Off-speed attack. When a player spikes the ball off-speed this is known as an off-speed attack.
Also sometimes called a roll shot. Players use the roll shot technique for when it's important to
make an accurate hit, just placing the ball into the court. This can also be a way to deceive the
opponent and catch the defender back on their heels.

Reading the opponent. "Reading" is referred to when a defensive player has developed the skill
to watch and predict what the hitter is going to do. Reading is an important skill in volleyball
because the better a player is at reading the opponent, the better the player will be at getting in
position to make a play.

Of all the terminologies of volleyball, reading is extremely important to understand. Any time
you are anticipating what is happening, you are reading. Anticipating what serve is coming,
whether or not a hitter is going to hit hard or tip, being able to recognize there is a hole in the
block....these are all examples of "reading" in volleyball.

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